Feng shui, as a Chinese metaphysical philosophy, centres on the harmonious arrangement of spaces to optimise the flow of qi and support well-being. It is deeply rooted in ancient cosmology, balancing the dynamic interplay of yin and yang and the five elements within terrestrial and celestial environments. Deleuze’s philosophy, on the other hand, emerges from twentieth-century continental thought, foregrounding the fluidity of being, the importance of difference and repetition, and the affirmation of multiplicity and becoming. Both traditions value process, transformation and the ongoing creation of new realities, but their metaphysical foundations differ: feng shui privileges cosmic harmonisation and resonance, while Deleuze focuses on experimental assemblages, creative change and the vital energy of differentiation. Together, they invite me to treat my environment as a living field of possibilities, where both ancient wisdom and radical modern philosophy offer ways to think and act differently in relation to space.

In the discipline of feng shui, I often ask how to align my space to promote well-being. When I approach my home or working environment influenced by Gilles Deleuze, process-oriented questions open new directions for transformation. In this post, I explore how Deleuzean questions, rooted in affirmation, multiplicity and becoming, can reinvigorate feng shui and reveal the field as a living practice with our surroundings. I invite you to ask some of these questions in relation to your home and workplace.

From Essence to Action

Traditionally, feng shui focuses on the essence of objects, locations or arrangements. Deleuze encourages a shift from identity to process, asking not “What is it?” but “What does it do?” This move opens my relationship with space to wider possibilities, creative becomings and continuous transformation.

Space – What Does It Do?

The Pragmatics of Space – What Does It Do?

Core question: What does it do?

Instead of asking about the inherent meaning of something in my room, I direct my attention to the effects, movements or atmospheres it creates. In feng shui, that means considering:

• How does the placement of my desk influence my working energy during the day?

• What flows of qi are helped or hindered by my furniture?

• How does this corner encourage rest, creativity or social engagement?

This approach moves from static function to dynamic relations, recognising every object and arrangement as an ongoing process, not a fixed state.

Chance, Change and Becoming – What Possibilities Does This Create?

Core question: What possibilities does this unexpected turn create?

Engaging with uncertainty and the unpredictability of environmental energies means affirming chance through Deleuze’s lens. If I make changes and encounter unexpected feelings, I ask:

• What new connections or flows have emerged within my space?

• What forms of creativity or engagement have appeared?

• How has this change prompted me to become different, whether that means being less attached to symmetry or more open to improvisation?

Affirming the chance in spatial experiments opens new energies and reminds me that harmony can be discovered as well as imposed.

Assemblages and Connectivity – How Does It Function in a Network?

Core question: How does it function in a network or assemblage?

A Deleuzean approach invites me to observe not just objects in isolation but their roles within larger ensembles:

• How do my sofa, plant and window interact as parts of my living room’s ecology?

• What moods, behaviours or gatherings are enabled or prevented by this configuration?

• Who or what might connect differently if I choose to rearrange elements?

Assemblage-thinking broadens my perspective from individual objects to the collective – family, guests and the wider urban or natural setting.

Dynamics of Affect – What Affects and Is Affected by This?

Core question: What affects and is affected by this?

Energy in feng shui is always relational – flowing from one entity to another in changing states in the sea of frequencies and vibrations. Deleuze’s question leads me to notice:

• How does a sharp-edged table generate tension and how can this affect be altered?

• What energetic reactions are triggered by a mirror’s position in my entrance?

• Which atmospheres or emotional climates arise from particular spatial relationships?

My focus shifts to embodied, everyday experience – understanding space as a matrix of changing moods and energies.

What is the vibe of your home and workplace?

Creativity and Escape – What Lines of Flight Does This Make Possible?

Core question: What lines of flight or escape does it make possible?

Lines of flight signal opportunities to break routines or systems. In feng shui, I consider:

• How can I modify my bedroom to allow new routines or spur-of-the-moment activity?

• Which areas encourage movement, play or innovation in my home?

• What arrangements disrupt repetitive patterns and prompt novel uses of space?

Harmony becomes a dynamic equilibrium, always alive to the possibility of change.

Problem Fields and Experimentation – What Problems Does This Pose and What Can I Experiment With?

Core question: What problems does this pose, and what can I experiment with?

Every environmental challenge is a chance for creative practice. I ask:

• What problem does a gloomy corridor bring to energy flow and what solutions are open to me?

• How does crowding at the entrance dampen openness, and what experiments might create a welcoming atmosphere?

• How can I treat any disturbance as a productive challenge rather than a setback?

This cultivates a spirit of ongoing trial, learning and adaptation – echoing Deleuze’s insight that creative enquiry begins with the creation of problems rather than their solution.

How spaces are connected?

Rhizomatic Connections – What New Networks and Lines Can I Create?

Core question: What new networks and lines can I create within my space?

Inspired by Deleuze’s concept of the rhizome, I look for ways my environment can foster non-hierarchical, interconnected networks. I ask myself:

• How can diverse areas of my home become linked through flows of movement, energy or activity?

• Which objects, rooms or relationships might be reconnected to encourage multiplicity and surprise?

• What organic, flexible patterns of use or living might emerge if I treat my space as a rhizomatic field rather than a strictly ordered system?

This approach helps me cultivate dynamic, adaptable connections within my environment, making my home and workplace a field of creative relationships and open-ended growth.

Read more on: Rhizomapping, Rhizomaps, Rhizomatic Learning…

Imagine…and bring clarity to surroundings…

Folding Spaces: Applying Gilles Deleuze’s Concept of the Fold to Architecture, Interior Design, and Feng Shui

The concept of the fold, developed by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, offers a fascinating lens through which we can rethink space, movement, and design. Originally drawn from his reading of Leibniz and Baroque art, Deleuze’s fold sees the world as an infinite series of folds, where inside and outside, matter and soul, body and environment all flow into each other. This concept offers powerful insights for architecture, interior design, and even the Chinese philosophy of feng shui.

1. The Fold in Architecture: Fluidity and Continuity
   Deleuze’s fold invites architects to think of space as fluid and dynamic. Instead of rigid walls and fixed forms, the fold encourages curvatures, flowing lines, and layered spaces. Think of an undulating roofline that seems to fold in on itself, or an interior space where walls curve gently, creating a sense of continuous movement. This could take the form of a museum with organically flowing galleries, or a home that blurs the boundaries between inside and outside through folding glass walls. A practical example: an office building where the floors fold up into walls, creating flexible workspaces that flow into each other without clear boundaries.

2. The Fold in Interior Design: Layered and Transformative Spaces
   In interior design, the fold can inspire spaces that are flexible and layered, where different functions fold into each other. Instead of static divisions, folding screens, partitions, or sliding panels can create spaces that transform. For example, a living room might fold open into a dining area, or a bedroom might fold out into a workspace. Think of a studio apartment with movable partitions that fold and unfold, allowing the inhabitant to reconfigure the space throughout the day. Another practical application: a restaurant where folding partitions can open or close, transforming a single large dining room into intimate private spaces.

3. The Fold and Feng Shui: Harmonising Flow and Energy
   Feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of harmonising individuals with their environment, places great emphasis on the flow of energy, or “qi.” Deleuze’s fold aligns beautifully with this principle. The fold’s emphasis on continuous flow and the interweaving of inside and outside can help in creating spaces where energy circulates smoothly. Practical examples might include curved pathways through a garden, or gently folding walls in a home that prevent energy from being trapped in corners. In feng shui, the fold can also inspire multi-layered spaces that harmonise different elements, such as a room that folds open to reveal water features, connecting the internal space with natural elements.

Deleuze’s concept of the fold offers a powerful way to rethink the spaces we live and work in. By seeing the world as an infinite series of folds, we open up new possibilities for fluidity, continuity, and transformation. In architecture, this means creating buildings that fold space, merging inside and outside. In interior design, it means flexible, layered environments that can adapt and transform. And in feng shui, the fold aligns with the smooth flow of energy, allowing for spaces that harmonise inside and outside, matter and soul. By applying Deleuze’s fold, we can design spaces that are not only beautiful but also dynamic, responsive, and deeply interconnected with the rhythms of life.

Conclusion: Space as Becoming

Gaston Bachelard’s work on the philosophy of space is deeply influential, especially in his celebrated book The Poetics of Space. Bachelard explores how intimate spaces – such as homes, rooms and corners – are filled with poetic resonance and imaginative meaning. He argues that our lived experience of space is not merely geometric but richly psychological, shaped by memory, dreams and reverie. For Bachelard, every dwelling is a site of personal becoming, where imagination transforms ordinary architecture into a source of inspiration and depth. His approach foregrounds the emotional and poetic qualities of space, highlighting how our environments nurture inner life and creativity.

Deleuzean questions animate my feng shui work, making my home more than an arrangement of objects – it becomes a site for unfolding potential. Each question challenges me to treat my environment as an invitation to experiment, connect and become.

To deepen the process, I regularly apply one Deleuzean question to a specific area in my home and also my clients and document not just the outcome but the series of new effects and possibilities that result.

Notes on chance according to Deleuze

Let’s unpack what Deleuze means by affirming chance. He draws heavily from Nietzsche and the idea of the “dice throw.” For Deleuze, to affirm chance is to embrace the unpredictable, to accept whatever turns up in life’s throw of the dice.

He says that true affirmation is not about controlling outcomes or selecting only what is favourable. It’s about affirming the whole of chance – everything, even what seems incomprehensible or difficult.

One quote we found is: “Nietzsche turns chance into an affirmation, and failure to affirm the results of the dice throw is demonstrative of negation, a manifestation of what Nietzsche calls ressentiment.”

Another idea is that in the affirmation of chance, the self is dissolved. It’s not about controlling life’s outcomes but about opening oneself up to multiplicities, to all the possible becomings.

In Deleuze’s view, affirming chance means not wishing things were different, but finding the creative potential in what life throws at you. It’s about working with chance, not against it – turning every throw into a new beginning, a new becoming.

The Deleuzean exhortation to “bring something incomprehensible into the world” (A Thousand Plateaus) is a call to genuine creation and transformation, inviting us to make space for what cannot be subsumed by established categories, habits or common sense. This drive toward the incomprehensible is deeply connected to Deleuze’s philosophy of chance. For Deleuze, to affirm chance is not to seek the predictable or familiar, but to wholeheartedly embrace uncertainty – the play of events, the unpredictable emergence of new forms and the ruptures that shatter what is already known.

True creativity, in this light, does not simply reproduce what already exists or what can be neatly understood. Instead, it courts the unforeseeable, welcoming surprises and disruptions into the fabric of experience. Bringing something incomprehensible into the world means opening up our fields of action and thought to chance encounters and unexpected connections, thereby generating novel assemblages and possibilities that resist classification or closure.

By connecting experimentation and chance, Deleuze encourages us to cultivate difference – to let what is radically new and unpredictable enter our spaces, practices and thinking. To bring something incomprehensible into the world is ultimately to affirm the dynamic potential of chance itself, allowing our environments, creations and ideas to become sites of emergence, transformation and true multiplicity.

Let’s think about this in practical terms. If you wanted to follow Deleuze’s idea of affirming chance in your everyday life, it’s about embracing the uncertain and the unpredictable – finding creativity in whatever happens.

For example, if a situation doesn’t go as planned– maybe a project changes direction, or an opportunity falls through – rather than resisting or wishing it were different, you could see it as a new opening. You might ask: What possibilities does this unexpected turn create? How can I move with it, rather than fight it?

It’s about seeing life as an ongoing process of becoming, where each unexpected event gives you a chance to create something new and to let life unfold in surprising ways. That’s the practical spirit of affirming chance.

Read more why I learn from philosophy and philosophers such as Giles Deleuze: Creating Instead of Criticising: Rethinking Philosophy of Feng Shui

References

Bachelard, G. (2014). The Poetics of Space (M. Jolas, Trans.). Penguin Classics.
Deleuze, G. (1968). Difference and Repetition.
Deleuze, Gilles. The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque. Translated by Tom Conley. University of Minnesota Press, 1993.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2008, May 22). Gilles Deleuze.

The post Deleuze, Chance and the Living Space: Radical Questions for Spiritual Environmental Practice appeared first on Feng Shui London UK • The Capital Feng Shui Consultant.

For millennia, feng shui has been understood as the art and science of harmonising human environments with the flow of qi (vital energy) through careful attention to spatial arrangement, temporal cycles, and directional orientations. Traditional practitioners meticulously calculate compass bearings, assess landforms, and consider the temporal dimensions of the Chinese calendar to optimise environmental conditions. Yet what if the most profound aspects of feng shui lie not within the coordinates of time and space as we conventionally understand them, but in dimensions beyond these familiar parameters?

This exploration proposes a radical reconceptualisation of feng shui practice, drawing upon recent discoveries in theoretical physics, transpersonal psychology, and mystical philosophy to imagine feng shui as it might be practised in realms that transcend ordinary spatiotemporal coordinates. By examining positive geometry, the teachings of non-dual wisdom traditions, and the nature of consciousness itself, we can begin to articulate innovative approaches to environmental harmonisation that operate at deeper, more fundamental levels of reality.

Classical and Modern Feng Shui: Bound by Space and Time

Classical feng shui operates firmly within the framework of spatial and temporal coordinates. The compass school (Lopan feng shui) divides space into eight directions corresponding to the trigrams of the I Ching, with practitioners using precise magnetic bearings to determine auspicious and inauspicious sectors within a building or landscape. The form school evaluates the shapes and contours of the physical environment, assessing how mountains, water bodies, and built structures channel or obstruct the flow of qi through three-dimensional space.

Temporal considerations are equally crucial. The flying star method (Xuan Kong Fei Xing) incorporates time as a dynamic variable, with different energy patterns thought to activate in various sectors of a building according to cycles measured in years, months, and days. Annual and monthly afflictions must be carefully monitored, and the timing of occupancy or renovation becomes a critical factor in determining outcomes. Date selection (Ze Ri) represents an entire branch of practice dedicated to choosing auspicious moments for important activities, from moving house to beginning construction.

These traditional approaches, whilst sophisticated and refined over centuries of observation, remain fundamentally rooted in our ordinary experience of three-dimensional space and linear time. They work within the world of coordinates, measurements, and cycles. Yet both ancient wisdom traditions and cutting-edge physics now suggest that reality extends far beyond these familiar parameters.

