In this article we talk about the importance of your environment. How your surroundings create a positive or negative influence in your life. We’ll offer ideas on how you can create a space that will support your energy.

LIVING SPACES AND THE ART OF FENG SHUI
By Barbara Harris

Referenced from Feng Shui and Floor Plans and Happy Homes by Jocelyn Eastwood

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to live in a home that resonates with YOUR energy? A place that nurtures your inner spirit; surroundings that nourish you into feeling wonderful, prosperous, healthy, loving and peaceful? Can a home or office really be that powerful? And if so, could a home or office also influence less than desirable feelings, such as illness, depression and irritability?

If these thoughts have crossed your mind at one time or another, then Feng Shui, the 4000-year-old Chinese study on human environments will be of interest to you. Feng Shui is the study of balance and harmony. Over centuries, priests noticed that when certain things happened to people, it seemed to be related to their environment. There seemed to be a "good" environment and a "bad" environment. They noticed that the amount and combination of earth, fire, water, metal and wood seemed to determine the balance of the environment.

The rules of Feng Shui are concerned with the living space and the landscape. Where is the house situated, and what direction does it face? Where are the furniture and accessories placed within the house or landscape? What material is the house made of? What colors are being used?

It’s all about how energy moves through space. Quantum physicists tell us that all things are alive and moving. These alive and juggly things move in patterns, just like wave patterns that form when dropping a pebble into standing water.

All the tools in the Feng Shui toolbox have different energy patterns, colors, shapes, sizes, lengths, angles, fabrics and finishes. In any environment, a combination of these energy patterns will exert a positive or a negative influence on the person exposed in a living area.

The study of balance of the extremes called yin and yang pertains to Feng Shui. It is this balance of yin and yang that produces subtleties of an auspicious environment. There are now Feng Shui schools and in many Asian communities no one considers purchasing a house or building until a Feng Shui Master has inspected the site and has proclaimed it auspicious.

Feng Shui Masters are trained to notice patterns in the way energy is pooled into a home or business. A map, known as a Bagua (Download a PDF of a Bagua) was created whereby certain parts of a house or business would relate to health and family, wealth and prosperity, fame and reputation, love and relationships, children, and creativity, helpful people and travel, self-cultivation and career. What has been learned by these energy patterns is that if one is enhanced and balanced, then the corresponding area more often than not will improve and enhance the life of the person inhabiting the space.

You don’t need a Feng Shui Master to know if your life is working, or not, if your living space is pleasant and nurturing. There are things you can do to enhance your environment. Feng Shui eyes see everything; there is no hiding. You can start by removing clutter, "As without, so within" is a rule in Feng Shui. Start by cleaning out closets, organize that garage, clear those papers off that desk and get rid of anything you don’t absolutely love. Everything is speaking to you all the time. Can you hear the nice things being said? Are you listening? Just understanding how energy moves in an environment is a good start in creating harmony in your life.