what is feng shui?

Literally meaning ‘wind’ and ‘water’, feng shui is the ancient art of furniture placement and energy flow in the home, which has been practised successfully in China for thousands of years.

In the West it is now much more widely accepted as a practice – people who have embraced all the principles have found how it has improved the atmosphere in their homes, their relationships with their family, and in turn, increased their wellbeing, giving them new energy to change and improve their lives.

How does it work?

Feng shui works on the basis that energy currents, which are known as chi, flow through the home. So to get the best from your living areas, these currents need to be able to flow freely throughout the home and not become blocked or stagnant.

Chi enters through the front door and always moves in spirals and this movement needs to be encouraged in the home. Sharp angles on furniture, deep corners or beams can distort this flow causing bad, sha chi to be directed at the occupants. Being exposed to this bad energy for a long time can cause emotional upset or illness. Cures such as hanging crystals, plants or windchimes can be used to break up or screen this type of energy.

Yin and Yang

A main part of feng shui is the balance of the opposing forces of yin and yang. Yin is seen as female, dark and passive, while the yang qualities are male, positive and bright. The tai ch’i symbol shows the interaction of yin and yang – one cannot exist without the other. In the home you always need a balance of yin and yang energies. In a living room, for example, you need to mix yang accessories such as a hardwood table, a mirror and metal ornaments with yin accessories, such as cushions, a rug and curtains.

The Five Elements

The Five Elements are the core feng shui energies that are present everywhere. They link to the eight compass directions and a colour: the south is Fire and red, the north is Water and blue or black, the east is Wood and green, and the West is Metal and white or gold and silver, the southwest, northwest, northeast and southeast are Earth and yellow. They are also associated with the Pa Kua, the eight-sided diagnostic tool that is essential to a feng shui consultant for mapping out a home. It is by using the element colours in the correct areas of your home that can make an immense difference to its overall appeal and ambience.

The elements are also controlled by interactive cycles (see diagram). In the Productive (feeding) Cycle, each element produces another; for example Wood produces Fire, Fire produces Earth and so on around the circle. In the Exhausting (calming) Cycle Metal calms Earth, Earth calms Fire, and so the process continues. In the Destructive (controlling) Cycle, Fire is controlled by Water, Earth is controlled by Wood etc. A further cycle, the Draining Cycle is also used, here Metal drains Fire, Water drains Earth and so on.

To create harmony in the home, the vibrational energy of the element colours can be used in decorating schemes in the relevant rooms after the orientation has been worked out. These colours have a powerful effect on all the family, encouraging positive change and progress.

FAQ’s

Does feng shui work?

Feng shui is like everything else, you have to follow all aspects of the system for it work properly. If you haven’t changed all the colours in the rooms, or boosted the areas that you were told to, nothing will change and your life will stay the same.

But doesn’t feng shui involve complicated changes?

Feng shui changes to your home do not have to be complicated. Doorways do not have to be moved; a cure for a problem can normally be found. The major change is altering the colour in each room to its element colour. Otherwise the changes involve manipulating energy flow, moving furniture into better spaces and adding enhancements such as crystals and mirrors to lift energy levels. Cures, such as crystals, windchimes, plants, water features and lighting can be put in place to offset any bad energetic problems.