Feng Shui has been around for thousands of years, so surely it must have the substance of truth in it. Originating in Chinese Astronomy, Feng Shui is the study of the interaction between our environment and ourselves. It explores how this interaction can benefit or disadvantage us, depending on particular elements and how they are used. Without going into the detail of red doors and baguas, we can still enlist the help of the ancient Chinese by incorporating some of the wonderful ideas that exist in Feng Shui for our own good health. And it doesn’t mean you need a red door or golden coins or little mirrors stuck in strange places to use it.
Feng Shui at your Front Door
One of the first laws of good Feng Shui in your home environment is to have the passage of good energy flowing easily through the front door and through-out the house. When you first come into your home, what does it feel and look like? Does it feel dark and gloomy or smell a bit like an old suitcase? When you invite energy into your home, it needs a free passage, good light and a fresh clean smell. Because we are so influenced by our environment these factors immediately impact on our wellness and state of mind. Fresh plants on the verandah or flowers on the hallstand add life, colour and uplift the spirit. But if you have a big heavy pot getting in the way of the front door, with dead leaves on the ground and spider webs behind it, you don’t feel so good!
Feng Shui in your Bedroom
It is all about how safe you feel in a bedroom, after all this is where you spend half your life and you need to feel that this is your own special sanctuary, sheltering you from all the woes and the worries of the world.
This is enhanced by placing your bed in a position where you can see who is coming in the door, and you want to have a comfortable and substantial bedhead to ‘shelter’ you during the night. The bedhead is likened to the mountain providing protection to the house at it’s feet. The affect of the room should be more ‘yin’, that is calming, peaceful, soft, private, quiet, muted colours, darker floors, blues, greens, floral, textured fabrics, many cushions and pillows, plants and lesser amounts of strong light.
You need to feel cosy, protected, comfortable and secure. As with all of the house, it needs to be clean and have some fresh air coming in. Clutter in the bedroom gathers not only dust but stagnation of energy, which is not good for the healing qualities of sleep.
Feng Shui in the Living Areas
The flow of energy in and around your house must be gently flowing like a meandering stream. Areas of clutter or poorly placed heavy furniture trap energy, clogging it up and creating stagnancy.
When you look at your ornaments and pictures, think about how they uplift your spirits or conversely make you feel just a little uncomfortable. Giving intentional focus to your bits and pieces around the house can be very enlightening. Try moving something away completely and look back at the space left. Does it feel better, do you feel lighter? Experimenting in this manner with what you have in your environment enables you to connect with your own sense of comfort or discomfort. The more you do this, the more you can alter your living area to feel uplifting and peaceful. The outcome may be that your favourite things just needed to be placed in a happier position. Inevitably though, you will remove some things that were draining you, and your home will end up having a very thorough clean. There is no better time than Spring when the brighter sunlight coming into the home highlights dust you didn’t see quite so well before.
Feng Shui and Wealth
Wealth and health go hand in hand because money has an energy of it’s own which affects all of us. When there is abundance, there is an easing of anxiety. When there is a lack of money, stress is a part of every day. By using the principles of Feng Shui in relation to wealth we can enhance the energy of abundance. The actions are very similar for all areas of the home. Clearing, de-cluttering, cleaning or bringing in life in the form of fresh green plants all contributes to more flowing, healthy energy in your environment. In particular the ancient Chinese recommended adding the colour purple somewhere in the wealth area (the top left section of the home if you are standing at the front door). This could be something as simple as a vase of purple hyacinths or a purple candle. Add light with a pretty lamp or pull the curtains right back keeping this area completely free of clutter and dust. As you engage in this activity, your thoughts should be focussed on abundance. Thoughts have power in your life, why not make them positively charged.
Feng Shui and our Spirituality
Once you have cleared and cleaned your environment, create an atmosphere of peace by having a place to connect with your soul. This is a place of music, candle-light, warmth and comfort. It might be your bedroom or a special spare room in the house. The energy you bring into your home will naturally flow into the whole house, especially from your state of mind. Anything that makes you feel connected and nurtured on a spiritual level will impact on your health. It comes from what you see, feel, listen to and engage in on a daily basis. Thinking about Feng Shui can be a catalyst for improving all aspects of your life and wellness.
The book which has inspired me the most to incorporate Feng Shui in our home is:
‘The Holistic Home: Feng Shui for Mind, Body, Spirit, Space’ by Laura Benko 2016
Erica Fotineas
October 2018
