Written by Green Diva Michele Duffy
Feng Shui—the basics
Feng Shui (or Wind and Water) is the practice of arranging your environment so that energy or “Qi” flows gently and smoothly through your home or business.
The principles of Feng Shui are founded on traditional Chinese medicine, which is based on the dynamic opposites of yin and yang together with the five elements (water, wood, fire, earth and metal) as well as form, landscape, space orientation and time.
Feng Shui is about creating a natural equilibrium that promotes health, harmony, stability and prosperity. Feng Shui is not a meditation practice, a religion or a New Age cult. In fact, its origins are thousands of years old.
Listen to this Green Divas at Home podcast episode where I share Feng Shui 101 with Green Diva Meg. Then, read on about the central importance health has in Feng Shui.
Everything is connected
Feng Shui is based on the concept that everything is connected and you and your environment have a life force or energy called “Qi.” Just as Qi flows through your body, Qi also flows through your living environment.
When the energy flow is stagnant, stuck, obstructed or moves too quickly, unbalanced Qi may lead to ill health, domestic strife or financial concerns. Professional Feng Shui advice, adjustments and blessings help create nurturing energy in the spaces and places we spend the most time in—our homes and offices!
The goal is sustainable good luck, good health, harmonious relationships and prosperity.
Health & Feng Shui
So many of us in our 21st century lives chase the elusive “balance.” As we juggle too many things, we bear witness to how challenging “balance” can be on a daily basis.
Health and wellbeing are not just related to physical health but also include psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Finding a healthy balance in our lives may be easy for some, but maintaining that balance is difficult for most!
In our homes and businesses, the Feng Shui health area is the middle of our spaces, which gives validity to the understanding that health IS central to our ability to lead lives that thrive. All of the other Feng Shui Bagua areas (map on right) surround health.
This area of the Feng Shui Bagua is represented by the Yin/Yang or Tai Chi symbolism, the circle that is half white (yin) and half black (yang) which simply mean opposites must be present for balance to exist.
First, the “Yin” or white side of the symbol represents the feminine, moon/night time, winter, cold, and the unseen.
The “Yang” or dark side of the symbol represents masculine, sun/daytime, summer, and the physical/seen. Balance is all about opposites being present and coexisting together for wellness, so dualistic thinking doesn’t really apply.
The second important aspect of the Health area of our homes or businesses is that it is in the center for a reason.
All of the other areas are connected to the Health/Tai Chi area. So if the Health/Tai Chi area is positively activated, then all the areas of your home or business receive an upward energetic bump! Brings to mind the old saying:
[bctt tweet=”When you’re your health, you have it all…”]
Conversely, if Health/Tai Chi is compromised or has negative Feng Shui (like a draining bathroom located in the center of the house), then all of the other eight Bagua areas are also drained, stagnant or otherwise negatively affected. It’s a critically significant area energetically, so make sure you are aware of what exists in the center of your space.
Third, the Health/Tai Chi area is governed by the “Earth” element.
Items that are crystal, ceramic, clay, stone or cement work here. As you may know, Feng Shui borrows the Five Element Theory (water creates wood, wood creates fire, fire creates earth, earth creates metal, metal creates water) from Chinese culture and medicine.
Since Fire creates Earth, fire symbolism also works in the Health area.
Understanding that getting the Qi flowing smoothly and banishing stagnation is the first step towards a healthy life and home.
Creating a sanctuary that nourishes the mind, body and soul is truly what a home should be all about even in our homes away from homes, our offices.
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Bonus:
Listen to another Green Divas at Home episode with author Madeleine Somerville as she talks to Green Diva Meg about the less popular of the the ‘R’s—Reduce.
We love all our cool green-living gadgets, but it’s important that we also learn to give up our obsession with stuff.
Tune in to The Green Divas Radio Show—and other green and healthy living podcasts—daily on GDGDRadio.com (or get the GDGD Radio app)! Green, free radio!
Michele Duffy, since 1999 has shared uncomplicated, natural, and aligned with the sacred, Residential and Business “SPACE AS MEDICINE” Feng Shui for national clients with the intention of creating a sustainable planet one space at a time, so our ultimate home, MOTHER EARTH thrives! Canyon Ranch Feng Shui Expert, International Feng Shui Guild Red Ribbon Professional, BTB Professional Masters program graduate (only Feng Shui school fully accredited by State of NY), she tirelessly educates the public on why place matters. For years, committed to preserving the unique Tibetan Buddhist culture, her philanthropy has included establishing water sources for Tibetan settlements in India, building monastic living quarters for monks and nuns, and most recently, helping the victims of the Nepal earthquakes. A Bay Area resident, her rich collaborations with health care providers and wellness professionals will allow clients to realize a truly integral approach to their lives, one that takes into account the wellness of the spaces we spend time in. Check out her website at mandalafengshui.com.
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