110 degrees magazine - Index

110 degrees magazine - wlinks_may08 - Index

If we could place the combined knowledge of the human race into
a list that was prioritized by the three criteria of story, sweep, and
significance, feng shui devotees could claim a place for their discipline
near the top of the resulting column, because the earliest
feng shui roots reach more than 6,000 years into the past creating
a set of teachings that ostensibly meld science and art in a
seamless unification.
Feng shui claims to incorporate “the Science of understanding
the complex forces of nature and their impact on our lives,”
together with “the Art of alignment and positioning of our living
and working space.”
Kilye Chaekal is Brentwood’s resident feng shui specialist. Some
people practice a more casual version of feng shui and use its techniques
simply to decorate houses. “That’s not what I do,” Kilye
said. “I’m traditional.”
Kilye was born and raised in Seoul, Korea and moved to America
in order to attend college. She was attracted by the discipline of
feng shui and discovered that the best school was in Malaysia
where she studied under the tutelage of the notable Grandmaster
Yap Cheng Hai, who formulated a master system that integrates
disparate and sometimes-contradictory schools of feng shui
BY DON HUNTINGTON
The Mystery of
Feng Shui
FENG SHUI HOLDS AN APPEAL FOR SOME OF US BECAUSE OF THE MYSTERY
AND CHARM OF THIS ANCIENT, COMPLICATED, AND SHROUDED EASTERN PHI-
LOSOPHY. IT’S NOTHING LIKE OUR RUNAWAY CONTEMPORARY CULTURE.
WHATEVER OUR RESERVATIONS, THAT’S APPEALING!
thought. Kilye took advantage of Master Boon’s passion for offering
feng shui wisdom to the West through his intensive and accelerated
learning format emphasizing practical application of feng
shui philosophy.
Kilye augmented Boon Yap’s teachings with additional classes in
Los Angeles and in Nice, France.
THE WAY OF FENG SHUI
“Feng shui” are two Chinese words meaning “wind water.” Feng
shui techniques attempt to promote the free flow “chi” or energy.
Depending upon factors such as the direction a house faces, the
arrangement of the rooms and furnishings within the house, and
the homeowner’s birth year, the chi is either “balanced” — able to
flow in a smooth fashion, or it is “unbalanced” — in which case it
is diverted or blocked.
The house would ideally be backed against a round mountain,
called Turtle. The left side of the house would feature a small hill,
called the Green Dragon, which symbolizes the husband. The right
side would have a smaller hill, called the White Tiger, symbolizing
the wife. The front of the house would have an open area, called
the Phoenix, which represents peace and good chi.
May/June 2008 www.110mag.com 31