Feng Shui

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Feng Shui

Feng Shui (pronounced fung rhymes with tongue - shway, rhymes with way) is the Ancient Chinese art of placement. The literal translation is "wind and water" which to the ancient Chinese was essentially their environment. Their belief, put simply, is that your environment has an effect on you, therefore you must dwell in harmony with your surroundings. Feng Shui addresses this idea of placement on a scale that covers everything from where to put your furniture , to where and how your house should be situated within your neighborhood and the surrounding terrain.

While I am by no means a Feng Shui Master, I do believe that although we are highly evolved mammals we are still sensitive to, and respond physically to our environments. So naturally I find the subject fascinating (as I know many of you do as well). There are many books on the subject and almost as many do it yourself courses available, I myself have enrolled and participated in one and have read and am still reading many of the books. On this page I will pass on what I have learned and will attempt to provide as much information as possible. New articles will appear as I research and have time to compose them.

When we took possession of the home in which we currently reside, I had trepidations. The couple that sold us our house did so as the result of a divorce, and their Real Estate Agent tragically committed suicide before the deal was finalized. While I by no means believe our home was responsible for the death of the Real Estate Agent, I am not so sure about the divorce. There some definite negative elements in the architecture of our home, not the least of which is the positioning of the front door in relation to the back door. The front door opens onto a long hallway that leads directly to the back door. So all of our auspicious Chi (good energy) comes in and immediately flows down the hall and out the back door. I have of course taken steps to correct the problem. But I'll tell you more about that later.

To simplify things for now, lets discuss Chi. Chi is defined as being the life force or vital energy of the universe. Chi can be auspicious (good) or inauspicious (bad). Our primary goal in decorating with Feng Shui is to allow the uninterrupted flow of auspicious, or sheng chi, into and throughout our homes. We want to encourage it to come in, meander gently, accumulate, settle and prevent it from leaving, bringing with it good fortune. At the same time we want to avoid, deflect and dissolve inauspicious, or shar chi. Chi should be balanced, moving neither too slowly or too swiftly. If you have a situation like I described above and your front door opens onto a long hallway directly to your back door, you can slow the Chi down. You could do this by hanging wind chimes from the ceiling or by placing a mirror on the wall. Chi may also become stagnate if you let things pile up or the room is too cluttered. Chi enters your home through the front door so it is especially important to keep the are well lit, clean and uncluttered and welcoming. If you think in terms of Chi and how it flows, common sense will guide you in your quest for the proper balance.

NEW!!!

Bagua literally translates into "8 houses", and the Bagua map is a map of the 8 most important sections of your home. Any changes you make to improve the Chi in an area of your home will also influence that part of your life. Align the map to the front door of your home. Then examine each part of your home. If your house does not have each section create one. Then check each section for clutter, dust, cobwebs? Start by correcting anything that may be slowing down or blocking the Chi. Don't forget to look in cupboards, closets and drawers, even under the bed! Fix or toss out anything broken and throw out dead or dying plants and flowers. Once you've organized and cleaned you will feel the positive energy change immediately. The results from activating sections of your home may not be as instant, but will be noticeable over time. What area of your life would you like to improve? Find it on your Bagua map, make note of the color of the area, and start out small, for example, if you are having money problems, light a purple candle in your wealth corner. Remember, Balance is key, don't think that the bigger the candle the more money you'll get, keep the candle in proportion to the surface you place it on. You don't have to light a colored candle, you can paint the room, or accessorize in that color as well, just remember, balance!

More to Come!!!


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