Free the spring within yourself

The traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar is divided into 24 solar terms (氣), each being a period of approximately 15 days during which three seasonal signs manifest. In early April, the energy of pure clarity (清明 Qing Ming, the eighth solar term) that follows the spring equinox comes to illuminate both our souls and our living spaces.

For the Qing Ming festival, two ancient traditions are followed by the Chinese. One is to clean the tombs of ancestors, and the other is to go out into the countryside to enjoy nature. A famous painting from the Song Dynasty intricately depicts the Qingming festival near a river. This painting by the artist Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145) is titled “Along the River During the Qingming Festival”. It is currently housed in the Forbidden City in Beijing and has been widely reproduced throughout Chinese history.

These two traditions correspond to two energetic visions of death and life in the practices of Fengshui for the dead and Dili Fengshui for the living. The art of Dili Fengshui 地理風水 is rooted in the metaphysical tradition of ancient China. Fengshui, often referred to as the art of harmonizing the energy of a place, known as “Qi,” comprises Feng 風, meaning “Wind,” and Shui 水, meaning “Water.” However, it is important to differentiate between Dili Fengshui and Fengshui. Dili Fengshui refers to the “Yang” places or dwellings of the living, such as houses, businesses, offices, hotels, and restaurants, while Fengshui refers to the “Yin” places or dwellings of the dead, like the tombs that are cleaned during the Qingming festival.