Feng Shui Burials

In the 21^st century, burial is not as easy as it once was. We now have end of life tours, end of life planning professionals, tailor-made funerals; In fact, there is an end of life revolution occurring throughout the U.S. as Baby Boomers bury parents, and grow older themselves. One topic that caught my attention recently concerned larger cemeteries offering feng shui burials to their Chinese immigrant families.

Feng shui is “a Chinese system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi), and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings.” – Oxford Dictionary

Feng Shui for the Bedroom

Feng shui (pronounced fung shway) became popular in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia during the 1990s as people sought ways to live lives more in balance with nature. By using certain techniques and methods to affect the flow of positive chi (energy) in their living spaces, work places and burial sites, feng shui is said to promote balance, prosperity and harmony for those who reside there.

Ancient Egyptian Burials

Death and burial traditions are common in all societies. Feng shui has been used for thousands of years in burial traditions. Ancient Egyptians understood the importance of man being in harmony with nature, both during life, and after. And archaeologists have discovered elaborate temples and tombs that adhered to these basic harmonious principles.

The Chinese believe that there is a connection between ancestors and their descendants, even after death; that they continue to share a comparable wavelength. In other words, if the burial of a relative is not considered auspicious and certain requirements are not adhered to, negative frequencies could be passed down to family members and future generations.

Burial Feng Shui

A feng shui burial is made up of many components. Since the body must remain intact, burial is the option most often taken.

The first thing to consider is the location and direction of the grave. When practicing feng shui, certain directions are considered more auspicious than others. Also the direction the body is pointing and the location of the tombstone are believed to be important. And the day on which to hold the funeral must be calculated by a feng shui master.

Here are just a few feng shui practices that apply to a grave’s physical arrangement.

1) Green grass is encouraged to grow on family members graves so relatives water, fertilize and weed around the plots and tombstones.

2) Feng Shui discourages burying a loved one near a tree because the roots can interfere with the coffin. Trees are not allowed to be planted on graves either.

3) Cemetery gates must not pass over any graves because this is considered bad luck and could lead to legal entanglements for the family.

4) It is also bad luck to step on a grave so walkways are constructed in Chinese burial grounds.

5) The dirt on top of a grave should never be allowed to become concave because water will pool there and could cause complications to the grave, and the health of the family.

Graves in Arcs

6) Grave sites should be arranged in arcs instead of in straight rows.

7) A Feng Shui master should calculate the correct angle at which to bury the body, and also the day on which the funeral should be held.

Rose Hills Cemetery

There are numerous cemeteries in the U.S. that are putting the rules of Feng Shui into practice by developing feng shui “neighborhoods.” Most of these are located in California and include Rose Hills Cemetery in Whitter, Fairhaven Cemetery in Santa Ana, Santa Rosa Memorial Park in Santa Rosa, and Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. Others are located in Chicago, Pennsylvania and New York.

Cemetery Feng Shui

As interest in feng shui grows, we can expect to see more cemeteries embracing some of these principles. And to be honest, anything that promotes peace, harmony and balance, even after death, sounds appealing enough to consider – just to be on the “safe” side.

~ Joy

Ancestors' Day

Today is Ancestors Day in many Asian countries, a day to remember and honor the departed.  It is also known as Tomb Sweeping Day or Qing Ming, which means pure brightness. Ancestors Day is celebrated 15 days after the spring equinox and is the climax of a 2-week celebration when it’s believed that the ghosts of the departed walk the earth.  

It is a time when the living remember and pay tribute to their ancestors, by meditation, prayer and by making offerings to those who have become trapped in the spirit world.  In order to help these detained spirits overcome their bad karma and guide them back into the cycle of reincarnation, family members offer food and money to them so that they will watch over the ancestral family.  Relatives color eggs, have picnics and fly kites during Qing Ming to celebrate the rebirth of nature – the cycle of reincarnation. The festival began during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907,) and over 450 million people around the world will celebrate Ancestors Day this year. 

It is during this festival that family members tend to the graves of their forbearers.  The gravesite, temple or crematorium is cleaned and tidied, dirt is swept away and cremation urns are polished.  Food, along with paper that resembles money or electronic items, called joss paper or ghost money, is offered to the departed to bring them happiness in the afterlife.

Food offerings consist of what the ancestor was fond of eating, steamed fish, chicken, or eggs, served with rice and wine.  The food is prepared and offered cold, since cooking is not allowed on this day.  The food is then arranged in a certain manner, similar to the practices of feng shui, on the home alter in order to bring the family good luck, plentiful harvests and more children. Incense and candles are lit both on the home alter or at the burial site.  Food is also taken to the tomb to be offered, but the public offering consists mostly of bread and water.

The joss paper money, also known as hell money, is offered to the dead so that they can continue to have necessary and valuable things in the afterlife.  This guarantees that the deceased will be happy, and ensures they will be helpful to living relatives who may need to ask for special favors or assistance from them.  Joss paper is squares or rectangles of bamboo or rice paper with images stamped upon them.  Shops in China now offer joss paper versions of credit cards, televisions, computers, even iPads and iPhones.  The current price for two paper iPads and four iPhones made from joss paper is about 90 cents in U.S. currency.  These gifts or offerings are then sent to the deceased by way of burning. The burning of these tributes has led to frequent problems involving uncontrolled fires. More than one thousand tons of paper is burnt each year during the festival. Statistics from last year indicate that over 1,650 fires broke out during the celebration, resulting in 17 deaths and 32 injuries.

We, in the U.S., do not have such a festival to honor our ancestors. As close as we come is Memorial Day, held the last Monday in May, a day to pay tribute to those who have died while serving our country.  That date may jog our memories to drop off some floral tribute at the cemetery.  But to actually have a designated time to honor our ancestors, to tend to and repair their graves, and to just relax and enjoy the park-like atmosphere of the cemetery, we don’t really do that, not anymore.  I can remember my grandmother and great grandmother talking about ‘Decoration Day’ of years past.  About how they would prepare a picnic basket with cold fried chicken, drop biscuits and iced tea, then cut and gather peonies and roses to place on the family graves. After everything was ready they would gather the family and head out to the local graveyard where they spent the afternoon tending the relatives graves. When the work was done, they’d enjoy a picnic.  I’ve always liked that idea, spending an afternoon cleaning, tending and visiting with our ancestors, our links to the past.  So maybe today, on this Ancestors' Day, I’ll gather some spring flowers, grab a box of chicken and head out to ‘visit’ my grandparents.  It’s just another way to offer thanks for all that they did for me.  I’m sure they won’t mind if its store-bought chicken and biscuits - but a paper iPad? Ummm…no.   But, if I could get joss paper with an old radio tuned to the Grand Ole Opry?   They would be in heaven!

~  Joy