- Using Feng Shui to Your Advantage
by Virginia Wherland
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While a lot of people have heard
about Feng Shui, truly understanding it can be a challenge. Feng
Shui literally translates to Wind Water, and it is an ancient
Chinese concept of balancing elements and energies in a home.
This balancing is done through the deliberate placing of furniture,
and choosing colors and shapes that naturally reflect certain
energetic qualities.
While it all seems a bit far
fetched, many people attest that major positive changes can occur
when they follow the advice of Feng Shui. Some people consult
a Feng Shui expert before they even buy a home, and many interior
designers and home stagers utilize Feng Shui philosophies. While
certainly not everyone cares about a home's energy balance, it
is an interesting concept, and one that can be fun to put into
practice. Using Feng Shui might make your home more comfortable,
and it may even make it more appealing to buyers when it comes
time to sell.
Feng Shui can be very complex,
involving an awful lot of aspects. Fortunately, many modern practitioners
have filtered the art down to its essence, allowing the lay-person
to practice some Feng Shui without being completely overwhelmed.
Something that outlines Feng Shui is a simple way is the Bagua.
The Bagua is like a map that helps you decorate or design your
home. |
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Some simple concepts involve
symbolism. Let's take love for example. Ideally, the master bedroom
in a home would be in the love center, which, according to the
Bagua map, is in the back right hand corner of a home. If you
want to encourage relationships, decorate with pairs. For example,
be sure to have two bedside tables, and two of each decorative
object. Single candlesticks, statues or paintings of single people
will encourage the owner to be single. If you are trying to find
a partner, choose art that depicts happy couples, and decorate
in colors like pink, red and white. Be sure not to let pink dominate
in a girly way, as this discourages masculine energy. If you
despise red tones and really don't want to decorate with them,
adding just a touch of pink in a small but deliberate dose will
help increase the love energy of the room.
The bedroom isn't the best place
for plants, as their growing energy will disturb sleep. Plants
are ideal in the wealth center, however, which is located in
the back left hand corner of a home. If one wants renewed movement
in their career center, adding water gets the energy flowing.
Circular shapes and watery colors also add this energy if an
actual water feature is impossible.
In Feng Shui, bathrooms, laundry
facilities and even kitchen sinks are places where energy can
literally go down the drain. If these are in the financial center
of a home, the household may have trouble saving money. Similarly,
if you can see the bathroom from your bed, you may wake up with
depleted energy. Keeping bathroom doors shut, or at least toilet
lids shut can help to balance this. If possible, rearrange furniture
to avoid this energy drain.
There is so much to Feng Shui,
I couldn't possibly explain it all in a short article. But keeping
it in mind when designing and decorating a home is fun at the
least, and life enhancing at best. You just might get offers
to purchase your home from other Feng Shui believers! |
