What is Feng Shui?

Prescott like most communities, could use some good chi.  Feng shui is based on ancient science, the wisdom of placement and aesthetic laws, originating over 3,000 years ago in China where palaces and temples were designed to harness the most beneficial chi or life force.  Put simply  feng shui is the design of spaces, offices and total homes that make occupants feel at ease and in harmony.  

Feng shui means “wind” and “water” and it takes into consideration the location, the land, the building shape, neighboring structures, use of rooms, furniture, colors, landscaping and decorative items.  I recently discovered that we have right here in Prescott a professional feng shui practitioner, Barbara Madding.  In spending time with Barbara, I learned that feng shui is not a ritualistic hocus-pocus misconception; it is a practice that has evolved over thousands of years of observing patterns of humans interacting with their environment and discerning what brings a healthier, happier, more successful life. Getting started with feng shui can be easy when one starts with the feng shui basics and then you can move on to the more complex and multifaceted components of fine-tuning the chi in your home and life.  How does one start with feng shui?  Clear out your clutter.  Remove everything that you do not love.  It is said that this first step is essential because removing stagnant energy is the start of harmonious house chi.  Next make sure that your home or office or space has good air quality and good light.  Open your blinds and windows and allow for as much natural light as possible to enter your space.  Make sure your home or office has the five basic feng shui elements; wood, fire, earth, metal and water.  These feng shui elements interact between one another in certain ways which can be productive or destructive.  Each element is also represented by a specific color and color is one of the easiest ways to use these five elements to bring good chi and harmony into a home or office.  Wood is represented by green and blue and this element will enhance the energy of heath, vitality and growth in your life.  Fire is red, a color of power and vibrancy, which is associated with fame and recognition.  Earth is pinks, tans and golds and will support stability and nourishment for your relationships.  Metal is white and gray and gives us clarity, efficiency, sharpness, precision and will keep us balanced.  Water is black and dark blue and gives us a calmness and an ease of communication.  Knowing how to use colors can strengthen and improve energy and harmony in any room in your home.  The next feng shui tool is the Bagua.  This is a symbolic map of life issues that is overlaid on your home or office as well as individual rooms. The Bagua includes areas for wealth, fame and reputation, partnership, creativity, travel and helpful people, career, higher knowledge and family.  For example, the far left hand corner at the rear of your home is the wealth area of your home.  So if that area of your home is full of clutter and dimly lit or is an area that you do not like, money and abundance issues may manifest in your life.  There is so much more to feng shui - how a room affects our attitudes, our personality, how a color affects our mood, where to place mirrors, what walls to put a fireplace on and what earth energies may be under our home.  Simple changes can get our life moving and by using feng shui we can bring positive changes into our home, office and spaces.  If you are interested in a feng shui consultation for your home or business,  Barbara Madding will be happy to chat with you on the phone and set up a two hour consultation to analyze the chi flow, draw the Bagua on your floor plans and plot plans  and assist you in activating the changes you desire in your life and home.  Barbara can be reached at (928) 776-8067.