Modern Feng Shui Adaptations Within Spatiotemporal Constraints
Contemporary feng shui practice has evolved considerably to address the realities of modern urban living, yet it remains fundamentally anchored within the same spatiotemporal framework as classical approaches. Modern practitioners have adapted traditional principles to contemporary architectural contexts, developing methods for assessing high-rise apartments where classical landform analysis proves challenging, and creating guidelines for open-plan offices, electronic equipment placement, and urban environments lacking traditional landscape features. Popular Western adaptations, particularly the Black Hat Sect or BTB feng shui approach, have simplified classical methods by emphasising the bagua map overlay relative to entrance doors rather than absolute compass directions, and by incorporating contemporary psychological and aesthetic considerations alongside traditional energetic principles – still done in time and space coordinates. Despite these modifications and the integration of interior design sensibilities, colour psychology, and lifestyle coaching elements, modern feng shui continues to operate within the domain of measurable space (room layouts, furniture arrangements, architectural features) and cyclical time (annual predictions, monthly updates, timing of changes). Environmental psychology research has investigated some feng shui principles through empirical study of spatial perception, wayfinding, and environmental preference, yet even these scientific approaches remain bound by the coordinates of physical space and linear time. Whether classical or contemporary in approach, feng shui as currently practised works within the manifest world of form, arrangement, and temporal cycles, addressing the optimisation of environments as they exist within our ordinary experience of three-dimensional space and sequential time.

These traditional and modern approaches, whilst sophisticated and refined over centuries of observation and contemporary adaptation, remain fundamentally rooted in our ordinary experience of three-dimensional space and linear time. They work within the world of coordinates, measurements, and cycles. Yet both ancient wisdom traditions and cutting-edge physics now suggest that reality extends far beyond these familiar parameters.

The Mystical Perspective: Beyond the World of Form

Eastern spiritual traditions have long maintained that the physical world of form, time, and space represents merely the surface layer of a much deeper reality. Advaita Vedanta teaches that the true Self (Atman) is identical with the absolute reality (Brahman), which transcends all spatial and temporal limitations. The renowned sage Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj articulated this understanding with particular clarity, stating that once one knows oneself to be beyond space and time, fear dissolves. In his description, this timeless realm is free from opposites and mutually destructive discrepancies, pervaded instead by harmony and rock-like peace.

Quick tip from Nisargadatta: he often emphasises that ultimate freedom is not about accumulating more technique, but about being with that which you already are — and that Being transforms all “problems” on the level of becoming (time and space). “These moments of inner quiet will burn out all obstacles without fail. Don’t doubt its efficacy.” In short, living from timeless Being can smooth out day to day problems.

Buddhism similarly points toward a reality beyond the conventional coordinates of existence. The concept of shunyata (emptiness) suggests that all phenomena lack inherent, independent existence within space and time. What we perceive as solid, located objects are revealed upon deeper investigation to be interdependent processes without fixed boundaries. Mystical Christianity speaks of eternity not as endless time but as a dimension orthogonal to time altogether, a timeless present where past and future collapse into the eternal now.

Turiya: The Fourth State Beyond Spatiotemporal Consciousness
The Vedantic tradition articulates this transcendent reality through the concept of Turiya, the “fourth state” of consciousness that exists beyond the ordinary states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Whilst waking consciousness operates within the coordinates of external space and sensory objects, dreaming consciousness within the internal space of mental imagery, and deep sleep within a state of undifferentiated potential, Turiya represents the witness awareness that underlies and pervades all three states yet remains untouched by their fluctuations. This fourth state is described as pure consciousness itself, the unchanging background against which all experiences arise and dissolve. Turiya is not located in time, for it does not come into being or pass away; it is not situated in space, for it has no extension or boundaries. Rather, it represents the fundamental ground of awareness from which the very framework of space and time emerges as phenomenal constructs. The significance of Turiya for reimagining feng shui lies in its suggestion that environmental harmonisation might ultimately be achieved not through manipulation of spatial configurations or temporal cycles, but through stabilisation in this fourth state of consciousness, where the separation between environment and awareness dissolves into a unified field beyond all coordinates. From the perspective of Turiya, the distinction between inner and outer space becomes meaningless, suggesting that the deepest form of environmental practice might involve cultivation of this witnessing awareness that transcends yet encompasses all manifest conditions.

These spiritual insights align remarkably with developments in transpersonal psychology, which recognises states of consciousness transcending the ordinary boundaries of self, time, and space. Transpersonal experiences often involve a sense of unity with all existence, dissolution of spatial boundaries between self and world, and entry into timeless or eternal states. Such experiences suggest that consciousness itself may not be fundamentally bound by spatiotemporal coordinates, but may access dimensions of reality beyond the reach of ordinary perception. Read more about my PhD research into feng shui: Feng Shui Research: Advancing an Ancient Discipline with Science

The Two Sequences: Feng Shui’s Map of Timeless and Temporal Realities

Within the classical feng shui tradition lies a profound recognition of the duality between timeless and temporal existence, encoded in the distinction between the Early Heaven Sequence (Xian Tian) and the Later Heaven Sequence (Hou Tian) of the eight trigrams. The Early Heaven Sequence, attributed to the mythical sage Fu Xi, represents the primordial arrangement of the bagua as it exists in a state of perfect equilibrium before manifestation, a realm of pure potential where there is no movement, no change, and no temporal progression. This sequence corresponds to the Tao in its unmanifest state, the eternal and unchanging source from which all phenomena arise. In contrast, the Later Heaven Sequence, attributed to King Wen, depicts the trigrams as they operate within the manifest world of form, movement, and cyclical change. Here, the elements interact dynamically, time flows in measurable cycles, and spatial directions acquire specific energetic qualities that shift through the seasons and years. Traditional feng shui practice primarily employs the Later Heaven Sequence precisely because it governs the world of time and space in which we conduct our daily lives. However, the continued acknowledgement of the Early Heaven Sequence within the tradition points toward a deeper understanding that has always existed within feng shui: that beneath the changing patterns of temporal existence lies a timeless, static realm of perfect harmony. This ancient cosmological framework thus anticipates the very distinction explored throughout this blog, recognising that authentic environmental harmonisation must ultimately engage both dimensions, working skilfully within the coordinates of space and time whilst remaining rooted in awareness of the changeless reality beyond.

Early Heaven Sequence & Later Heaven Sequence

The Undeveloped Potential: Revisiting the Early Heaven Sequence Through Contemporary Physics
Whilst feng shui practitioners over the past millennium have extensively developed sophisticated methodologies based on the Later Heaven Sequence (including the Flying Stars system, Eight Mansions method, and various forms of compass school feng shui), the Early Heaven Sequence has remained largely theoretical and contemplative, rarely translated into practical application beyond its use in certain metaphysical calculations or burial site assessments. This asymmetry in development reflects the pragmatic focus of feng shui as a practice concerned with navigating the manifest world of change, where timing, direction, and spatial configuration directly impact human affairs. However, this historical emphasis has left the Early Heaven realm largely unexplored as a domain for active engagement and practice. The emergence of quantum physics, positive geometry, and contemporary understandings of spacetime as emergent rather than fundamental offers unprecedented opportunities to revisit the Early Heaven Sequence with fresh eyes and new conceptual tools that were entirely unavailable to classical Chinese cosmologists. The ancient Chinese masters, whilst extraordinarily sophisticated in their observations of pattern and cycle, had no knowledge of quantum non-locality, the collapse of spacetime coordinates at the Planck scale, or the discovery of timeless geometric structures encoding physical reality. These modern insights provide a potential bridge for understanding what the Early Heaven Sequence might actually represent in operational terms: not merely a philosophical abstraction or cosmological diagram, but a map of the pre-spatiotemporal domain that contemporary physics is only now beginning to articulate mathematically. By bringing together the wisdom encoded in the Early Heaven Sequence with insights from quantum mechanics, positive geometry, and theories of consciousness, we may finally develop practical methodologies for feng shui that engage the timeless realm directly, fulfilling the ancient promise implicit in the tradition’s recognition of both sequences but never fully realised in its historical practice.

Positive Geometry: The Physics of the Timeless

Recent developments in theoretical physics provide an unexpected bridge between mystical insights and scientific understanding. The discovery of positive geometries, particularly the amplituhedron, reveals mathematical structures that encode physical interactions without reference to conventional space and time. These geometric objects exist in abstract mathematical spaces defined by positivity conditions, where all coordinates are non-negative and the usual dualities of spacetime are transcended.

The iconic 20th century physicist Richard Feynman invented a method for calculating probabilities of particle interactions using depictions of all the different ways an interaction could occur. Examples of “Feynman diagrams” were included on a 2005 postage stamp honoring Feynman.

The iconic 20th century physicist Richard Feynman invented a method for calculating probabilities of particle interactions using depictions of all the different ways an interaction could occur. Examples of “Feynman diagrams” were included on a 2005 postage stamp honouring Feynman. These diagrams represented particle trajectories moving through space and time, with calculations requiring the summation of contributions from countless possible paths, each anchored firmly within the coordinates of spacetime. Whilst Feynman’s approach proved extraordinarily successful and remains foundational to particle physics, it inherently assumed that space and time were the fundamental stage upon which quantum events unfold. The calculations could become staggeringly complex, involving thousands of terms and intricate mathematical manipulations, all embedded within the framework of four-dimensional spacetime. Yet what if this complexity was not fundamental, but rather an artefact of working within an unnecessarily constrained framework?

The amplituhedron, introduced by physicists Nima Arkani-Hamed and Jaroslav Trnka in 2013, represents a revolutionary approach to understanding particle interactions. Rather than calculating scattering amplitudes through complex integrations over spacetime paths (the traditional Feynman diagram approach), physicists can instead compute the volume of specific regions within this high-dimensional geometric object. The amplituhedron exists in a space of kinematic variables that has no direct spatiotemporal interpretation, yet it perfectly encodes all the information about how particles interact.

A sketch of the amplituhedron representing an 8-gluon particle interaction. Using Feynman diagrams, the same calculation would take roughly 500 pages of algebra.

The amplituhedron, introduced by physicists Nima Arkani-Hamed and Jaroslav Trnka in 2013, represents a revolutionary approach to understanding particle interactions. Rather than calculating scattering amplitudes through complex integrations over spacetime paths (the traditional Feynman diagram approach), physicists can instead compute the volume of specific regions within this high-dimensional geometric object. The amplituhedron exists in a space of kinematic variables that has no direct spatiotemporal interpretation, yet it perfectly encodes all the information about how particles interact.

What makes this discovery particularly striking is that these geometric structures are timeless and unchanging. They are not processes unfolding through time, but eternal mathematical forms whose properties determine the outcomes of physical events. The shapes possess a kind of crystalline perfection, often described as jewel-like, with intricate facets and symmetries that remain stable and well-defined outside the flux of temporal becoming.

This suggests that at the deepest level, the universe may be governed not by processes occurring in space and time, but by timeless geometric relationships that exist in a more fundamental domain. Space and time, from this perspective, emerge as secondary phenomena, projections or interfaces arising from deeper structures that themselves transcend spatiotemporal description.

Consciousness as Interface: Rethinking Perception

Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman has developed a compelling framework for understanding perception that complements both mystical insights and the implications of positive geometry. Hoffman proposes that our perceptual systems do not provide direct access to objective reality but instead function as a user interface shaped by evolutionary pressures. Just as a computer desktop with its icons and folders bears no resemblance to the underlying circuits and electrical signals, our experience of space, time, and objects may bear little resemblance to the deeper reality that generates these appearances.

This interface theory of perception suggests that space and time are not fundamental features of reality but rather organisational principles of our perceptual interface, useful for navigating the world but potentially misleading if taken as ultimate truth. Hoffman’s recent work has begun exploring connections with positive geometry, suggesting that the mathematical structures discovered by physicists might relate to the deeper reality beyond our perceptual interface.

If consciousness itself is not fundamentally bound by spatiotemporal coordinates but instead generates or accesses reality through different organisational principles, this opens profound possibilities for practices such as feng shui. Rather than working solely with the spatial and temporal coordinates of our perceptual interface, we might develop methods for engaging with the deeper geometric or harmonic structures that underlie manifest reality.

Feng Shui Reimagined: Operating Beyond Coordinates

Given these insights from mystical traditions, transpersonal psychology, and theoretical physics, how might we reconceptualise feng shui as a practice operating beyond conventional space and time? What would it mean to harmonise environments at levels that transcend ordinary coordinates?

1. Harmonic Field Attunement

If positive geometries reveal timeless harmonic structures underlying physical interactions, we might conceive of feng shui not as arranging objects in three-dimensional space, but as attuning to harmonic fields that exist in more fundamental dimensions. This approach would involve cultivating sensitivity to resonances and dissonances that operate beneath the level of spatial configuration.

In practice, this might involve meditative or contemplative techniques for sensing energetic patterns that are not locatable in ordinary space. Rather than asking where qi flows within a room, practitioners would attune to harmonic signatures or vibrational qualities that pervade the environment without being anchored to specific locations. These signatures might be understood as projections into our perceptual interface from deeper geometric structures, much as the three-dimensional shadow of a four-dimensional object reveals aspects of the higher-dimensional form whilst remaining incomplete.

Training for this form of practice would emphasise:

• Development of subtle perception beyond the five physical senses
• Meditative practices for quieting the mind’s spatiotemporal categorisation
• Cultivation of direct intuitive knowing rather than conceptual analysis
• Recognition of unity and interconnection beyond apparent separation in space

2. Consciousness-Environment Non-Duality

Traditional feng shui maintains a distinction between the observer (practitioner or occupant) and the observed environment. Yet non-dual wisdom traditions teach that this separation is ultimately illusory. If consciousness is not localised in space and the environment is not separate from consciousness, then feng shui becomes less about arranging external objects and more about transforming the unified field of awareness-environment.

This non-dual approach would recognise that what we call environmental energy and what we call consciousness are not two separate phenomena interacting across space, but different aspects of a single reality. Harmonising the environment then becomes inseparable from harmonising consciousness. The practitioner does not manipulate external qi but rather clarifies and stabilises the field of awareness within which both self and environment arise.

Practical applications might include:

• Consciousness-based practices where the practitioner enters states of deep presence and allows harmony to emerge spontaneously rather than being imposed through technique
• Recognition that the perceived environment reflects the structure of consciousness, with changes in awareness directly manifesting as changes in environmental quality
• Working with the felt sense of space as an expression of consciousness rather than as a container external to consciousness
• Transcending the subject-object duality to recognise practitioner and environment as interpenetrating aspects of a unified field

3. Archetypal Geometry and Formative Patterns

Plato proposed that eternal forms or archetypes exist in a realm beyond the physical world, with earthly objects being imperfect copies or instantiations of these perfect templates. Similarly, positive geometries suggest that timeless mathematical structures underlie physical phenomena. We might conceive of feng shui as working with archetypal geometric patterns that exist independently of any particular spatial manifestation.

Rather than focusing on the specific angles, proportions, and arrangements of physical objects, this approach would engage with the archetypal forms or principles that these arrangements express or embody. A golden rectangle, for instance, might be understood not merely as a specific spatial proportion but as an archetypal harmonic relationship that can manifest across multiple dimensions and scales, including dimensions beyond three-dimensional space.

