Is Feng Shui a religion?

Many people ask me “Is Feng Shui a religion?” Well, the answer is a most resounding “no”!

“Then why do I see altars around?” Anyone can create an altar, whether or not they’re Feng Shui’ing their home. They can also choose any deity for their altar, or no deity, and instead have a peaceful meditation space. In Feng Shui, we use a Bagua (ancient template) to determine the 9 life areas of your home or office (8 life areas, and the 9th being the center of the Bagua, which relates to the center of your life). In the Northwest sector of your home of office, is the “Helpful People” area. This is an excellent place to put images of helpful people, mentors, deities, etc.

However, Feng Shui is not a religion. If I were consulting with a Catholic person, they might put Saint Francis in their Helpful People area. If I were consulting with a Chinese person, they might put Kwan Yin there. It’s completely up to you to determine who represents a helpful person.

Because Feng Shui originated in China, many people mix it up with Buddhism. Feng Shui is a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing everyone with the surrounding environment. One of the causes for confusion in Westerners is that Feng Shui is closely linked to Taoism, in that it emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao (Chinese: 道; pinyin: Dào; literally: “the Way”). 

Feng Shui is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as physiognomy (observation of appearances through formulas and calculations). The Feng Shui practice discusses architecture in metaphoric terms of “invisible forces” that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together, known as qi, or energy.

Historically, Feng Shui was widely used to orient buildings—often spiritually significant structures such as tombs, but also dwellings and other structures—in an auspicious manner. Depending on the particular style of Feng Shui being used, an auspicious site could be determined by reference to local features such as bodies of water, stars, or a compass.

Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water.