Friday Feng Shui: Creating a Feng Shui Home

Get Rid of Clutter

The first thing to do is to remove all the clutter. And, everyone has clutter. What about that closet you have given up to the dust bunnies? Where do old lawn tools go to die? It’s probably somewhere in your garage.

Hold a yard sale or a swap meet to get rid of stuff you don’t need any more. Donate clothing in good condition to the local charity. Much of the extra stuff contributes to your energy not flowing throughout the house as it should.

Use the Map

Next, create a bagua or energy map of your home. There are four cardinal points (North, South, East and West) and each one can be further divided (NE, NW, SE and SW). You now have eight distinct areas in your home. Each area has a governing element and colors recommended for your use.

Feng shui is applied not only to building harmony and releasing energy in your home but also to cures. Even a home needs to be cured now and then.

Have you ever walked into a place and felt depressed or sad? Something is wrong with the energy in that place, according to feng shui theory. Feng shui cures extend to using crystals, essential oils and representations of the elements to cleanse and bring your home back to a stable energy level.

Create Elemental Harmony

Learn everyone’s governing element. Determine which element each member of your family is most alogned with and use that element in each person's bedroom. The décor will create harmony in everyone’s private space.
In the common areas, bring all of the elements together in balance through furniture, artwork, flowers and other features. Using miniature fountains is a great way to bring water into the picture.

In medicine wheel feng shui, the elements are earth, water, fire and air, and it is that system I will be referring to in the weeks to come as we look at creating a home for your soul.
Is Everything in the Right Place?

Where everything in your room is placed is also important. You want the energy to flow unhindered. Resist blocking natural doorways with furniture. Avoid re-cluttering your home with a lot of furniture or accents. Less is more. Simple changes make a big difference in a feng shui home.

A feng shui expert can give you direction as to how much of one color to use in any given space. It is your job to be open to the changes suggested to create positive energy in your home.

Friday Feng Shui: The Colors of Feng Shui

There are five elements that are essential to feng shui: fire, wood, metal, earth and wind. Each element is associated with a color or a group of similar colors that represent its energy. You’ll be surprised to see where you favorite color turns up.

Earth – In feng shui theory, the earth represents stability in your life. It helps you to stay rooted and grounded in your relationships. The colors associated with the earth element are beige and a light shade of yellow. Light colors like these on walls will lighten up a space and make you feel as if anything is possible.

Fire – As you might imagine, colors associated with the fire element are red, orange, bright yellow, pink and purple. If you think that pink doesn’t seem to fit, you haven’t seen the “hot” variation. All of these colors will make your heart race and feed your energetic attitude.

Wood – In feng shui, the wood element is an ancient symbol of prosperity. Trees are made of wood and they contain lush green leaves and provide an abundance of oxygen for the people of the world. In keeping with these “life givers” the colors for this element are green and brown. So, it’s not a coincidence that money is green!

Metal – If you’ve ever looked at metal you see how it has definite lines and shapes. In feng shui, metal brings clarity to your life. The colors gray and white represent these qualities.

Water – Water is an element that represents abundance and a refreshing spirit. When you bathe in water it makes you feel clean. Using the colors of blue and black in your home promotes that purity.

Don’t be afraid to add color in your home or office. How and where you use each color is governed by the feng shui energy map of your living area. 

Color isn’t just for the walls but also the artwork, furniture and accents. It inspires your dreams, opens your hearts and brings new life into your home.

Friday Feng Shui: The Elements of Feng Shui

The Five Elements

There are five main elements in traditional feng shui theory. They are wood, fire, water, earth and metal. Each element plays a crucial role within the space that you occupy, whether it is your home or your office. After you have used a compass and your home’s floor plan to create the bagua (energy map) the next step is to look at the elements that control each of the eight areas.

Each element has a particular life area that it influences. Knowing what areas those are helps with creating the design of your home and the use of furniture and accents that demonstrate that specific element.

Fire – As you can imagine, anything that has to do with fire inspires a passion that burns deep within. The fire element also adds a high amount of energy to anything that you do. This includes your work (career), your leisure activities and for couples, your sex life.

