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The Purpose of The Phoenix Institute


At the Phoenix Institute of Feng Shui, we specialize in Environmental Design for both residences and business. We are dedicated to being available for our clients in Arizona and the Southwest to receive professional consultation in the following areas:

(1) Classical or Traditional Feng Shui
(2) Bau-Biologie (Healthy Homes) and Ecology
(3) Bio-Geometry
(4) Scottsdale Green Building Program
(5) Date Selection
(6) The Four Pillars of Destiny
(7) The I Ching
(8) Qi-Men-Duan-Jia


Let us now explain the above concepts:

    1. Classical or Traditional Feng Shui: The development of Classical studies in the field of Feng Shui goes back at least 1,400 years. The Classical texts detail the methodology of Feng Shui based on Time and Space and Chinese Metaphysics, which is interested in 'The Five Elements', 'Yin-Yang Theory,' and 'The 64 trigrams'. and There are some Feng Shui practioners who bypass the sensibility and origin of many of the early principles, however, that does not discount the importance of these principles. According to Master Yap Cheng Hai and Joey Yap, there are Two Main Categories of Feng Shui studies:

    In addition, there are Two Classical Systems of Authentic Chinese Feng Shui:

    (1) San He, which specializes in Environment and Landforms:.

    (2) San Yuan, which specializes in Time and Direction:

    2. Bau-Biologie and Ecology: Bau-biologie is concerned with the biological and health aspects of our homes and businesses. Bau-biologie is the study of the effects that built environments have on human biological systems, communities and the earth. Because of toxic environmental influences, such as indoor pollution from man-made chemicals and electricity, there has been a serious effect on the health of people in developed and developing nations around the world. In addition, we are constantly bombarded by detrimental radiations from naturally occurring geopathic zones. Dowsing is one method of determining below ground disturbances, the other being the effective use of meters and devices to define the boundaries of these geopathic lines. The key areas which influence us in our home or business environment are:
    (1) Air
    (2) Water
    (3) Materials
    (4) Energy.

    For further information regarding bau-bioligie visit the link below:
    www.bau-biologieusa.com

    3. BioGeometry: BioGeometry is a branch of Bau-Biologie. It is a science initially developed by Dr. Ibrahim Karim, an Egyptian architect based in Cairo. Biogeometry deals with the energy of shape. All shapes contain energy and everything in nature has a shape, so everything has energy. Energy exists in fields around shapes; BioGeometry deals with that relationship between energy and shape that balances these energy fields. Energy has been defined as the ability to produce an effect. With this definition, an intimate relationship can exist between people and energy; our feelings are a type of energy, our vitality is a type of energy, and even our thoughts are a type of energy. With our close relationship with energy, a close relationship with energy also exists. That is where Biogeometry comes in; it provides a means to balance our existing energy fields through the use of shapes.
    Dr. Ibrahim Karim explains that BioGeometrical shapes have three primary vibrational qualities:
    1. negative green
    2. a higher harmonic of ultra-violet
    3. a higher harmonic of gold

    For a shape to be BioGeometrical, that is, for a shape to have balanced energy fields, it is necessary for all three qualities to be present. The shape can be anything, ranging from a small pendant to large structures (the Great Pyramids of Egypt for example). The effects of exposure to BioGeometrical shapes are an amplification and balancing of the energy fields of the body, which results in a general strenghtening of the immune system. Through careful detection one can provide strategies to improve and eliminate sources of what many people call "sick syndrome."

    For further information on BioGeometry visit the following websites:
    www.vesica.org
    www.fengshuiliving.com

    4. Scottsdale Green Building Program: Green Building is a whole-systems approach utilizing design and building techniques to minimize environmental impact and reduce the energy consumption of a bulding while contributing to the health of its occupants. The act of building has a significant effect on our regional and global environments. In the process of building, resources are consumed, natural habitats are altered, and the ecological systems that support life are affected. This has been the case for thousands of years, but as the world's population and patterns of consumption have increased, the impoacts have become more critical.

    There are growing initiatives to reduce the enviornmental impact of building. New materials are being introduced that use resources more efficiently and wisely. Energy efficiency and indoor air quality are playing a greater role in the construction of healthy and comfortable homes, and efforts are underway to reduce water consumption and the inordinate amount of waste generated during construction. By designing for energy, water, and resource efficiency, buildings improve in performance with enhanced comfort and lower operating costs. With Green Building, we can satisfy all of our housing needs, conserve limited resources, and protect our natural environment for the long-term health of our planet and future generations. The Scottsdale Green Building Program rates building projects in the followin six environmental impact areas:
  1. Site Use
  2. Energy
  3. Indoor Air Quality
  4. Building Materials
  5. Solid Waste
  6. Water

    Site Use: Scottsdale is located in the northern region of the Sonoran Desert which stretches south to cover most of the Mexican state of Sonora. The Sonoran Desert is one of the most unique deserts in the world embodying a diverse ecosystem of flora and fauna. Green Building Homes protect ecologically sensitive land, protect indigenous plants and topsoil during construction, and avoid chemical ground treatmentssuch as toxic termite solutions.

