Beverley Chilcott (ITEC, MIGPP)
Aromatherapist, Behavioural Kinesiologist, Reflexologist, Usui, Karuna & Seichem Reiki Master
An Introduction to Feng Shui
What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Schway) means "the way of wind and water" or "the shady side of the hill".
Feng Shui is a Chinese body of knowledge, in practice for over 5000 years. It is based on an understanding of the forces of nature, how energy (chi) flows through the universe and how this energy affects people. The foundation and philosophy of Feng Shui comes from the I Ching, Book of Changes which is about 5000 years old and is one of the oldest books of wisdom and divination in the world, and from the Tao Te Ching, Book of the Way which is about 2500 years old, a guide to the art of living and essence of the universe. Feng Shui principles also use the balancing aspects of yin and yang and the Five Elements Theory to enhance energy flows.
The Chinese believe that different kinds of natural energy exist in our environment, some good and some bringing misfortune. If you place yourself in a good location or re-arrange your surroundings to attract a balanced and harmonious flow of good energy, your health and prosperity will be enhanced. If you place yourself in the influence of bad energies, it will increase your chances of encountering misfortune. You are affected by the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, colours, and textures of your environment. You can also empower yourself by manifesting and enhancing areas of your life such as health, wealth, creativity, relationships by having specific areas of your home designated to hold the intent and symbols of the aspect of your life that you want to affect and change. As always, energy follows intent.
How can Feng Shui Help?
Feng Shui offers ways to live in harmony with your surroundings. Unpleasant surroundings create stress and can deeply affect morale, health and well-being. People are reflections of their homes and workplaces, and if a building has negative energy flowing through it, the occupants will feel and manifest this negativity. This could lead to you sleeping badly or working unproductively, misfortunes in business, bad relationships, ill health, lacking energy, feeling anxious and so on.
Feng Shui works in and around the home and workplace like acupuncture for the body. It unblocks and harmonises the flow of energy through the building, with the effect of stabilising emotions and behaviour patterns in its occupants. By creating a balanced and supportive environment in which to live and work, you can reduce stress and create a feeling of peace, self-confidence and well-being.
One of the most important guidelines for Feng Shui is 'If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it'. If an aspect of your life is working well, then the energy flow probably doesn't need any enhancements or corrections. Also, don't try to change everything at once. Start with the aspect of your life which is most out of balance or important to you at the moment and see if the corresponding areas of your home need some enhancements, corrections or just a good clutter clearing session.
Look at your home room by room and consider what the dirty clothes on the floor in your 'relationship area' are saying about your love life. Is a cracked vase of dry twigs saying remove the dead wood from that area of your life?
Whilst many people focus on making Feng Shui enhancements only, I believe there are three stages to improving the energy in your home or workplace.
1. Clearing your Clutter
A home is not just a physical structure. It is a living entity with a soul and energy of its own. Every facet of your environment should be supporting you and working with you every minute that you are in it. Your home reflects your energy, so a neglected and cluttered home will affect your ability to move forward or nurture yourself. To our subconscious mind, clutter triggers images of stagnation, stuck energy and places where energy and therefore life doesn't move. It usually represents the things we are resisting and to which we don't want to give our attention.
Clutter is any object in your home or life which no longer brings you joy, creative inspiration, sentiment, or a reasonable measure of practical benefit. Clutter is whatever requires more of your time and attention than it is worth!
Imagine the effect of hanging a mirror in your home as a Feng Shui enhancement but realising that it doubles the amount of clutter that you can see!
2. Space Clearing
Energetically, everything that happens in a building or a room goes out in ripples like the effect of a stone being dropped in a pond and is recorded in the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the furniture, objects, plants, animals and people in that space. It gets imprinted in the very fabric of the structure. Bricks are a particularly rich source of old energies and memories. Repetitive patterns get deeply imprinted, as do moods and atmospheres.
Any events accompanied by strong emotions or trauma are recorded more intensely. You will probably have had the experience of walking into a room after there has been an argument and feeling the dense, irritable energy of the argument still in the atmosphere.
When you move house or change office, it is particularly important to release the old energies and clear them before creating your own energy space to resonate with your vibration energy. If the previous occupants had financial problems, divorce, illness or other traumas, or the company or business suffered, these negative energies remain in the space or object and can affect you and your family or your business. Repetitive patterns, moods and atmospheres get deeply imprinted and can cause you to experience the same problems.
Space clearing is the art of cleansing spaces of these stuck energies. It is a way of changing the atmosphere in the home from one of stagnant Chi to one of vibrant, health promoting and spiritually enhancing Chi. Space clearing before moving in to a new home was considered a vital part of any move in traditional cultures and is still practised in some form today throughout the world. In the west, it is probably linked more to having a good spring clean and a house warming party to enliven the new home.
Space clearing cleanses and energises your home to clear the energy of previous occupants, after an illness or death or just to change the atmosphere in your home and encourage harmony, health and good relationships. Think of starting with a fresh new energy or a clean slate ready to absorb your emotions and vibration. The room usually feels lighter, more vibrant and as though the ceiling is higher and the room bigger.
After space clearing, many people find it easier to manifest what they want in their lives. They experience clarity, vitality and energy. They feel they can move forward in life with greater ease and their home or room feels peaceful, balanced and energised. Their home feels more 'theirs' and in tune with their energy.
3. Making Feng Shui Enhancements and Changes
Once the clutter is removed and the energy in your home is clear and free from old patterns, you will find it easier to sense or identify the areas in your life which need enhancing.
The topic of how and what to use to enhance your home is too vast and complex to cover in a short article but here are some points to consider. When making enhancements, start with one room at a time or one aspect of your life. For example, the central area of the house or room should be empty to allow energy to circulate freely. This area represents the health of your home and its occupants. If this area is blocked, it affects energy flow to all the other areas. You could put positive symbols into your wealth corner, but if your health doesn't allow you to work, you are starting from the wrong perspective. When you've made your corrections and enhancements, wait and sense the changes before starting on a new aspect and area. You may find that they are now unnecessary.