The Art of Placement
To understand Feng Shui, a basic understanding of energy is helpful. In The Spirit of Health, I often refer to energy, and in Part One of Four recent blogs, you’ll find my definition of energy. Energy is the vital life force all living creatures have within their being. Without this vital life force, life would cease to be. Energy is the outward manifestation of this life force, and the bridge for this connection is the breath, or prana or chi—the wind of life.
You are a reflection of your home’s energy. And synergistically, the energy of your home is a reflection of you—of your own personal energy. The more comfortable you are with yourself, the more comfortable the energy of your home will feel. A calm house is a reflection of a calm mind; in the converse, a chaotic or an angry mind is reflected by a similar feel in that house.
As we become more aware and attuned to our own energy, and the energy around us, we become more attracted to the many practices that help us to achieve balance. For instance, the ancient Eastern practice of Feng Shui has become quite popular. Feng Shui, is the Chinese art of placement. Pronounced “fung schway,” it means “wind and water,” and it represents the constant and ever-changing energies of the positive and negative forces of the Earth, and of chi, the invisible energy of life.
The wisdom of Feng Shui enhances the placement of everything—large and small—because it takes into consideration how energy moves through a person and through space. Feng Shui can be used when designing the configuration of an entire location, a building or structure, or placing furniture in a room or objects on a shelf. Feng Shui is even used relative to the positioning of grave markers.
When energy flows it is considered auspicious or favorable; it is said to have “positive Feng Shui” because it flows like water and moves like wind. When energy is said to be inauspicious, it means the energy is impaired or blocked; or the energy simply does not flow. In every aspect, the balance of energy affects your mind, body, and spirit. To experience a sense of harmony, energy must move freely.
Chinese businesses often work with the power of Feng Shui by using fish tanks, wind chimes, plants, and symbols. Swimming fish promote constant movement through the element of water. Motion symbolizes life, and wind represents air and the cosmic breath “breathing” through the room. Healthy plants and flowers represent the element of wood, life and growth. While it’s fine to substitute with artificial or silk, practitioners of Feng Shui steer clear of unhealthy or dried flowers and plants, because they represent stagnation and illness. Movement is encouraged through the use of wind chimes and mobiles.
Water fountains and ponds create good chi through the movement and sound of water. Shiny objects like mirrors deflect stagnant energy and promote positive chi. Placed near the dining area, mirrors “double” the amount of food on the table, symbolizing abundance. Mirrors should never be hung so low that they “cut off” people’s heads, nor should they reflect stairways, doors, stoves or toilets, or any door that opens to the outside. Feng Shui also promotes good fortune through symbolism: the elephant represents wisdom; the crane, longevity and health. Wealth is symbolized by gold, antique coins and clear water. Bookshelves and websites abound with Feng Shui information.
When the energy in your home is not balanced, your mind is more easily distracted. But when the energy is balanced, a certain level of orderliness is felt, and the mind is more able to focus. Have you ever been in a room where a framed picture on a wall was hanging crooked? You try to ignore it, but your mind keeps telling you, “Straighten it; straighten it!” Sooner or later, you give in, and you attempt to make it hang straight. This simple example points out our awareness of imbalance, and our natural desire to correct it—to restore balance.
Most people, to varying degrees, have a natural desire for order around them. When the energy in your home feels balanced, it helps you to feel balanced, too. Balanced energy is like cleanliness; it’s pure and free from the “contaminants” of imbalance. Cleanliness promotes a “clarity” of energy. When you look through a window that is spotted and smudged, the view is unpleasant and distorted. But when you look through that same glass after it’s been cleaned, the view becomes clear and sparkling. To improve the flow of energy around you, you’ve got to start where you live. But before you cleanse the energy of your home, it’s important to get in touch with the existing energy.
TAKE A WALK THROUGH YOUR HOME Look around, as you go from room to room, with the idea of energy in mind. Envision that you’re looking through an imaginary window. Is the window spotted and smudged; or is it clean and clear? Does the energy feel balanced, or is it “hanging crooked?” How can you improve what you see and sense? How can you make the energy in your home sparkle? Take a mental inventory of how each room makes you feel. Does the energy flow? Or does the flow feel blocked? Do you feel good when you walk in a room, or does it make you want to leave and shut the door? In certain rooms, do you breathe free and easy; while in other rooms, your breathing seems shallower and more constricted? Think about the movement of your energy as you “feel” your way through each room. After getting a feel for the existing energy in your home, the next thing to do is to “declutter” the rooms and give them a thorough cleaning.
THE OBJECTS OF YOUR AFFECTION If you had ten minutes to evacuate your home, what would your hands reach for? What are the “essentials” you would scoop up and run with? So often we tend to collect “things.” After a while they seem to pile up, and before you know it, we become possessed by our own possessions! In the grand scheme of “things,” what do your things represent to you? Objects and collections can have an endearing quality to them, or they can begin to take up precious space by becoming clutter. Clutter in a home creates clutter in the mind. Too much of anything creates excess or stagnant energy.
