Our home is a mirror of our internal state. We all notice when we enter a space with “good vibes” – we feel so good that we don’t want to leave. It’s comfortable – we feel good, calm, and vital.
Feng Shui says that such a space has good chi energy. Chi energy is the foundation of everything around us. It comes from the depths of the universe and filters through the stars, warming our planet with sunlight, participating in the process of photosynthesis, creating oxygen and food. In essence, we are energy – created tirelessly by our cells that convert sugars and oxygen created by the sun into life energy, giving us strength and impetus for life, movement, development, and mental and emotional processes.
The most famous equation in the world speaks to this: “Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared” – the energy of light, the travel of electrons and photons, mass created by processes driven by light that converts carbon dioxide from the air into delicious vegetables, succulent fruits, and much-needed oxygen. Chi flows through our bodies, surroundings; it drives our thoughts and emotions and all processes in nature. How we feel is a consequence of our relationship with chi energy within and around us. Tension in a stressed body hinders the flow of blood, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid, creating blockages where cells suffer – not receiving oxygen and nutrients, accumulating toxins and waste. Heavy thoughts manifest through the body – as tension, stiffness, or pain.
Similarly, the space around us affects life within us – clutter burdens us, occupies space in our minds, and studies record higher rates of anxiety and insomnia in people who stay in cluttered and untidy spaces. Therefore, it is essential to look at well-being holistically – well-being flows from space to us and from us to the space around us. Good mood and balance encourage us to arrange space, make it harmonious and inspiring – while depression, anger, or anxiety lead to neglect or imbalance in things around us. And vice versa. Tidy and beautiful spaces promote well-being and improve mood almost instantly – as soon as we enter such a space.
What Do We Nurture in Our Homes?
When we look around and observe the space, we can almost regularly recognize the internal state of the person who arranged or inhabits that space. Are things inside in balance, or is there an obvious imbalance? Does it feel sad and heavy or light and joyful? Ancient Chinese wisdom of space arrangement, Feng Shui, deals precisely with how to arrange external space to support the joy, peace, and satisfaction of life within us. To be well, chi around us must flow freely.
Feng Shui teaches us how to relate to ourselves, space, and the things that surround us. It teaches us to connect with the wisdom of nature – to be in harmony with it. If you go into the silence of the forest, you will see harmony – water nourishes plants, plants feed the fire, fire turns them into fertile soil in which life is recreated with the help of microelements and water. From the cycle of nature and its harmony, we can – and must – learn a lot. Because our body is also part of nature and part of its productive cycles.
Feng Shui’s Productive Cycle
Inspired by the harmonious movement of substances in nature and the circulation of energy through all its manifest forms, Feng Shui has developed the teaching of the five elements whose balance in space brings peace, satisfaction, and life force. These are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. Water nourishes wood, wood nourishes fire, fire nourishes earth, and earth metal.
The productive process supports life, and imbalance and unproductive processes are elements that destroy each other, disrupting harmony. Too much fire within us – through emotions of anger and excessive activity – can lead to burnout.
Similarly, too many fire elements – for example, bright colors – can create restlessness, nervousness, or anger. Let the home be freedom, peace, and joy.
Our space, body, and soul are not separate – they are our three homes through which chi energy circulates – productively and balanced or unproductively and destructively with blockages. If we feel out of balance – whether angry or lethargic; overly agile or resigned – it’s almost certain that there is a blockage somewhere that stops the flow of energy. These blockages need to be released – as if we raise a dam and allow chi energy to flow freely through us, cleansing us, and moving us.
For many people, the first step in recovery is arranging space – by releasing clutter from space, we will facilitate the flow of chi energy. And when we get rid of excess, it’s time to bring in things that will bring joy, ease, and encourage the free flow of energy.
Being surrounded by things that make us happy and have positive symbolism can be a significant catalyst for positive change.
Feng Shui and Our 5 Senses
We humans have five senses – each of these senses is part of the puzzle of our experience of the world and the space around us and is used in Feng Shui to create a home that supports us on all levels. Essential oils, textures around us, pleasant music or sounds of birds, rustling wind in the branches, or the murmur of the sea, tasty tea, and a bright ambiance around us send a message to our minds that we are safe and can relax.
And that is the first step to well-being – to have a place where we can shed armor and renew ourselves with the beneficial flow of pure and strong chi energy.
What Feng Shui Can Do for You
Our Western way of arranging space is usually guided by practicality and fashion. We mainly look at the visual appeal of things. But that’s not enough – we are spiritual beings, and our well-being is directly related to aligning with the productive flows of energy in nature.
Feng Shui observes all aspects of our lives and helps us turn our home into a 3D vision board of everything that matters to us. By balancing elements from nature and decorating parts of the apartment according to their symbolism of family, abundance, growth, love, and reputation, our space becomes flowing for chi energy.
Feng Shui helps you create a space that encourages life, growth, and peace through harmony and understanding the very essence of life energy, chi.
