Design for Australia
Designing eco friendly homes
Vicki has worked with various architects, designers and builders in Hobart and Melbourne to address the modern concerns with Green or ecologically sustainable architecture. There is absolutely no discord between eco friendly design and Feng Shui. An example – in Traditional Feng Shui there is a proscription against digging too deeply into the earth. So the practice of cutting and back filling sites should be avoided if possible. Building on disused quarries and places where the earth has been deeply disturbed is not regarded as being good practice. In fact you have to work very hard to overcome the disruption to the earth.
Water conservation and recycling of grey water has seen a significant increase with water saving devices being incorporated into modern Australian house design. Added to this the curent practice of placing the electricity lines underground can raise problems with health. This is particularly relevant in places like most of Tasmania with its abundant underground water. The placement of water collection and reservoirs in or on top of the ground is a serious matter. Please under no circumstances place these water systems under your home. It violates a central premise of Feng Shui – still water is Yin and there is NO remedy to this. For a more in depth examination go to the forums.
Feng Shui in the Southern Hemisphere
Vicki says she gets many questions about this subject in fact it is probably the most frequently asked question. What do you do with the model of Feng Shui in the Southern Hemisphere? Answer you keep the model absolutely the same.
The passage of the sun through the southern or northern sky is only one aspect of chi not as many people think the most important thing. The placement of windows, doors and other passive solar devices can still be achieved without resorting to tipping things upside down or disrupting the model in any way. If you think about it the equator is merely a convenient mathematical device. Just because water is reputed to go down the drain in a clockwise or anticlockwise spiral is again only one aspect of Qi. If you take a compass to the Northern Hemisphere it will still point to North. If you take the same compass to the Southern Hemisphere it will still point North.
Feng Shui and good design
When applying Feng Shui principles to any design you can get an excellent match. One of Vicki’s clients described their experience of building their new home using all the Feng Shui design tools including the auspicious measurements. “As soon as the frame was up (so the energy print was being formed right there and then), all the trades people who were working on the project would walk into the space and sigh saying isn’t this just lovely. The project was completed on time, with every one working on the job offering solutions to difficulties or recommending an excellent person to render the exact service needed in the correct time”. In fact after the building was finished people would visit, offer help and assistance and not want to leave because the house felt so good.
Vicki and the client worked on the project together. They did not use an architect or designer – just used a draughtsman to draw up the plans to submit to council.
There is absolutely no discord between eco friendly design and Traditional Feng Shui.
There are thousands of channels in our consciousness; it’s up to us to choose the channel.
Moments of Mindfulness Thich Nhat Hanh