Practitioners working with archetypal geometry would:

• Study sacred geometry and mathematical forms (such as the Platonic solids, Fibonacci sequences, and golden ratio) as expressions of timeless principles rather than merely as spatial patterns
• Recognise that the power of these forms derives not from their physical dimensions but from their participation in eternal harmonic structures
• Work with visualisation and imagination to invoke archetypal patterns, understanding that the mental or consciousness-based representation may be as effective as physical implementation
• Consider that the most profound geometric harmonies exist in dimensions beyond the three we directly perceive, with physical forms being projections or shadows of higher-dimensional structures

4. Intention and Quantum Coherence

Quantum physics reveals that at fundamental levels, reality displays properties of non-locality, superposition, and coherence that challenge our ordinary spatiotemporal intuitions. Some researchers have proposed that consciousness may interface with quantum processes, potentially influencing outcomes through observation or intention.

A feng shui practice informed by quantum principles might work with coherence rather than configuration. Just as positive geometries encode particle interactions through mathematical structure rather than spatiotemporal paths, environmental harmonisation might be achieved through establishing coherence patterns in the quantum information structure underlying physical reality.

This could involve:

• Using focused intention and visualisation to influence quantum-level patterns within an environment, with the understanding that observation and intention are not passive but participatory
• Working with consciousness coherence techniques (such as group meditation or intention-setting) to create harmonising effects that operate through non-local quantum entanglement rather than through spatial proximity
• Recognising that the observer effect in quantum physics suggests consciousness plays an active role in manifesting reality, with implications for how we understand environmental influence
• Exploring whether practices traditionally considered superstitious (such as blessing spaces or setting intentions) might operate through quantum-level influences that transcend classical spatiotemporal constraints

5. Temporal Transcendence: The Eternal Present

Traditional feng shui incorporates temporal cycles and timing, but what would it mean to practice feng shui in the eternal present, beyond the flow of linear time? Mystical traditions speak of a timeless now, a dimension of reality where past and future collapse into an eternal present moment.

Feng shui beyond time would not involve calculating auspicious dates or tracking temporal cycles, but instead cultivating a quality of presence that brings the environment into alignment with timeless truth. This might be understood as shifting the environment’s reference frame from temporal becoming to eternal being.

Practices might include:

• Meditation on timelessness whilst present in a space, allowing the environment to resonate with the quality of the eternal present rather than being caught in temporal flux
• Recognising that all temporal conditions (past influences, future potentials) exist simultaneously in a timeless dimension and can be accessed and transformed from that perspective
• Working with the understanding that what we experience as temporal cycles are projections from a timeless domain, with the possibility of engaging the source rather than the projection
• Cultivating environments that support experiences of timelessness, facilitating entry into transpersonal states where temporal awareness dissolves

6. Multi-Dimensional Feng Shui

If space has more than three dimensions, as suggested by various physics theories, then feng shui might be practised in dimensions beyond the three we directly perceive. Traditional feng shui already implicitly works with more than three dimensions when it incorporates time as a fourth dimension, but we might conceive of additional spatial dimensions beyond our ordinary three.

Positive geometries exist in high-dimensional spaces that cannot be fully visualised in three dimensions. Similarly, the formative forces shaping our environment might operate through dimensions beyond our direct perception, with three-dimensional space being a projection or cross-section of a higher-dimensional reality.

Multi-dimensional feng shui would:

• Recognise that optimal arrangements in three-dimensional space may reflect or project optimal structures in higher dimensions
• Work with mathematical principles and geometric forms known to have special properties in higher-dimensional spaces
• Use visualisation and contemplative practices to sense or intuit structures in dimensions beyond the three of ordinary perception
• Understand that some environmental influences may propagate through dimensions inaccessible to ordinary sense perception, requiring cultivation of subtle faculties

7. Rudolf Steiner’s Counterspace and Organic Geometry

Rudolf Steiner developed a concept of counterspace (Gegenraum), a kind of dual or complementary space to ordinary Euclidean space, characterised by projective geometric principles rather than metric measurement. In counterspace, the conventional properties of space are inverted in certain ways: the periphery becomes primary rather than the centre, and formative forces work from the outside in rather than the inside out.

Steiner proposed that living organisms develop according to counterspace principles, with their form being shaped by forces that operate through this complementary spatial dimension. This suggests a feng shui approach that works with counterspace rather than ordinary space, attuning to formative influences that shape environments through projective or non-metric principles.

Counterspace feng shui might involve:

• Shifting attention from the centre of a space outward to its periphery and beyond, recognising that formative influences may originate from the infinite surround rather than from localised sources
• Working with projective geometric principles, understanding that parallel lines meet at infinity and that the periphery has its own unique properties
• Recognising organic, life-enhancing forms and patterns that express counterspace principles rather than rigid Euclidean geometry
• Cultivating sensitivity to formative forces that work from the periphery inward, shaping space through principles complementary to ordinary mechanical causation

8. Morphic Resonance and Non-Local Fields

Biologist Rupert Sheldrake has proposed the theory of morphic resonance, suggesting that forms and patterns can influence similar forms across space and time through resonance in morphic fields that are not bound by ordinary spatiotemporal limitations. Whilst controversial, this theory offers another framework for imagining feng shui beyond conventional coordinates.

If environments can resonate with archetypal patterns or with other physical locations through non-local morphic fields, then feng shui practice might work by establishing resonance with optimal templates or harmonious reference environments, regardless of spatial or temporal separation.

This approach would involve:

• Identifying archetypal environments or sacred sites that embody optimal harmonic qualities
• Using visualisation, ritual, or symbolic representation to establish morphic resonance between the target environment and these template spaces
• Recognising that the influence operates through non-local field resonance rather than through mechanical causation or spatial proximity
• Understanding that the most important factor is qualitative similarity and resonance rather than material correspondence

9. Information-Theoretic Feng Shui

Some physicists have proposed that information, rather than matter or energy, may be the most fundamental constituent of reality. From this perspective, physical space and time might be understood as information structures or as ways of organising information.

Feng shui reimagined through an information-theoretic lens would focus on the information content and information flow within environments, recognising that what we perceive as spatial arrangement or temporal sequence may be secondary to underlying information patterns.

Practices might include:

• Optimising information complexity and coherence within environments rather than focusing solely on spatial configuration
• Recognising that the meaning and symbolic significance of environmental features may be more important than their physical properties, as meaning represents information content
• Working with the information that environments encode and communicate, whether through visual patterns, soundscapes, or more subtle signatures
• Understanding that harmonisation might be achieved through clarifying and ordering information patterns, removing noise and enhancing signal across multiple dimensions of information space

10. Consciousness Transformation as Environmental Harmonisation

Perhaps the most radical reconceptualisation is to recognise that if consciousness and environment are ultimately inseparable, then the most direct path to environmental harmonisation is through transformation of consciousness itself. Transpersonal psychology recognises that spiritual development involves transcendence of the separate self and expansion into transpersonal states of unity, wholeness, and cosmic awareness.

From this perspective, the ultimate feng shui practice involves no manipulation of external environments but rather cultivation of those states of consciousness that naturally generate or perceive harmonious environmental qualities. This is not environmental determinism but rather recognition that the environment as experienced is always consciousness-dependent.

This approach would emphasise:

• Meditative and contemplative practices for cultivating states of inner stillness, clarity, and expansion
• Recognition that environmental disturbances often reflect disturbances in consciousness, with transformation of consciousness directly influencing environmental experience
• Understanding that the most profound environmental harmony emerges when consciousness rests in its natural state beyond space and time, free from the dualities and conflicts that generate disharmony
• Cultivation of presence and awareness as the foundation of all environmental harmonisation

Integration and Practice

These approaches to feng shui beyond time and space are not mutually exclusive but rather represent different perspectives or entry points into a unified understanding. In practice, they might be integrated into a comprehensive approach that recognises multiple levels of reality and multiple modes of engagement.

A practitioner working in this expanded framework might begin with traditional feng shui techniques, optimising the spatial arrangement and temporal factors of an environment according to classical principles. This establishes harmony at the level of our ordinary perceptual interface, creating conditions conducive to well-being within the familiar coordinates of space and time.

Having established this foundation, the practitioner might then engage the deeper dimensions, working with consciousness practices to attune to harmonic signatures beyond spatial location, setting intentions that operate through quantum-level coherence, and entering states of presence that bring the environment into resonance with timeless truth. The recognition of non-duality between consciousness and environment allows the practitioner to work simultaneously with inner and outer dimensions, understanding that these are not truly separate.

The ultimate fruition of such practice might be the realisation that the most harmonious environment is already present when consciousness rests in its natural state, beyond the boundaries of time and space. From this perspective, feng shui is not about creating harmony where discord exists, but about removing the obscurations that prevent recognition of the harmony that is always already present in the timeless realm.

Scientific, Philosophical, and Spiritual Integration

This expanded vision of feng shui finds support from multiple directions. Theoretical physics points toward a reality beyond space and time, suggesting that our familiar coordinates are emergent or secondary rather than fundamental. Mystical and spiritual traditions across cultures have consistently pointed toward a timeless, boundless reality as the ultimate truth. Transpersonal psychology recognises states of consciousness that transcend ordinary spatiotemporal boundaries. Philosophers from Plato onwards have speculated about eternal forms and hidden dimensions underlying manifest reality.

The convergence of these streams of understanding creates a context within which feng shui beyond time and space becomes not merely speculative but a logical extension of our deepest insights into the nature of reality. If space and time are not fundamental, then practices bound to spatiotemporal coordinates necessarily work at a secondary level. To engage reality at its deepest level requires methods that transcend these conventional parameters.

This does not invalidate traditional feng shui approaches. Just as Newtonian physics remains valid and useful within its domain even though quantum mechanics reveals a deeper level of reality, traditional feng shui remains effective for harmonising environments at the level of ordinary perception and experience. However, just as physics has expanded beyond Newton to engage quantum and relativistic domains, feng shui might similarly expand to engage dimensions beyond conventional coordinates.

Challenges and Considerations

It must be acknowledged that these proposals for feng shui beyond time and space are largely speculative and theoretical rather than validated by empirical research. Traditional feng shui, whilst not meeting rigorous scientific standards in many cases, at least operates within the domain of observable spatial and temporal patterns. Approaches that transcend these coordinates venture into territory where verification becomes exceptionally difficult.

Sceptics might reasonably question whether such practices have any effects beyond placebo or whether they represent wishful thinking rather than genuine engagement with deeper levels of reality. These are legitimate concerns. However, several considerations are worth noting.

First, the inability to measure or verify something using current scientific methods does not necessarily mean it is unreal or ineffective. Many aspects of consciousness and subjective experience remain resistant to conventional scientific methodology, yet few would claim they do not exist. The development of new methods may be required to investigate these domains.

Second, multiple independent lines of investigation from physics, psychology, and spiritual practice converge on similar insights about reality extending beyond conventional spatiotemporal coordinates. This convergence suggests something worthy of serious consideration rather than dismissal.

Third, pragmatic validation may be possible even where rigorous scientific proof remains elusive. If practitioners consistently report beneficial effects from these approaches, if environments treated in these ways seem to support well-being and flourishing, this constitutes at least preliminary evidence worth investigating further.

Fourth, the theoretical framework need not be perfect or completely correct to be useful. Models are tools for organising experience and guiding practice. If feng shui beyond time and space provides a useful framework for thinking about environmental harmonisation and suggests effective practices, it has value even if the underlying theory requires refinement.

Practical Implementation

For practitioners interested in exploring feng shui beyond time and space, several practical starting points might be suggested:

Develop Subtle Perception: Regular meditation practice creates the inner stillness necessary for perceiving subtle dimensions of experience. Practices such as mindfulness of space, open awareness meditation, and cultivation of the felt sense can enhance sensitivity to environmental qualities beyond ordinary perception.

Study Sacred Geometry and Positive Geometry: Whilst the mathematical details may be complex, developing familiarity with archetypal forms and high-dimensional geometric structures can expand one’s conceptual framework and perhaps facilitate intuitive understanding of deeper patterns.

Experiment with Consciousness-Based Approaches: Before or after arranging physical space, spend time in meditation within the environment, setting intentions for harmony, visualising ideal qualities, and cultivating presence. Notice whether these consciousness-based practices seem to influence environmental quality.

Explore Non-Dual Awareness: Investigate the relationship between consciousness and environment through contemplative practices that dissolve the subject-object distinction. Notice how environmental experience shifts when ordinary boundaries between self and world soften.

Integrate Traditional and Transcendent Approaches: Use classical feng shui methods as a foundation whilst simultaneously engaging deeper dimensions. This creates harmony at multiple levels simultaneously.

Keep Records: Document practices and outcomes systematically. While rigorous proof may be difficult, careful observation over time can reveal patterns and inform practice development.

Remain Open Yet Critical: Maintain willingness to explore whilst applying critical thinking to evaluate claims and experiences honestly.

Conclusion: Toward a Unified Vision

The proposal for feng shui beyond time and space represents an attempt to integrate ancient wisdom, contemporary scientific discoveries, and experiential spiritual understanding into a expanded vision of environmental harmonisation. It suggests that the most profound influences shaping our environments may operate through dimensions we do not directly perceive, and that practices engaging these dimensions might complement and extend traditional approaches.

Whether such practices prove effective remains to be determined through experimentation and investigation. However, the theoretical framework itself has value in expanding our imagination of what might be possible and in providing new perspectives on the relationship between consciousness, environment, and reality’s deepest structures.

As both wisdom traditions and modern physics point toward a reality transcending the familiar boundaries of space and time, practices such as feng shui that work with environmental harmony may naturally evolve to engage these deeper dimensions. The ultimate vision is of environments that resonate not merely with optimal spatial configurations and temporal cycles, but with the timeless harmonic structures underlying all manifest reality, environments that support and reflect the journey toward recognising our own nature as consciousness beyond boundaries, existing in that realm where, as the sage declared, harmony pervades and peace is rock-like.

In this vision, the highest form of feng shui might be understood not as technique at all, but as the natural condition that manifests when consciousness recognises itself as boundless and timeless, free from the opposites and discrepancies that generate disharmony. From this recognition, all environments become expressions of the fundamental harmony that exists in the realm beyond time and space, inviting us to discover that the peace we seek through environmental arrangement is ultimately found through transcending the very coordinates within which such arrangement occurs.

Case study:  a Personal Exploration of Feng Shui from the Timeless Perspective

As a researcher investigating the theoretical possibilities of feng shui beyond conventional coordinates, I found myself compelled to explore these concepts experientially within my own living environment. My home, like all physical dwellings, exists firmly within the measurable dimensions of space and time: rooms with specific proportions, furniture arranged in particular configurations, objects occupying defined locations. Yet I began to approach this familiar environment from what might be termed a “timeless/spaceless perspective,” cultivating states of awareness that transcended ordinary spatiotemporal perception whilst remaining present within the physical space. Rather than analysing compass directions, calculating flying stars, or methodically adjusting furniture placement according to classical principles, I entered states of deep presence and open awareness, allowing perception to shift beyond the conventional subject-object duality that typically structures environmental experience. From this altered perspective, something remarkable occurred: the home itself seemed to transform, not through physical changes but through a shift in the quality of experience within it. The space felt more harmonious, more alive, more conducive to well-being and creativity. Life began to unfold with greater ease and synchronicity, a quality that Taoist philosophy describes as wu wei, effortless action aligned with the natural flow of reality. This transformation emerged not from deliberate intervention but from a shift in the fundamental relationship between consciousness and environment, suggesting that the deepest level of environmental harmonisation may indeed operate beyond the coordinates we normally employ.

