- Understanding The Five
Elements Of Feng Shui
by Tom Dugan
When talking about this ancient
art and science, there is usually mention of the five elements
of feng shui. Just what are these, and how are they applied?
This article will give you a very simple crash course on both
these questions.
The Five Elements of Feng Shui Outlined
Fire, earth, metal, water, and wood are the five elements of
feng shui. You will notice that these are all natural elements
as well. All of these together form a circle of either construction
or destruction, as follows:
Construction: Wood creates fire; energy from fire (such as the
sun) is needed to feed the earth; metal is borne from the earth;
water can be pulled from the elements that make up metal; water
feeds the wood.
Destruction: Fire destroys metal; metal (such as an axe blade
or other instrument) destroys wood; trees or wood feed from the
earth; dirt from the earth absorbs water; of course, water destroys
fire. |
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How the Five Elements of Feng
Shui Harmonize
The underlying principle of feng shui is that there needs to
be harmony and balance; having too much of any one element in
your home or in a particular room is counterproductive and can
be overwhelming. Most rooms will have one dominant quality of
the five elements of feng shui and need another element to bring
in some balance. For example, think of an all-white bathroom.
White is clean and pure and represents water. However, when a
room, even a bathroom, is completely white, it can feel cold
and sterile. By introducing another one of the five elements
of feng shui, such as earth, this can tone down that sterile
feeling. Towels, artwork, and other items that are a warm brown
can do the trick. Or, imagine a living room that is all brown,
which is a strong earth tone. You can feel closed in or overwhelmed,
as this is a warm color but one that easily smothers you. Another
one of the five elements of feng shui, such as fire, can do the
trick. Red accents such as pillows or afghans can brighten up
the warm brown.
You can apply the principle of balancing the five elements of
feng shui in virtually every aspect of your life. For example,
maybe your personality is strong and fiery. This can be a good
thing, but too much of a strong personality can easily overwhelm
people. A campfire is good, but a forest fire is bad. So, consider
what you can do to tone down your personality a bit. Think of
the earth as being warm and nurturing; your personality can have
some warm and nurturing sides to it as well to make you a more
balanced and harmonious person.
There are really no right or wrong answers when it comes to applying
the five elements of feng shui to any room of your home or part
of your life. You simply need to remember how these elements
are meant to harmonize and balance one another, and try to imitate
those fine qualities as much as possible. |
