Learn Feng Shui Basics
5 Ways to Learn Feng Shui Basics
Most of the time when people talk about Feng Shui they think that it is a Chinese practice in bringing good luck through the proper arrangement of furniture or use of certain good luck charms. In some ways these may define Feng Shui, but it does not totally explain what Feng Shui is all about. Feng Shui has been in existence for almost 3,000 years in China. The truth is that Feng Shui deals with the aspects of creating balance of energy in a given space in order to assure health and prosperity. Feng Shui is a combination of two words. Feng means wind and Shui refers to water. If you closely look at Chinese culture, with the right positioning these two forces of nature can give good luck.
Feng Shui is based on the precept that nature has life therefore Chi or energy has it in abundance. The theory about Yin and Yang and Feng Shui and its elements comes from Taoism. Taoists view rain literally as “heaven’s luck”. They acknowledge water as the bringer of life giving fluid. According to Feng Shui, there are five basic elements that must be regulated to bring good fortune. These five elements are earth, fire, metal, wood and water. For practical application, Feng Shui allows you to use these elements to your advantage.
The main goal of Feng Shui is to keep Chi flowing through your surroundings. These five elements are represented by specific shapes and colors. This is the reason why most home and office improvements focus on balancing these elements by proper placement. The Feng Shui masters use Bagua which serves as the energy map and the Luo Pan which serves as the compass. The Bagua is divided into 8 trigram, these represent the areas of the individual’s life and the octagon at the center to mean “you”, your life and Chi. The basic principles is that the Bagua should be placed in a specific setting to improve all aspects of your life and health.
The Basic Tools Used in Feng Shui
These basic tools can let Chi flow effectively inside your home or place of business.
Color is associated with the celebration of holidays and special events. The use of specific colors can improve your health. Before you start using colors, study the lighting patterns in your room from day to night. This is why the colors that you will choose for your furniture and other decorating objects in your room must compliment with other elements of the room from Feng Shui perspective.
a. Green can improve health and balance family life. It is advisable to use in the East side of the Bagua of your home.
b. Blue is the carrier of growth so it must be placed in the North Bagua area.
c. Yellow, which is a cheerful color, represents happy gatherings and good times which must be placed in the South Bagua area.
d. White in its pure essence must be placed in the West Bagua area.
Sound is used to bring healing. Sound is often connected to Chi (energy). It is said that vibrations coming from sounds produce therapeutic energy. These are sounds coming from nature and those that come from animals or creatures. This is the reason why stress is reduced and a feeling of calmness sets in when you listen to these sounds. To cure the body, here are some items that are used in Feng Shui: Bells or Gongs, Crystal Singing Bowls, Wind Chimes, and Water Fountains. The main goal with the use of these items is to remove the negative energy surrounding or affecting the patient.
Growing Things Such as Plants and Flowers. We already know that growing things produce oxygen which helps to clean the air from pollutants. In Feng Shui, living plants produces positive life energy. This enhances the “Wood” element. The proper positioning of these plants in reference to the Bagua is what brings good Feng Shui. Some plants are considered to be lucky like, for instance money plants. It is never advisable to overpopulate your space with too many of these plants though.
Art can contribute to attracting good Feng Shui in your life. When choosing art pieces, stick to those that do not express any forms of violence. Concentrate on choosing paintings or art pieces that show swimming fish (koi), since this represents abundance and positive movement. Use red, gold and green art to attract abundance.
Since most of us spend most of our lives in the bedroom, creating good Feng Shui will bring healing to your body during sleep. There are some ways to improve the flow of Chi into your rest area. Sometimes, when practicing Feng Shui, you need to limit the use of certain elements like water for instance and the use of big mirrors. The color blue must never dominate the color scheme of your bedroom since this color is associated with water too. It is not also advisable to totally remove the use of these colors and items, what is being given emphasis here is to use them sparingly to create balance. Dark colors that appear heavy must not be used in the bedroom as well.
For practical reasons, gadgets should be placed elsewhere since the bedroom must be a place of total relaxation and rejuvenation with the hope of energizing the body and bring healing just in case you are afflicted with minor ailments . For the house, Feng Shui considers the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen a form of Trinity. There is a flow of energy that connects these three rooms together. The simple explanation for this is that you normally go through these rooms at the start and end of the day. Imagine waking up each morning, you immediately go to the bathroom then maybe take a shower then lastly take your breakfast in the kitchen. The same thing happens at the end of the day in reverse order. Since decorating the bedroom was discussed, the next thing that you need to do is to install an adjustable light switch in the bathroom so that you can set the mode to relax when you soak in the bath tub at the end of the day. Feng Shui is beneficial for those who believe that by removing blocks to Chi you can enjoy a more abundant and healthy life.
This has been our look at Feng Shui. To go back and read our other articles from the beginning, simply click on Chinese Medicine.