Keep Disarray at Bay the Feng Shui Way
A daughter of Western tradition, I have always tended to dismiss anything that couldn't be measured, quantified or scientifically reasoned as mere superstitious nonsense. So, it should come as no surprise that I frequently found myself rolling my eyes at the mention of feng shui--an ancient Chinese practice used to promote optimum well-being by balancing subtle energies in our surroundings. All this hoopla in popular culture and media about feng shui (pronounced "fung shway"), I figured, must be the workings of one giant PR machine breathlessly trumpeting the benefits of this practice for what were, most likely, commercial reasons.
That is, of course, until I had the great fortune of experiencing those benefits firsthand while staying in a hotel in Singapore in the winter of 2001. A hard-driving woman accustomed to running my motor at a hundred miles an hour, I was bewildered with the transformation that took place during my week-long stay. Aside from the warm sunshine, sublime food, and the time away from the ubiquitous laptop, something subtler seemed to be at work. Three years on, I still vividly recall the uncluttered and harmonious atmosphere that permeated the room, fostering a deep sense of tranquility previously unknown to me.
A complex discipline grounded in the harmony of the five elements in nature (wood, fire, earth, metal and water), feng shui's roots go as far back as four millennia in China. Practitioners of feng shui believe that what you place in your environment and how you arrange and balance those items can nurture--or hinder--your sense of well-being. "A room is a blank canvas you can design to elicit any mood or help accomplish any goal," says Alonna Friedman in Delicious Living. But this art is more than just an elaborate design scheme.
Feng shui is "part common sense, part aesthetics, and part mysticism," says Janet Durovchic in the Art of Knowing Where You Are. "[It's] a system for harmonizing homes and offices." Taking as its basic premise the idea that invisible energy fields, or chi, exist in every environment, feng shui seeks to enhance that chi through the proper use and placement of items, colors, scents, sounds and symbolic imagery.
Understanding and respecting chi is essential in the process of creating an environment to assist us in fulfilling our fullest potential: spiritually, intellectually, physically and even financially. Feng shui is certainly not a panacea to the chaos that is life at times, but it helps us create a serene and balanced space where energy flows freely.
The magic of this art can prove critical in the two areas where we spend the vast majority of our time: our home and our office space. And if your office space happens to be inside your home, the advice below will help you maintain an even better balance. Because feng shui can be a vast, multi-layered practice, what follows is mostly an initial glimpse at a discipline that, if and when applied correctly, can help you create a warm, comfortable and harmonious environment.
Home sweet home
The primary objective of this art is to transform your home into a safe haven; a place where the woes and worries of the world melt away and you are able to connect with your inner soul. Feng shui's most elementary lesson, thus, must deal with the first and foremost enemy of peace and serenity in a home: clutter.
Experts are quick to state that if we are to follow one piece of advice and one only, it should be the need to de-clutter our environments. In our modern-day culture, we seem to have allowed our homes to drown in a sea of junk, with waves of appliances, gadgets, and ubiquitous mail-order catalogues creeping their way into our hallways, attics and rooms.
"For a place to be tranquil, it first needs to be in balance as well as have a gentle, meandering flow of energy," says Holly Fairchild, founder of Vancouver-based Simply Feng Shui. Areas of the home that are unbalanced and jam-packed with old, unnecessary or unexamined items can lead to "stagnant" chi, draining mental and physical vitality.
Whether it is a complete overhaul of your current organizing system or just a few spring-cleaning tidbits, you can put an end to clutter madness. "I realize that we all need to hold on to certain stuff, " says Nancy SantoPietro, the author of Feng Shui and Health, "but just make sure [your environment] is organized, and that it contains only things you truly need." When crucial avenues in our home, or as SantoPietro calls them "veins and arteries" are blocked with clutter, it is "analogous to having high amounts of cholesterol in your blood. It clogs up the life force arteries in your home in the same exact way," resulting in an array of chaos.
Surely, feng shui in the home does not just stop there. Once you've tossed aside the "visual noise," bring in elements that mirror nature. Pacifying your home with the echoes of nature makes a great deal of sense, considering that many of feng shui's principles are predicated upon observations of nature over thousands of years, says consultant Valerie Samson, in Feng Shui and Seasons of Change.2 Nature is the essence of life. One way to get chi flowing in your home is to douse it with plants, a major "life-force adjustment" according to experts. Plants celebrate our relationship to the living, breathing world of nature. Lastly, keep in mind one of feng shui's golden rules regarding plants: discard any dry, dying or artificial plants to avoid stagnant chi.
