feng shui your Life
Ancient Chinese feng shui has taken over the interior design industry these past few years and has become a trend for new homeowners when clearing their space of negative energy. Feng shui, however, is no new trend. It was developed over 3,000 years ago in China. Feng refers to “wind” and shui refers to “water”’. These two elements are associated with good health, which in turn, means good fortune in Chinese culture. The understanding lies in nature and particularly that the land itself is alive with what the they call chi, or energy. It is believed that the land's energy could either be good or bad in the Taoist thought; therefore, ways were developed within feng shui to clear the bad and connect with the good energy. Plus with April being National Decorating month in the U.S., it’s a great time to see what needs to be cleared out and even replaced in your home. As you remove the clutter and organize your space it results in inviting an open and and positive energetic field since negative energy can hang onto old objects.
Three Power Principles of Feng Shui
Chi
Chi is energy. It is the constantly moving and changing life force that we feel around us making us feel either good or bad in a certain location. Chi can accumulate in the objects around you. In your home or office, the chi will flow in through the door and out through the windows. The goal of Feng Shui improvements (or "cures") is to keep the chi flowing gently throughout your environment rather than running straight through it. Chi can have a negative effect on your surroundings when it gets stuck or blocked.
The Five Elements
The Five Elements is the collective name used to describe the colors, shapes, and textures around you. The Elements are: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Each Element is distinguished by a characteristic shape, colors, and set of attributes. Feng Shui improvements for homes and offices balance all of these Elements in your interior environment.
ELEMENT SHAPE COLORS ATTRIBUTES
Fire Triangle Red, Orange, Purple Passion, Emotion
Earth Square Brown, Yellow Grounding, Stability
Metal Circle White, Metallic Strength, Independence
Water Curvy Black, Blue Relaxation, Inspiration
Wood Rectangle Green, Teal Growth, Expansion
The Bagua
The Bagua is the chart used to map the areas of a home or office and determine where to locate the objects and colors that represent the Five Elements. The traditional bagua is an octagon (the word bagua means "8-sided" in Chinese). Modern approaches to Feng Shui use a grid-shaped chart to map nine areas of your life (see Bagua Map below):
Power/Wealth/Abundance
Fame/Future/Reputation
Love/Relationships/Marriage
Creativity/Children/Legacy
Compassion/Travel/Helpful People
Self/Career/Work
Knowledge/Wisdom/Harmony
Family/Health/Community
Well-Being/Balance
Use either a horizontal or a vertical bagua, depending on the shape of your house: Vertical (townhouse, row house) - Click here for printable PDF version. Horizontal (colonial, ranch, split level) - Click here for printable PDF version.
The Basic Tools of Feng Shui A variety of tools are available to the Feng Shui practitioner, and any one may be more effective than another for a particular situation. The following tools are especially helpful to unblock energy and balance a home or business:
Color adds emotional, physiological, and cultural content to our lives. We associate certain things with color, such as holidays, cultural events, and emotions. In Feng Shui, color is primarily used to represent and balance the Five Elements.
Sound is used to connect us to others in our environment. Music is a powerful way to uplift the chi in any environment and can sooth stressful home or office situations.
Lighting is a simple way to bring more chi into your environment, especially full-spectrum light bulbs that simulate natural light. Fireplaces are also a source of light.
Art can enhance the chi, whether it is a painting, sculpture, or textile. The selection and placement of art depends on the area of the bagua you need to activate. Art should reflect positive images and feelings.
Growing Things like healthy plants and flowers connect you with the natural world. They can be chosen for a specific shape and color to correspond to a particular element and area of the bagua. Silk plants can be used where light is too limited to grow healthy plants.
Water Features such as fountains and aquariums stimulate the movement of chi in and around your home or business.
Wind Sensitive Objects such as wind chimes, mobiles, whirligigs, banners, flags, and weather vanes attract the chi into your environment.
Mirrors & Crystals can be used when there are structural flaws or where there is no space for any other "cure."