“The Way never acts, yet nothing is left undone.”
Taoist principle of wu wei often translated as non‑action or effortless action attributed to Lao Tzu expressing the essence of doing nothing in the classic Tao Te Ching

Beyond Time and Space in Practical Application
When circumstances did call for practical changes within the home, such as decluttering or reorganising possessions, I found that approaching these tasks from the timeless perspective yielded disproportionately significant results. Rather than engaging in systematic, methodical clearance based on spatial logic (working room by room, category by category), I would first enter a state of expanded awareness, releasing attachment to temporal urgency and spatial completeness. From this state, certain objects would naturally present themselves for removal, not through rational analysis but through direct intuitive knowing. The physical action of decluttering became secondary to the consciousness with which it was undertaken. What emerged was a principle of “more for less”: minimal physical changes, undertaken from expanded awareness, produced maximal shifts in environmental quality and life experience. A single object removed from awareness of its energetic signature rather than merely its spatial location could transform an entire room’s atmosphere. This experiential finding aligns with the theoretical framework explored throughout this blog: that environmental harmonisation operating at the level beyond time and space may be far more potent than extensive manipulations within conventional coordinates. The practice becomes less about doing and more about being, less about imposing order from without and more about allowing harmony to emerge from the recognition of the timeless dimension that underlies all manifest form. These personal observations, whilst anecdotal and subjective, suggest directions for future systematic investigation into consciousness-based approaches to environmental practice.

Frequently Asked Questions: Practical Guidance for Feng Shui Beyond Time and Space

Question 1: I am accustomed to traditional feng shui methods involving compass measurements and flying stars. How can I begin to approach my environment from beyond time and space when I cannot perceive higher dimensions?
The transition from classical coordinate-based feng shui to consciousness-centred approaches need not be abrupt or comprehensive. One may commence by establishing a regular contemplative practice, such as mindfulness meditation or open awareness exercises, which cultivates the capacity for perceiving environments without the habitual overlay of conceptual categorisation and spatial analysis. Begin by sitting quietly within a room of your dwelling and allow your attention to rest in simple presence, without attempting to assess, judge, or modify what you perceive. Notice how the quality of environmental experience shifts when the analytical mind quiets and direct awareness predominates. This altered mode of perception does not require visualisation of higher-dimensional structures or intellectual comprehension of positive geometry; rather, it involves a fundamental shift in the relationship between consciousness and environment, from subject observing object to a more unified field of awareness. Gradually, you may find that insights regarding environmental harmonisation arise spontaneously from this state, not as calculated interventions but as intuitive recognitions of what serves harmony. Classical and modern methods remain valid and useful, particularly for those beginning their practice, but may be progressively supplemented with consciousness-based approaches as one’s capacity for subtle perception develops. The integration of both modalities, working simultaneously at the level of manifest coordinates and the deeper timeless dimension, represents perhaps the most comprehensive approach to contemporary environmental practice.

Question 2: Does this approach require belief in mystical or spiritual concepts, or can it be understood within a purely scientific framework?
The theoretical foundations presented in this exploration draw upon multiple epistemological frameworks, including quantum physics, positive geometry, transpersonal psychology, and contemplative wisdom traditions. Importantly, one need not adopt any particular metaphysical belief system to engage meaningfully with consciousness-based environmental practices. The phenomenon of altered states of consciousness is well documented within psychological and neuroscientific research, with measurable changes in brain activity patterns corresponding to meditative states, flow states, and expanded awareness. The interface theory of perception, as articulated by cognitive scientists such as Hoffman, provides a scientifically grounded rationale for questioning whether our ordinary spatiotemporal experience represents fundamental reality or merely an evolutionarily adaptive interface. Positive geometry, whilst abstract and mathematical, represents legitimate physics research published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at major academic conferences. One may approach these practices purely as experiments in consciousness and perception, observing empirically whether shifts in awareness correlate with shifts in environmental experience and life quality, without necessarily endorsing any particular ontological framework regarding the ultimate nature of reality. The methodological stance of pragmatic investigation, testing propositions through direct experience whilst remaining agnostic regarding metaphysical claims, represents an entirely valid approach. Conversely, those with existing contemplative or spiritual practices may find these concepts provide a useful bridge between their inner work and practical environmental application. The framework accommodates multiple interpretations and can be engaged from various philosophical positions, unified by the common thread of investigating consciousness-based approaches to environmental harmonisation.

Question 3: I live in a small flat in London with limited ability to make physical changes. Can feng shui beyond time and space help when my spatial options are constrained?
This represents precisely the context wherein consciousness-based approaches may prove most valuable. Traditional feng shui, particularly when constrained by unfavourable building orientation, inauspicious flying star combinations, or problematic architectural features that cannot be modified, often leaves practitioners with limited remedial options beyond symbolic cures or minor adjustments. Feng shui operating beyond spatiotemporal coordinates transcends these limitations because it does not depend primarily upon physical manipulation of the environment. One may live in accommodation with suboptimal classical feng shui attributes yet cultivate states of consciousness that profoundly transform the quality of experience within that space. The practice involves working directly with awareness itself, recognising that what we term environmental quality emerges from the interaction between consciousness and physical conditions rather than from spatial arrangement alone. Practical application in constrained circumstances might include daily periods of meditative presence within your flat, consciously releasing judgements about spatial inadequacy and instead cultivating appreciation for what is present. When approaching decluttering or minor rearrangements, enter states of expanded awareness first, allowing intuitive guidance to direct minimal changes that resonate at deeper levels. Set intentions for harmony whilst in meditative states, understanding that intention operating through quantum-level or morphic field influences may affect environmental quality through non-local mechanisms not requiring physical proximity or manipulation. The recognition that consciousness and environment exist in non-dual relationship means that transformation of one necessarily influences the other. Many practitioners report that cultivating inner stillness and presence produces environmental effects disproportionate to any physical changes undertaken, suggesting that the locus of harmonisation may reside more in consciousness than in spatial configuration. This approach proves particularly empowering for those in rental accommodation, shared housing, or compact urban dwellings where extensive physical modifications prove impractical or impossible.

Question 4: How can I assess whether these practices are actually working, given that the effects operate beyond measurable coordinates?
The question of verification represents a legitimate methodological concern, particularly for those trained in empirical disciplines requiring quantifiable outcomes. Whilst effects operating beyond conventional spatiotemporal coordinates may resist standard measurement protocols, several approaches to evaluation remain viable. Firstly, maintain a detailed phenomenological record documenting subjective experience over time, noting shifts in environmental quality, ease of daily activities, emotional states, quality of sleep, creative productivity, and significant life events or synchronicities. Longitudinal self-observation, whilst not meeting rigorous experimental standards, provides valuable data regarding correlations between practice and outcomes. Secondly, solicit observations from others who enter your environment without prior knowledge of your practices, noting whether they spontaneously comment upon atmospheric qualities or experience shifts in their own states whilst present in your space. Thirdly, employ standardised psychological instruments such as well-being scales, stress inventories, or quality of life assessments administered at regular intervals, comparing baseline measurements with those obtained following sustained practice. Fourthly, observe objective life metrics including health markers, relationship quality, professional advancement, or financial circumstances, recognising that environmental harmonisation should theoretically manifest as improved outcomes across multiple life domains. The convergence of evidence across subjective experience, third-party observation, psychological measures, and objective life indicators provides a form of triangulation that, whilst not constituting proof in the strict scientific sense, offers pragmatic validation of practice effectiveness. It remains important to maintain realistic expectations and critical discernment, distinguishing genuine effects from placebo responses, confirmation bias, or coincidental positive developments. Nevertheless, the ultimate criterion remains pragmatic: if sustained practice correlates with improved quality of life and environmental experience, this constitutes sufficient justification for continuation, regardless of whether mechanisms can be definitively established or measured through conventional means. Future research employing rigorous experimental designs, control conditions, and objective measurements may eventually provide more definitive validation, but individual practitioners need not await such confirmation before exploring these approaches experientially.

Question 5: Can these consciousness-based practices completely replace traditional feng shui methods, or should they be used in conjunction with classical approaches?
The relationship between consciousness-based and coordinate-based feng shui practices merits careful consideration, as it reflects broader questions regarding the relationship between different levels or dimensions of reality. The perspective advanced throughout this exploration suggests a hierarchical or nested model wherein spatiotemporal phenomena emerge from or are projections of deeper, timeless structures. From this viewpoint, practices engaging the fundamental level theoretically prove more potent than those operating at the emergent level of manifest coordinates. However, several considerations suggest that integration rather than replacement represents the most comprehensive approach. Firstly, human beings exist simultaneously at multiple levels: we possess physical bodies occupying three-dimensional space and experiencing linear time, whilst also potentially accessing transpersonal dimensions of consciousness beyond these constraints. Optimal environmental practice might therefore address all levels of our existence rather than privileging one dimension exclusively. Secondly, classical and modern feng shui represents a sophisticated body of knowledge refined through centuries of observation and practice, encoding genuine insights regarding how spatial arrangement and temporal cycles influence human experience at the level of ordinary consciousness. To dismiss this accumulated wisdom would constitute intellectual hubris. Thirdly, for individuals beginning their exploration of environmental harmonisation, traditional methods provide concrete, actionable frameworks requiring no cultivation of subtle perception or altered states of consciousness. These approaches remain accessible and effective within their domain of application. The proposed integration involves establishing optimal conditions at the physical level through judicious application of classical principles, whilst simultaneously engaging the deeper dimension through consciousness-based practices. The physical environment, optimised through traditional means, provides a supportive container or foundation for consciousness work, whilst the cultivation of timeless awareness transforms the quality of experience within that physical space. Advanced practitioners may find that as consciousness stabilises in expanded states, dependency upon physical adjustments diminishes, with environmental harmony emerging spontaneously from the stabilised awareness itself. Nevertheless, even for such practitioners, attending to basic environmental factors such as cleanliness, organisation, adequate lighting, and functional spatial arrangement remains sensible, as the physical level, whilst not ultimate, remains the domain wherein embodied human life unfolds. The most mature approach likely involves flexible employment of multiple modalities, applying classical methods where appropriate whilst progressively deepening capacity for consciousness-based practice, ultimately arriving at a unified understanding wherein all approaches serve the singular goal of supporting human flourishing within harmonious environments.

Invitation to Share Your Experiences

These personal explorations represent merely a preliminary investigation into feng shui practice beyond conventional coordinates. I warmly invite readers who feel drawn to experiment with these consciousness-based approaches to share their own findings. Have you noticed environmental shifts when approaching your space from expanded awareness? Have minimal physical changes from deeper consciousness produced disproportionate effects? Your experiences and observations would be invaluable in developing this emerging field. Please consider sharing your explorations through direct correspondence. Together, we may articulate a more comprehensive understanding of how environmental practice might engage reality beyond the familiar coordinates of space and time. Please contact me.

References

Arkani-Hamed, N., & Trnka, J. (2013). The amplituhedron. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/1312.2007

Firman, J., & Vargiu, J. (1996). Psychosynthesis: Some key aspects of theory and practice. In B. W. Scotton, A. B. Chinen, & J. R. Battista (Eds.), Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology (pp. 132-140). Basic Books.

Gray, J. (2013). Epistemology of geometry. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-geometry/

Grof, S. (1998). The cosmic game: Explorations of the frontiers of human consciousness. State University of New York Press.

Herrmann, E. (2022). Positive geometry of scattering amplitudes. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2203.13018.pdf

Hoffman, D. D. (2019). The case against reality: Why evolution hid the truth from our eyes. W. W. Norton & Company.

Lam, T. (2019). An invitation to positive geometries. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.00031

Leuger, R. J., & Sheikh, A. A. (1989). The four forces of psychotherapy. In A. A. Sheikh & K. S. Sheikh (Eds.), Eastern and Western approaches to healing (pp. 109-168). Wiley.

Maharaj, N. (1973). I am that: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (M. Frydman, Trans.). Acorn Press.

Maharaj, N. (1981). Seeds of consciousness (J. Dunn, Ed.). Grove Press.

Siegel, E. (2025). Could ‘positive geometry’ unlock the theory of everything? Big Think. https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/positive-geometry-theory-of-everything/

Steiner, R. (1905). The fourth dimension: Sacred geometry, alchemy, and mathematics. Anthroposophic Press.

Wired. (2013, December). Scientists discover a jewel at the heart of quantum physics. https://www.wired.com/2013/12/amplituhedron-jewel-quantum-physics/

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In Deleuze and Guattari’s eyes, philosophy stagnates when reduced to mere defence or reanimation of dead dogmas. They urge philosophers to create concepts, not just reflect upon or preserve them. This principle of creative production, as opposed to rote reproduction, stands as a vital challenge to anyone working with tradition, especially those of us immersed in ancient systems like feng shui.​

As a practising feng shui consultant and a PhD researcher in environmental psychology, this resonates deeply with my personal and academic journey. Feng shui is often discussed through its classical philosophical principles – chi, yin and yang, five elements, bagua, and intricate calendar cycles. But is there a risk in treating these ideas as fixed artefacts, immune to the creative forces that keep a tradition alive?

Philosophical Creation and the Living Nature of Feng Shui

Deleuze’s distinction between creative thinking and static reflection can reformulate how we approach feng shui today. Classical feng shui concepts were themselves products of creative synthesis by thinkers responding to their contexts—a process of invention far removed from static dogmatism.

When critique becomes sterile – when we repeat ancient prescriptions without re-examining, adapting, or revitalising them – we do a disservice to the living flow of the tradition and to those whom it serves. Such practices risk falling into ressentiment: defending forms for their own sake, neglecting the energy and dynamism required for meaningful transformation.

Chi, Yin-Yang, Five Elements and Bagua: Creative Re-engagement

The principle of creation not mere criticism challenges me to engage with chi, yin-yang, five elements, and the bagua model as dynamic frameworks, not as static formulae. For instance:

• Chi (Qi): Rather than defining chi as a mere fixed “energy,” I see it as a metaphor for the flow, exchange, and relationality manifest in environmental psychology, adaptable through creative inquiry and measurement. Read more about chi/qi

• Yin and Yang: These are not just opposites but a cycle of dynamic processes – always changing, always negotiating boundaries. Contemporary spatial arrangement must reflect this perpetual exchange, as supported by empirical research in environmental responses to design.

• Five Elements and Bagua: Both serve as symbolic languages to map and harmonise environments, but they require adaptation to context, culture, and scientific insight. Creating new mappings or correspondences is part of a living, evolving feng shui practice. More about bagua models

The Time Dimension: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives

One challenge for modern feng shui research is engaging with time – not as a static factor but as a living context. The classical tradition tracks cosmic cycles, seasonal changes, and daily rhythms; modern approaches must re-examine these relationships in light of psychology and environmental change.

