What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of putting yourself in harmony with your environment. It has been used for thousands of years as a guideline for buildings, palaces and temples. In the Orient, even burial sites are Feng Shui.

The basic principle of Feng Shui is the idea that there is “Chi” (pronounced “chee”) energy in everything. Chi is the life force. We cannot see, touch, taste, hear or feel chi, but we are aware of its effect.

On the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” show last week, a contestant related:
“It wasn’t until I Feng Shui-ed my home that I received the call back from the show telling me I’m a contestant.” She won $64,000. This process can be accomplished by the use of cures. Cures are symbols of the energy that is desired.
Cures attract energy which causes a shift in our lives.

Flutes are used to calm when there is irritation.
Bells are used to call new friends and lovers.
Frogs allow good chi to leap into the house.
Fountains represent the flow of chi and represent the water element.
Austrian crystals balance the energy.
Mirrors chase away evil and negative energy.
Dragons protect health and property while tigers bring courage.

Yin and Yang Energies: Yin as an energy represents the feminine aspect which exists in all of us. This energy needs to be kept in balance and harmony with our Yang or masculine energy to maintain a well balanced mental, emotional, and physical body. In Feng Shui practice, this knowledge is applied to our home environment in order to create more harmony in our physical bodies and in our lives. Yin energy is represented by Cool/Cold, Dark, Black, Soft, Curved,
Rounded, Earth, Moon, Low, Small, Ornate, Wide, Horizontal and Floral patterns.

Yang energy is represented by Warm, Hot, Hard, Straight, Angular, Sky,
Sun, High, Large, Plain, Narrow, Vertical and Geometrical shapes (Square,
Rectangular and Triangles)

Examples of an Abundance of Yin Energy in our Home Environment:

Furniture with dark wood or dark-shaded materials.
Lighting which provide too much dimness in a room.
Low ceilings in rooms and rooms that have rounded edges
in the architectural details. This includes circular or soft
geometric patterns to room structures.

Examples of an Abundance of Yang Energy in our Home Environment:

Rooms that are too large in size – greater than 15 ft x 15 ft.
Rooms with high ceilings. Rooms with a lot of windows, and rooms exposed to large amount of direct sunlight giving off a “Hot” effect in the environment.

Cures and Remedies:

Rooms which are too Yin in design and pattern will require the individual
to implement more Yang designs in the specific room or area of the home
to bring the energy in balance. One might consider the use of bright lighting. Painting rooms in more pastel colors; selecting furniture with lighter wood components; and using fabrics with lighter colors according to individual tastes.

Rooms which are too Yang in design and pattern will require the individual to implement more Yin designs in the specific room or area of the home to bring the energy into balance. One might consider the use of furnishings with soft cushions and round edges as opposed to geometrically linear design patterns i.e. rectangles and squares. To enhance Yin, choose windows and treatments that are rounded or slightly soft edged in their design patterns and dark rich colors in the accessories. These changes will further enhance this balancing effect.

Please keep in mind that you do not have to compromise your
tastes both visually or esthetically. If you like high ceilings
and large rooms you can select the furnishings and accessories for
the rooms to counter balance the end result of what you are trying to achieve. The reverse of this may be applied for those of you who like smaller rooms and dimly lit room by changing furnishing and accessories.

Many books are available on the rules and placement of cures.
These titles as well as “cures” may be ordered at The Center for the New Age.

We hope this brief introduction to Feng Shui will entice you to delve further into this mystical art. The results can only enhance your life and provide you with the wealth of the Creation.