Feng Shui
The Myth And The Marvel

By Breiana Cecil

It is possibly the most ancient design movement known and yet has made itself an avant-garde design craze. Although, over three thousand years old, the idea of Feng Shui has received much attention in modern day. Surf the net or the local bookstores and you will find numerous resources on the subject. It has taken the Interior Design industry by storm and has found a way into university classrooms all over the world. It has been revered as an art. It has been shunned as superstition. It is controversial, which means it is interesting. So let's take a brief look, shall we?

Feng Shui ("wind-water") is an ancient Chinese practice dealing with the arrangement of a space and its elements to bring balance to the environment and those who dwell within, more basically, living in harmony with your surroundings.

This ancient philosophy says that being in tune with the elements and energy around you will bring you the most balance in life. These elements are Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. The energy is Ch'i (pronounced 'chee').

Ch'i is the life force, and it is present all around us, all of the time. The purpose of incorporating Feng Shui into our homes is to attract Ch'i and to raise positive energy levels. The Chinese have utilized this in the construction of large buildings and homes, aligning the corners of the structures with the corresponding directions of the four cardinal directions--north, south, east, and west. The ancient Chinese tended to build their homes according to the directions and meaning of each.

Astrology is incorporated as well. Depending on the individual’s year of birth, each direction has different meaning. Those dealt with include positive directions (prime, health, longevity, prosperity, etc.) and negative directions (death, disaster, the six shar, and the five ghosts). According to Chinese life principle, there is no getting around the negative directions. Though, it is believed that utilizing Feng Shui in your home can keep the Ch'i in balance, and the positive and negative in harmony.

In this day and age, not many of us have the option of choosing our land so freely, as we have settled down already or dwell in apartment buildings. Unfortunately, we can't very well pick up and turn our homes to suit our individual Ch'i. This is where Feng Shui designers have found their calling. Placement of furniture, certain deco, as well as color use are considered imperative factors in the Feng Shui culture. Here are a few interesting and random examples.

Furniture Placement:

- Move the bed to face your health and longevity direction.
- Always have a bed against one wall, as this gives the individual stability.
- The oven and the sink should have space between them, as they represent opposing elements; water and fire.
- The living room is the central gathering room and where most families spend their time. Try to put the main area of focus (television, sound system) in the corner that represents health. This way, when the family lounges together, they are facing a positive direction.
- The Chinese believed that no matter how big the family, there should always be at least eight chairs at the dining table. If more or less, the number must always be even.
- Face the desk that you work at towards your creative direction.

Decorations and Accessories:

- If one of your positive directions lie in the South, and there is a Southern wall with no window in your home, add a mirror. This gives Ch'i room to flow with no ending point.
- The bathroom of your home is the place for Ch'i to pool--and in its most negative environment. Bathrooms are typically small, and are associated with destruction. Mirrors, and house plants should be abundant in this area.
- The living room or bedroom are good places for oil paintings and art, as these are objects of prosperity.
- The study, or the area where you do so, should be filled with objects of creativity. Fill the area with artwork, pottery, and house plants. If there is no window above your desk, guess? Add a mirror!
- Round objects represent money. So, in the living room, and study, try round rugs, tables, and coasters.
- Wind chimes, wind chimes, wind chimes! Anything associated with wind will help Ch'i flow freely.

Color:

The central colors of importance to Feng Shui include green, red, yellow, white, and black. Although the meaning and directional significance of each differs depending on your source, each color represents one of the five elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, Wood).
- It is important that the color of your bedroom correlate with your element. Mine is water, which seems to be associated with white or blue.
- The kitchen is the one place in the house most susceptible to hazard. Green is the safest color to use here.
- The study is an important area for free air, and open mindedness. Yellow or white will keep the area amicable.

For more information on color use, check out the Quick Guide to Color Effects and Meanings blog.

