Welcome...and initial guidelines...

This blog will be used in the spring of 2008 by 80+ students at Drexel University to investigate the effects of Iraq on culture and the reverse. Our goal will be to better understand why the US is in Iraq, and to question whether literature can help us on this journey.

Weekly plans and other materials will always be posted in Vista, not this blog. So go to Bb Vista to get the discussion prompts and other instructions.

I intend this blog to manage our discussions and track our collective investigation.

You should have received an email from me inviting you to become a contributor to this blog. The email was sent Monday afternoon to your official Drexel email address.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Feng Shui

Feng Shui is something that is something that I had grown up with although my parents were not avid enthusiasts. Decisions about the location of our house, the placing of our furniture all had a little to do with the concept of Feng Shui.

For all who don't know what feng shui is. The idea is based off of a few ideas such as Qi which in itself is "energy" and things such as the orientation of a structure, its age, and its interaction with the surrounding environment from the slope of the land to the vegetation and soil quality. All are taken into consideration for serious enthusiasts. Another is polarity or in simpler terms, ying and yang.

When first looking at the concept of feng shui it seems absurd, something that is impractical and has no reasoning or scientific basis to it. But when in reality feng shui is something that will affect so many different aspects of your life. Such as my house currently which has gone through some thinking to where the location was to be and where different parts of the house has furniture located. It creates a flow when you walk into the house creating a feeling of calmness which is tpart of what feng shui is about.

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