First, you have to understand chi, which is the
energy force that connects everything in the universe. How this
energy flows through your home is believed to have a profound
effect on how your life unfolds, so you want to have good chi
movement in order to find happiness or success. If your chi is
blocked or unbalanced, you'll see that influence in your life.
So by working through the various aspects of feng
shui (typically the elements and directions) you can help keep
your chi flowing smoothly without interruption or without too
my influence in any one direction.
Elements and Directions
The foundations of feng shui are the elements
and the directions, and they both work together to create a harmony
in the home. How you combine items made from the elements in certain
areas of your home is the basis of feng shui. First the elements:
Each element is tied to a direction as well as to
various colors, traits and aspects of your life. Balance is achieved
by adding each element to the proper area of your home, and not
allowing any one element to dominate.
You don't necessarily have to literally use these
elements. Many other symbols could be used in their place. Mirrors
can represent water, for example or lamps could stand for fire.
Bells are used as a general good luck item that can be used along
with any element or direction.
And then there are 8 directions, plus the
center to help you create a feng shui map (known as a bagua) for
your home:
With a compass, you can generally map out the main
directions in your home, and focus your work on these sections.
How They Fit Together with Feng Shui
The general idea is that you place items
made from the 5 elements in the proper direction. A sense of balance
across all areas is vital but you can put a little emphasis here
and there to change how your life is working.
So if you are looking for a new job, you would want
to place items relating to water (or even just the color blue)
in the northern areas of your home. But if it's simply more money
you are trying to get out of your job, then those water items
should be places in the south-east. Wanting to have children?
Then you need more metal in the west. Looking for love? Place
some earthy piecs in the south-west of your home. Possibly some
fire as well if you are hoping to attract someone's attention.
Destruction and Creation
There are also interactions between the
elements that can disrupt your chi. The cycle of creation between
the elements goes like this:
Water creates wood, wood creates fire, fire creates
earth, earth creates metal and metal creates water.
This shows which elements will work comfortably
with another, actually improving your feng shui in any given spot.
And of course, the reverse is also true:
Fire destroys metal, metal destroys wood, wood destroys
earth, earth destroys water and water destroys fire.
You can see that elements that are opposite from
others on the creation cycle will have a destructive influence.
So if you are trying to increase your earth energy in a certain
spot, you really need to get rid of any wood nearby.
Once you see how all of these concepts create a
web of interacting energies in your home, you can shift things
around to improve your living space. The energy movements are
going to be quite subtle, and it can take time for any changes
to actually manifest in your life, especially if you are trying
to shift the balance in a certain direction. It's not as simple
as moving a plant around the room, or lighting a new candle one
day. Let the influences take their time, as a little patience
can be an ideal virtue when seeking to balance energy.
