What is Feng Shui? Feng Shui ( which is pronounced properly “FEIING SWEE” in the Cantonese Chinese dialect” is a way and means of creating harmony between humans and their environment to enhance well being. An ancient Chinese theory of design and placement, Feng Shui grew from observations that people are affected – both positively as well as negatively by their surroundings. You may well have noticed that some places seem always to impart luck on their environments whereas some people seem to always have happiness and health imparted by their surroundings.
In your home and environs, good Feng Shui helps create harmonious family relationships, fosters good health, revives energy and enthusiasm and even encourages fertility and good sex drive. In business it encourages prosperity and success. By changing your surroundings Feng Shui allows you to change your life for the better.
Because there are so many elements contributing to your environments, applying Feng Shui may initially seem to be a complex matter. However there are some basic, time honored remedies which will not involve anything more than simple efforts and little expense.
In some cases Feng Shui can be as simple as moving furniture around, changing the colors of your décor, hanging wind chimes and mirrors or placing leafy green plants at your home’s entrance.
As you start to adopt the principles of Feng Shui, you will begin to feel the difference. Described as the art of placement, Feng Shui is largely common sense and good design. It is important you take the time to listen to your intuition about what feels right and wrong rather than what you think is right because each and every situation is different and there are no strict foolproof formulas for you to apply.
A Feng Shui expert analysis would take into consideration the many different elements affecting your personal environment. For example they would look at how the energy of qi (chi) moves around your home: the position of your house: its surroundings : the shape of your land: the shape of your house: the directions of your rooms face- north south ,east or west: the location of each room- whether they are front , back or center: the shapes of your furniture and its placement : the décor of your home as well as the landscaping in your garden. They would also look at each of these in terms of the balance, of yin or yang and whether they are associated with the element of earth, fire, metal water or wood.
All of this may sound overwhelming but you do not have to become a Feng Shui expert overnight. You can take small steps. Sometimes major steps are required. Sometimes three are simple changes to be made. However as with life Feng Shui is more of an attitude, a process than one simple swoop.
Lastly as in life some changes in Feng Shui tactics can have profound effects whereas others changes may result in more limited results. And if often is a personal choice resulting differing effects from case to case as well as effect of specific time and place.
By: Amy Goodmann