For example, the Chinese sexagenary cycle (60-year periods) and annual adjustments to energy flows invite not mindless repetition but active interpretation. Insights from environmental psychology and empirical studies increasingly show how time – through light cycles, seasonality, and change – affects well-being and behaviour.

Personal Practice: Toward a Philosophy of Creation in Feng Shui

In my own practice and research, these reflections prompt several guiding questions:

• How can classical feng shui concepts be re-lived, re-examined, or even recreated for our time, without simply repeating inherited dogma?

• Am I defending tradition for its own sake, or infusing it with new life through evidence-based inquiry and empirical validation?

• Are my critiques generative – leading to new concepts, models or metrics for harmonisation – or merely reactive?

The challenge, as Deleuze and Guattari warn, is to resist being the “plague of philosophy” and instead become an agent for creation, not only in abstract theorisation, but in everyday practice and empirical research.

For those practising feng shui, especially at the intersection of tradition and science, this principle is liberating – a call to harmonise evidence, creativity, and reflective practice. Rather than defending vanished concepts or repeating formulas, we are invited to create, revitalise, and reimagine feng shui as a living field, one where ancient wisdom and contemporary insight coalesce.

To integrate Deleuzean philosophy with feng shui concepts, one needs to move beyond viewing feng shui as a static set of rules or metaphysical dogmas and instead approach it as a vibrant process open to creation, becoming, and multiplicity. Deleuze’s key ideas– assemblage, rhizome, immanence, and concept creation – provide a rich theoretical toolkit for reimagining feng shui as a dynamic, adaptive, and creative field, rather than a rigid tradition frozen in antiquity.​ Read more: Deleuze, Chance and the Living Space: Radical Questions for Spiritual Environmental Practice

How to integrate Deleuzean philosophy with feng shui concepts

Assemblage and Rhizome: The Space of Connections
Deleuze’s notion of assemblage (agencement) resonates with the traditional feng shui emphasis on interconnectedness between people, architecture, and the environment. Instead of seeing a space as simply arranged according to pre-given cosmological formulas, one can understand a living environment as an emergent assemblage – constantly forming new relationships among elements such as chi, inhabitants, material objects, and even temporal flows.​

The rhizome, which resists hierarchical structure and promotes multiplicity and connectivity, offers a model for how feng shui energies might spread in non-linear, adaptive patterns. This invites practitioners to consider not only the “classical” flows of qi but also how energies, influences, and patterns emerge uniquely in each case, resisting formulaic interpretation.​

Concept Creation: The Becoming of Traditional Ideas
Feng shui’s core ideas – chi, yin-yang, the five elements, bagua – traditionally risk ossification. Deleuzean philosophy advocates treating these not as dogmas but as tools for creative concept production. For example, “chi” becomes a site of continual redefinition, an opportunity for new empirical and experiential exploration – much as Deleuze insists concepts must be created for new problems, not merely repeated or nostalgically defended.​

Bagua, instead of a rigid grid to be imposed, can be framed as a compositional device for experimenting with how environments and inhabitants co-constitute value and meaning, producing unforeseen results and encounters.

Immanence and Non-Dualism
Deleuze’s philosophy of immanence dovetails with non-dualistic perspectives found in Daoism and classical feng shui. Instead of understanding phenomena through fixed binaries or transcendent schemas, both traditions urge us to perceive life, space, and time as constituted by flows, gradients, and processes inseparable from one another.​

Movement, Chance, and Temporal Becoming
Deleuze and his interpreters underscore movement and chance as sources of novelty and transformation within spatial systems. Applying this to feng shui, time is not merely a mechanistic ticking of cycles but a field of opportunity for the emergence of new harmonies and creative interventions — a way of reading both the present and the unfolding possible futures of a space.​

Academic and Practical Implications
Recent academic works show how Deleuzean thinking can enrich both the theory and application of feng shui, for instance:

• Reimagining high-rise architecture not as fixed vertical “towers” but as assemblages that accommodate varied flows and temporary assemblages of life, echoing feng shui’s own emphasis on harmony.​

• Using Deleuze’s model of concept creation to revitalise the empirical study of feng shui: rather than defending or rejecting traditional concepts, scholars and practitioners produce new assemblages and models attuned to specific empirical and cultural contexts.​

Conclusion
Integrating Deleuzean philosophy and feng shui involves a rigorous commitment to creative experimentation, an openness to multiplicity, and an ongoing responsibility to remake, rethink, and revitalise both theory and practice. Such an approach is not only philosophically rigorous but can also make feng shui newly relevant in contemporary contexts – bridging East and West, tradition and innovation, theory and lived experience.​

Read more…

Deleuze, Chance and the Living Space: Radical Questions for Spiritual Environmental Practice

References

• Deleuze, Gilles, Guattari, F. (1991). What is philosophy? Columbia University Press

• Cisek, J. (2024). Feng Shui Research: Advancing an Ancient Discipline with Science. 

• Feng Shui Society (2023). Reflections on the Legacy and Evolution of the Feng Shui Society.​

• ScienceDirect. An empirical study of consistency in the judgments of Feng Shui.​

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Gilles Deleuze.​

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Albert Einstein asked this very potent and as always current question:
“I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.

Is the universe a friendly place? Albert Einstein

For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process.

If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.

But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives.

God does not play dice with the universe.”

On the other hand, in the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu suggests that the universe is not inherently benevolent. This idea is expressed in Chapter 5, where he states: “Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs”  This metaphor of “straw dogs” refers to ceremonial objects used in ancient Chinese rituals, which were discarded after their use. The passage implies that nature or the universe operates impartially and without personal concern for individual beings, treating all of creation with the same indifference. This Taoist concept aligns with the observation that misfortune can befall anyone, regardless of their moral character or actions. It promotes a worldview that emphasises adapting to life’s circumstances rather than expecting the universe to be inherently fair or benevolent.

Optimism: a key to unlocking resilience in feng shui

In the philosophy of feng shui, balance and harmony are fundamental in creating an environment that nurtures well-being. Interestingly, one of the most powerful contributors to a harmonious life is not found solely in our external surroundings, but within ourselves: optimism. This internal state, much like well-arranged furniture or flowing qi, plays a vital role in fostering resilience and maintaining a positive flow of energy.

A study published in Frontiers in Psychology (2022) defines optimism as “a cognitive variable reflecting one’s favourable view about their future” (Front Psychol, 2022). Optimistic individuals naturally cultivate positive expectations and are better able to keep stress at bay, even during difficult times. This idea resonates deeply with feng shui principles, where the objective is to enhance the energy of both our physical and emotional environments to improve quality of life.

Neuroscientist Kalisch also emphasises the importance of optimism in building resilience. He states that optimism seems intrinsically linked to the belief that one can cope with adversity—that things will likely work out in the end. Such a belief contributes to resilience, enabling individuals to overcome challenges with greater ease. In the same way that feng shui encourages the practice of aligning spaces to support one’s well-being, cultivating a mindset of optimism involves aligning one’s thoughts towards a favourable outlook. Kalisch suggests that those who develop this positive assessment style are less susceptible to the detrimental effects of stress.

Reducing stress is not only beneficial for emotional health but also contributes significantly to physical well-being. A 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined data from over 159,000 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative and found that greater optimism was associated with a longer lifespan, including exceptional longevity (J Am Geriatr Soc, 2022). This finding aligns beautifully with the concept of feng shui, where a life infused with positivity—one that is energetically balanced—enhances vitality and longevity.

In feng shui practice, the energy of a space is understood to influence our internal states, and vice versa. By nurturing optimism, we cultivate an inner environment that reflects positively outward, contributing to an overall sense of balance and resilience. Much like enhancing the flow of energy in a living space, fostering optimism can help you face life’s uncertainties with grace and perseverance. Let your thoughts be an extension of your carefully harmonised space—aligned with positive energy, hopeful for what lies ahead, and resilient to the challenges that come your way.

Feng shui for feeling secure and safe

The aim of feng shui is to optimise your home and workplaces, so they work for you and feel safe and secure. Feeling safe and secure is of paramount importance to our wellness and performance. To thrive, grow, learn and develop we need to feel safe. Unfortunately, in the times of radical uncertainty, doomsday bunkers and underground shelters are trending again among preppers/survivalists and unless you have lots of cash, these luxury bunkers are unaffordable for most people. But there are a lot of things you can do in your existing home to feel safe and secure.

Feeling out of control – do something
A sense of control is essential to our survival. In times of uncertainty, it’s useful to remember that the opposite of fear is love (as suggested by the Course in Miracles) so anything that you do in your home, with love and gratitude and that empowers you and adds a sense of control will make it worthwhile. Get a new plant and bring some fresh foliage inside will reconnect you with nature. If you have a large collection of books you can rearrange them from time to time in different ways. For example, stack some books horizontally and some vertically which will stop the bookshelves look rigid and overthought. Some people colour code their bookshelves by arranging them into sets of colours (the rainbow set for example as JK Rowling below).

Another simple way to refresh your home is to rearrange your artwork and pictures which will breathe new life into your home and also bring new meaning and context to your artwork.

Completing unfinished, small tasks such as fixing things that you’ve been avoiding or neglecting for ages will give you a sense of completion and achievement. Just do one little thing now.

Change and healing
Change is constant. Things will pass. Nature is a great reminder of things changing, growing and thriving. Nature is healing. Florance Nightingale was very much aware of the healing power of nature. In 1859, she wrote that when she was ill, her healing was quickened after she got ” a nosegay of wild flowers”. She noticed that “most acute suffering when the patient can’t see out of the window”. Since then many studies confirmed the same findings of the importance of nature, especially in hospital settings for a speedy recovery and also in prisons where access to grass and trees reduces violent outbreaks and crime (source: The Well-Gardened Mind: Rediscovering Nature in The Modern World By Sue Stuart-Smith). Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park in New York and the American doctor George Miller Beard coined the term “neurasthenia” as a “disease of civilisation”. Looking at nature does many positive things: we connect, we take notice, we give, we keep learning and we stay active. A big predictor of home satisfaction is the view from your windows and connection to the world outside. If you have a great view, reflect it inside with large mirrors or bounce light with reflective paint. If you don’t have that, invest in a full photographic wallpaper with your favourite landscape or view to create the same nourishing feelings.

How to boost oxytocin and endorphins
Research done by Sonja Lyubomirsky at the University of California, suggests that our happiness and wellness is determined by our circumstances (10%), our thoughts, mindsets and actions which include healthy lifestyle habits such as diet, exercise, mediation and good sleep (40%) and our genetic makeup and environment (50%). So changing how you feel and think, as well as your environment is a powerful way forward to control your wellbeing.

Oxytocin is a hormone that is released when we feel safe and secure. Oxytocin is also known as a bonding and love hormone which allows us to trust and learn as we grow up. Oxytocin is an evolutionary antidote for stress hormone cortisol. Optimising your furniture positioning and arrangement can help to boost oxytocin release and reduce stress.

Naturally, oxytocin is released with touching and hugging. If you have a pet, physical contact will up your oxytocin. If you don’t have pets, looking after plants will do the same according to biophilia hypothesis. If that’s not possible, photographs of family and friends can boost oxytocin levels. Social media actually can boost oxytocin (of course, too much social media can work against you as well).

“I love you” releases oxytocin

Oxytocin is sometimes called the love molecule so tell friends and family around you that you love them. Think about the things you love and represent them around your home or workplace. The priming effect is a key scientific principle of how feng shui works. Have things you love around and that make you feel good and happy. Anything that you like or love can also boost your endorphine effect (happy hormones) which has been researched extensively for its positive benefits. Place things that will remind and make you smile. “Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors.” said Norman Cousins, author of Anatomy of an Illness where he described how he cured himself of a crippling illness with laughter (and high doses of vitamin C). Positive thinking or placebos can work miracles, even if you know that they’re placebos and the placebo effect can get stronger over time, as research suggests.

Having a bath is another way to boost your oxytocin. It will also have a grounding/earthing effect.

Oxytocin studies show that receiving gifts raises oxytocin. Surprise somebody with a simple gift. It doesn’t have to be anything big or even physical. A compliment will do. Read more how you can “hormonise your home”

Having a bath has a grounding and earthing effect as well as it boosts oxytocin

Make your home physically secure
Our homes must feel secure on the physical level and meet our basic needs for shelter, safety and stability. Whether you own or rent, physical security is important for home satisfaction. Ask the property seller, builder or landlord for a copy of the building control certificate to ensure that your home is safe.

A sense of connection
As social animals, we thrive in tribes and groups. Isolation and loneliness kill, as plenty of research, suggests. A 2009 study reviled that loneliness had the same adverse impact on lifespan as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (and loneliness fosters addictions as well). GPs in the UK report that one in five patients come to them “primarily because of loneliness”. Loneliness is defined as “the subjective feeling that you’re lacking the social connections you need.”  A sense of connection can be enhanced by actively working with your home or workplace. Humans project intent and emotions on to anything from dolphins to plants to paper clips to homes by anthropomorphising everything. Children believe that “objects have rights”. Most cultures have beliefs that things and homes have souls. Since it’s a subjective feeling, visual cues can remind you about the connections you’ve had in the past or you have now with friends and family as well as the larger life. Enhance your social connection by having lots of pictures of friends and family and anything that is meaningful to you and you care about.

“We anthropomorphise everything”
Eleanor Sandry, Curtin University, Perth

Staircase
Functionally speaking, a staircase is a mode of transport from A to B or change and offer a way of instilling stability in transition – a kind of spine of our homes. Thanks to advances in technology and engineering, you can have any type of staircase. A quick look at Instagram and you can see true creativity and ingenuity when it comes to staircases. Examples of types of staircases are helical, colourful, transparent or see-through, staircase-cum-fireplace, circular, art installations, stairs hiding storage or cupboards, glass (cantilevered), wow factor, and so on. The most important aspect of any staircase is security and stability, ideally with risers (no empty gaps, spaces between the steps).

How to feng shui staircases

In feng shui, front door facing staircases don’t have a great reputation, because facing them is no fun and implies an effort of climbing them. Ideally, in perfect feng shui, you shouldn’t see the staircase when entering the house. To remedy this, make the staircase a feature staircase that you or others see to add an instant wow factor with drama, fun, interest. For quick ideas, just visit Instagram. Note, that UK building regulations are much more restrictive than overseas so not everything will be allowed. The rules for staircases require to have at least 2m headroom above, a pitch no steeper than 42 degrees and gaps no wider than 10cm so kids don’t fall through threads or balustrades. Ideally, handrails and balustrades should feel nice to touch so you can curve down the staircase without lifting your hand once (not like the one above which is broken up into segments).

Modern, open-plan layouts are making possible to make stairways focal points and timeless, unique statements. There are many ways to work with staircases: 1) match the original stairs, 2) use stone in small places, 3) treat it as a sculpture, 4) vary the shape and style and finally, 5) build it off-site as a customised, bespoke one.

