Feng Shui Author, Jon Sandifer, examines
the world's oldest Parliament, The Althing, from a Feng Shui Perspective
Theories abound regarding the origin of one
of the world's youngest yet largest islands. From a geological perspective,
no rocks over 20 million years have been found on the island and none
over 65 million years on the shelf below the present sea level. One
theory is that 65 million years ago an asteroid hit the North Atlantic
and punctured the sea bed forming a hole about 100km across. The impact
was regarded as one of the world's last major ecological catastrophes
causing earthquakes, tidal waves and dust storms that blocked out
the sun thus changing the climate. Almost three quarters of the species
living in this prehistoric world died. However, this amazing impact
triggered a series of other events which led to the emergence of a
new volcanic island - Iceland. Far from being a cold and intimidating,
I have always found a deep fascination with Iceland's "fire"
nature. The moment you arrive you feel charged and inspired by the
Chi of the landscape and of course the friendliness of the inhabitants.
As Iceland started to become populated in 860
AD, mainly by Norwegian settlers initially, the population was widely
dispersed over the entire island. Within a century, the chieftans
decided that they should form a meeting place to resolve disputes
and maintain the traditions and laws of their Viking heritage. To
prepare for the foundation of the Althing (the Parliament), a chieftan
known as Ulfljotur spent 3 years in Norway studying law to form the
basis of the Icelandic legislation. His foster brother, Grimur, was
given the job to search for a suitable site. The meeting place that
he discovered is called Thingvollur (Assembly Plain) which was used
originally 4 times a year and had no building for the structure but
simply utilised the landscape to benefit from protection, acoustics,
fresh water and its naturally highly charged Chi.
On a recent visit to Iceland to teach Feng Shui,
on my day off before my teaching schedule started, I asked one of
my hosts, Ingeborg, if we could visit Thingvollur as I felt that the
landscape could provide a useful model for how traditional Form Feng
Shui had been applied intuitively by other cultures. I really did
not expect to find such an awesome example of Form Feng Shui as we
approached the site from Rekjavik. To begin to fully appreciate the
Form that the Thingvollur and its surrounding landscape have to offer,
it would be useful to familiarise yourself with the basic concepts
of Form Feng Shui.
In a nutshell, the perfect site from a Form
Feng Shui perspective, would have the site semi encircled behind by
a horseshoe of hills or mountains leaving the facing aspect open to
either the sunny side or to water or to the beneficial Chi of healthy
plains below. Behind the site the ideal situation would be a mountain,
hill or ridge that was known the Tortoise. In many cases this was
in the north to protect the site from the cold and damp. Looking straight
ahead with the Tortoise behind would be lower mound or ridge known
as the Phoenix while to the right and merging with the Tortoise behind
were hills or ridges symbolic of the White Tiger and to the left hills
or ridges that were lower and these were associated with the Green
Dragon.
What is astounding about Grimur's discovery
is that Thingvollur has all of these qualities. It is situated in
a deep gorge which is actually part of a geological rift that separates
the east and the west of Iceland. This natural rift is moving slowly
apart at a rate of 2 cm per year and the eastern ridge forms the Tortoise
at Thingvollur. This rocky outcrop also slopes gently from the White
Tiger side to the Green Dragon side and the crooked and wavy quality
of the rocks is associated as the Water (Mercury) shape associated
with mountain forms in Feng Shui. With your back to this ridge, there
lies ahead of you the Phoenix and this was the centre of the Icelandic
Parliament - The Althing - known as the Law Rock (Logberg). It was
here that the speaker of the parliament held forth to the Chieftans
who met on the plains below and the acoustics would have been perfect
for him to be heard. The Icelanders also diverted the river Bakkar
so that it meanders across the plain forming various pools and islands
before entering the largest and deepest lake in Iceland.
When you stand back and look at the whole region
from a Form perspective, then it is even more fascinating. The whole
region is encircled in a horseshoe by mountains on the east, to the
north and to the west while to the south lies the lake - Pingvallavatn.
Each mountain has its own name which is associated with its Form -
for example to the north Skjaldbreidur (Broad Shield) which is a beautifully
formed, completely circular volcanic mountain.
Although I only spent a day in the region,
it was not hard to see the potential for exploring the whole area
and finding out more about its origins, its Chi, the Icelandic Sagas,
to explore the outlying mountains and to enjoy bathing in some of
the hot springs! It was such a fascinating discovery that I found
it difficult not to abandon my weekend's teaching schedule to spend
more time at Thingvollur. To this end, I am planning a tour of discovery
of the region, taking in Thingvollur and the surrounding region in
May 2000. If you would like to join me and my Icelandic hosts on a
journey of discovery, please let me know.