Feng Shui 101

(I wrote this article originally for my blog, Essentiallysavvy.com in Dec of 2014)

Feng Shui is an ancient art that was developed in China over 3000 years ago. The art suggests placement of objects in a particular way within a space to provide the most optimal energy flow or Chi. The word Feng Shui means wind and water.

These basic tools will help increased the positive energy flow (Chi) within your home.

To begin, here is a graph to show the different areas within your home. Place this over your house to get a better idea. This would be if you were standing at the front door looking in. (Note some areas may actually be outside of your home).

(picture from "The Western guide to Feng Shui" by Terah Kathryn Collins)

If part of your area is outside of the home, hang a crystal or wind chime in this outdoor area to connect the energy to the house.

#1 WEALTH to find your wealth area in your home stand at your front door facing in. The Farthest left hand corner is your wealth area. If you have an upstairs this area is a wealth area too. MOST important is to keep this area free of clutter. So before you do anything, give this area a good cleaning. To enhance this area for positive energy flow add green plants, crystals, and things that represents wealth ie; coins, collections, expensive china ect…
Decorate in the colors of red and purple using paint, artwork, rugs, furniture or decor. Open blinds and windows to let in natural light. Always keep this area clean and free of dust and keep plants watered and healthy. (dead plants are very bad for energy flow).

#2 LOVE to find your love/relationship area in your home stand at your front door facing in. The Farthest right hand corner is your love area and remember If you have an upstairs this area is a love area too. Again, keep this area free of clutter, dust and old unwanted things. Decorate this area with things that come in sets of 2 to symbolize a relationship.

Use the colors pink and red in decorating to enhance this area. Hang a pink crystal in the corner or place 2 rose quartz stones in this area. Decorate with couple or wedding pictures, symbols of love, or books on love. Keep blinds and windows open to let in natural light. If you are single and looking for love, be sure to set this area up to represent 2. For example if this is your bedroom, have 2 night stands, 4 pillows on your bed, 2 lamps ect...

#3 FAME to find your fame/reputation area in your home stand at your front door facing in. The farthest area directly in front of you (between the wealth and the love corners) is your fame area. If you have an upstairs this area is a fame area too. To enhance this area for positive energy flow add symbols of accomplishments, like diplomas, awards, or trophies. Also add artwork or items made from animals (can be faux) including; fur, leather, or feathers. Decorate in shades of red with paint, rugs or decor and add things that are triangle or conical shaped. Place artwork with sayings, quotes or symbols of fame, positive affirmations and future goals. As always, open blinds or windows to let in natural light and keep this area clean.

#4 HEALTH & FAMILY to find your Health/Family area in your home stand at your front door facing in. The area in the middle left quadrant (below the wealth area) is your Health/Family area. If you have an upstairs this area is a Health/Family area too. To enhance this area add healthy plants with rounded leaves, fresh flowers or silk flowers.

Hang artwork depicting health, wellness or green landscapes and beautiful gardens. Use floral patterns and stripes on fabrics for pillows, furniture and decor. This is a great place to display anything made from wood. Use blue and green colors for paint and decor and add a lot of family photos. Keep the curtains and windows open to let in natural light and keep this area clean and clutter free.

#5 CHILDREN & CREATIVITY to find your Children/Creativity area in your home stand at your front door facing in. The area in the middle right quadrant (below the love area) is your Children/Creativity area. If you have an upstairs this area is a Children/Creativity area too. To enhance this area add art or objects that are creative, whimsical or colorful.

(this is my original artwork available at www.essentiallysavvy.etsy.com )

This is a good place to display toys, dolls or stuffed animals, photos of children or any art children have handmade. Also place rocks and stones or any circular or oval shaped objects in this area. Decorate in white or light pastel colors for paint, rugs, and throw pillows and use metal decor and metal furniture in this area. Keep this space clean and clutter free and be sure to let in natural light. This would be a great place for a play room.

#6 KNOWLEDGE AND SELF CULTIVATION to find your Knowledge and self cultivation area in your home stand at your front door facing in, the area in the front left quadrant (below the health and family area) is your Knowledge and Self Cultivation area. This is the area in your home where you want to increase knowledge or self growth, and is a good place to display your career achievements or aspirations. It is also a great place to study or set up a home office. To enhance this area add art that displays quiet places such as mountains or gardens and pictures of wise or accomplished people. Decorate with black, blue or green colors of paint, artwork, rugs or decor. Display books and study materials and add decorative displays with inspirational quotes or positive affirmations. This would be a good place to have your home computer. As always open blinds and windows to let in natural light and keep this area clean.

#7 CAREER to find your Career area in your home stand at your front door facing in, the area in the middle front (right in the front/center between the knowledge and helpful people corners) is your Career area. If you have an upstairs this area is a Career area too. MOST important is to keep this area free of clutter. Enhance this area when you want to make a career change or you are seeking your purpose in life. This is a great place to display water features such as fountains or aquariums and art depicting water scenes. Place any object that personally symbolizes your career, such as books, quotes or affirmations related to courage. Decorate with asymmetrically shapes, mirrors, crystals and glass. Use black or very dark colors for paint, area rugs, artwork and decor.

#8 HELPFUL PEOPLE & TRAVEL to find your Helpful people & Travel area in your home stand at your front door facing in, the area in the right front (the area below your Children/creativity area ) is your Helpful people & Travel area. Before anything clean and declutter this area. To enhance this area add art that depicts spiritual figures such as angels, saints and teachers and also art of places you would like to visit. Use the colors white, gray and black in your paint, rugs, decor and furniture. Display anything with quotes, sayings or affirmations on miracles or heavenly experiences. This room is a problem within my home, as it has turned into a junk/storage room and I can definitely see the blockages in this area of my life. So again most importantly keep this area clean and free of clutter!

One last thing, Plants and pets are wonderful at creating positive energy, any living being within the home contributes to the overall health of the home. Keep your plants and pets healthy and strong!

Enjoy and have fun decorating with Feng Shui in mind~

All my best~Marnie