How to use the Ancient Art of Feng Shui to Transform your Home

It is almost spring so are you turning your attention to cleaning or decorating? Instead of all that work and effort, why not look at the ancient art of Feng Shui?

Feng Shui translates as ‘wind-water’ and is the art of living in harmony within our environment. It originates from ancient China. In general, it is a method of using the natural energy around us to create a congenial and balanced atmosphere. So where do we start? Follow our tips and you’ll feel the benefits of this ancient wisdom.

8 Feng Shui Tips to Transform your Home

The entrance

First impressions count whichever philosophy you use, and it is the same with Feng Shui. A smart, well-maintained and brightly painted front door is a must. In fact, the front door is known as the ‘mouth of qi’.

Qi is a circulating life force and can be positive or negative. You want to encourage positive qi to enter through the front door. So keep your entrance clean of cobwebs and dust and if possible paint a bright shade of red. The Chinese recognise red as an auspicious colour and it is associated with prosperity.

Hallway

As you enter there should be a good flow of energy coming into your house. Therefore you should remove anything that stops this energy. Take away cluttering objects such as shoes or coats that have been dumped by the door. Tidy up post that has fallen through the letterbox.

Of course, we all use the hallway to hang up our coats but make sure it is tidy and works for you. Keep it clean and well-lit.

Walkthrough

It is important that energy can flow freely throughout your house (apart from the toilet, this door should always be kept shut, more on this later). In order to enable this, take a walk through each room in turn and remove any obstacles in your way.

Try and think of the passageways in your house as arteries and veins in your body carrying precious blood around to sustain you. Any blockages in the vital vessels can be disastrous.

As for that toilet, any household item that drains water is considered in Feng Shui to also drain your luck and your health. A simple way to stop this is to close the bathroom or toilet door.

Make space

Just as decluttering is a great way to invite more energy into your house, making space is a similar concept in Feng Shui. However, making space is more about removing something that has fulfilled its purpose and leaving space for a new opportunity. For example, you might be embarking on a new health regime and are clearing out your fridge to make space for fresh ingredients.

Windows

Windows allow the sun’s rays to enter and fill up the rooms with positive energy. They also let us look out and view the world. Dirty, smudged windows are a message, metaphorically-speaking, that we don’t want to let anything in or out. That we are closed off to the natural flow of things.

Wash your windows and let that natural energy flood back into your home.

Commanding positions

Those old mafia bosses that insisted on sitting with their backs to walls in restaurants had a good point. Commanding positions are those in which you can see whoever enters the room you are in. For example, a bad commanding position in an office would be one where someone’s desk was against the wall and their chair was facing the wall. As such, this person could not see who was entering the office.

It seems a simple enough premise but seriously, how comfortable would you feel with your back to an open door?

Add plants

Plants bring health and vitality indoors. As a matter of fact, they help to cleanse a stuffy atmosphere and remove toxins in the air. Moreover, they are also known to increase productivity, reduce stress and can help with common ailments.

In fact, studies have shown that particular plants (snake plant, ZZ plant and bird’s nest fern) assist in reducing the symptoms of sore throats and colds.

Use colour

As mentioned previously, colour is an important factor in Feng Shui. We already know that red can be associated with prosperity. However, you can boost the positive energy in your house by concentrating on the colour in areas you wish to improve.

• Red, Purple: Power, wealth, abundance
• Red, Orange: Fame, future, reputation
• Red, Pink: Love, marriage, relationships
• Green: Family, health, community
• Yellow, Brown: Wellbeing, recovery, and balance
• White, Grey, Metallic: Creativity, children, legacy
• White, Grey, Metallic: Helpful friends, compassion, travel
• Blue: Knowledge, wisdom, harmony
• Black: Self, career, work

Using paint in your home works best when you utilise the 8 baguas of your house. Baguas constitute separate groups in your home:

• Health and family
• Wealth and prosperity
• Fame and reputation
• Love and marriage
• Creativity and children
• Helpful people and compassion
• Work and path in life
• Spiritual growth and wisdom

By using the correct baguas and coloured paint, it is possible to increase favourable qi energy into your home.

Of course, don’t feel that you have to choose all of our Feng Shui tips. Why not start with one or two and see how it impacts on your home?