Display sentimental or nostalgic items – to mirror yourself
80% of people who are the happiest at home say that their homes reflect who they are. Nostalgia has been defined as sentimentality for the past and is unique to different people. Research shows that nostalgia can be used to combat loneliness and improve resilience. It can also boost creativity (think of all those nostalgic songs). A 2015 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology linked nostalgia to openness to new experience and creativity. There is a kind of cooperative activity between memory and reward systems in your brain that plays a very specific role in how we experience nostalgia. Nostalgia is context-dependent and is heavily influenced by environmental cues. Our memories are tied to and triggered by sights, sounds and smell.
Top tips to imbed more nostalgia in your home or workplace are:
• Displaying a cover of the CD or single that reminds you of a specific time when the song was released.
• Photos from an old high school yearbook or photos of friends remembering all the people you knew when you were a teenager.
• Having a particular food or drink that reminds you of a special place you once lived or visited.
• Books that remind us about a happy time can boost our resilience. During difficult times, reading complex works of classic literature can boost brain power (and memory into old age) and quality life, research from the University of Liverpool and Professor Philip Davis suggests.
• Round, curvier things, designs and shapes are more comfortable to the eye and body. We like to be embraced and comforted by cushions, armed chairs and soft sofas.

How to feng shui your wall gallery
Any wall can be transformed into a gallery wall with a collection of artwork, paintings, prints, photos, maps and typography. Framing and grouping them offers a feng shui opportunity to boost different domains of your life according to the bagua model. Any image no matter how small has some significance to you and your life’s passions. Define your style: formal, eclectic, regular, ordered, symmetrical, random, rhizomatic. When planning the layout, start with large pieces and then compose the rest around them. Make sure you’ve planned everything and then start hammering holes. It’s not a good idea to hang artwork too high and when hanging glass-fronted pictures take any reflection from lights and windows into account and how they will bounce light around and potentially illuminate dark corners. When it comes to frames, anything goes and whatever works. One novel idea I’ve picked on Instagram is placing printed photographs in old or vintage jars or bottles, with the photos facing outwards.

So, how to reference the images according to the bagua model? Any image will fall into one of the nine areas of bagua and represent: your career/vocation/life path, relationships, family and friends, luck/blessings/wealth, health, travels, creativity/new projects and children, knowledge and wisdom and finally your successes/achievements, enlightenment and art. When hanging anything on the wall, think what does it mean to you, what does it represent and just appreciate it as value.

Home sweet home – your material comforts
The main function of your home is to feel safe and at ease. If you want to broadcast your tastes and status through your home interior deco, it’s up to you. Gaston Bachelard in The Poetics of Space (probably the most exquisite philosophical treaty on homes) said, “…the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” And the peace of mind is in the present state, not in the future or past. So make small, simple material adjustments to your home and workplace to feel at ease and comfortable, now.

Summary

One of the fundamental functions of feng shui is to help you to stay and feel safe and secure in your immediate environment, so you’re free to focus on what you want to do. And create a home where you like to spend time and relax. Environmental stressors are a huge drain on your energy. In feng shui, the management of your energy is the most important principle. Energy is a charge (in physics terms), and when you take charge of your home or workplace, you take charge of your life and your business. Do something, simple, practical and positive to make your home more loveable, comfortable, resilient, cosy and safe.

Home sweet home

Top feng shui tips how to make your home and workplace feel safe and secure

1. Arrange your furniture in such a way, so you’re sitting in the command, power position which is furthermost from the door and with the support of a wall.
2. Make your home secure. Make sure that your front and back doors are strong, secure and doorbells work.
3. Minimise any dangerous aspects of your interior design, especially around doors and staircases, so you don’t trip or hurt yourself. Fix things.
4. Check the layout of your home and the energy flow as well as the traffic, ie how you move from one space to another. Is it all ergonomically arranged?
5. Sleep in a safe space, free from geopathic stress and electromagnetic pollution (switch off wifi for the night and put your mobile on the airplane mode) as well as air pollution. Position your bed in the power position of your bedroom. Make your home resilient and immune to negative internal and external stressors.
6. Have a solid headboard and footboard. You need to feel safe to have a good sleep which is critical for your health and wellness.
7. Place protection or spiritual symbols around the front door to make yourself feel safe and secure. If that’s not your thing, security cameras work well as an additional security measure. Remember, the ancient, common-sense adage “Pray for protection, AND lock your bike.”
8. Make your home positive by hanging up positive imagery. Surround yourself with photos of friends and family as well as pictures of well-loved places and things you care about. Social networks make us feel safe, resilient and boost oxytocin levels. Also, seeing the photos of family and friends, stimulate the vagus nerve. If the current virus shows us anything, it’s that we’re all connected (as Charles Dickens wrote in his book Bleak House) and we’re co-creating life around us.
9. Practice gratitude mindset by displaying things that you’re grateful for as positive visual reminders, primers and symbols. Various studies suggest that people who practise gratitude on a daily bases (by writing 3-5 things that they’re grateful for) are happier and healthier with a stranger immune system, reduced inflammation, improved performance and experience other scientifically-proven benefits. In one study, people were asked to write down at the end of the day, just three things that they were grateful that day, for only seven days. Their happiness and overall health increased by almost 30% and lasted up to six months. Gratitude is about the present moment and future aspiration – we get more of we’re grateful for. Make sure that when you get up, you see something positive and uplifting and the same applies when you go to sleep. What you see at the beginning and the end of the day will prime you and affect your mood. Dr. Robert Emmons who is known as the “world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude.” says that “It’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts, and the benefits that we’ve received. We recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves and we acknowledge that other people – even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset – give us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness we have in our lives.”
10. Get a ‘sweet home’ sign as a representation of your good relationship with your home.
11. Take a hot bath. The water element is important in feng shui. Researchers at the University of Freiburg in Germany found out that taking 30-minutes bath improves mental wellness. Also, taking a bath before bed has been found to boost the production of serotonin, the sleep hormone which will improve the quality of your sleep. Read more about how to feng shui your bathroom
12. Be creative and playful. Add joy – learn how to enhance joy in your home and workplace. “We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” reminds us, George Bernard Shaw. Also, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” said Albert Einstein. Einstein also understood yin and yang principle of change when he said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Friedrich Fröbel, the 19-century German educator and pioneer of the kindergarten said, “play is the highest expression of human development in childhood.”
    

    “Play is the antidote for uncertainty.”
    Beau Lotto, neuroscientist, author of Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently

The post How Feng Shui Can Help You Stay and Feel Safe and Secure. Why Home Matters? appeared first on Feng Shui London UK • The Capital Feng Shui Consultant.

Feng shui = intention + energy + ritual. These stories show that sometimes the intention and positive energy are enough to make a positive change and sometimes all three are required

Feng shui stories

The wicked feng shui master and a trusting woman

The story explains how the placebo effect works in feng shui.

Many centuries ago there was a feng shui master who was known for his skill but who was also easily moved to anger. One hot summer he was commissioned to assess a burial site in the mountain far from his home. It had taken him three days to walk to the site and a day to carry out his work. After sleeping in a small mountain shelter, he had packed his compass and papers and set off for the long journey home. On the second day, he had run out of water in the overbearing heat, but as he surveyed the fields of rice ready for harvest that lay across the plain before him, there was no sign of a well.

In the distance, he saw a woman and three of children working in the fields and so he headed in their direction. The woman stopped winnowing the long stacks of rice and her three sons lay down their scythes and baskets to stare at the strange.

‘Can I ask you for a bowl of water. I am exhausted and thirsty’, said the feng shul master, ‘I cannot walk any longer unless I have some water’.

The woman crossed to a nearby tree and bent down to uncork the pitcher of water that stood there. She poured clean, cold water into a wooden bowl but before she handed it to the feng shui master she threw a small handful of chaff onto the surface of the water.

The feng shui master immediately felt anger welling up inside him and grabbed the bowl from the woman without a word of thanks. As he sipped the water, be continually had to blow the chaff to one side. He was convinced that the woman had insulted him, and as he quietly emptied the bowl of water he thought of his revenge.

‘Do you live here?’ ask the feng shul master.

‘Yes, I live with my three sons in the hut at the far end of this field. My husband died two years ago and I have three sons to care for and feed. As you can see we are poor people.’

The feng shui master slowly gazed towards the hut and at the surrounding land. ‘No wonder you have such bad fortune’, he replied. ‘I can tell you now that the feng shui of your house is unlucky. As long as you stay here you will only know misfortune, but I think I can help you. Beyond the other side of that mountain there is a plot of land and a dilapidated house and although the land needs clearing and the house repairing, the feng shui is excellent. I suggest that you move there as soon as possible.’

The woman and her sons bowed down to the feng shui master in gratitude, and without reply, he raised his bags over his shoulder and left them. In revenge for the chaff thrown on his bowl of water, he had directed them to ‘Five Ghosts Dead Place’ a site so inauspicious that the sons would be lucky to reach the age of twenty.

Five years passed before the feng shui master returned to the area to see how the family had fared. As he approached the house the mother came out to greet him and bowed before him.

‘Do you remember me?’ he asked. ‘Of course, I do. How could I forget your kindness? We followed your wise advice and you can see how my land is fruitful. Two of my sons are studying for government jobs, my third son will soon be leaving to study with a wise teacher. Please come into my house and accept I meal,’

As the feng shui master sat eating the rice and vegetables offered by the woman he looked around in amazement at the newly plastered wall and the new furniture.

‘How can this be?’ he thought to himself, ‘the site hasn’t changed, there is still bad fang shul and she has no charms to protect herself. ‘I don’t understand what has happened here’, he admitted to the woman, ‘I sent you to a site that had such bad feng shui you couldn’t possibly have survived here and yet your family is flourishing. What have you done that Heaven can bless you in this way?’

‘Why did you decide to punish me when I am innocent? What have I ever done to hurt you?’ asked the woman in surprise.

‘When I needed water, you gave me water but instead of clean water you threw a handful of chaff on the surface to spite me.’

‘Didn’t you realise?’ laughed the woman, ‘It was a hot day, you had travelled a long way, and I knew you were exhausted.” You were too thirsty that you would have swallowed the water in one go and the shock of the cold water would have been too much for you. You had to blow on the water to clear the chaff each time you look a mouthful and so you drank it more slowly. I was trying to protect you.’ The feng shui master nodded his head in recognition.

‘Now I understand. I sent you to an evil place but your action has been rewarded. Everyday Heaven and the Buddha will bless you.’

From The Elements of Feng Shui by J O’Brien with Kwok Man Ho

Feng shui stories: feng shui master

Asclepius and the Two Travellers

A story suggesting that your past experiences (feng shui predecessor law) can shape your expectations and future experiences. 

Asclepius was once walking in the countryside outside Athens. At noon the sun was high in the sky and Asclepius had been walking since dawn. He realised that he was feeling decidedly hot and thirsty. Then nearby he heard a most welcome sound – the sound of trickling water. He followed the sound and came to a small stream. He sat down in the cool shade and gratefully rinsed his hands in the water.  Just at this point where it rose out of the ground, it felt refreshingly cold, almost icy. He cupped his hands together, filled them with the pure water and raised it to his lips. Nothing had ever tasted so wonderful.

Just at that moment, a traveller came by.

“Excuse me,” said the man, “I’m going to Athens and I’ve never been there before. Have you any idea what it’s like?”

“Where have you come from?” asked Asclepius.

“Piraeus,” said the man.

“Well, what’s that like?” asked Asclepius.

“Oh it’s a dreadful place,” said the man. “Full of traffic and noise and dirt and unfriendly people. It’s a terrible place.”

“Well, I expect you’ll find Athens just the same,” said Asclepius.

“Oh dear,” said the man, and he walked slowly on his way.

Asclepius realised that he was feeling quite hungry after all his walking. Out of his pack, he took the food he had brought with him. First, there was a hunk of bread, freshly baked that morning. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of it for a moment. Then white, sharp feta cheese made from his own goats’ milk, and big black olives. And to follow, a large sweet juicy orange. His mouth was watering with anticipation, when he was interrupted by another traveller.

“Excuse me,” said the second man. “I’m going to Athens and I’ve never been there before. Have you any idea what it’s like?”

“Where have you come from?” asked Asclepius.

“Piraeus,” said the second man.

“Well, what’s that like?” asked Asclepius. “Oh it’s a wonderful place,” said the man. “Full of life and gaiety and colour and friendly people. It’s a fantastic place.”

“Well, I expect you’ll find Athens just the same,” said Asclepius.

“Oh good,” said the man, and he walked briskly on his way.

Asclepius smiled and bit into his bread. It was delicious.

Story from In Your Hands by Jane Revell and Susan Norman ©1997

Feng shui: stories boats and helicopters

Boats and helicopters

This classic story is about using common sense, feng shui intelligence and noticing opportunities and your Luck Factor which can be learnt.

“There was a flood, and everyone was being evacuated from the village. As the water rose, one man went to the top storey of his house. He remained calm because he knew that he was a good man and that God would save him.

A rescue boat came by, but the man said ‘Don’t worry about me. God will save me.’

The water rose higher, and he climbed onto the roof.

A rescue helicopter lowered a ladder to him, but he said, ‘Don’t worry about me, God will save me”.

Shortly afterwards, the water rose above the level of his house, and he drowned.

However, he was a good man, so he went to heaven, but furiously asked God why he hadn’t been saved.

God looked at him and said, “I sent you a boat. I sent you a helicopter. What more did you want?”

Feng shui stories: “remember to take an umbrella”

The Drought

This story exemplifies the key feng shui principle which is FENG SHUI = INTENTION + ENERGY + RITUAL

Once, in a faraway country, there was a drought. There had been no rain for days. No rain for weeks. No rain for months. And the land was dry, dry, dry. And hard and cracked and brown and dusty. And the sun beat down relentlessly. And the heat was unbearable. Like living in an oven. Impossible to breathe. And everywhere the dust. On the ground. In the air. On your skin. In your eyes. In your throat. Suffocating dust. And the plants were dying. Changing from green through yellow to brown, they withered and died. And the animals were starving: the cattle, the sheep, the pigs, the goats – getting thinner and thinner and thinner… and dying. And the people were starving too, for there was nothing to eat. And the drought went on and on and on.

So one day, all the men went into the temple to pray for rain. In the sweltering heat, they got down on their knees on the hard, dusty ground and they prayed and they prayed and they prayed for rain. But still, there was no rain.

And so another day, all the women went into the temple to pray for rain. In the sweltering heat, they got down on their knees on the hard, dusty ground and they prayed and they prayed and they prayed for rain. But still, there was no rain.