    Energy: Decisions made during the design and construction of a building will affect enviornmental performance for decades to come. An integrated design approach can result in energy savings through the proper utilization of windows, lighting, mechanical systems, and active/passive solar systems. Green Building Homes consider energy in the following ways:
  7. Site, orient, and zone building and interior spaces for proper climatic response.
  8. Use a well insulated buidling envelope with thermal mas.
  9. Install high-performance windows.
  10. Locate windows for natural light and cross ventilation; use shading devices for unwanted heat gain.
  11. Incorporate passive solar design strategies.
  12. Consider active solar systems (i.e. water heating and photovoltaic power).
  13. Select energy efficent heating/cooling equipment, lighting (flourescents and halogens), and appliances.
  14. Seal and insulate duct work; locate in 'conditioned' spaces where possible.

    Indoor Air Quality: Research indicates that air pollutant levels in our homes and offices may be two to five times higher than the air outside. Since people spend 75 to 90 percent of their time indoors, the quality of indoor air has become a major concern. Health effects from exposure to indoor air pollutants range from short-term health effects (sneezing, itchy eyes, headaches, dizziness), to more serious long-term effects such as respiratory disorders. A healthy indoor environment can be achieved through proper ventialatoin and selection of non-toxic materials. Green Building Homes create a cleaner indoor air environment in the following ways:

  15. Design air distribution systems for easy cleaning and maintenance.
  16. Provide air sealed doors between rooms with mechanical equipment and habitable spaces.
  17. Avoid materials with high rates of volatile organic compound (VOC) off gassing such as standard particle board, some carpets, adhesives, and certain paints.
  18. Provide for continuous ventilation in all occupied areas of the building.
  19. Maximize control of the indoor environment with features like operable windows, task lighting, and zoned temperature controls.

    Building Materials: Most of the environmental impacts associated with buiding materials have occured prior to their installation. Raw materials are extracted from the ground or harvested from forests; pollutants are emitted during manufacturing; and energy is consumed throughout production. Some materials, such as those containing ozone-depleting HCFCs and VOCs, continue emitting pollutants during use and/or have significant environmental impacts associated with their disposal. Resource-efficient materials are designed to have minimum impact on the health of our environment and ourselves.
    Green Building Homes use environmentally-responsible materials by:

  20. Selecting materials with low embodied energy (energy used in resource extractoin, manufacturing and shipping.
  21. Selecting materials thatare durable and appropriate for our desert climate (won't degrade in sun/dryness).
  22. Selecting materials with recyclable and recycled content.
  23. Selecting products and materials of local manufacture to limit embodied energy and support local economies.
  24. Avoiding materials that unduly deplete limited natural resources, such as lumber from old-growth forests.
  25. Avoiding materials made from toxic or hazardous constituents(benzene, arsenic, etc.).
  26. Avoiding materials that generate pollution during manufacturing or use.

    Solid Waste: Construction debris constituesa large portion of the material destined for landfills. Reduction of construction debris is one the most frequently overlooked areas for resource conservation. According to the Center for Resourceful Building Technology, the building of a typical single-family home produces an average offour to six tons of waste per building site. Wood, drywall, metal, rubble, and cardboard comprise the majority of recyclable construction and demolition wastes.
    Green Building Homes cut down on the generation of solid waste by:

  27. Sorting construction and demolition waste for recycling (job site bins for wood, metals, wallboard, etc.).
  28. Purchasing building material in required dimensions to minimize waste.
  29. Reuse as many discarded materials as possible in the building process.
  30. Donate reusable materials to non-profit or other community groups where they can be used to build or improve housing stock.

