When you think of feng shui, images of water fountains, lucky bamboo plants, and Chinese coins may pop into your mind. These objects are definitely ways we can create “better” feng shui, but the philosophy of feng shui expands far beyond these stereotypes.
What Does Feng Shui Mean?
The Chinese words: “Feng” means “wind” and “Shui” translates to “water.” Humans and all living beings require both breath and water to sustain life. Similarly, we require a connection to nature (wind and water) to live and thrive on this earth. When we incorporate these ancient Asian teachings into the spaces we inhabit, we can truly flourish. The philosophy of feng shui reintroduces us to the teachings of nature so that we become more attuned to the flow of qi—life force energy.
How Feng Shui Connects Us to the Natural World
Feng Shui concepts can be used to design and create spaces with intention so you can flow, bloom and begin to awaken to the world. Like with meditation, feng shui is about cultivating mindfulness of your environment. Feng shui encourages you to slow down and pay attention to all the everyday mundane details in your life and spaces.
Take a moment and imagine yourself peering out of the huge modern windows of a penthouse apartment in Manhattan. It’s a brisk autumn evening, and you can see the glass and metal skyscrapers all around you. You look down and see the trees that have turned fiery colors. There are sirens of an ambulance and the honking of cars. There’s the buzz and energy of hundreds of people and cars zooming by down on the street.
How does this space feel to you?
Now, let’s fly over to a secluded beach on a Greek island in the middle of the summer. The blinding, bright sun is beating down on you. You can see brilliant blue water and sky for miles. The heat is intolerably humid and so you go for a swim.
How does this space feel to you?
There’s no doubt our spaces deeply affect us physically, emotionally, psychologically, and energetically.
I think most of us can agree, our lives appear to be increasing in complexity and speed with every passing day. This often leads to more stress and difficulties—more than the generations before us have ever seen. We just want to come home and feel relaxed, supported, and nourished. We desperately desire spaces that resonate and nurture us. Fortunately, feng shui offers these tools we seek to begin to create spaces that support us. With the art of feng shui, we can reconnect and flow with the natural world, because the truth is, we are a part of a nature.
There are two concepts at the heart of feng shui practice: the bagua map and the five elements. These principles guide us so we can touch back in with the cycles of nature. (As a note, with most practices, there are dozens of different schools of feng shui, however these two principles are foundational in all of the schools.)
The Bagua Energy Map
The bagua (or feng shui) energy map is a conceptual map comprised of eight areas around a center. “Ba” translates to “eight” and “gua” to “area” in Chinese. The eight bagua areas relate to different aspects of our lives. Each area is also connected to many qualities and energies, such as the five elements, yin and yang, colors, symbols, seasons, shapes, patterns, organs, the Asian zodiac animals, a time of day, and so on. Most commonly, we apply the bagua on the floor plan of a home or room. The map also stretches and expands to overlay an entire property, a neighborhood, an city, a country, and so on. Alternatively, we can also shrink the bagua to fit on a single room, a piece of furniture, on an object, or even on your face or hand.
The Five Elements in Feng Shui
The bagua is also interrelated to the five element theory. The five elements, also known as the five phases, arise from the ancient Asian philosophy called Taoism. The five elements are: earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. Like the bagua, these five elements have deeper meanings and aspects. Each element is related to a bagua area, colors, organs, seasons, etc. In feng shui practice, practitioners often look out for and evaluate the five elements within spaces and in the personal energies of the inhabitants.
Where to Begin?
So, how do we begin to implement these principles of feng shui into our environments? The first way is to start to slow down and become more mindful and attentive to our homes and workplaces.
Ask yourself these questions: How do my environments feel? How do I feel in my environments?
And contemplate: What areas of my life do I want to balance? What do I want more of and what can I let go of?
Once you’ve considered these questions, dive into the bagua map and/or five elements. Check out which areas and elements resonate with you and begin to work with a maximum of three. Implement and then observe how these small feng shui shifts begin to manifest in your life.
Feng shui is literally defined as wind and water, as “feng” means wind and “shui” means water. These elements are associated with good health and fortune, and using feng shui in your client’s home will improve the flow of energy. However, this is an ancient Chinese practice, and there are specific rules to be followed!
The goal of furniture placement is to attract strong “chi”. Keeping the home organized and helping your client understand their intent for feng shui are also important factors. Read on for five feng shui rules that should never be broken!
1. Be organized and tidy
This is first on the list for a reason! A disorganized home is a breeding ground for stress, depression, and unhappiness. This is well-known among designers, including professional organizers and interior decorators.
Chinese people defined “chi” as invisible energy that binds life together, and it is impossible for strong chi to exist in the home with clutter and dirt. When helping your client use feng shui, the first order of business should be to clear away any dust, dirt, or clutter that will get in the way of positive, healthy energy. Not sure where to start? Clean out a drawer or closet that has been neglected and start putting systems in place to keep it organized.
2. Keep your bed away from the window
Feng shui is very strict about this rule! Your head should never be underneath a window while sleeping – the logic behind this is that both your mind and body need support, so beds should be placed against solid walls with no doors on either side.
Furniture placement is extremely important when it comes to feng shui, and the bedroom is perhaps the most important space of all (it’s where we rest and recharge). The energy in this space needs to be tranquil and harmonious, which leads us to our next rule….
3. Separate work and rest areas
Attracting (and maintaining) positive energy will require your client to be mindful of how they use that space. Setting up a desk in your client’s bedroom goes against a strict rule of feng shui, which is to keep work and rest areas separate. It’s tempting to keep a laptop next to the bed, as many people work demanding jobs (and some work from home), but this will destroy the tranquility in their life!
Your client’s bedroom cannot possibly be an oasis of calm if they associate it with work, so encourage them to find another area to set up their work station (like the kitchen or a spare room).
4. Use the Bagua Map properly
If you plan on using feng shui in your client’s home, familiarizing yourself with the Bagua map is absolutely vital.
An eight-sided energy map, this tool uses your client’s space to map out their life. It will help identify the areas where they should make positive changes.To give you a basic lesson, the Bagua map is most commonly aligned with the front door, as this is considered the “mouth of chi”, where all the energy enters into the home.
Feng shui dictates that the Bagua map should be used with a birds-eye view and drawn over the floor plan of the home. Once it is in place, you can look at which areas of your clients’ life they would most like to improve, and focus on those areas specifically.
If the Bagua map is not used, you’ll likely try to make all the changes at once, which can be detrimental to the home. Doing this can create more clutter and disorganization. Follow this rule to let energy flow easily.
5. Know your colors
Every home decorator knows the importance of color in the home. Colors improve quality of life by boosting moods, eliminating stress, and increasing confidence
Think about the color red for a moment. We can bet that thoughts of passion and exuberance come to mind. When that color is on the walls of a living space, the energy in that environment becomes passionate, bold, and lively. Choosing the color green, in contrast, will create a sense of peace and calm. This can help clients unwind after a busy day!
It’s important to meet with your clients and understand exactly what kind of atmosphere they want their home to emanate, and which qualities they personally want to improve on. Using the right colors in your clients’ living space is a feng shui rule that should never be broken. Do your research and plan out your color scheme!