about Feng Shui Feng Shui is becoming more common in our culture these days. I heard a television host say “Nice Feng Shui” the other day while commenting on a red front door. I also remember an episode of the PBS children's cartoon Maya and Miguel, where the children found a Feng Shui book, re-arranged their parents home, and comedy ensued. Heck, even some McDonald's are using Feng Shui principles. So…what does it really mean?  What is it? The literal translation of the words Feng Shui is Wind Water.  If we think about this energetically, wind is kind of like unseen energy while water is kind of like seen energy.  Another way of putting it would be…the way my house looks and feels can affect the way I feel.  The goal of Feng Shui is simply balance. All practitioners, in all schools of Feng Shui, are looking to help achieve more balance in environments. How does it work? In my opinion, Feng Shui adjustments are so effective because they are a physical support to your intention for change.  Let's say you want to work on a relationship in your life.  So, you tell yourself that you need to do something about it....but you don't actually physically do anything.  It isn't too surprising when nothing changes.  If however, you put a crystal or a plant or a meaningful painting in an area of your home that reminds you about the change you desire, you are reminded to do something.  Feng Shui is ultimately about changing your own environment to change your life.  It is decorating for spiritual growth - and it works really well. Can you give me an example? Of Course!  Let's say I have a client that is feeling a bit down, and their bedroom has navy blue paint on the walls, black bedding, dark green carpet, dark brown wood furniture, and heavy black curtains.  They want to feel uplifted and inspired in their life.  Feng Shui folks might say their room is drowning, meaning there is too much of the water element.  Since my pretend client wants to feel uplifted and inspired, I am going to suggest they add more light, a plant, and some lighter colors as well as objects or images that are meaningful and symbolic of their personal goal. That sounds good, but how do you balance a space using Feng Shui? The first thing a Feng Shui practitioner will look at is the flow of a space or Chi.  An easy way to imagine how this works is to pretend you are a flowing stream of water when standing at your front door.  Look to see where the stream slows down, creates rapids, or gets stuck.  The goal is to have a balanced space where energy flows at a nice even pace.  This can be accomplished in ways such as moving furniture and using color.  Following that, additional tools for balance are The Five Elements and The Bagua Map.   The Five Elements are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.  I described and example of using the elements to balance the dark bedroom in the previous paragraph. The Bagua Map is a bit harder to explain.  It is based on the trigrams of the ancient Chinese Classical text I Ching.  Basically, it is used to predict how energy moves and flows (kind of like water) in a space. What if I like dark rooms?  Are you going to tell me everything is wrong with my house? You are your own individual person.   If you feel comforted by dark rooms – then I see no problem having dark rooms in your house.   Every person is different, and every person’s balance is going to be different.  I will want to know what is going on in your life first before we look at what is going on in your business or home.  If you love your dark bedroom, and it makes you happy when you are in it, that is fantastic and I would not change a thing. Do you have more questions?  See the FAQ page, read my blog, and always feel free to contact me! I am happy to answer questions and talk about my views on Feng Shui. Copyright 2007-2008 Inspired Balance LLC.  All rights reserved.