The art of Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the attempt to organize your life to maximize “chi,� the name given to life energy by the ancient Chinese. It focuses on the arrangement of your physical surroundings to maximize the amount of energy, so that you can attract prosperity and happiness. At the heart of Feng Shui is the idea that your surroundings have a substantial impact on your attitude and your life. Feng Shui seeks to establish a balance between competing elements to help you achieve a balance in your life and home.

When implementing Feng Shui, it is helpful to think about the continuing flow of energy in your home.

Usually, energy travels in the same way as the wind. When you close a door to shut out a draft, you’re also shutting off a source of chi. When you open your blinds or your windows in the summer, you’re inviting chi into your home. A couch that sits in the middle of the room will block the flow of energy in the room, whereas one sitting toward the wall will not.

Chi tends to cluster in your home. Often, the center of chi is directly across from the front entrance. Guests will often take the seat facing the door, as this is the center of chi in a room.

If a particular spot in your home always seems to get cluttered, it is probably a depository of chi. By placing objects like wind chimes or sun-catchers in these places, you can break up the energy and send it back out into your room, where it will benefit you.

Feng Shui is centered on five elements: fire, earth, wood, water and metal. Fire is associated with the color red and can bring cheer and happiness, as it does during the holiday season. Beware, though: An overabundance of red can bring unhappiness and turmoil.

The Chinese associate yellow with the earth element, symbolizing patience and a methodical approach. Greens are connected to the wood element. Water, associated with blue tones, nurtures the environment, and metal is said to bring financial success.

Colors and elements can be used to enhance one another or to diminish the effects of a dominant element. If your bedroom is dominated by green shades, add objects with red tones, like candles, picture frames or accent pillows, to balance the room.

Objects made of a particular element, like terra cotta pots that symbolize the earth element, will also work to bring harmony to a room. Minor additions will often make a substantial difference in the “feel� of a room.

There is a world of depth to Feng Shui and the interaction of elements to bring harmony to your environment.

There is also a growing field of Feng Shui consultants who would be willing to meet with you and discuss your needs, offer suggestions and assist you with the interior design of your home.

Remember, anything that is well made or is invested with your personal emotion will have a lot of chi, so put up pictures of your family, your child’s drawings from school or the artwork of a friend.

This will brighten your atmosphere and provide you with positive energy as you travel through your day.