The dawn of time

The historical origins of Feng Shui stretch back to an era of human civilization that precedes all written records. It is like a great river whose source can be traced back by following the winding of its many streams and tributaries.
At the fountainhead of all Feng Shui practice lies the theory of Yin and Yang. The concept of the two fundamental forces existed in the oral culture of China, pre-dating all written works of natural science and medical theory and therefore stretching back well over 7000 years. In the opening chapter of the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, which cates back to between 2690 and 2590 BCE and is the earliest medical text known to humanity, the court physician tells the Emperor:
"In ancient times those people who understood the Tao patterned themselves upon the Yin and the Yang and they lived in harmony with the arts of divination."
As Taoism developed over the centuries, the importance of Yin and Yang theory in all areas of intellectual, artistic, and scientific inquiry became immense. The theory lay at the heart of most observations and reflections on life, just as it contimues to do in the art of Feng Shui to this day.
The I Ching also has an extraordinarily long history. Some accounts attribute its origins to the work of legendary figures in Chinese culture. Other scholars hold the view that the fundamental principles were established in the seventh and eight century BCE, with the book in its contemporary form being produced at the end of the Chou dynasty in the third century CE. Confucius himself, born in 522 BCE, devoted his latter years to an extensive study of the I Ching and wrote an exhaustive commentary on it.

The theory of The Five Energies is sometimes said to stretch back to the time of Tsou Yen, who is often described as the founder of Chinese scientific thought. In The Historical Record, which dates back to the first century CE, Tsou Yen is described as presenting the essential ideas of the system of The Five Energies, although the concepts may well have been in circulation long before that. The Historical Record says of Tsou Yen:

"He examined deeply the waxing and waning  of Yin and Yang, and wrote essays of more than 100,000 words about the patterns the produced.....He began with the orgin of Heaven and Earth and made notations of the constant changes of The Five Energies, arranging them until each fitted into a pattern and was confirmed by historical events.

Dwelling on the earth

Form the very earliest days people have sought to dwell in ways that would enable them to survive nature's powerful eruptions - floods, earthquakes, and epidemics. From patient observation of life on the planet emerged a body of theory and practice that has led through the centuries to the development of many sciences. The principle of Feng Shui have also been refined in accordance with century upon century of careful observation.