And then one day, a little girl went up the steps to the temple. She was about nine and she was wearing a dirty yellow dress that was torn. Her feet were bare and her legs and arms were dusty. Her long hair was tangled and in a mess. There was dirt on her face. And up she went, up the steps of the temple, to pray for rain. But do you know what she had with her? She had with her an umbrella. Not a posh umbrella. A scruffy old broken umbrella. But an umbrella just the same. And she skipped into the temple and got down on her knees and put her umbrella on the ground beside her and she prayed and she prayed and she prayed for rain.

And do you know what? When she came out of the temple it was raining.

Story from In Your Hands by Jane Revell and Susan Norman ©1997

Winning the lottery

This short story reminds us that we live in physical reality and small rituals can be helpful (as in the story above).

There was a person dreaming of winning a lottery and prayed to God for help in this matter. After six, unsuccessful months of prayers, God came to this person’s dream and said, “Let’s meet halfway – go and buy the lottery ticket!”.

Feng shui stories: a butterfly in your hand

In Your Hands

This story is about the choices we make, yin and yang principle and kind of explains how quantum physics works.

There was once a widower who had two bright, young daughters who were so curious about everything that they kept asking questions. Questions, questions, questions. And though their father was able to answer some of their questions, there were many that he just couldn’t answer. And he began to feel that they needed someone who could. So he decided to send them to live with the wise old man who lived on the hill. Which was what you did in those days. So off went the two girls to live with the wise old man who lived on the hill. And they continued to ask questions. Questions, questions, questions. But unlike their father, the wise old man always had an answer. He could answer every single question they asked.

At first, this was delightful. But as time went by, the girls began to find it a little irritating that, no matter what they asked, the old man always had an answer. And as time went by some more, they began to find it very irritating. So they began to search for ways to catch him out.

One day, one sister ran up to the other with a beautiful, bright blue butterfly in her hands.

‘I’ve got this great idea,’ she said.

‘I’ve just found this butterfly, and I thought I’d hide it in my hands and go and ask the old man whether it’s alive or dead. If he says it’s dead, I’ll open my hands and let it fly out. If he says it’s alive, I’ll give a quick hard squeeze and open my hands and say “Wrong, it’s dead!” So whatever he says, he can’t win.’ ‘Brilliant!’ said her sister, and off they went to find the wise old man.

Eventually, they found him, sitting on a rock under a eucalyptus tree. The girls rushed up.

‘Oh wise old man,’ said the sister with the butterfly, ‘I’ve got this butterfly in my hands, and I want you to tell me if it’s alive or dead.’

The wise old man looked at the two sisters for a moment and thought. Then he smiled. ‘My dears,’ he said, ‘the butterfly is…’

Story from In Your Hands by Jane Revell and Susan Norman ©1997

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At its simplest, and the most fundamental leve,l feng shui works like this:

FENG SHUI = INTENTION + ENERGY (relationship/connection) + RITUAL

Feng shui rituals

Percentage-wise, the importance of your intention (what you want) is 30%, your energy and connection is another 50%, and the ritual is only 20%. The ritual is the servant of your intention. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you do but HOW you do it. For example, if you want to improve your relationship or find a new partner, you could hang a chewing gum in the relationship corner of your bedroom, and it will work. Of course, it’s better to place something nice and beautiful and thematic, such as a heart prismatic crystal or a romantic picture. Be very clearabout what you want. You need to be specific enough and open at the same time about your goal and purpose.

INTENTION: Goals and purposes

Please note the difference between your goals and your purposes. For example, your goal might be to run a successful online business. But your purpose will be to 1) set up a website 2) optimise with SEO 3) build a brand 4) build a strong community online around your brand, etc, etc. So the goal is the final result, and the purpose is the steps you’ll take to get there. Another example: your goal is to win/finish the London Marathon, and your purpose is to run 30 minutes every morning for the next three months to prepare.

SMART criteria
Learn how to set up a SMART purpose (Specific + Measurable + Achievable + Real + Timed) and write it down (which is always the first step in manifesting your intentions, from the virtual reality of your mind to your immediate physical reality) and then do some feng shui to optimise your environment to help you with that purpose. Knowing what you want and how is half of the success.

ENERGY Your energy (chi) and your relationship and connection to the life force

“I understand that it (feng shui) works whether you believe in it or not.” Niels Bohr, Danish Nobel Prize winner in Physics

The way to hang the horseshoe is up like the letter U, so it works like a container for your luck.

RITUAL Feng shui rituals

Some feng shui rituals work better than others because they have a stronger morphic field, i.e., a lot of people believe in and use them. For example, hanging a horseshoe above the door has been practised for centuries, and it works. “I understand that it (feng shui) works whether you believe in it or not.” said Niels Bohr, Danish Nobel Prize winner in Physics, when asked why he has a horseshoe above his door. Beliefs are perceptions about how things work, and the science behind how beliefs work is called the placebo effect.

To sum up

1) Decide what you want and how.
2) Write it down as a SMART purpose.
3) Anchor the intention in your environment with a feng shui ritual that is representative in some way of your intention. Read some feng shui tips for ideas.
4) Do some first steps in order to manifest it (using your SMART purpose) and follow through until you realise your goal. Never give up. Determination, persistence and patience will get you there.

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Space, Geometry and Aesthetics Through Kant and Towards Deleuze Renewing Philosophy

“Peg Rawes’ Space, Geometry and Aesthetics: Through Kant and Towards Deleuze delves into a unique exploration of aesthetic geometries within ontological philosophy. The work is rooted in a post-Kantian framework of aesthetic subjectivity, charting a path through geometric thinking and figurations such as reflective subjects, folds, passages, plenums, envelopes, and horizons. These concepts are explored across ancient Greek, post-Cartesian, and 20th-century Continental philosophies, offering insights into the construction of space and embodied subjectivities.

The book is structured around six chapters, each dedicated to examining ‘geometric’ texts from influential thinkers like Kant, Plato, Proclus, Spinoza, Leibniz, Bergson, Husserl, and Deleuze. Rawes highlights geometry as a profoundly embodied aesthetic activity, where each geometric method and figure is charged with aesthetic sensibility and sense, as opposed to being mere disembodied scientific methods.

An ontology of aesthetic geometric figurations is traced from Kant’s critical writings, reaching back to Plato and Proclus’ Greek philosophy, through Spinoza and Leibniz’s post-Cartesian philosophies, and moving forward to Bergson’s concept of ‘duration’ and Husserl’s ‘horizons’, culminating in Deleuze’s philosophy of sense. This intricate exploration provides a productive framework for understanding space and embodied subjectivities within a broad philosophical context.

Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Series Editor’s Preface x
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
Space 2
Geometry 3
Aesthetic geometric figure-subjects 4
1 Drawing Figures 9
Part I: Embodied Figures 9
Forms of pure intuition 11
Synthetic and analytic relations 13
Space and time 15
External and internal differentiations of space 17
Part II: Drawing Figures 19
Acts of construction 19
Reflective judgment 20
The imagination 22
Drawing a line 29
Summary 31
2 Folding-Unfolding 34
Discursive geometry 37
Soul 41
Imagination 44
Limit and unlimit 48
Imagination, limit and unlimit 51
Discursivity of the elements 54
Figure 57
Summary 60
3 Passages 62 Geometric methods after Descartes 62 Geometric method in the Ethics 65 Substance 68 Passage I: attributes, modes, affects and common notions 72 Passage II: reading the text 82 Passage III: modes of geometric thinking 84 Summary 89 4 Plenums 91 The transition from synthetic to analytic geometry 94 Corporeal magnitude 99 Incorporeal magnitude 103 Sufficient reason 109 The plenum 113 Summary 119 5 Envelopes 121 Limit and unlimit 123 Extensity 126 Body-image and perception 128 Memory 132 The envelope 135 Space and time 136 Intuition 141 Envelope I: intuition as duration 143 Envelope II: intuitive philosophy 145 Envelope III: natural geometry and intuitive construction 146 Summary 151 6 Horizons 154 Geometric reason and ‘Teleological-historical reflection’ 156 Geometric sense-ideas and sense-intuitions 161 Explication 165 Retrieving sense-intuition from Descartes and Kant 169 Geometric self-evidence 173 Horizons 175 Horizon I: intersubjectivity 178 Horizon II: we-horizons and future-horizons 180 Summary 182 Notes 184 Bibliography 202 Index 207

Reference
Rawes, Peg (2008). Space, Geometry and Aesthetics: Through Kant and Towards Deleuze. New York: Palgrave-Macmillan

Quick preview of Google Books

Related books: The Poetics of Space by Bachelard and Conscious Acts of Creation: The Emergence of a New Physics” by William A. Tiller

Summary of “Deleuze and Space,” edited by Ian Buchanan and Gregg Lambert

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The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard

Bachelard takes us on a journey, from cellar to attic, to show how our perceptions of houses and other shelters shape our thoughts, memories and dreams. One of the best books on feng shui, environmental psychology, interior design and architecture and one of the best books that changed and transformed my life. A classic book – not suitable for speed reading.

“I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.”
Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard was written in the last stages of Bachelard’s philosophical career and if focuses on the subjective perceptions of the house, its interior places and outdoor context. Bachelard’s reasons for writing this book is his philosophy on poetry. Poetry and metaphor are used to explain our relationship to space. The poetic imagery emerges into our consciousness as a direct result of the heart, soul and Being. Poets help us to discover the joy in looking, Bachelard suggests that image comes before thought. In this book, he expands his phenomenology of the soul, not the mind. In earlier work, he had tried to stay objective, true to science but he concluded that this approach was incomplete to explain the metaphysics of the subjectivity of imagination.

The house
Bachelard proposes that any inhabited space that has a notion of a ‘home’, has a function of a shelter to comforts us and protect. He sees the house as a maternal figure or container in which we contain our memories. Bachelard explores psychologically different aspects and feature of houses. For example, he makes a distinction between a doorknob and a key. Although a doorknob is used to close and open doors, the key is perceived more often to close and the doorknob more often used to open.

Drawers, chests and wardrobes
Drawers, chests and wardrobes connote images of intimacy because these things might be where people hide their secrets. For Bachelard, the wardrobe is a centre of order, which stops the house from going into disorder. Small boxes and chests provide a need for secrecy and locks keep possessions guarded against thieves but are also an invitation to thieves. Our homes can be compared to animal’s shelters and as humans, we like to withdraw into corners because they give us a pleasure to do so – in a similar way as nests. So ultimately, a home has an image of rest, protection and quiet.

Shells
Shells are created by transcendental, fractal geometry with an innate order made perceptible. The little creatures that live in shells, retreat into own private corners, which provides assures immobility, shelter and space for meditation.

Miniature
Bachelard suggests that in fairy tales the absurdity of making things miniature places the tale on a level of fantasy. Tiny things take us back to our childhood, due to the familiarity of toys and the idea of them coming to life.

Intimate immensity
Daydreaming helps us to contemplate grandeur and the mark of infinity. When we revere or admire things, such as a large forest full of tall impressive trees, we tend to exaggerate them to be immense and never-ending as a way of making sense of the infinite nature of the universe.

The dialectics of inside and outside
Philosophers tend to think of outside and inside in terms of being and non- being. Bachelard quotes, Hyppolite, saying ‘there is alienation and hostility between the two’. For Bachelard the notion of inside and outside makes everything take form, even infinity – as immanence.

The phenomenology of roundness
Bachelard uses Jaspers’ formula ‘das dasein is Rund’ which translates as ‘the being is round’. Images of roundness help us to collect ourselves and confirm our being intimately inside. Perfection is attributed to roundness. “everything round invites a caress”, and even the word ’round’ as pronounced makes one’s lips and breath become round and calm. My environmental psychology dissertation on shapes, confirms his initiative and philosophical finding.

To sum up, Bachelard’s study of intimate places is done with the natural wonder of a child – ‘to mount too high or descend too low is allowed in the case of poets, who bring earth and sky together. Must the philosopher alone be condemned by his peers always to live on the ground floor’? The structure of this books seems a bit random where he juxtapositions poetry, philosophy, psychology and science. He happily mixes science and the soul. This work focuses less on the practicality of houses, in favour of the innate value of homes. Once you read this book, you won’t see, hear and feel your home in the same way. This book can awaken you to the soul of your home.

Quotes from The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard

“Rilke wrote: ‘These trees are magnificent, but even more magnificent is the sublime and moving space between them, as though with their growth it too increased.”

“We comfort ourselves by reliving memories of protection. Something closed must retain our memories, while leaving them their original value as images. Memories of the outside world will never have the same tonality as those of home and, by recalling these memories, we add to our store of dreams; we are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.”

“We are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.”

“We must listen to poets.”

“The poetic image […] is not an echo of the past. On the contrary: through the brilliance of any image, the distant past resounds with echoes.”

“It is better to live in a state of impermanence than in one of finality.”

“When the image is new, the world is new.”

“A creature that hides and “withdraws into its shell,” is preparing a “way out.” This is true of the entire scale of metaphors, from the resurrection of a man in his grave, to the sudden outburst of one who has long been silent. If we remain at the heart of the image under consideration, we have the impression that, by staying in the motionlessness of its shell, the creature is preparing temporal explosions, not to say whirlwinds, of being.”

“Here is Menard’s own intimate forest: ‘Now I am traversed by bridle paths, under the seal of sun and shade…I live in great density…Shelter lures me. I slump down into the thick foliage…In the forest, I am my entire self. Everything is possible in my heart just as it is in the hiding places in ravines. Thickly wooded distance separates me from moral codes and cities.”

“Sometimes the house of the future is better built, lighter and larger than all the houses of the past, so that the image of the dream house is opposed to that of the childhood home. Late in life, with indomitable courage, we continue to say that we are going to do what we have not yet done: we are going to build a house. This dream house may be merely a dream of ownership, the embodiment of everything that is considered convenient, comfortable, healthy, sound, desirable, by other people. It must therefore satisfy both pride and reason, two irreconcilable terms.”

“For a knowledge of intimacy, localization in the spaces of our intimacy is more urgent than determination of dates.”

“The philosophy of poetry must acknowledge that the poetic act has no past, at least no recent past, in which its preparation and appearance could be followed.”

“Daydream transports the dreamer outside the immediate world to a world that bears the mark of infinity.”

“In the theater of the past that is constituted by memory, the stage setting maintains the characters in their dominant roles . . . . And if we want to go beyond history, or even, while remaining in history, detach from our own history the always too contingent history of the persons who have encumbered it, we realize that the calendars of our lives can only be established in its imagery.”

“And all the spaces of our past moments of solitude, the spaces in which we have suffered from solitude, enjoyed, desired, and compromised solitude, remain indelible within us and precisely because the human being wants them to remain so. He knows instinctively that this space identified with his solitude is creative; that even when it is forever expunged from the present, when, henceforth, it is alien to all the promises of the future, even when we no longer have a garret, when the attic room is lost and gone, there remains the fact that we once loved a garret, once lived in an attic. We return to them in our night dreams. These retreats have the value of a shell. And when we reach the very end of the labyrinths of sleep, when we attain to the regions of deep slumber, we may perhaps experience a type of repose that is pre-human; pre-human, in this case, approaching the immemorial. But in the daydream itself, the recollection of moments of confined, simple, shut-in space are experiences of heartwarming space, of a space that does not seek to become extended, but would like above all still to be possessed. In the past, the attic may have seemed too small, it may have seemed cold in winter and hot in summer. Now, however, in memory recaptured through daydreams, it is hard to say through what syncretism the attic is at once small and large, warm and cool, always comforting.”

