Feng Shui 101
Just the words themselves, Feng Shui, feel mystical and mysterious. They conjure up the illusion of Eastern allure. They are not typically words that come up in everyday conversation, well at least not here in Johns Creek, GA. More than likely not where you live either. I am pretty sure there are many of you that are reading this that are not sure what Feng Shui is. Perhaps you think it is the art of specific furniture placement, or even an Asian inspired spiritual design concept.
Feng Shui: the literal translation is wind and water. It is practiced to help remove blockages the flow of qi. Qi being the life-force that every person or “thing” has. This is true for either an individual, family or a space. The end result is to resonate the destiny of man to his environment ensuring that they live in harmony with their surroundings. Favorable and unfavorable impacts are taken into consideration with the building of a new construction or implementing cures to a building that is already built. A happy and healthy home is the desired end result.
This family room is an example of fire with the use of decor to enhance the room’s element properties.
What do you really need to know about Feng Shui? Simple! The practice of Feng Shui is the balance of the five elements of Water, Fire, Wood, Metal and Earth with its surroundings. What it really does is enhance your wellbeing: health, career, luck, relationships, fame and reputation, children luck, travel and knowledge/spirituality. Are you going to ask me to give you scientific proof on how it all works? Don’t bother, I don’t know those answers! This isn’t math, yes, there are formulas and rules to follow but it isn’t logically explained. As much with much of life you need faith and belief. Feng Shui isn’t mumbo jumbo , witchery or witchcraft. It is real and uses ying and yang (masculine and feminine) energy to correct imbalance and promote a specific response. All you need to do is have the correct intention when implementing Feng Shui within your home and watch as your luck is enhanced. Be ready, be prepared, you will see it and feel a difference. Be mindful accept those changes. You can be offered luck in your life but you have to accept them into your life yourself. What fortune is brought to you, you need to welcome in.
A room decorated with the water element. Here we are elevating water though the colors, the wavy lines in the rug an the curved lines in the table. The wallpaper brings a contemporary look with an accent wall. The accents of metallic colors use the metal element to enhance the water properties. Chesterfield sofas bring a traditional look to the room tying in with the antique Chinese table. The mix of modern and old material work well here to fortify the water element.
I have never really thought of myself as a hippie free spirit sort of person, certainly not a flower power child of Mother Earth. But I am someone that is open to new ideas and experiences. I can acknowledge the beauty in something I don’t 100% understand. I can appreciate artwork that may seem far out there, not for what it is “meant” to mean but for what emotions it conjures up in me.
I would say it is a thirst of knowledge that brought me to my love of Feng Shui. With both of my pregnancies I dealt with incredibly harsh morning sickness. You know the type, it doesn’t end in the morning or after the first 12 weeks. It continued throughout the day and into the third trimester. I was pregnant what could I do? I had to find a way to get out of bed, keep food down and without taking medication. So, I turned to alternative therapies. For me that was Reiki and acupuncture. When there are not a lot of options open to you, you become very keen to try any avenue that may work. And guess what? They did! I am not saying the sickness magically disappeared but it dissipated. Pregnancy number two was whilst I was living in Shanghai. I felt just as sick this time but had even more obstacles. There was no way I could keep being sent to the hospital. I had a two year old that was completely dependent on me, a husband who travelled out of town for business, and no family member on the same continent. I decided to not only seek treatment but also to learn about the art of healing. I was after all living in a country with vast knowledge and history of alternative medicine and the belief of energy (qi) and the influence it has over our lives.
There is no mystery how Feng Shui came into my life. It was most definitely the case of being in the right place at the right time. I had begun my journey into exploring alternative medicine, I had the chance to explore and expand on new knowledge. A situation of being forced to look outside of what I already knew. Honestly, how much luckier could I get? To be introduced to Feng Shui in the homeland where it originated and had been practiced for several thousands of years? I had the luxury of that knowledge and experience being taught directly to me. Being an expat you have an incredible opportunity to learn from new cultures that we did not grow up in. It is a remarkable blessing for those of us that get to experience this lifestyle. We get to absorb and take with us the best of all the new cultures we see, what resonates with us; and take it with us wherever we end up living in the world.
The biggest compliment I can give to the practice of Feng Shui is that complete strangers can feel the vibe. I have had numerous contractors enter my home for various projects take the time to tell me they feel great energy in the home. It’s not the normal conversation you have with a stranger. Even my bug-man took the time to come back to the house and ring the doorbell to tell me he felt incredibly at peace in my home. What can you say but thanks? I feel it, my family feels it, my friends feel it and strangers feel it. Feng Shui works. Try it out and see what it can do for you. What have you got to lose? You have so much to gain!