    Water: In the desert, the environment imposes a natural mandate on how we should build in order to manage water. The depletion of groundwater is an especially critical issue of concern in Arizona. The State Department of Water Resources has implemented water management strategies to address this regional problem. One way to conserve water is to incorporate water management strategies into building design. Green Building Homes accomplish this in the following ways:

  31. Use low-flow plumbing fixtures and appliances.
  32. Provide or convert to desert responsible landscaping(xeriscape).
  33. Consider graywater usage, which takes the waste water from such locations as bathroom sinks, showers, bathtubs, and laundry rooms, and uses it for landscape irrigation.
  34. Collect and use rainwater for irrigation.
    For more information on Green Project Homes visit their website at:
    www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/greenbuilding

    5. Date Selection:: The purpose of date selection is to choose prosperous dates for big events such as:
  35. Weddings
  36. New residence
  37. Career opportunities
  38. Important occasions

    6. The Four Pillars Of Destiny: The Ancient Chinese devised a system of reading the life of a person, based on their birth year, month, day and hour. "The Four Pillars of Destiny" is the common name and studies the Cosmic Trinity of a person, including the Heaven (Destiny), Man (Luck), and Earth (Feng Shui). David Twicken states in his works that during the Tang Dynasty Li Xu Zhong popularized the 'Four Pillars of Destiny' with an Emphasis of the year Branch/Chinese Zodiac Animal as the main focus point for this method of Chinese Astrology. As one studies the Four Pillars of Destiny, a relationship between man and nature is ascertained, and a systematic method of calculating its influences. Roger Green states, "Rather than reflecting the position of the stars, as in Western Astrology, the 'Four Pillars of Destiny' astrological chart reflects the dominance of the Elements at the moment of birth". By analyzing the pattern of the Four Pillars, the strengths and weaknesses of an individual can be determined, and then which Elements can be inserted to balance out those strengths and weaknesses." In Raymond Lo's studies you find the following: "Ancient Chinese Metaphysics is based on a Theory that the Universe consisted of five elements, earth, metal, wood, water and fire. Even though these substances are very common materials, these elements should not be interpreted in the narrow sense of their physical characteristics. Rather they should be regarded as symbols of five fundamental forces or type of energy, which are in turn governed by the Cycles of Birth and Destruction. Such a Philosophy is so deeply rooted in the Chinese culture...The most obvious is the Chinese calendar which expresses years, months, days and hours in the terms of the five elements. Every item-year, month, day and hour-is represented by two Chinese characters and each character symbolizes one basic element." For example, the year 1947 (Year of the Pig) can be expressed by the two Chinese characters (ding Hai). The first Character (ding) normally written on top, is called the 'the heavenly stem', while the second character ( hai) usually written underneath, is called an 'earthly branch'. There are a total of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches, and each of these symbolize an element."
    For more information on the Four Pillars of Destiny visit the websites below:
    www.raymondlo.com
    www.joeyyap.com
    www.fengshuiseminars.com
    www.healingqi.com

    7. The I Ching: Literally means the 'Book of Change' was originally developed by Fu-hsi (3322 B.C.) who invented the 8 Trigrams. Raymond Lo believes the 64 Hexagrams were interpreted in 1122 B.C. by King Wen. The eight different combinations each contain a system of logical deductions from laws of nature. The scholars who wrote the laws back then were not practitioners, and the practitioners didn't have the time to write the books. Most material in the past was taught as a social science and philosophy. It was one of the Five Classics edited by Confucious in the 6th Century B.C. who wrote about politics, laws, family, philosophy, and literature. True I Ching analysis is nothing more than understanding the laws of nature. It is really a science, not a philosophy. The Hexagram simply signifies answers to questions. The West has translated the I Ching and cultural biases to the work had prevailed in the past. Translations by Sinologist James Legge in the 1850s and Richard Wilhelm's rendering of the I Ching are a good example of the biases. Carl Jung exclaimed that the I Ching is a manual of divination founded upon the synchronistic concept of the Universe. In other words, all things that happen at a certain time have certain characteristic features which can be isolated, so that in addition to vertical causality, one may also have horizontal linkages. It was Alfred Huang, who published his work "The Complete I Ching" in 1998, who was recognized as the first author to translate this great work from the Chinese language directly into the English language. The Trigram consists of 3 lines of writing, based on either all yin lines, or all yang lines, or an additional six different combinations of the two types of lines as demonstrated below. The two sets of trigrams, when added one above the other, are equal to a Hexagram (). The Hexagrams contain 2 sets of Trigrams that each contain 3 lines. There are 8 trigrams representing:

    (1) Fire
    (2) Earth
    (3) Lake
    (4) Heaven
    (5) Water
    (6) Mountain
    (7) Thunder
    (8) Wind

    One result of the theory of the five elements and the Chinese calendar system is the Chinese method of fortune telling. As the Chinese calendar system can express a moment of time in terms of a combination of elements. Raymond Lo believes that this arrangement of the elements is believed to represent the chemistry or composition of a person's destiny.

    For more information on the I-Ching visit the websites of I-Ching instructors:
    www.raymondlo.com
    www.fengshuiseminars.com

    Qi-Men-Duan-Jia:

©2008 The Phoenix Institute of Feng Shui