Undoubtedly, the plant kingdom is boundless in its healing properties. Since ancient times, civilizations like the Egyptians or Chinese have made use of scented oils to help restore the imbalances of our bodies and immediate surroundings. Adding a few drops of essential oils such as lavender, chamomile, bergamot or clary sage into a diffuser can "help us make pleasant associations, easing tension, and fostering a deep sense of relaxation," says Michele Williams, pharmacist and founder of Aroma Rx, Inc.3 The essential oils can be experienced in other ways as well, such as baths, steam inhalers or during a massage.
A reawakening of the senses, though, must be complete. And in this regard, sound and color play an equally important role in a balanced space. Bring in sounds that echo nature, says Minnesota based feng shui specialist Valentyna Wittrock. "You can introduce those by placing small fountains, chimes or bells into your home."4 When you are in harmony with nature--a nourishing and purifying life-source--you can more easily achieve a tranquil mood. Placing a fish aquarium (the bigger the better) at the entrance of the home is also auspicious to enhancing chi. The sound and ambulation of gurgling water activates chi, breathing life into any room. To top it all off, be sure to use soft, sensuous colors for the bedroom and colors that evoke a sense of serenity in you for the rest of the home. Keep drapes and curtains open to ensure all of these living elements soak up the sun--the ultimate life-giver in Feng Shui.
Office sweet office
We have been trained to think of offices as aseptic, cold spaces. However, the flow of energy--both positive and negative--knows no limits, and this includes our office space. Many office spaces often feel cramped and claustrophobic. Think office and you're likely to conjure up images of elbow-high clutter on desktops, overflowing cabinets and wires, machines and gadgets, or as I'd like to call them, "electronic smog." Perhaps no other place in the North American landscape is more in need of de-cluttering than our office space. Begin by de-cluttering your desk: only an organized desk can lead to an organized mind and thereby to increased productivity. A desk need not be spick and span, but clean and tidy enough to avoid any distractions. Sofia Shershunovich of Anthony Mora Communications Inc., believes de-cluttering does the trick when it comes to getting out of a dry spell in her business. "Every time I clear up the office, I get new clients," she says. "Whenever something is in the wrong place, or the place is in a clutter, my life is a mess."5
Now that your desk is neatly organized, free from unnecessary piles and accessories, be sure to place it in the right position. "One of the most important things to look at in an office is to ensure that the person's desk is in the power position, which means to be facing the door when seated at the desk," says Fairchild. "This will put the person's nervous system at rest and enable them to focus on the work at hand." World-class photographer Mark Sincevich, recently had his home office "feng shuied," which he contends led his business to flourish. Freeing up space in the office by bringing the desks from against the walls to the center of the room allowed he and his wife, a holistic health counselor, to "be in power positions by facing the entrance, and it produced dramatic and positive changes," says he.6
Just as they do in our home environment, plants play an essential role in the office. By clearing the air of electronic overload, they can help increase our productivity and reduce brain sluggishness. To diffuse the electromagnetic pollution and keep the energy moving, place a plant by electronic appliances. Plants such as pothos, which are easy to keep alive for long periods of time, will be a great aid. By staying in touch with nature, you'll soothe a stressful working environment and thereby increase your output.
The same can be said of colors. Fortunately, there is an easy way to counteract the gray or white malady that seems to permeate our offices: just bring in the color to your workstation! Colorful artwork, with red and orange hues, as opposed to a serene meadow scene, says Fairchild will promote mental activity. Wittrock echoes similar efforts: "Artworks should be vibrant and full of energy and life. Energy is what will foster productivity."
As an additional perk, feng shui expert and owner of Yamaguchi Salons Melissa Yamaguchi recommends placing a red material underneath the phone to activate calls. And last, but certainly not the least, bathe your office in a sufficient amount of natural light. Fluorescent lights that typically flood our offices are unnatural, stifle thought processes and drain our energy.
Making these simple changes will create a nourishing flow of chi in your space. The goal is not only to create a safe, supportive and nourishing environment where you can live and work more comfortably, and productively, but also to bring you to a higher spiritual plane by honoring nature. Adopt a few or all of these "cures," and see the positive and dynamic changes in your space--and your life. And as Linda Yamaguchi advised me: if stumped, you can always enlist the help of an expert.
What are you waiting for?
1 Interview with Holly Fairchild of Simply Feng Shui (www.simplyfengshui.com) 2 Valerie Samson, Feng Shui and Seasons of Change. 3 Interview with Michele Williams, founder of Aroma Rx, Inc. 4 Interview with Valentyna Wittrock, feng shui specialist, astrologer, master of reiki, and psychoanalysis expert. 5 Email exchange with Sofia Shershunovich on firsthand experience with feng shui. 6 Email exchange with Mark Sincevich on firsthand experience with feng shui.
