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The first in a nine part series on the ancient art of Feng Shui

Literally, "Feng Shui" means "wind and water". The origin of the technique and the name lies in ancient China, an eminently agricultural society where it was thought that the best place to build was sheltered from the winds and near water, an element that makes the land fertile. Nowadays, we take Feng Shui to be the search for balance between people and their environment, both in common (towns, parks, companies...) and in private areas (the home, the office...). Whoever believes that their personal or working lives can be improved are likely to practice Feng Shui. To begin with, we should take three factors into account:

• No style of decoration is better than any other. The key lies in balance and in finding ourselves at ease in the environment that we have created.

• Move away from view any object that does not appeal to us or that we feel a certain rejection for.

• Tidy up and clear away any useless things. We need to make way for good fortune.

There are different ways of focusing the practice of Feng Shui: static analysis, dynamic analysis and temporal analysis. It is the drawing together of these three aspects which creates a complete study of Feng Shui. In view of the complexity of these types of analysis, in this column we shall deal with the static part which although it is easily understood, is none the less effective. The aim of this column is to provide the reader with a guide for putting it into practice, with helpful advice based on professional research and experience. Over the next eight weeks, we are going to be looking at the keys to how we can attain the aspirations that anyone can have in their lives in terms of:

• Professional career

• New projects

• Health

• Wealth and prosperity

• Fame and social recognition

• Matrimony and clients

• Creativity, children and employees

• Power and supporting others

In order to determine the eight aspirations, the first thing need is a ground floor plan of the house, of the living room or office and a compass. Then divide the plan up into nine equal sectors and, with the help of a compass, determine where the four points of the compass lie.

Maru Canales is a Madrid-based professional Feng Shui consultant. A student of Lilian Too, she holds a Master in Practitioners FS and a Master in Consultancy FS. She also holds an MBA and Doctorate in Organizational Behavior in Complex Organizations from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca. Her Feng Shui consultancy, OCTO, assists large corporations, small businesses, executives and individuals.