Module:2 Fundamentals of Feng Shui for a Happy, Balanced Life 18 P a g e
In this module, you will be introduced to what is called balance and really begin to learn how two forces can impact each other to understand what impact this can have on the space. You will begin by learning about clutter and how it is intimately related with chaos in your life. You will then learn more about chi, the force that drives all life, and the importance of balance in space to ensure chi has space to move. In section three, you will be introduced to the ancient Yin and Yang symbol and learn its significance in FengShui as a guiding principle of balance. Section four covers objects and FengShui cures as well as a brief overview of how to choose and place them. Finally, you will conclude with a brief note on finding balance and how this principle must be at the forefront of your mind and intentions when practicing the art of FengShui. 2.1 Clutter and Chaos 2.2 Chi and Balance 2.3 Yin, Yang and Tao 2.4 Object Placement 2.5 Finding Balance 2.1 Clutter and Chaos Before diving into this module, perform the following exercise: Close your eyes and imagine walking into a room that is filled with objects. Every surface is covered with things. Some of them are useful while others could easily be thrown away. There are clothes 19 P a g e
hanging on the back of chairs, papers and dishes covering the table, books and magazines on the sofa and shoes scattered across the floor. Now, think about how you feel when entering that room. Do you feel cool, calm and collected or do you feel stressed and overwhelmed? Think about how you feel and write it down. You ll return to it at the end of this section. 20 P a g e
There is a good chance that your feelings in a cluttered room are negative. That is completely normal. In FengShui, clutter is associated with chaos. In fact, clutter can be one of the most important things getting in the way of your life because it blocks the positive energy in the room that would otherwise be the source of positive things in your life. Clutter represents decisions that are put off and your inability to make a decision and move forward with your life. In other words, if you want to use FengShui in the design of a room, the clutter has got to go. Here are a few ways to keep a design or room free from unnecessary objects: 1.Think About What You Have and Why You Have It Before you decide to add an object to a room, think about what the object is, what it represents to you and why you need to keep it. By doing this you will be able to better rationalize the décor and objects you keep in a room. It will allow you to find the pieces that are full of negative energy before they even enter the room. It also helps you prioritize only the positive things in your life. 2.Remove All Clutter from Greeting Spaces 21 P a g e
When you first enter the home or the room, you are in a place called the greeting space. This space has the ability to set up your entire experience of a space and it is especially important to keep this clutter free. Yet, these are the spaces that become chaotic quickly. The first thing you do when you enter your home is remove your outer layers, put down your belonging and kick off your shoes. If you re not careful, you ll find that your greeting space is filled with things that are essential for your life but create chaos in your space. To combat this, explore ways of designing the room where you can easily organize your belongings to prevent clutter. Additionally, find ways to keep the clutter in check by moving your dumping area into another space that is away from your greeting space. 3.Keep the High Traffic Areas Clutter Free There are three rooms in the home that feature high traffic: the bathroom, the family room and the kitchen. It is essential for these places to be clear of clutter. Doing so can transform these spaces from the source of stress into a wonderful spaces that promote growth, togetherness and productivity. 4.Keep Clutter Out of the Bedroom The average human spends 30% of their life in their bedroom. In fact, you ll spend more time at home sleeping than you will on any other activity. Because of this, you probably already know how a bedroom can play a key role in the quality of sleep you achieve. Since clutter represents negative energy and negative energy is chaotic, you must keep clutter out of the bedroom. 22 P a g e
Clearing clutter in the bedroom does not mean hiding everything you think you need to keep under your bed. It means removing any visual clutter, like work related objects, televisions, computers, storage items and exercise equipment. You should also clean out your closet, getting rid of unnecessary things. For more details on what to get rid of and when, see steps five through seven. 5.Clear Out Anything that is Broken Broken objects represent one of the worst types of clutter because it is negative energy related to brokenness. Having too many items in disrepair in the home can result in the inhabitants of the space feeling just like that broken object. If something is broken, decide in the moment whether it is worth fixing. If it isn t, dispose of it appropriately and quickly. If it is, fix it now. 6.Get Rid of the Things You Don t Like Keeping things you do not like makes very little sense and is bad form in the practice of FengShui. Whenever you look at something you don t like, you harbor negative energy. 7.Remove Anything You Don t Use 23 P a g e