Water - Water is a refreshing element. Water flows freely bring with it an abundance of good fortune. In ancient rituals of many cultures, water was used as a purifying agent. Using the water element in your home adds purity, abundance of energy and a fresh feeling.

Earth – The Earth element brings a feeling of stability and security to your home. Mother Earth nurtures all who live on it and within it. The same goes for the earth element in your home – it nourishes each family member.

Metal – You may be wondering why metal is an element. Metal is used to represent efficiency and clarity of mind and purpose. Your work will have both a well-defined purpose and good qualities when the metal element is present.

Wood – The wood element equals health to the body. Healing cures using feng shui include the wood element in their composition. Prosperity in your home is also governed by the wood element.

Each feng shui element serves a different purpose in the home. The associated colors and areas that work best with each element help you to build positive energy throughout your home. Each area will be strong in a particular element and give you a certain feeling when you enter that room.

Note: In medicine wheel feng shui, the elements are earth, water, fire and air, and it is that system I will be referring to in the weeks to come as we look at creating a home for your soul.

Friday Feng Shui: What is Feng Shui?

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is a spiritual system that began in ancient China about 3,000 years ago. There are many complex notions that go into feng shui but a simple paring down of the philosophy has become popular in the Western hemisphere today. Basically, feng shui revolves around the "chi" or energy that surrounds all life.

The words feng shui literally mean "wind water." Both concepts are associated with prosperity and good health in the Chinese lifestyle. To have good energy flowing through your home, use the basics of feng shui.

Basics of Feng Shui

In a given living space, each room has its own energy. The energy has to be allowed to flow freely throughout the items within the room to create a total atmosphere of positive things.

Feng shui theory says that you can affect the energy around you simply by creating a space that is favorable to your life. This involves knowing the five feng shui elements, feng shui colors and how the energy moves throughout each room in your home.

Full Moon Friday ~~ Shine on, Harvest Moon!...

I am writing this post early in case anyone wants to get in on the full moon action today instead of tomorrow. The official full moon time was last night around 11pm and it began its rise during the autumn equinox, so lots of spiritual stuff happening these past couple of days.

Since the full moon remains full for a couple of days before it begins to go into hiding, I decided to make the Friday Feng Shui post a Friday Full Moon post instead.

My son and I both created full moon dreamboards today. If you would like to create one, too, think about what in your life you would like to create or harvest as we begin the autumn season.

Here are our dreamboards! Mine is above, my son's is below. Please share yours on my Squidoo full moon dreamboard lens. Once yours is created, I invite you to put it on your windowsill, balcony or near the window where the light of the moon will pass by...

Nurture Your Spirit by Celebrating Fall

Decorating for Fall

Fall is my favorite season!! I swear I can feel fall in the air toward the end of August, in spite of the 90-degree-plus heat and humidity here in the south. And my eye starts roaming around the rooms in my home, looking for ways to begin to add those touches that say "autumn joy."

Well, if you feel that way, too, you and I are in great company. Head over to The Inspired Room and meet the collection of women who are already feeling fall!

Meet Me Here on Fridays

Join me every Friday for Friday Feng Shui, helping you bring joy to your home and nurture your soul by sharing everything I have learned about medicine feng shui and interior alignment from Denise Linn and other great spiritual designers. And during the month of October, on Fridays here and every day at Create a Home for Your Soul, I will enjoy 21 Days of Autumn Bliss.

Feng Shui Principles

How to get started so you, too, can experience autumn wonder in October? Here are some brief ways to start the process. More on each in the days and weeks to come.

(1) Clear Your Clutter: I am doing that right now but let me admit that I have a ways to go because I am a pack rat.

(2) Clear Your Space: Release any negative energy trapped inside your home. Open the windows, light a candle in each room, mist or smudge the rooms and transform the way your house feels.

(3) Honor Your Alignment: Do you know which element your spirit aligns with most? Find out and choose carefully when you begin decorating.

See you next Friday!

Jeanine