Our objects and how they are placed can affect us

Happy new year everyone. Hope 2010 is off to a great start. Sorry for the long holiday delay in posting material. Back to being a more efficient person and better organized! Much is made of the need to be organized. Regardless what you think it means and the level you want to achieve, there is an overall goal that is targeted to your personal health and well being. There is no argument that a clean and organized home creates positive energy. Conversely, a cluttered, dirty home makes us feel bogged down and trapped.

When I talk about the positive energy we want to create in our homes when we are organized, I cannot help but think about Feng shui. This practice is centered on creating positive energy and today, is frequently linked to many topics on organization

Feng shui 101

Most of you have heard of Feng shui but what does it mean? Feng shui literally means “Wind” and Water” is and ancient Chinese art form designed to connect humans (the physical world) with heavenly or astronomical laws in order to enhance “qi” or energy flow. The ancient Chinese (as many primitive cultures) derived much from astronomy and the vastness that surrounds us due to curiosity and the unknown. The entire origins of Feng shui are built on this connection to the universe. Specifically, the connection and energy that is generated when objects and structures are built – and how they are positioned to the heavens – directly relates to it energy flow.

To be exact, Wikipedia and its authors describe modern Day Feng Shui as ” The goal of feng shui as practiced today is to situate the human built environment on spots with good qi. The “perfect spot” is a location and an axis in time.^”

There are many principles and theories of Feng shui depending on the source but there are a few fundamental basics that are consistent.

A sample diagram of the Eight Trigrams and its corresponding elements, body parts, colors, and life situations.

1. Yin/Yang – the two polar energies. Yin is bad, Yang is good.
2. The Five Elements –a. Fire; b. Earth; c. Metal; d. Water; e. Wood
3. The Eight Trigrams – or eight symbols that represent fundamental principles of reality.
4. The Directions – North, South, East, West, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast (compass directions).
5. The Solar System – Who do objects relate to what is happening with celestial bodies and the solar system.
6. The Environment – What is happening during certain phases of seasons.

Can Feng shui benefit you?

All of these principles briefly described above interrelate in different ways and at different times to produce positive or negative energy. When you start to explore, Feng shui can get pretty complicated. Learning to understand how all of the principles relate requires a good bit of research so it is easy to understand how Feng shui practitioners have made a name for themselves.

An image of a Feng shui designed bed.

Over the years, Feng shui has grown in popularity and has crept into home design and organization. Making our homes a source of positive energy is a big deal and many have tried to accomplish this. Although I do not practice Feng shui I do believe positive energy is created when order exists. I also believe that positive energy is created depending on color and placement so perhaps I will explore Feng shui more. After looking into this more I wonder if there are greater powers at work or are we just programmed for order rather than chaos…or both?

In the next post we will take a look at how businesses use Feng Shui to increase their bottom line and what Feng Shui means to you and how you organize.

Other Quick Resources

Wikipedia on Feng Shui – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui

American Feng Shui Institute – http://www.amfengshui.com