Let’s be honest, when someone mentions feng shui, do we seriously know what that means? Well, firstly, feng shui is an ancient Chinese piece of art and science that was first developed over 3,000 years ago. ‘Feng’ means wind and ‘Shui’ means water and with them both combined, it means good fortune due to wind and water meaning good health. The practise of feng shui is arranging the furniture and the pieces in the living areas to create balance with the world. This aims to absorb energy and create harmony between the person and space.
Slow Down The Energy & Brighten The Entry
In feng shui, the front entrance represents how energy enters the home and life, the entrance is called the ‘mouth of qi’.The energy (also known as chi) in the house will go through the house too fast if there is a straight line of sight between the front and back door. This can be done in a range of ways including making the entrance clean, tidy and clutter-free. Painting the entrance in a bright, light colour is a great way to make things look fresh and clean. Another great way of being able to make the entrance more inviting is by adding colourful or patterned rugs or wall art prints to create a welcoming atmosphere.
Keep The House Clutter-Free
This is an obvious problem that should be tackled straight away when talking about feng shui. Clutter creates havoc in the mind that can cause low moods and is also visually ugly so it’s key to have a lovely clean and uncluttered house. Feng shui is not about having a perfectly stylish home but more about how to create a happy environment that can help to ease the mind. A great way of decluttering the house is by having the correct organisational systems in place, not just around the house, but financially, recycling and having a spot for your keys. This all helps to keep an organised home, mind and life.
Command Positions
Command positions are the most important principles in feng shui as it aligns how you can position yourself in life. It is essential for this to work, that you have your key pieces such as your bed, stove and desk. The bed represents you, the desk represents your career and finally, the stove represents your wealth. When you are in any of these spaces, you should be able to see your door, without it being directly in front of you. You should be able to see the door but be positioned on a diagonal or kitty corner. When you are in the command position, this means you are in control of your life and are in a position to have positive energy for more and better opportunities.
Seek Balance With The Elements
So there are five elements including earth, wood, fire, water and of course metal which should be present in your home, these can either be represented physically or symbolically. For example, for the earth, you could have the obvious with flowers or plants, or symbolically with images of plants, or having some green in the house etc. A person can have a lot of unbalance in the home due to them being drawn to the elements that they prefer and need more in their life. An example of this is if someone is aggressive, it could be due to them having too much fire in their life. A solution to this is to look at the literal and symbolic elements that are in your home and look at ways of balancing things out.
Remove Negative Symbolism
In our everyday life, we constantly experience symbolism. From traffic signage and movies to books and display adverts. This can be intensified in our homes by having things that represent challenges and fears which can cause a lot of anxiety amongst other things. An example of this is if you have low self-esteem, then check your mirrors aren’t too high so you can see yourself, if you are struggling to think straight, then check to see if you have clutter. All emotions can be a product of what you have in your house and experiences in life. If you are affected by these emotions, evaluate what is going on in your life and look at your house. If you have any symbolism which resembles what is going on in your life that you don’t want, remove that piece and change it for something you want to attract.
Maximise Natural Light
Natural light is the key to happiness, it genuinely makes you much happier, positive and productive. Mirrors are not just for looking at ourselves, but for opening up rooms. If you are wanting to bring more light into a room, add a strategic mirror. Be careful not to place a mirror where the reflection is more cluttered, but for something that either reflects light, a nice view or an expansive part of the room.