Items that have positive energy are items that are used frequently. They are alive, useful and make life easier. Things that just sit around are dead, and death represents negativity. Thus, it is important that you get rid of anything that you have not used in the last year. 8.Perform a Deep Clean with Natural Cleaners You will remember from the first introduction that FengShui is concerned with your health. This is why FengShui specialists also recommend removing small clutter by doing a deep clean of the space. Get rid of the harsh chemicals in your cleaner and opt for natural cleaners instead to help keep your air quality healthy. Once the clutter is removed, clean out drawers, wipe down appliances and clean all the important surfaces in your home to remove micro-clutter like dust, dirt and other particles that can bring you down. Exercise At the beginning of the module, you closed your eyes and pictured how you would feel walking into a cluttered space. Since then, you ve learned about all of the ways to de-clutter that space to improve the flow of energy in the room and improve your life in general. But getting rid of all of that stuff may feel daunting, especially when there are so many decisions to be made. Do not worry. That is the clutter talking. To demonstrate how clutter can prevent you from trying to improve your life, perform the same exercise now. This time think about how you feel walking into a 24 P a g e
room that has received the gift of FengShui. It is clean, balanced and both the energy and your body are able to traverse through it. How do you feel? Happy?Calm? Relaxed? Ready to take on the world? Whatever it is, it is likely a marked difference from how you felt in the cluttered room. Keep this in mind whenever you are struggling to make decisions about the objects in the space that need to stay to be certain that they don t actually need to go. 2.2 Chi and Balance Chi is central to the practice of FengShui and to Taoism. As described in module one, chi is the force behind all life. It is the invisible force that animates everything in the universe. In order for you to have a successful and healthy life, it is imperative that your chi is free-flowing and balanced. It must not be blocked or built up in certain areas while leaving other areas of your life neglected. When this happens, chi becomes imbalanced and stagnant and can lead to spiritual and physical diseases. Chi does not just apply to humans but to every single thing in the universe. It applies to natural landscapes just as much as it applies to the things that humans build. Just as chi needs to flow freely through your life, it also needs to flow freely through your home. This is the call of the practitioner of FengShui: to set up a man-made structure in such a way that the imbalance of chi is restored to a healthy or natural balance by using various remedies. 25 P a g e
In FengShui, chi is manifested in the yin and yang (which will be discussed in section three). The yin and yang demonstrate how the universe is balanced. Chi also manifests itself in the five elements: earth, fire, metal, water and wood. You can also find chi manifested in other important areas of FengShui like color, shape and intensity because of their different associations with the elements. Basically, each element is required for good FengShui because each element brings its own qualities of chi into the space. As you have learned, the goal of FengShui is to bring chi into your home and allow it to flow in a way that supports balance. Including the different types of chi allows that balance to take place. Using all of the elements maintains the quality of the chi you have around you, keeping it vibrant, fresh and always in support of your goals. Feeling Chi Chi is an invisible force and thus, those who are not looking for it may not see it. Perceiving chi is a skill and it is a central tenant of Taoism and FengShui. For some, the ability to feel or see chi comes naturally while others have to work for it. However, because it is a skill, anyone who is willing can work on their abilities and become someone who notices chi and thus has the ability to correct it when it is imbalanced. 26 P a g e
To start a practice of the perception of chi, begin with your own body. Although the human body is a solid form that can be seen, heard, touched and smelled, the body is actually made up of water. In reality, your body is a fluid designed to fit in with the fluidity of the world, which also appears solid at first glance. When you think of your body this way, it is easier to see how a person is made up as patterns of energy and the flow of chi. This premise helps you understand and accept change and allows you to feel the joy in adapting to nature and looking for energy patterns. 2.3 Yin, Yang, and Tao The yin yang symbol is the most recognizable ancient Chinese symbol and is one of the oldest remnants of ancient China as the earliest yin and yang symbol was found on a set of oracle bones used for divination practices dated to the 14 th century B.C. The yin yang symbol is an important part of what is called the Tao. The Tao is the principle that recognizes how the universe works. According to the Tao, everything in the universe is a duality or divided into two opposite principles, i.e. yin and yang. 27 P a g e
The yin yang symbol is surrounded by an outline of a circle which represents everything in the universe or the entirety of existence. The colored areas, white and black, represent yin and yang. The shapes in the circle symbolize how the two energies in the duality interact and how that interaction is the catalyst for every event in the universe. The curves and flowing nature of the shapes explain that the universe is constantly changing and mediating back and forth between yin and yang. Yin The yin is the dark area of the symbol. It is the feminine side and includes qualities like: Cold Completion Contradicting Dark Death Downward Moon Night Passive Receptive Weak 28 P a g e
Yang The yang is represented by the white color in the symbol. It is masculine and is the symbol for qualities like: Activity Bright 29 P a g e