Whether or not you take the ancient art of Feng Shui on board, it is quite an impressive subject as well as vastly immense--I have only just touched the bare minimum here. Aside from the apparent mysticism, its principles touch upon the chic mannerism of modern design as well. More and more designers and clients are designing with meaning and with spirituality. In my opinion, this is wonderful!

Every type of art has spiritual root and meaning--it's the artist that makes it distinct. As always, my best design advice is to understand what touches you and manifest it into your space. Peace be with you and may your Ch'i flow free!

About the Author: Breiana Cecil of OverstockArt.com graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor Degree in Interior Design and in Studio Art. Breiana is an avid enthusiast of the art and design world and intends on continuing her contribution to the industry. Talk to Breiana on the ArtCorner Blog today!

Source: www.isnare.com

Decorating For Improved Health
Using Feng Shui

By Candace Czarny

Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese philosophy, upholds that health is the most important aspect in your life. Health is the center of your existence, and without health, your life could be absent of balance and harmony. The key focus of Feng Shui and health benefits are to tackle poor health problems. Improved health with Feng Shui will allow you to seek balance and harmony in every facet of life. While health is the center of life, in Feng Shui it is also believed to be the center of the home. All rooms of your home, including your bedroom, living room, and kitchen, are believed to have a health area, which is the center of the room.

There are a number of ways that you can utilize Feng Shui and health in your home to bring balance to your life. First, remember that yellow is the color of health. This color is a great choice for decoration accents, such as pillows and curtains. Another important Feng Shui tip to remember is that nine is the number most often attributed to the enhancement of life. Arranging items in groups of nine may aid your health. By combining the color yellow and the number nine in elements throughout the home, you may achieve health benefits associated with Feng Shui.

Utilizing these ideas of the color yellow and the number nine as having benefits for Feng Shui and health, you can come up with a number of ways to incorporate positive elements into your home. For example, add some yellow flowers to your home, preferably in the center of a room or in the center on top of a piece of furniture. The middle of the coffee table in the living room or the middle of your kitchen table are two ideal places. One place in incorporate the use of the number nine is with wind chimes. Strategically place a wind chime made of nine chimes in a room with open windows. This is an excellent way to encourage positive Feng Shui and health. The open windows will allow sunlight and fresh air to enter your home.

Getting rid of unnecessary items throughout your home will improve both Feng Shui and health. Feng Shui philosophy emphasizes to avoid clutter, which is believed to bring a negative influence to health. Clutter should be eliminated from all areas of the home, even closets, bathrooms, garages, and attics. Not only should clutter be absent, but all items throughout the house should be neatly arranged in a fashion that is appealing to the eyes and promotes positive perceptions. If you want to improve Feng Shui and health by removing clutter, begin slowly and tackle one room at a time to avoid frustration. This approach will minimize the stress of rearranging your home into a more positive environment, and when the job is finished, you will be on your way to an entire home life free of stress.

A room in your home that can be a focal point for Feng Shui and health is your bathroom. The bathroom is associated with an area of dead chi, which can be reduced by incorporating living things such as plants or crystals into the room. Using bright colors in the bathroom can also reduce the affects of dead chi. One thing to be aware of is the arrangement of your bathroom door in relation to your bedroom. If the door is directly across from the bedroom, be sure to keep the door shut as much as possible. By separating this room from the rest of your house, you can prevent bad chi. Other ways to separate rooms are to use curtains or screens.

For the best Feng Shui and health, you need to also be aware of leaking fixtures, such as facets, showerheads, and toilets. Although water is an important part of Feng Shui, it has negative connotations if the water is being wasted, such as with leaks. Be sure to fix any leaky pipes, and your home will be healthier and closer to the ideals of Feng Shui.

