Feng Shui: The Ancient Wisdom of Uniting Energy and Space
How your space can affect your life
Lately, I’ve been interested in reading more about Feng Shui. If you don’t know what that is, it’s an ancient traditional Chinese philosophy that establishes a connection between individuals and their living space.
In other words, according to Feng Shui, the arrangement of your living space will have a direct impact on many areas of your life.
How is that possible?
The design of our house or apartment, the colors used, and the furniture will all influence the flow of energy (qi), which can affect different aspects of our life.
“Feng Shui is the perfect tool for breaking vicious circles.” ― Stefan Emunds.
Here are some of the fundamental elements that are essential to understand this philosophy.
Qi
Qi (chi) is Life energy. It is present in everything.
This idea of the existence of a life force can be found in many cultures and traditions. Although different people used different words to describe it, the essence of this concept always remained the same.
The goal of Feng Shui is to ensure a smooth flow of qi within our living spaces and avoid any blockages.
When qi is blocked or isn’t flowing smoothly, it will affect our health, relationships, and all other aspects of our life.
Yin and Yang
Yin and Yang are two opposing forces that complement each other. This concept of duality is an ancient concept in Chinese philosophy.
Yin is feminine, soft, passive, and dark. In contrast, Yang is masculine, aggressive, active, and bright. We can only attain harmony when balancing between these two forces.
This principle can be applied on different scales.
On a scale of a room, for example, we should pay attention to the colors we’re using. Using only light colors or dark colors results in an imbalance of energy.
The same applies to the materials, textures, lighting, and temperature in the room.
There are A LOT of details that we could explore, but for now, we’ll be focusing on the big picture.
The five elements
According to ancient philosophies, everything in the universe is made of four/five elements (it differs according to each culture).
Feng Shui uses the five-element system: fire, water, earth, metal, and wood.
This theory is also part of many ancient traditions, including traditional Chinese medicine. It’s a holistic way of viewing the world.
Like Yin and Yang, the five elements are also different aspects of qi. By balancing between these elements, we can bring balance into our life.
The Bagua
This one was new to me, and I found it fascinating.
The Bagua is like an energy map that can be applied to any space. It establishes the link between the physical space and a bunch of different aspects of our life.
The Bagua can be found as an octagon or as a square.
This map can be applied to different spaces and on different scales. You can apply it to your house, your room, or any other space.
All you have to do is to align your Bagua map over the plan of your floor or room. Then, you can try to identify each space and decide about the adjustments that you will make to have a better energy flow.
Adjustments can be made by changing the colors, adding the five elements, changing the furniture, getting rid of some objects, etc.
Final thoughts
What I love about ancient philosophies is their holistic view of the world. One of the most important things that we neglected in our modern society is how everything in our life is connected.
Not everyone will believe in ancient practices, like Feng Shui, however, I think that we will all agree that our living spaces play a huge role in our state of mind and overall well-being.
That is why we should give more attention to the form and design of our spaces, and constantly work on adjusting them with intention and care.