“The poetic image is a sudden salience on the surface of the psyche.”

“Here the phenomenologist has nothing in common with the literary critic who, as has frequently been noted, judges a work that he could not create and, if we are to believe certain facile condemnations, would not want to create. A literary critic is a reader who is necessarily severe. By turning inside out like a glove an overworked complex that has become debased to the point of being part of the vocabulary of statesmen, we might say that the literary critic and the professor of rhetoric, who know-all and judge-all, readily go in for a simplex of superiority. As for me, being an addict of felicitous reading, I only read and re-read what I like, with a bit of reader’s pride mixed in with much enthusiasm.”

“Therefore, the places in which we have experienced day dreaming reconstitute themselves in a new daydream, and it is because our memories of former dwelling-places are relived as day-dreams these dwelling-places of the past remain in us for all the time.”

“Sometimes the house of the future is better built, lighter and larger than all the houses of the past, so that the image of the dream house is opposed to that of the childhood home. Late in life, with indomitable courage, we continue to say that we are going to do what we have not yet done: we are going to build a house…Maybe it is a good thing for us to keep a few dreams of a house that we shall live in later, always later, so much later, in fact, that we shall not have time to achieve it. For a house that was final, one that stood in symmetrical relation to the house we were born in, would lead to thoughts–serious, sad thoughts–and not to dreams. It is better to live in a state of impermanence than in one of finality.”

“Now my aim is clear: I must show that the house is one of the greatest powers of integration for the thoughts, memories and dreams of mankind. The binding principle in this integration is the daydream. Past, present and future give the house different dynamisms, which often interfere, at times opposing, at others, stimulating one another. In the life of a man, the house thrusts aside contingencies, its councils of continuity are unceasing. Without it, man would be a dispersed being. It maintains him through the storms of the heavens and through those of life. It is body and soul. It is the human being’s first world. Before he is “cast into the world,” as claimed by certain hasty meta-physics, man is laid in the cradle of the house. And always, in our daydreams, the house is a large cradle. A concrete metaphysics cannot neglect this fact, this simple fact, all the more, since this fact is a value, an important value, to which we return in our daydreaming. Being is already a value. Life begins well, it begins enclosed, protected, all warm in the bosom of the house.”

“Actually, however, life begins less by reaching upward, than by turning upon itself. But what a marvelously insidious, subtle image of life a coiling vital principle would be! And how many dreams the leftward oriented shell, or one that did not conform to the rotation of its species, would inspire!”

“As I stood in contemplation of the garden of the wonders of space,” Milosz writes, “I had the feeling that I was looking into the ultimate depths, the most secret regions of my own being; and I smiled, because it had never occurred to me that I could be so pure, so great, so fair! My heart burst into singing with the song of grace of the universe. All these constellations are yours, they exist in you; outside your love they have no reality! How terrible the world seems to those who do not know themselves! When you felt so alone and abandoned in the presence of the sea, imagine what solitude the waters must have felt in the night, or the night’s own solitude in a universe without end!” And the poet continues this love duet between dreamer and world, making man and the world into two wedded creatures that are paradoxically united in the dialogue of their solitude.”

“All great, simple images reveal a psychic state. The house, even more than the landscape, is a “psychic state,” and even when reproduced as it appears from the outside, it bespeaks intimacy. Psychologists generally, and Francoise Minkowska in particular, together with those whom she has succeeded interesting in the subject, have studied the drawing of houses made by children, and even used them for testing. Indeed, the house-test has the advantage of welcoming spontaneity, for many children draw a house spontaneously while dreaming over their paper and pencil. To quote Anne Balif: “Asking a child to draw his house is asking him to reveal the deepest dream shelter he has found for his happiness. If he is happy, he will succeed in drawing a snug, protected house which is well built on deeply-rooted foundations.” It will have the right shape, and nearly always there will be some indication of its inner strength. In certain drawings, quite obviously, to quote Mme. Balif, “it is warm indoors, and there is a fire burning, such a big fire, in fact, that it can be seen coming out of the chimney.” When the house is happy, soft smoke rises in gay rings above the roof.

“Thus the dream house must possess every virtue. How­ ever spacious, it must also be a cottage, a dove-cote, a nest, a chrysalis. Intimacy needs the heart of a nest. Erasmus, his biographer tells us, was long “in finding a nook in his fine house in which he could put his little body with safety. He ended by confining himself to one room until he could breathe the parched air that was necessary to him.”

If the child is unhappy, however, the house bears traces of his distress. In this connection, I recall that Francoise Minkowska organized an unusually moving exhibition of drawings by Polish and Jewish children who had suffered the cruelties of the German occupation during the last war. One child, who had been hidden in a closet every time there was an alert, continued to draw narrow, cold, closed houses long after those evil times were over. These are what Mme. Minkowska calls “motionless” houses, houses that have become motionless in their rigidity. “This rigidity and motionlessness are present in the smoke as well as in the window curtains. The surrounding trees are quite straight and give the impression of standing guard over the house”. Mme. Minkowska knows that a live house is not really “motionless,” that, particularly, it integrates the movements by means of which one accedes to the door. Thus the path that leads to the house is often a climbing one. At times, even, it is inviting. In any case, it always possesses certain kinesthetic features. If we were making a Rorschach test, we should say that the house has “K.”

Often a simple detail suffices for Mme. Minkowska, a distinguished psychologist, to recognize the way the house functions. In one house, drawn by an eight-year-old child, she notes that there is ” a knob on the door; people go in the house, they live there.” It is not merely a constructed house, it is also a house that is “lived-in.” Quite obviously the door-knob has a functional significance. This is the kinesthetic sign, so frequently forgotten in the drawings of “tense” children.

Naturally, too, the door-knob could hardly be drawn in scale with the house, its function taking precedence over any question of size. For it expresses the function of opening, and only a logical mind could object that it is used to close as well as to open the door. In the domain of values, on the other hand, a key closes more often than it opens, whereas the door-knob opens more often than it closes. And the gesture of closing is always sharper, firmer, and briefer than that of opening. It is by weighing such fine points as these that, like Francoise Minkowska, one becomes a psychologist of houses.”

Get The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard

Related books: Conscious Acts of Creation: The Emergence of a New Physics” by William A. Tiller

Summary of “Deleuze and Space,” edited by Ian Buchanan and Gregg Lambert

The post Summary of The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard appeared first on Feng Shui London UK • The Capital Feng Shui Consultant.

Deleuze and Space

“Deleuze and Space,” edited by Ian Buchanan and Gregg Lambert, is a comprehensive exploration of the philosophical implications of space as conceptualised by Gilles Deleuze and further elaborated by various contributors. The book situates Deleuze as a significant spatial thinker, examining his and Félix Guattari’s ideas on the production of space, its conceptualisation, and its implications for subjects within various sociopolitical and cultural contexts. Through a collection of essays, the editors aim to elaborate on Deleuze’s spatial concepts, such as smooth and striated space, nomadology, and the Body without Organs, among others, applying these ideas to diverse fields ranging from architecture and urban planning to art, literature, and cinema.

The introduction by Buchanan and Lambert sets the stage for the collection, emphasising Deleuze’s contribution to understanding space not just as a physical dimension but as a complex conceptual framework influencing and intersecting with various aspects of life, thought, and creativity. The book argues that Deleuze offers a revolutionary way to think about space and spatial relations, challenging conventional notions and encouraging a reevaluation of how space is produced, perceived, and experienced.

Contributions to the volume explore specific Deleuzian concepts related to space, offering insights into how these ideas operate in different contexts. For example, essays delve into the notion of the “fold” in relation to architectural practices, the significance of “smooth” and “striated” spaces in understanding urban and social fabrics, and the role of space in cinematic expressions. Each essay not only applies Deleuzian theory to its specific subject matter but also expands on the theory, demonstrating its relevance and adaptability to contemporary challenges in understanding and engaging with space.

“Deleuze and Space” is significant for its interdisciplinary approach, bringing together contributors from various fields to engage with Deleuze’s spatial theories. This collective endeavour not only highlights the breadth of Deleuze’s influence across disciplines but also underscores the complexity of space as a concept that is simultaneously physical, conceptual, political, and aesthetic.

Smooth and striated space

The concepts of smooth and striated space, articulated by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, offer a profound and nuanced way to understand the organisation, perception, and production of space in various domains of life, including the social, political, and artistic. These concepts challenge the traditional binary oppositions such as open/closed, bounded/unbounded, or linear/nonlinear, presenting instead a dynamic interplay between different modalities of spatialisation.

Smooth space (espace lisse) is characterised by its open-ended, continuous, and non-hierarchical nature. It is a space of nomadism and becoming, associated with movement and the constant transformation of its own organisation. Smooth space is not empty or anarchic; rather, it operates with a different logic from the conventional, metrically defined spaces. It is about intensities and events rather than fixed coordinates. In smooth spaces, the point of interest is not the position but the movement itself, the paths taken, and the speeds achieved. Art, particularly music and painting, often embodies the qualities of smooth space, focusing on the affective and the experiential rather than strict formal structures.

Striated space (espace strié), on the other hand, is defined, bounded, and organised according to clear, hierarchical structures. It represents the space of the State, architecture, and settled society. Striated space is characterised by its capacity to measure, control, and allocate positions within a grid or a system of coordinates. It is the space of property, boundaries, and governance, where movements are regulated, and spaces are allocated for specific purposes. This modality of space production is associated with stability, predictability, and control.

Deleuze and Guattari argue that smooth and striated spaces are not mutually exclusive but coexist, intertwine, and transform into one another. The interaction between them is dynamic, with the potential for smooth spaces to be striated and for striated spaces to become smooth. For instance, a city (a striated space) can have pockets of smooth spaces in parks, markets, or areas where informal, spontaneous interactions occur beyond the strict control of urban planning. Conversely, the forces of striation can penetrate nomadic, smooth spaces through processes of colonisation, mapping, and regulation.

These concepts are particularly influential in fields such as geography, urban studies, architecture, and art theory, offering a lens through which to analyse the production and experience of space that transcends traditional dichotomies. By focusing on the fluid interaction between smooth and striated spaces, Deleuze and Guattari provide a powerful conceptual toolkit for understanding the complexities of contemporary spatial practices and the potential for new forms of spatial organisation and experience.

Deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation

Deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation are critical concepts in the work of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, providing a dynamic framework to understand the flows and movements within various systems—be it social, political, psychological, or ecological. These concepts transcend the literal sense of territorial boundaries to delve into the intricate processes of change, adaptation, and identity formation across different contexts.

Deterritorialisation
Deterritorialisation refers to the process of unbinding or disconnecting from established roles, norms, or identities. It’s a movement away from a defined territory, which can be physical, like land, or metaphorical, such as cultural norms or psychological states. This process can be seen in various forms, such as the migration of people which disrupts traditional social structures, the evolution of language that moves away from classical forms, or the spread of digital technology that transcends physical boundaries and reshapes social interactions.

In a broader sense, deterritorialisation embodies the fluidity and potential for change inherent in all systems. It represents the capacity for lines of flight or escape from rigid structures, enabling new connections and possibilities to emerge. This concept is particularly relevant in the context of globalisation, where economic, cultural, and technological forces are constantly reshaping the landscapes of societies, economies, and individual identities.

Reterritorialisation
Reterritorialisation is the process that follows deterritorialisation, where new structures, norms, or identities are formed as entities become reattached or integrated into new or modified territories. It’s not merely a return to the status quo but the creation of new territories or the reconfiguration of existing ones. This process can involve the establishment of new cultural practices by migrant communities, the adaptation of new technologies within existing social frameworks, or the formation of new political identities in response to changing geopolitical landscapes.

Reterritorialisation underscores the resilience and adaptability of systems in response to disruption and change. It reflects the ongoing negotiations and compromises that entities undergo as they seek stability or coherence within new contexts. This process is evident in how societies assimilate immigrants, how traditional industries adapt to digital transformation, or how individuals renegotiate their identities in the face of changing social norms.

Interplay and Implications
The interplay between deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation illustrates the dynamic nature of change, where destabilisation leads to the creation of new forms and structures. These concepts offer a nuanced understanding of transformation, highlighting the continuous movement between states of flux and stability. They provide a valuable framework for analysing social change, cultural adaptation, and the evolution of identities in a rapidly globalising world, suggesting that change is not merely destructive but also generative, leading to the formation of new territories of meaning, belonging, and action.

In essence, deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation capture the essence of modern existence, where traditional boundaries are constantly challenged and redefined. By examining these processes, one gains insight into the complexities of change and the potential for innovation and renewal in the face of disruption.

Overall, the book is an essential resource for scholars and students interested in Deleuze’s philosophy, spatial theory, and their applications across disciplines. It offers a comprehensive and nuanced exploration of the myriad ways in which space is conceptualized, produced, and lived, according to Deleuzian thought, and encourages further exploration and innovation in thinking about space and spatial practices.

Summary
The collection “Deleuze and Space,” explores Gilles Deleuze’s profound engagement with spatial concepts in philosophy. Deleuze is celebrated for integrating space into his philosophical inquiries, envisioning a dynamic, desert-like expanse where concepts roam freely. He introduced innovative ideas such as smooth and striated spaces, nomadic versus sedentary lifestyles, and processes of deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation, alongside the notion of the fold. These concepts not only illustrate Deleuze’s spatial thinking but also equip us to think about space in novel ways.

This compilation, featuring contributions from esteemed Deleuze scholars like Reda Bensmaia, Ian Buchanan, Claire Colebrook, Tom Conley, Manuel DeLanda, Gary Genosko, Gregg Lambert, and Nigel Thrift, applies Deleuze’s spatial theories across various domains including architecture, cinema, urban planning, political philosophy, and metaphysics. It marks the first critical commentary on the intellectual and philosophical responses evoked by Deleuze’s spatial theories over the past decade. Targeting students and scholars in art, architecture, urban studies, and philosophy, the book presents a comprehensive guide to understanding Deleuze’s impactful work on space, which continues to resonate and expand in influence. Its lucid, introductory style makes it accessible to a broad audience, including those less familiar with Deleuze’s work.

Reference
Buchanan, I., & Lambert, G. (Eds.). (2005). Deleuze and Space. Edinburgh University Press.

Related books: The Poetics of Space by Bachelard

Summary of Peg Rawes’ Space, Geometry and Aesthetics: Through Kant and Towards Deleuze

Space Conditioning based on “Conscious Acts of Creation: The Emergence of a New Physics” by William A. Tiller, Walter E. Dibble, Jr., and Michael J. Kohane

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