ANCIENT Chinese philosophy speaks of living one's life in accordance with the forces of the universe. It is a profoundly intuitive and creative art, which is rooted in the belief of the influence of the elements and planets on the human body.

For the Chinese, nature is a living and breathing organism and is formed by two kinds of breath - the expansive breath and the contracting breath.

From the Absolute Nothingness came the Great Absolute or Tao. From Tao came forth "matter" - the earth "Yin" and the sky "Yang" - and an energy called the "Cosmic Breath" or "Chi" ("Ki" for the Japanese).

The Chi again has two Components – the omnipresent “external breath” (yang) and the “Internal breath” that sustains Life (Yin).

From the union of yin and yang came forth the “Six Celestial Energies” and the five elements, which then produced the tens of thousands of material forms.

The study of nature and its energies led to the art and science of Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway). It entailed a detailed exploration of the natural universe and led to discoveries of the way energies behaved, and how it affected the human being.

This information was then used to establish favorable locations for human habitation for healthy and harmonious living.