Origin

 As of 2013, the Yangshao and Hongshan cultures provide the earliest known evidence for the use of feng shui. Until the invention of the magnetic compass, feng shui relied on astronomy to find correlations between humans and the universe. It originated in Chinese astronomy. The astronomical history of feng shui is evident in the development of instruments and techniques. According to the Zhouli, the original feng shui instrument may have been a gnomon. The oldest examples of instruments used for feng shui are liuren astrolabes, also known as shi. These consist of a lacquered, two-sided board with astronomical sightlines. The earliest examples of liuren astrolabes have been unearthed from tombs that date between 278 BC and 209 BC. 

Definition

 The goal of feng shui as practiced today is to situate the human-built environment on spots with good qi, an imagined form of "energy". The "perfect spot" is a location and an axis in time. According to Stuart Vyse, feng shui is "a very popular superstition." 

Traditional Form of Feng Shui

 Traditional feng shui is an ancient system based upon the observation of heavenly time and earthly space. Literature, as well as archaeological evidence, provides some idea of the origins and nature of feng shui techniques. 

Contemporary uses of traditional feng shui 

Feng shui, however, has nonetheless found many uses. Landscape ecologists often find traditional feng shui an interesting study In many cases, the only remaining patches of Asian old forest are "feng shui woods”, associated with cultural heritage, historical continuity, and the preservation of various flora and fauna species. Some researchers interpret the presence of these woods as indicators that the "healthy homes “sustainability and environmental components of traditional feng shui should not be easily dismissed Environmental scientists and landscape architects have researched traditional feng shui and its methodologies. Architects study feng shui as an Asian architectural tradition. Geographers have analyzed the techniques and methods to help locate historical sites in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and archaeological sites in the American Southwest, concluding that Native Americans also considered astronomy and landscape features. 

Western Form of Feng Shui

 More recent forms of feng shui simplify principles that come from the traditional branches and focus mainly on the use of the Bagua. Feng shui is essentially the interaction of humans and their environments. It enables you to influence these interacting energies to achieve specific life improvements. This influence is gained by positioning or designing your surroundings in harmony with principles of natural energy flow. Feng shui reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure health and good fortune for those inhabiting it.