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TIPS FOR TURNING YOUR SPACE INTO AN OASIS!
By Johanne Morin, Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture + Design, LEED AP.
Feng Shui, also known as Chinese geomancy is an ancient discipline that was created over 2,000 years ago. Geomancy studied how favorably a dwelling is laid out in its surroundings in order to maximize the wellbeing of its inhabitants. Chinese geomancers believed that everything in the universe, including planetary movements, the Earth’s magnetic fields and human health is subject to the natural forces of yin and yang.
When these two forces are in balance, they produce a vital creative energy called QI, the life breath. An abundance of QI around the home, or any building will insure the health and good fortune of the inhabitants.
Tip#1. Increase the flow of energy in your space
The energy or QI needs to be in constant movement; it travels with the wind and stalls at the water (Feng Shui translates as Wind and Water); when not allowed to move it becomes stagnant. One of the ways to help the energy flow in a building, home, or space is by opening windows and doors. As much as the air quality, weather and temperature allows, you should keep natural ventilation in your environment. This is a basis concept in classic Feng Shui as well as a principle in Green Living. Stagnation causes the QI/ energy to spoil so it is extremely important to keep the air/ energy flowing. If for some reason you cannot bring natural ventilation to your environment, try to create pauses in your schedule to restore and refresh, segment your daily routine and allow time outdoors as it is crucial to your wellbeing.
Tip#2. Correct the most common negative Feng Shui problems
QI is the positive energy, sha-QI is its negative opposite. That negative energy distracts us, keeps us from focusing and can make us miserable when excessive. Sha-QIs or environmental pollutants (Green Living) can manifest in all of the five (5) Elements of nature which are WOOD, FIRE, METAL, WATER, and EARTH. The more common ones are the EARTH Sha-QIs.
EARTH sha-QIs relate to our five (5) senses. Essentially, Earth sha-QIs are everything that is visually disturbing, smelling, annoying to our ears, bad to the taste, and/ or cold or rough to the touch. Vision, hearing and smell are the most common and easy to resolve.
Tip#3. Combine colors in your space to create a more serene atmosphere
The five basic elements: water, wood, fire, earth and metal are represented by the family colors: black, green, red, yellow and white. These elements will create harmony if grouped in a positive, creative sequence. Thus, water nourishes wood, wood feeds fire, fire burns to make earth and from earth comes metal. When designing a space; try to incorporate or blend the colors of the elements that feed and enhance each other. The result will create a much greater sense of peacefulness.
