Symbolism in Feng Shui

Yet another interesting debate in Feng Shui. Symbolism: does it really work?

To understand symbolism better, there is no better example than this… I was once travelling in Japan when I suddenly felt hungry. With my guides not around me and with me not understanding a single word of Japanese, I was practically in a fix. How do I order my food? I was beginning to break into cold sweat when I suddenly saw the  MacDonald symbol. The rest is history… I thought to myself, what would have happened if I did not recognize the famous ‘M’ symbol? I would have died of hunger if I did not recognize it… just kidding…

There are a lot of symbolism in Feng Shui and it has been used since the ancient time. Some are recognizable and some don’t. And to add more to confusion, there are many more symbols that were invented over the years and claimed as Feng Shui artifacts. Does these work?  Personally, I found that symbols can only work effectively if you know what they meant and what they represented. The more universally used and accepted a symbol is, the better and more effective it will be. So what are universal symbols?  I would say ‘colour’ is one of them. For example over the years, people have been associating blue with water, red with fire and  green with wood. Feng shui masters have been using them to effectively harmonize the environment.

What about the animal statues? What about the waving cat, the ancient coins and other knicks knacks? Well… it would be good if you know what they are for first of all. If you have seen them often enough and like them, there is no harm collecting some. But no, energy does not come from these little figurines. It comes from within you.  If you understand and value these symbols enough and you feel good having them… go ahead and get them. I guess that’s why they make the waving cat cute looking :p.

Oh by the way, one won’t die of hunger just because one doesn’t know how to order food in Japan. Japanese restaurants have these plastics food figurines that show you how the food will look like, displayed in front of their restaurants. Just point to it and say ‘kore o kudasai’ ….