Six easy ways to use Feng Shui in your home

Wondering what feng shui is? In this blog I’ll share with you what I have learnt, and six easy ways to use feng shui in your home

According to National Geographic, feng shui is ‘an ancient Chinese art of arranging buildings, objects, and space in an environment to achieve harmony and balance.’ It means “the way of wind and water.” It has roots in early Taoism and is still popular today, all over the world.

The Taoist belief is that life force, or chi, inhabits everything. Heard of yin and yang? These are opposing but complementary forces and by balancing them, you can improve the flow of positive chi in your life and keep those negative vibes away. 

So the idea is that you can do this by arranging your furniture and decorations in a beneficial way.

The ancient Chinese people believed that arranging things to create positive chi will ensure good health, improve interpersonal relationships, and bring luck and prosperity.

Are you with me? Read on …..

I discovered, from www.invaluable.com, that there are five important elements of feng shui: wood (growth & creativity), metal (logic & intelligence), earth (stability & balance), water (wisdom & serenity), and fire (passion & energy)

So how do you incorporate these elements in your home?

Add something made of wood – furniture or a wood sculpture

Something metal – in a picture frame maybe or a modern vase?

Earth – in a living plant

Water – any reflective surface like a mirror.  An aquarium is great if you’re a big fan of tiny fish and don’t mind the cost and maintenance.  Not my thing.  But I do like a beautiful mirror.

Fire – candles!  Who doesn’t like a beautifully scented candle.  Or that soft glow from candles on a cold (or romantic) night.

Finally, here are six easy ways to use feng shui in your home and improve harmonious energy

#1           Make a good impression with your front door.

A welcoming front door attracts energy into your home. How about yours – does it need a lick of paint?  What do visitors see when they open the door?  Is your entrance or porch a bright welcoming space or a dumping ground for shoes and coats?  I used a nice woven basket to pop my outdoor shoes in – instant clutter relief!

Which brings me to….

#2           Clear the clutter. (This is common sense, really)

Clearing out cupboards and drawers, getting rid of all that stuff that you’ve kept ‘just in case’. I confess to keeping random cables and screws, just in case.  Will I ever use them?  Probably not!  It makes sense that de-cluttering gives you room to breathe and to clear your head. Plus it clears a path for all that good energy to flow!

#3.          Make use of crystals.

I know this sounds a bit woowoo – and I completely understand if that side of crystals is not your thing.  However, crystals can be purely decorative (I have a beautiful angel carved from white quartz). And if they happen to have the right chi element as well, that’s an easy win!  Use rose quartz for love, tourmaline for protection, or citrine for healing and wealth.

#4.          Make sure air and light can get in.

Air is a key component to the meaning of feng shui.  A combination of natural light and air will bring in good energy and rejuvenation. (Again, this is common sense!  A room that is stuffy and dark is not uplifting in any way)

#5           Place the bed and desk towards doorways.

‘Facing the entrance increases power and minimizes vulnerability.’ Okay – but in our modern houses, space can be tricky.  My home office is tiny and it’s simply not feasible for my desk to face the door.  So it faces the window where I can pause writing my blog to watch the birds in my lilac tree.  I don’t think that’s a negative!

#6.          Add a natural element.

Decorate rooms with a houseplant. They improve the energy, increase health and naturally purify the air.  Do they die on you?  Perhaps you can consider plants like air plants or succulents that are attractive but need very little care.  (Faux plants and flowers with lots of uplifting greens work for me – getting that pop of joy every day when you see them is all positive energy, right? Yep!)

I’d love to know what you think. 

And if you would like more tips and ideas, join my VIP subscribers.  Click HERE and you’ll be among those fabulous people who get first dibs on any special offers and launches, info on home style trends, a bit of self care and generally celebrating the positive!

PS If you’re interested in learning more about feng shui, this website is a good starting point (There’s loads in the internet world – including different schools and disciplines!)