My great love for qigong and energy is inexorably linked to Feng Shui. I have been learning to feel my own energy or qi (chi) and the energy of my massage clients more clearly. It follows that chi is not just in people, it is everywhere! We humans have a great interconnectedness with all creation. We thrive when we are in alignment with the natural rhythms of the universe. This means following the intuitive wisdom of when to rest and when to go forward, and even how to go forward. There are times and seasons for everything and we know this if we are truly honest with ourselves.
Feng Shui is all about making sure the energy around you is flowing freely. For optimum health, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) you need flow and balance. If energy in your body is blocked and/or imbalanced, this can cause disease. The same holds true with the places you frequent. Primarily the home in which you live and secondarily if you have an office space that you spend time in.
Much of Feng Shui is instinctive, we place things around the house in ways that feel good to us and are aesthetically pleasing. Here are some principles that can confirm the feelings about the spaces in your home, office, or room.
In General
- Clearing clutter helps promote efficiency and peace of mind
- Getting rid of old things that are not serving you makes room for the new. Keep energy moving.
- Adding sunlight or light lifts your spirit and expands vision.
- Bringing nature indoors adds harmony and healing to surroundings. This includes real or silk plants and pictures of nature.
- Using color to influence mood. Red and orange are stimulants, blue, green and purple are relaxing.
- Making sure your bedroom doesn’t have work related items in it. It needs to be a place where you can rest.
- Displaying photos of loved ones is cheering to you and others.
Energy Enhancers
Crystals can attract, activate, hold, disperse, or circulate energy. It is best to use a spherical shape to disperse energy in a balanced way.
Wind Chimes can moderate, disperse, and attract energy.
Plants and flowers can uplift, harmonize, increase, stimulate, circulate, and disperse energy. It is best to have healthy plants, so remove dead or dying ones. Silk flowers work well for moving energy and brightening areas, and fresh flowers bring new life and chi into an area.
Light sources can uplift, stimulate, activate, produce, and increase energy. Sunlight is the most energetic, but good effects can come from lamps, candles, fireplaces, and even night lights.
Water Features can produce, stimulate, activate, and harmonize energy. Water fountains and aquariums are powerful energizers when properly placed.
Stabilizing Objects can slow down, calm, ground, secure, and stabilize energy. Heavy objects at the bottom of a stair case can help slow down the energy coming down the stairs. Examples: a large flowerpot, furniture, natural stones or rocks, and pottery.
Color can uplift, relax, motivate, and inspire energy.
Symbolic Objects or Artwork can affect you physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.
Problem Energy
Sharp energy from pointed objects or corners. Look for ways to soften – or do not have sharp items pointing towards where people would be.
Fast moving energy from long hallways, staircases, or a house at the end of a busy street. Use crystals or mirrors to refract and reflect. Wrap the stairway railing with cloth or silk vines. Place a gazing ball or mirror to deflect by the front door of the house.
Oppressive energy from low ceilings, heavy beams or small spaces. Use mirrors and light or bright colors to enlarge.
Stagnant energy from clutter or too much furniture. Clear out clutter and move furniture or give some away.
Missing energy – deficient energy centers or corners. Add in light sources, artwork or plants.
The Feng Shui Bagua (Energy Map)
Specific areas of your space reflect different areas of your life. You can enhance these areas of your home and see a reflection in your life! For instance, if you wanted to enhance your career you would add fresh cut flowers to that area to infuse energy and life.
The bagua map can be superimposed on the layout of a house, apartment, office or room. It shows the location of the nine energy centers divided into equal parts. You orient the bagua to the front entrance of the space you want to map out.
Divide the area into nine equal rectangles as shown below.
Be aware that if your house is not a rectangle or a square some of your baguas may be outside. They can still be enhanced and energized with planted flowers and/or colorful items, statues, or water fountains.
Resources
- A PDF description of the baguas, along with some helpful enhancements for each one.
- Much of the material for this blog is taken from this book: Barrett, Jayme (2003) Feng shui your life. New York: Sterling Publishing Co.
- Picture of the Bagua and details on the centers: http://openspacesfengshui.com/feng-shui-tips/2010/01/feng-shui-bagua-map/
- How Taoism relates to Feng Shui: https://www.thespruce.com/feng-shui-and-taoism-1275141
Wow, Sarah! New ideas for me. Some of the principles are necessary especially here, and are natural–e.g., clutter is a big deal in LA. And dealing with the rush mentality. Still need to grasp the spatial aspects and the placement.