Best Way to Understand the Feng Shui Animals

The animals are used to help understand the flow of chi energy around us. The idea is that each person carries a pattern of energy in their chi energy field that can be represented by five animals.

Two of them, the dragon and the phoenix, are mythical, but the others are real animals: the tiger, the tortoise and the snake. The energies themselves have similar characteristics to those of the east, south, west and north which are used in the compass. However, in this context, they are not fixed by any direction and can rotate according to the position of the person or the layout of the room. It is only when you are facing south or have a south-facing room that the energies converge.

To align the animals it is easiest to think in terms of the tortoise and the phoenix. The tortoise, with its hard shell, represents the back of something. It is often associated with a part of the home or garden that can provide protection, such as a solid wall, hill, mountain or trees. The phoenix is a legendary bird ready to fly off ahead of you and represents your front. In your home it would be an area into which chi energy can expand – an entrance, window or large vista.

You can imagine them in the form of a big armchair. The back of the chair represents the tortoise and the open front the phoenix. The left armrest takes the form of the dragon, the right the tiger and the seat itself the snake.

This method is very useful when deciding where to sit in a room. Look at your options so as to find the tortoise. This will usually be a solid wall or a heavy piece of furniture. Next look for the phoenix, which could be a large window, the door to the room or a fireplace.

Try to sit so that you have both the protecting energy of the tortoise to your rear and one of the features of the phoenix in front of you. The sides can then be partially open. For example, a light or candle to your left would be supported by the eastern energy of the dragon and a table to your left would represent the energy of the tiger.

This approach is particularly useful in restaurants or meetings where you can make a quick analysis of your options and then choose the one that helps you best align with the animals. For example, choose a seat in a restaurant where you have your back to the wall and can see as much of the restaurant as possible. This will help you feel more secure and settled.