Feng Shui, pronounced “fung shway,” is an ancient Chinese practice dating back over 4,000 years. Feng Shui’s roots go back to the very earliest human habitations. According to the Definitive Guide of Alternative Medicine, Feng Shui is the study of subtle earth energies and their relation to human life. In today’s society, Feng Shui uses our homes and offices as the mediums to help us get our lives back on track and flowing in a balanced order, otherwise known as “Harmony by Design.” By learning how to rearrange furniture and work with color, it is possible to restore a positive natural flow of energy, known as Chi, to a home and life. This is the basis and main concept of Feng Shui.
To achieve balanced energy, there are several principles of Feng Shui to keep in mind. First is to recognize the position of furniture in a room. For example, a desk or bed should not be placed facing the entranceway of a room. Negative Chi enters when a door is open. The last place this energy should hit is a bed, where sleep occurs and is valued, or a desk, which reflects knowledge.
Next, strive for balance. It is a great idea to bring nature indoors. A small plant or flowers can bring beauty and represent perfection of the environment around us.
Lastly, trust your intuition, reduce clutter and remember, like attracts like. This means keep pairs together. For example, it would not be proper Feng Shui to have two candlesticks on opposite ends of a dresser. It is also key to keep in mind that house maintenance is crucial. This means if there is a broken window in a room, get it fixed.
To Feng Shui a room, there are nine compartments to take into consideration. These compartments are known as the Bagua, pronounced “bah-gwah”.
The first compartment is the center of the room. The back wall, or where the entranceway is, represents career. The color that corresponds with career is black. The back right corner, closest to the entranceway, represents friendship or helpful people. The corresponding color is gray. The middle right wall represents creativity, such as art or music. This corresponding color is white. The upper right wall represents relationships with a corresponding color of pink.
Moving along in a counter-clockwise fashion is the back wall, which represents fame with a corresponding color of red. The upper left corner represents wealth, along with the color purple. The middle left wall represents family with green representing it. Lastly, the back left wall represents knowledge with corresponding color of blue.
A simple way to start Feng Shui-ing a room is to place a purple ribbon or purple object in the wealth corner. There have been many instances where people suddenly inherit large sums of money or even find $20 lying in the street.
Time and patience is a necessity when considering Feng Shui. Keep an open mind and positive attitude to believe something may happen.
Many think Feng Shui is a superstition, but the majority of the population feel this ancient Chinese method works and is not some random coincidence.
Take the time to think which area of the nine compartments needs the most work in your life. It may be helpful to draw a map of the room that is most used within the home to see what furniture could be arranged or what colors may be added to deliver a positive flow of Chi.
Lindsay Heil is a fourth-year student majoring in professional studies with minors in health science and journalism. She can be reached at LH589265@wcupa.edu.