Sometimes we’ll even keep something around that we really don’t like because we don’t want to hurt the feelings of the person who gave it to us. It may be time for a change! Decide what you love and what you’re tired of looking at. If you have a lot of stuff you can’t seem to part with, pick out your favorites and box and store the rest. Surround yourself with only your best and most beautiful objects, the ones that make you feel good. After a while you won’t notice the rest aren’t there anymore. By rearranging things, you stimulate the flow of chi in the room. Sometimes by displaying things differently, you’ll see they take on a brand-new kind of beauty. Subtle changes make a big difference in the movement of energy within a room.
BLISS OF ORGANIZED SPACE Once you’ve cleaned your home, organizing is the next step. Organization is the opposite of clutter; and clutter is the opposite of “positive Feng Shui.” When you begin to appreciate energy flow, you cannot help but desire organized space. By decluttering your sacred home, you are helping to declutter your mind, too. Along with cleanliness comes a sense of order, they go hand in hand. When you restore order to your drawers, cupboards and closets, you gain the personal and peaceful pleasure of knowing where things are—right when you need them! But instilling order in your nooks and crannies helps you to think more clearly. How many times have you started a project, but realized that you truly could not put your energy into it until your house had reached a certain—even minimal—semblance of order? Working around “disorder” is one sure fire way to disrupt your creativity. Once a week, (or more!) organize one space, it could be a closet, a drawer, a cupboard, a pantry, or whatever. Commit to restoring order to at least one space per week, and before you know it, everything’s in order!
Use safe, natural cleaning products, like pine or orange oil cleansers and lemon oil for wood (avoiding petroleum distillates); open the windows throughout while you clean; use a fresh vacuum bag with a few drops of your favorite essential oil sprinkled on it; and add a few drops to the final rinse water of any blankets and bedding. Your windows are the eyes of your house, so for clarity of vision, wash them inside and out—make them sparkle! And remember, your houseplants are like the lungs of your home, so help them breathe better—take them outside, spray them gently with a hose, give them a good drink, and snip off any unhealthy parts. Once your home is cleaned to your satisfaction, go back through it with your inventory in mind. Does the energy feel any different?
ENERGY CLEANSING OF YOUR HOME Now that you’ve decluttered and cleaned your home to your satisfaction, you are ready to do an energy cleanse of the building; this is also called a “house blessing.” When you cleanse and bless anything—be it a room, an entire building, an object or a person—in essence you are combining your positive energy with the intention of releasing any negative, stagnant or blocked energy with the intention of replacing it with fresh, vibrant positive energy. Sacred tools assist in rituals because of the energy the tools evoke. The flame from a candle, or the smoke from incense or herbs, connects with the masculine yang energy of air. Water holds feminine yin energy and is evoked through the use of water in a bowl or spray bottle. Select a tool that is special to you, use it only for this purpose, and store it in a special area with other sacred objects.
For centuries, the burning of herbs or incense has been used to alter and enhance energy. “Smudging” is an age-old practice of purification by smoke. It is believed that as the ceremonial smoke rises toward Heaven, it takes with it the prayers and intentions of the person as they pray. Traditionally an Native American Indian ritual tool, a smudge stick is a small bundle of dried herbs (usually sage, cedar, or sweetgrass) tied onto a stick. For any task, tools help; but remember it is your intention in combination with the power of the Divine Spirit that realigns and clears the energetic field. Where intention goes, energy flows! Prayer, love and energy are without limit, and so is your ability to connect with them.
You may want to maintain the cleared energy of your home by doing maintenance cleansing, perhaps at each month’s full Moon; or you may do a spring and a fall cleansing. You can clear the energy of individual objects within your home in much the same manner. Objects can also be placed in a bowl of sea salt, or in a bowl of clear water. You can set any object out in the sunshine or the moonshine, and request that the energy be balanced by the solar or lunar power of the Sun or the Moon. If your intention is genuine, and if it comes from that sacred place within you, energies will align and become more balanced. Like water and wind, your energy will flow.
Basic Feng Shui Guidelines
Feng Shui, meaning Wind and Water, represents the flow of energy or chi. To understand Feng Shui, it is important to understand the philosophy of yin and yang. Like two dancers, these two energetic forces must be in harmony in order to emit a sense of balance. This balance can apply to each room of your home to help improve the energy flow of your home. Often the term auspicious is used, meaning positive and inauspicious to mean negative.
YIN / YANG
female / male
inward / outward
dark / light
still / moving
sinking / rising
contracting / expanding
cold / hot
black / white
mountain / valley
meandering / straight
moon / sun
cyclical / linear
receptive / projecting
An example of a room being too yin is one that is very dark in color, often cold and with little light, leading to a feeling of restriction. If a room is too yang, possibly too bright, or too warm, it can lead to a feeling of too much energy. These excesses can be balanced easily by changing color, uncovering or covering windows, adding plants, mirrors, fountains, lighting, etc.
Basic Feng Shui remedies include de-cluttering, cleansing, adding plants, mirrors, hanging crystals, lighting, aquariums, bowls of water or fountains, color, coins, symbols, and of course, re-arranging what can be moved about.
Ba-Gua Map
Overlay this map over the plan of your home (or a room, or a desk), with the entrance of your home opening into the Inner Knowledge, Career Path, or Helpful People. Consider what may feel like a healthy flow, or in the converse, what may be missing or blocked. Use Feng Shui remedies to enhance the positive energy, or to repair or minimize the negative energy.
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