Metal is one of feng shui’s five elements based on the five Taoist elements of Wu Xing. Appropriate placement of metal elements and colors in homes, rooms, or spaces can facilitate the optimal flow of chi

Metal has a sense of refinement, logic and decisiveness that make it easier to cut through life’s complications.

As the condensing, “organizing element,” it helps you set up and successfully execute your plans and important projects.

• Metal’s focussed, structured qualities make it the element that helps you most to suceed in business, so be sure to include it in your office or workspace.
• Metal’s symbolic shape is the circle, the purest shape whose line never ends. The circle carries with it qualities of Heaven, especially the all-powerful Sun, which is considered the Father of the world in Feng Shui.

In China circles and squares are frequently used together to symbolize the Yin/Yang relationship of the Mother (the square Earth Yin element) and the Father (the Heavenly, Metal Yang element).

This iconic symboism is used in everything from architecture to the design of metal coins; Beijing’s Forbidden City — and the 2008 Olympic arenas — provide just two prominent examples of how bringing them together creates a sense of harmony in the environment.

Here’s some more about the Feng Shui qualities of Metal:

• Anything circular, oval or that has rounded edges brings the Metal element into your space.
• Metal’s color ranges from pure white to light greys and soft pastels.
• Metal and metallic objects have a gleaming and shiny quality, rather than reflective (which characterizes the Water element). Gemstones, shiny metal, and subtle reflective surfaces all bring Metal into your space.
• As opposed to the physicality of the Earth element, the Chi of Metal creates a more intangible, invisible energetic charge in your environment. It helps you create structure and boundaries in your life, and stay “above the fray” when things around you seem to be getting out of control.
• Metal represents autumn in the cycle of the seasons: think of the crisp, cool air of fall when you want to conjure a sense of what Metal is all about.
• The archetype of the Metal element is the Alchemist, who has the power to create great things from small materials.

Color as Expression of 5 Feng Shui Elements

The easiest way to get your life moving by using feng shui is to bring the energy of specific feng shui colors to achieve the desired results. Color is very powerful, as it is an expression of light, and many, way too many homes and offices are starved for light. So, bring on vibrant light energy with beautiful feng shui colors.

One of the basic principles of feng shui is the principle of five elements, which are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These feng shui elements interact between themselves in certain ways, generally defined as the Productive and Destructive cycles.

Each feng shui element is represented by a specific color, and color is the easiest way to use the five elements principle to bring more harmony into your home with feng shui.

The Elements and Their Colors

Here is the color correspondence of each of the five feng shui elements:

Knowing how to use color to strengthen and balance the energy of your home is a complex feng shui subject, but there are always basics to it. The right placement of feng shui colors is defined by the bagua, or the feng shui energy map of your space.

South Feng Shui Bagua Area Example

To help you understand how to best express the five feng shui elements in your home or office, let’s look at the South feng shui bagua area.

The energy of the South feng shui bagua area is connected to your fame and reputation energy. A better translation is the Light, or Fire Within. The energy of the South feng shui bagua area is also connected to the image you project to other people, or your identity in the eyes of others, as well as to how well you can maintain your own Light—your identity and values.

The feng shui element of South is Fire, and the feng shui colors that express it are red, purple, pink, strong yellow, and orange. You want to keep your fire energy strong, which means it is best to avoid many blue or black color decor items in the South feng shui bagua area of your space.

Why would you avoid blue and black color scheme in the South bagua area? Because blue and black colors have the energy of the Water feng shui element, and Water puts down the Fire element of the South in the destructive cycle of five feng shui elements.

Easy Feng Shui Color Tips for Your Home

• The green color is excellent for improving health and balancing family life when used in the East feng shui bagua area of your home.
• The color blue is a very good feng shui choice in the North bagua area to support the energy of your career growth or in the East (health/family) and Southeast (​wealth/money) areas to water and nourish the Wood feng shui element.
• Have some strong yellow color in the South feng shui bagua area for happy gatherings and good times.
• Pure white color in the West feng shui bagua area (creativity and children) will bring supportive energy for all your creative endeavors.

Before using specific colors in your home as feng shui cures, be sure to study the light patterns throughout the day in the room. Would the color feel good in the morning? How about at night with artificial lighting?

Be sure the chosen feng shui color has a good relationship with the other “inhabitants” of your home, such as your furniture pieces, decor objects, art, etc. You would like all of them to have a good time, rather than argue and continuously fight for your attention.