Feng Shui - Finally.

Oh the pressure! After all the comments looking forward to this post – now I’m scared that this will suck!.


I have been asked to do a post about Feng Shui. I can only give what little I know, as I just dabble; so if anyone out there knows more or can offer enlightenment please share.

So with the disclaimer out of the way….

Feng Shui is basically (very basically) the art of placement and much of it is just common sense (at least in the Western philosophy).

I was first introduced to Feng Shui a few years ago and found it intriguing and have been poking around with it ever since. It’s all about balance and creating a calm environment. Of course it gets much deeper than that once you start looking into baguas, “cures” and “enhancements.” Then of course, there are the various schools of Feng Shui – Black Hat, traditional, etc. And, of course, each school has different philosophies. So it can get very confusing.

The basic idea is to set up your environment in a way that promotes good energy (called “chi”). It also turns out that this directly tied to the way you decorate and arrange your home. When your home is uncluttered and flows easily then usually, your mind and spirit are also uncluttered and flows easily as well. The objective is to create harmony and balance; which involves practical solutions to everyday issues. Establishing a traffic patterns that make it easy and convenient to navigate through your home; furniture placement and eliminating clutter (this is the hardest part for me since I live with two clutter rats). Removing clutter from each area is a big cure. Apparently, clutter stagnates chi and you simply do not want stagnate chi.

There are cures and enhancements that you can use to help remedy problems in your home and your life. And again, depending on which school you are reading about, some of them can seem quite contradictory. Whenever you put a cure or enhancement in place it is very important that you have intent. When you use a cure or enhancement it shows that you are willing to take charge of your life and make changes. Some say that these cures work through the power of suggestion. That when you look at them you are reminded of your objective and are spurred on.

I mentioned an elephant inside the front door in an earlier post which prompted a few questions – which in turn prompted this post. The elephant is a “cure” (not sure if that is the correct term in this instance-maybe I mean symbol....). It is thought that if you place an elephant with a raised trunk inside your front door, on the floor, facing into the house with some coins on his back that he will usher in fortune, or, alternatively, if you place a crystal on his back that will aid in finding work. Of course, you must have the “intention” when you do this. (So it was with intent that I did this – because I want to win the lottery this week. That is my retirement plan so I need all the help I can get. Plus I like that this kind of stuff drives Hubby crazy. I can’t help it, it’s the devil in me)

A bagua is a tool used to help determine preferred locations for certain functions.

A bagua is a chart with nine boxes – with each box representing different areas of life.

Aligning the bottom of the grid with the same wall that includes the front door, visualize (or, if you are like me and have to see it all laid out, using a blueprint) each area of your home as being in each quadrant. Mine looks something like this:

Your front door will be in either the Knowledge, Career or Helpful People (or a combination of two) box.

Once you have divided your floorplan – you can then begin to work on the areas you feel you need assistance. For example, in the Wealth corner I keep live, healthy plants; one of which is bamboo – long a symbol of good luck, good fortune and prosperity. After doing some re-reading as research for this article, I can see that I need to do some more tweaking over there (which partly explains why my checking account is languishing). The idea is to have symbols of abundance in this area. Anything broken, dusty, etc. should be removed. Think about it like this – if it’s broke, then you probably are too.

In the Love & Marriage corner, I need to figure out how to place symbols of romance & love; which may be kind of tricky as that is part of my kitchen and backyard….but as pink quartz crystal is a strong symbol I could hang one in my window.

When thinking of feng shui symbols – we usually first think of those tied to the Chinese culture –which may clash with what you find beautiful and soothing (and aesthetically pleasing to the eye). But you do not have to use culture symbols that you don’t understand or that don’t appeal. You should use symbols that appeal to you – the stronger connection you have with the symbols you use the more powerful they are for you.

This has probably turned into my longest post yet. So, I’ll stop here. There are some fascinating websites that will explain it all in much more detail and much better than I could possibly hope to.

I’ll also have you know that this has been the most difficult post I’ve ever written. Usually, I know what I want to write about it; grab some quiet time and bang it out. This post actually involved research and digging into my notes – and I still feel that it is woefully inadequate – but if nothing else, it will satisfy some of your curiosity and give you a starting point if you have any interest in pursuing it.