Once the physical elements of your home have been adjusted to promote better Feng Shui and health, you need to also pay attention to the mental elements. Positive thinking is essential to maintaining a healthy home. A good way to encourage positive thinking is to allow a pleasant aroma to fill the air, such as lavender. A mixture of lemon or lavender essential oil and spring water makes a good spray for misting throughout the home. As you spray an aroma, repeat to yourself a few simple words, such as a wish for health. With your positive thinking, you can also keep in mind good health for your friends and family, as well as any person that may enter your home. Following these simple Feng Shui tips, you may just find yourself feeling healthier and better than you ever have before.

About the Author: Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Source: www.isnare.com

Enhance Love In Your
Home And Personal Life
Using Feng Shui

By Candace Czarny

Love is an essential element of many people's life, without which they feel an absence of balance and harmony in their every day pursuits. The ancient philosophy of Feng Shui can bring a positive improvement to all aspects of your life, including love. Feng Shui and love may bring a sense of peace and understanding that will help you find success throughout life. Learning how to incorporate Feng Shui into your life one piece at a time may help you achieve greater love, both romantically, for yourself, and for others. The balance that love brings to your life is important in living healthily and successfully.

The love center of the home is an important concept when it comes to Feng Shui and love. Learning the exact location of your home's love center will enable you to invigorate the chi in this area, leading to better luck when it comes to love and better Feng Shui throughout your home. The love center of a house is in the far right corner as you enter. The love center can also be the far right corner of each particular room as you enter into it. Following the practice of Feng Shui, you should place an important earth object in this love center. An earth object includes items such as rocks or crystals. Other items that are appropriate to place in this area of your house and that can increase positive chi include decorative pots, candles, flowers, and depictions of the sun. Earth objects placed in strategic areas of your home such as the love center are believed to increase Feng Shui and love for the occupants of the house.

There are a few extra guidelines when it comes to placing objects in the love center of your home and increasing Feng Shui and love in your personal life. For example, wood is not considered a good choice of an earth object and should be avoided in the love area. Flowers and plants are a great choice, including silk flowers, but dried flowers should never be used. Dried flowers or plants can represent the end of a relationship and can have a negative effect on your home's Feng Shui and love.

If you are trying to optimize the Feng Shui and love in your home and personal life, you should keep in mind a few areas of the house where you should pay special attention to levels of chi. The bathroom is an area of the home associated with negative chi. To combat this negative chi and promote positive chi here, place live plants or flowers in the area. You can also consider hanging chimes directly above the toilet. These simple steps will help to eliminate the negative chi that is associated with the bathroom.

Of course the bedroom is an area of the house that is associated with Feng Shui and love. In order to pursue successful romantic relationships, you want to create an area of positive chi in your bedroom. To do this, keep the bedroom free of clutter, including the closet. Unnecessary objects crowding your living spaces can produce negative chi. Also, remove any objects that point to a past relationship, such as pictures and other mementos. These items will prevent future loves to blossom into all that they can be. You may even want to remove the bed that you have shared with a past lover in order to have the best chances at a successful future love.

Other objects to keep out of your bedroom in order to find the best Feng Shui and love are items that promote activities that have nothing to do with love or relationships. These items may include the television, the computer, or exercise equipment. While live plants and flowers are good objects to increase chi in other areas of the house, they should be avoided in the bedroom. Plants and flowers are believed to bring the level of male chi in this room too high. What you are striving for in the bedroom when it comes to Feng Shui and love a balance of ying and yang. This brings harmony between the feminine and masculine components. To find this harmony, decorate with the masculine in mind if your are a woman and with the feminine in mind if you are a man. As a result, you will find an excellent balance of chi in the bedroom.

By incorporating all of these Fengh Shui and love tips throughout your house, you will be creating a positive chi environment that encourages love and relationships to flourish. Not only will you find yourself experiencing more successful romantic relationships, but love between friends, family, and others will be increased. By designing with Feng Shui and love in mind, such as paying attention to love centers and problematic areas for negative chi, you will be rewarded with long-lasting and loving relationships.

About the Author: Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!

Source: www.isnare.com

Any Feng Shui Ideas to Share?