Feng Shui (pronounced: fung-shoo-ee) is the ancient Chinese process of beautifying your home, office, or even your neighborhood, by suitably aligning it with heaven (astronomy) and earth (geography). It is based on the concept that everything has its own particular energy and is affected by all other energies.

Feng Shui is both an art and a science, the intent which is to balance and optimize the qi or energy flow in given spacial areas that correspond to specific areas in your life. According to the principles of feng shui, all energy is comprised of either yin (feminine) or yang (masculine), which are opposite yet interdependent forces. Yin is passive energy and is characterized by silence, stillness, black, rest and relaxation and space itself. Too much yin energy can leave you feeling listless, weak and apathetic. Yang energy is characterized by sound, movement and activity, vibrant colors, bright lights and objects themselves. Too much yang energy can leave you feeling angry, exhausted or depleted. Balancing of the yin and yang energies in accordance with the principles of astronomy and geometry is the purpose of feng shui.

According to the aesthetic of feng shui, how you arrange your space in the world and the objects within that space can play a significant role in determining your happiness and well-being. “Good” feng shui results in increased vitality and creates an auspicious or “lucky” environment. “Bad” feng shui, on the other hand, can cause lethargy, stagnation and misfortune.

Let's learn some basic feng shui principles that will help harmonize your home.

It’s not necessary to completely redesign the entire room all at once. You can start small, and see how the subtle shifts in energy change your general disposition and inner balance. Each time that you move an object into its new place, put your attention on that particular aspect of your life. When you place the objects with intention and grace, you will already be changing the energy field.

You should also make sure that you have good quality air and light. If it’s warm enough, keep your windows open to encourage good circulation and flow. Allow as much natural light as possible into your room. You can hand crystal or chimes from the center of your room on the entrance to your room to help move the energy. Full-spectrum lights are ideal, candles are also good. In general, plants are always beneficial , but when they begin to die, you should remove them from your room. Dead plants (including dead flowers) are symbolic of dead life. Clean our your closet and anything from under your bed; in fact, it’s a good idea to rid yourself of all non-essentials. Since each object means something, the more beneficial objects you have the better. Practice the art of letting go.http://www.henryfong.com/kua.htm

In Feng Shui, each area in you house is associated with an area in your life. The arrangement is known as the bagua. http://www.thespiritualfengshui.com/feng-shui-bagua.php The bagua illustrates one big space divided into 9 smaller spaces. To begin with, we are going to focus on “feng shui-ing” your bedroom; it will be easier to understand the bagua if we focus on one symmetrical, unbroken space (space without walls), but these same principles can be applied to your house in general.

Imagine the room broken up into a square of nine, with three rows and three columns. For the sake of simplicity, we will say that the side of the wall from which you enter the room is north and the opposing wall is south. This means that the wall to the left is east and the wall to the right is west. Along the northern wall, you will have three squares, a left, center and middle. We will refer to the left square on the northern wall as no. 1 and label the remaining squares in order clockwise. This means that on the northern wall you will have from left to right (1,7,8). The square in the middle will be no. 9. Below are the meanings of the 9 squares in the bagua and their associations.

No. 1 (NE): Knowledge, Spirituality - Blue, green, hands

No. 2: (E) Family, Past - Wood, green, wood, feet

No. 3: (SE) Wealth, Prosperity - Red, purple, green, hips

No. 4: (S) Fame, Reputation - Fire, red, eyes

No. 5: (SW) Relationships, Marriage, Mother - Pink, organs

No. 6: (W) Children, Creativity, Future - Metal, white, mouth

No. 7: (NW) People Network, Travel, Father - Gray, head

No. 8: (N): Career, Life Path - Water, black, ears

No. 9: (Center) - Earth, yellow

Now that we have divided the areas into their respective life aspects, let’s learn how to optimize each and bring the energies into harmony. Here are some suggestions for each space within the bagua. http://www.fengshuipalace.com/bagua.php

No. 1: Also meditation, intellect and philosophy. Good objects: books, a desk, nice lamps (to symbolize illumination), spiritual or religious icons, meditation pillows

No. 2: Also general health and foundation. Wood is the eastern element, so good objects to place on this side of the room, and in particular in this area are: wooden pictures frames of your family and or important people from your past. You can also have a bambook tree or some kind of plant to symbolize a blooming foundation with the eart.

No. 3: In general, you should try to keep all the areas clean and uncluttered, but in particular this area should “flow” to encourage abundance. Four is the number aligned to wealth and prosperity, representative of a square or balanced space with right angles. Good objects: money, jewelry or currency, anything purple, red or “royal”, a fountain symbolizing a constant stream.

No. 4: This area influences others perceptions of you. Here you should place objects you are proud of or goals you want to accomplish, like diplomas and awards. It’s also the center of the fire line and associated with the number 5, so 5 red candles are good.

No. 5: This is the “love” area. It’s good to place items that come in pairs, anything pink and anything symbolic of relationships.

No. 6: This is the center of the eastern or “metal” wall. Focus on this area if you want to have children or feel inspired, so place creative objects of inspiration, and metal objects.

No. 7: This area helps you get into the synchronistic flow of life. You can place an empty bowl symbolic of receptivity, or you can place your “wishes” in the bowl.

No. 8: This is the center of the water line; here you can place a fish bowl or a fountain. Pictures of water are also good, as are mirrors, which, in feng shui, symbolize water.

No. 9: The center is the heart of the room. It is the only area that touches and affects all other areas, so it must be in balance to establish harmony. It’s best to leave this area uncluttered, but you can accent it with fresh flowers or something symbolic of good energy in general. It’s also a very good place to do yoga or meditate.