Day Dominance Expanding Forcefulness Heat Heaven Strong Sun Yin and Yang as a Duality Essentially, yin and yang are designed to explain the dualities inherent in the universe and how these dualities interact with each other. They explain life and death, hot and cold, day and night, land and ocean, power and submission and wealth and poverty. Yin and Yang in FengShui Yin and yang is important in FengShui because nature requires balanced energy in order to be healthy. The space cannot have too much passive energy (yin) nor can it have too much active energy (yang) if it is to be harmonious. In FengShui, yin is characterized by soft sounds and imagines like the soft music or a small water feature as well as soothing images. Yang is characterized by vibrant features like bright lights. A general rule suggest that you should only design a place for one or two cures at any given time. You want to do this because having too many cures can throw off your success and clutter your space. Essentially, it is possible to have too much of a good thing in the realm of FengShui. Choose the most important cure for the space first and then choose a second. However, avoid choosing a second cure unless the first cure will also benefit from it. To choose that cure, create a list of priorities for your life and for the space. Priorities can be listed according to the bagua map and will include: Abundance and Prosperity Family and Elders Skills and Knowledge Fame and Reputation Health Center Career and Journey Relationships and Love Creativity and Children Helpful People and Travel 30 P a g e
To determine which of these are the highest priority for the space, ask yourself some of the following questions related to each square. The areas which feature the most no answers are the areas which require the most work and should be high on your list of priorities for cures. Abundance and Prosperity: Would you consider yourself a fortunate person? Do you spend your money well? Would you consider yourself a lucky person? Do the things you require tend to show up just when they are needed? Are your finances in a good place? Family and Elders Do you have a strong relationship with your parents? Do you have a strong relationship with another elder? 31 P a g e
Are you able to easily let go of things? Do you respect authority figures? Skills and Knowledge Do you like spending time alone? Do you enjoy learning new things? Do you have a strong understanding of the sacred aspects of life? Do you consider yourself to be intelligent and wise? Do you have the skills required to follow your dreams? Fame and Reputation Is your level of self-esteem high? Do you feel valued on a regular basis? Do others recognize and respect your work? Do you feel confident in your own abilities? Are you courageous enough to follow your own path? Health Center Is your health in good form? Do you heal from injuries and illness quickly? Do you feel energetic in the morning? Does your life feel balanced? 32 P a g e
Career and Journey Are you passionate about your vocation? Is your work fulfilling? Do you enjoy trying new things? Do you feel like anything is possible for you? Do you think you have found purpose in life? Relationships and Love Do you have strong and fulfilling relationships? Are you social? Are you in a relationship that is happy? 33 P a g e
Are you able to trust those you are in relationships with? Is the romance you are experiencing the one you desire? Creativity and Children Do you feel creative? Is life exciting? Are your relationships with children joyful? Are you curious? Will you be able to conceive children with few problems? Helpful People and Travel Are your close friends supportive? Do you help or mentor others? Are there visible and invisible angles in your life? Do you travel as frequently as you desire? Are you able to accept help from other people? 34 P a g e
Placing FengShui Cures When you begin placing the cure, be sure to do so with intention. Don t place the cure wherever feels suitable. Even the act of putting the cure down should be meaningful by contemplating what you want to achieve for the cure. Make sure you are also expressing gratitude for the cure before it is happened by thanking it for healing that is to come. You can find further guidance on placing cures in individual rooms in module three, four and five. 35 P a g e
2.5 Finding Balance Balance is an essential part of life and when one part of your life is thrown off center the rest of it can soon follow suit. 36 P a g e
Practitioners of FengShui aim to use this art to help create balanced spaces, which promote balanced lives in turn. It is effective because the environment you live in is a mirror of your life. When the space is disorganized and unbalanced, there is a good chance that your life does not look very different. The goal of FengShui is to create a personalized plan for the placement of the objects in your home to create personal balance for those who live within it. It is important to remember that the emphasis on personalization is important because in order for it to work, FengShui must be perfectly adapted to your mind and life and be focused on the restorative cures that mean the most to you. Although there are guidelines and rules, there is no singular cure that will create a balance in every house. Creating balance sounds complex, however, there are a few important basics that are important to master before you begin the personalization process: Light and Dark Try to make sure your space has the appropriate amount of light in the darkness. You don t want areas that are so bright that they are detrimental to your eyes and focus but you also need to find a happy medium with spaces that might otherwise be so dark that you feel tired or lazy. Be sure that you can adjust the light throughout the day so that the light can be dimmed before bed and promote healthy sleep. 37 P a g e
Light and Heavy You need a combination of objects that are light and heavy. If everything in the room is heavy or dense, it represents a heaviness in your life. But if everything is light, it suggests a flimsiness that can be associated with being ungrounded. Finding a balance promotes a sense of stability but still encourages motion. Bring in Nature The home is a place to take refuge from nature. However, tuning nature out entirely can result in forgetting the beauty that is out there. A touch of nature by the way of a soundtrack or water feature can allow you to achieve the look you desire without forgetting where your foundations are. 38 P a g e