By Diane Alba-Means
Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art and science of placement is based on the belief that vital energy, called Chi, is flowing everywhere. How this Chi moves in and around a building and what kind of effect that it has on people, will sometimes be in conflict with interesting architecture or landscape design.
Feng Shui is inspired by nature, with meandering winding paths through gardens and groupings in odd numbers. I have seen entrances where hedges and pathways create long straight lines toward a door. The symmetry is obvious with these designs, but it is not necessarily harmonious or balanced from a Feng Shui point of view. Another example would be two windows or doors lined up exactly opposite from each other. Even though this would seem balanced through symmetry from a designer’s training, this arrangement allows the chi (vital energy) to move either too quickly through the room, or the room may leak it’s vitality too soon.
Many homes have a spectacular view from the entrance that goes all the way through to the back showing views of the ocean, mountains or garden. Once again, the incoming energy will make a bee – line for the back, causing the Chi to escape too quickly. As the result of this type of house, the occupants will have a difficult time saving their money.
Staircases are another design feature that are a conduit for energy. A grand, swirling staircase can make a huge statement for the room or entrance, but the energy will swirl and activate whatever it is around. If the stairs happen to be located in a positive section of a building, they can make it more positive, but if it is located in a negative area, then the movement they stir up will only further irritate the area. This can only be understood by Feng Shui practitioners who can calculate the “unseen” influences.
Balancing the vital energy will make a difference on how comfortable or “at home” you feel when you walk into a room. Without that balance we often feel uneasy and don’t know exactly why. Today, those who intentionally use Feng Shui to balance the Chi in their lives have discovered many benefits of living in harmony with their personal environments, such as creating wonderful business opportunities, experiencing good health, an increase in personal happiness, and more abundance with regards to wealth and prosperity in their lives.
© Copyright, Diane Alba-Means, Hawaii Feng Shui 2005