Quick and Simple Feng Shui Gems

By Erica Sofrina, Author of the book Small Changes, Dynamic Results! Feng Shui for the Western World.

At its essence, Feng Shui is a collection of practical, tried and true ideas about how to create living and working environments that support, nurture and guide our lives in a direction that promotes optimum well being.

Who wouldn’t want that?

To westerners the words Feng Shui seem foreign, and sort-of ‘woo-woo’, however, the term in Chinese simply means wind and water. Among other things, it refers to the fact that the elements have an impact upon us and therefore should be strongly considered when we are choosing the best site for a building. It acknowledges something that most of us intuit already; the more we live in harmony with nature the happier our lives are.

A case in point might be New Orleans (and others like it), a city built below sea level. Eventually this poor decision on the part of the original city planners came back to roost.

There are different schools of Feng Shui that can be effectively used for different things. Classical Compass School Feng Shui is the most effective when determining how to place a building on the land. It is a more complex type of Feng Shui and involves Chinese Astrology, a Chinese Compass and other factors which are more complex.

If you are confused by Classical Compass school Feng Shui, there are other forms that are simpler to learn and less esoteric.

A more approachable type of Feng Shui is called Form School. It looks at shapes and forms of land and objects to determine chi or energy flow. I practice a Western version of Form School Feng Shui, which simplifies it further, and brings it down to its most practical, useful common denominator. For those who might be turned off by what feels like superstition, you might want to explore this type of Feng Shui. You can find many articles that apply to every area of your home by clicking here.

The language in Western Form School Feng Shui is positive and explains things logically. Rather than saying something is bad or negative, it points out the practical reasons why the teaching makes sense. The things that are not the optimum things to have in our space are often pretty logical.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Melinda offline K.

6:04PM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

Loved the advice here and if it doesnt make you feel a sense of good energy then pass it on to someone who will love it.

send a green star

Michele W.

10:17AM PDT on Aug 23, 2011

Thank you

CL L.

2:00PM PDT on Aug 16, 2011

Thank you Erica! you have inspired me to continue my declutter one piece at the time and to continue to embrace the positive and wonderful energy of a home in harmony and balance....

Norma V.

4:55AM PDT on Aug 9, 2011

Getting rid of clutter---worth the effort.

Judith C.

12:41PM PDT on Aug 5, 2011

I am so far winning against clutter but it could go either way!

2:05PM PDT on Aug 4, 2011

feng shuiing some points for the animals ...

Roxana C.

6:16AM PDT on Aug 4, 2011

I'm always fighting against clutter, so far it seems to be winning. But I won't give up!

Marjaana V.

8:12PM PDT on Aug 1, 2011

i am presently staying with my daughter and diligently decluttering as it really drives me nuts!

after that.... muahaha... we will feng shui.

:)

love your articles!

Larysa S.

5:22PM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

Thanks for the article! Clutter always makes me feel awful.

Erica S.

3:10PM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

Thank you for your comments Heather. I always stress that you should surround yourself with the colors you love. I resonate with a lot of earth tones, so this is what I surround myself with. You resonate with a different color palette. Please know just because I have a picture of a room it does not mean yours should look just like it. The whole point of Feng Shui is to surround ourselves with the colors and objects we personally love.