by Jennifer Barnum
What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui is a traditional art of living based on a philosophy strongly rooted in Chinese history, spirituality, and its ancient culture. A simple definition of Feng Shui, is that it is the idea of living in harmony with the five natural elements in the world that are used in Feng Shui practices. Dating back to 4000 BC, Feng Shui might be an ancient practice, but it is still widely used today in all cultures. It is often recommended by psychologists because of the benefits of the organization, productivity, and relaxation from Feng Shui.
6 Reasons for Using Feng Shui
1. Feng Shui increases and improves the energy flow at homes and in workplaces
2. Feng Shui can harmonize your environments for optimum living and working
3. Feng Shui will raise the vibration of your home or workplace
4. Feng Shui is used to energize your environments to become a magnet for opportunities and prosperity
5. Feng Shui helps to increase your personal luck factor
6. Feng Shui can help to avoid negative influences such as geopathic stress and EMF (electromagnetic) pollution
The 5 Feng Shui Elements:
The words Feng Shui mean “wind” and “water” in Chinese. The five Feng Shui Elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Experts in Feng Shui say that you should include all five elements in your home design in some way to achieve balance. The element you are more in tune with should be used slightly more than the rest, just be careful not to still maintain balance. You can also increase use of the elements as your needs fluctuate.
Water Elements such as a fountains or fish tanks will help improve communications with your family in your home. If you are unable to add an actual water feature, glass or design features in the colors associated with water are blue and black, can be a good substitute. Your water elements should be placed in the northern corner of the room or house.
Metal Elements should be added to your décor if you are looking to make more money or just improve your overall financial success. Metal can be represented with silver, grey, gold, or any metallic colors or pieces made of stone, marble or metal. Metal elements should be placed in the western corner.
Earth Elements help create a firm ground for building your family relationships. Adding earth tones such as light browns, yellows, oranges and sandy colors will bring that added foundation for strengthening relationships. Balance and stability can also be achieved with clay or ceramic decoration pieces, or paintings of landscapes hung on walls. Whenever possible this element should be in the center of the room or the room most central to the home.
Fire Elements help to increase productivity and passion. Feng Shui experts advise to always place the fire element in the southern corner of the room or house. Fire is the most powerful element; therefore, be careful when adding this element to your home and maintain moderation. Red is the color most associated with fire and it is well received and liked by most people. However, red is such a bold color it may not go with all home décor. Alternatively, you can use candles or lamps to represent the fire element.
Wood Elements symbolize loyalty and are said to promote creativity and inspiration. Different woods are usually present in home designs; they can be furniture, wood floors, or wood panel walls. Besides the usual brown color associated with woods, green can also be used to represent the wood element when. If your wood element is not mobile, then it is best when placed in the eastern corner of your room or home.
Feng Shui’s Psychological Benefits
When you come home to your house, do you feel the stress of the day wash away? You should feel self-satisfied, lighter, energetic, and motivated. If you do not get positive feeling from coming home, but rather feel tired, restless, and overwhelmed, then your home and family life can definitely benefit from balance through Feng Shui. Balance through Feng Shui can also lead to a balance in your mind between the right and left side. Removing clutter in your home also has proven to reduce clutter in your mind and allow you to relax and have ideas flow more freely, making it easier for you to make decisions. Colors also affect your mood, so taking colors into close consideration to the personalities of your family members will go a long way towards improving the mental Feng Shui in your home. The vibes created from the flow of proper chi in your home can actually cause healing within your body.
Adding plants to a room may not always seem like a Feng Shui concept, however adding plants bring balance to your home. They can help to promote growth in your home and family, in both the literal and implied sense. Before you start thinking that Feng Shui is just some ancient practice filled with superstition, check out the NASA research that shows that indoor pollution is worse than outdoor and proves that plants are the solution.
Image Credit: Kiddharma (flickr.com/photos/kiddharma/233451177)
