Some feng shui cures are practical, such as positioning your furniture in comfortable seating arrangements. Others are symbolic, such as placing a circular area rug on your floor to promote harmony among family members. Many remedies, however, combine practical and symbolic aspects and therefore work on both levels.
A circular dining or conference table is a good example. This is considered to be the friendliest shape because it eliminates the hierarchical “head” and “foot” positions characteristic of a rectangular table. Additionally, people seated around a circular table can see and converse with each other more easily than they could at a rectangular one. Studies have shown that when people sit at a round table, they are more likely to exercise give-and-take and compromise than when they sit at a rectangular table, hence the term “round table discussion.” The circle’s symbolism—harmony and unity—is reiterated in functional terms.
Eliminating clutter, which is one of the most powerful and common feng shui cures, is both practical and symbolic. From a practical standpoint, when your home or office is neat and orderly, you can work more efficiently and effectively. As a result, this cure helps you become more prosperous. Symbolically, getting rid of old things you no longer need opens up space for new riches to come into your life. The Universe, it’s said, abhors a vacuum and will immediate begin to fill it.
Here’s an amusing story of how feng shui “decluttering” brought an immediate financial reward to one woman I know. This woman tended to be a bit of a pack rat. The drawers in her kitchen were crammed with all sorts of stuff—so much, in fact, that some of them no longer opened and she couldn’t even remember what was in them. When a mutual friend of ours (who is neat in the extreme) visited her, he offered to help her clean out and organize her kitchen drawers. Among the clutter, they found $148 in loose change!
CONSCIOUS AND SUBCONSCIOUS CURES
Usually, feng shui cures affect us subconsciously as well as consciously. A good example is increasing the amount of light in your office in order to stimulate ch’i and prosperity. Good lighting enables you to see clearly so that you can perform tasks more effectively—this is the conscious part of the cure. Subconsciously, light stimulates serotonin production in the brain’s hypothalamus, which tends to make you feel more positive and energetic.
The same is true of cures that involve color. Psychological studies have shown that we respond physically to colors, albeit on a subconscious level. When test subjects are seated in a red room, their systems are stimulated. Body temperature, heart rate, and respiration increase, and the subjects tend to overestimate the amount of time they’ve been in the room. By contrast, people placed in a blue room become more relaxed. Temperature, heart rate, and respiration slow. These subjects usually underestimate the length of time they’ve been in the blue room.
We also attach psychological significances to colors. Pink is usually considered a “feminine” color, and many men avoid it for that reason—but in the past, pink was the color associated with young boys. Red is often thought of as a passionate and exciting color, while dark blue is viewed as a sober and serious one. Many of these color connections are cultural. In the West, white is associated with purity; black is linked with mourning. But in China, white is the color of mourning and black is connected with wealth. Because this book is written for Westerners, I tend to offer feng shui cures in Part Two that draw on Western psychological conditioning and associations. However, I also suggest a number of cures that use Chinese color symbolism, especially red (the color of good luck) and black, because I’ve found that they work.
Cures involving scents function in a similar manner. As the healing art of aromatherapy has demonstrated, scents affect the limbic system of the brain—the part that’s associated with memories and emotions, which is why the aroma of cookies baking can trigger a childhood memory of grandma. Shifts in brain wave activity in response to certain scents can be measured electronically. Because fragrances affect us physically as well as psychologically, they can be powerful when used as feng shui cures.
Cures that act as subconscious motivators are very effective and prevalent in feng shui. These remedies utilize the power of suggestion to focus and strengthen your intention, even if you aren’t consciously aware of what’s happening. Subconscious motivational devices are often used by people who are trying to get healthy, break bad habits, overcome insomnia, and for lots of other purposes as well. Affirmations—short, positive statements that you repeat often to encourage a desired condition or overcome an unwanted one—are popular subconscious motivators. In Part Two, I recommend displaying brief phrases or single words, such as “wealth” or “good luck,” in a place where you will see them often in order to impress your objective on the subconscious.
Symbols and pictures can also be powerful motivational tools. As advertising clearly demonstrates, we respond in predictable ways to images that trigger our subconscious minds and emotions. The process of association is what makes these images effective. For example, a company might link a particular drink with fun by showing a picture of a group of friends having a good time while drinking its product. When we see this image, we subconsciously connect the product with happiness and friendship. Feng shui uses pictures that represent desired conditions in much the same way—to trigger your subconscious and motivate it to get you what that picture represents. The more vivid and personal the image is, the better it works.
TYPES OF CURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
Feng shui cures act in different ways and are designed to correct different conditions. No single cure will work in every situation. Cures that utilize color or aromas serve as sensory triggers. Cures that involve images or symbolic representations of actual situations function through the process of association. You can’t just put any old cure in place and expect it to produce the desired results. A mirror and a wind chime aren’t interchangeable options. In fact, using an inappropriate cure may exacerbate a condition or instigate a new set of concerns.
Usually there is more than one solution to a problem and you can choose the one that best suits your taste or needs. The main reason for using any feng shui cure, however, is to establish balance.
Most cures fall into one of the following categories, although some may overlap into more than one category.
Unblocking Cures
These cures promote clarity and focus, eliminate obstacles, and enable positive energy to flow smoothly through your home and your life. Simply put, they help you get “unstuck.” Unblocking cures include cleaning, organizing, repairing, eliminating clutter, and furniture arranging. They are probably the most common and effective remedies in the feng shui toolkit. They are also the most logical and “useful” in a practical sense.
Usually it’s a good idea to implement unblocking cures first, before trying to get results through other methods. If, for example, you put an activating cure into effect before decluttering your home, you may succeed in stirring up lots of energy, but it won’t be able to circulate through your home without bumping into physical obstacles. As a result, you may experience increased stress and confusion.
Activating Cures
These cures stimulate energy and can be used to break up stagnant conditions, prompt change, or redirect the flow of ch’i. Often they utilize moving objects, such as wind chimes, mobiles, whirligigs, or fans. Electronic equipment and appliances—including phones, computers, stoves, and TVs—stir up sluggish ch’i, too. Music and sounds such as those produced by bells, wind chimes, and singing bowls, also fall into this category. Moving furniture or objects around in your home has an activating effect—even physically walking through the rooms of your home stirs up energy patterns and encourages movement in the various areas of your life. Straight lines, which conduct ch’i from one point to another along the most direct route, can also serve as activating cures.
Stabilizing Cures
The opposite of activating cures, these remedies are used to slow down or concentrate ch’i. When energy moves too quickly through your home, it can produce sudden changes, instability, and stress. This “rushing” ch’i, as rapidly flowing vital energy is called, doesn’t have time to nourish you or your home properly, so relationships, finances, and other areas of your life may suffer. Stabilizing cures “hold down” ch’i, and include heavy statuary, rocks, large pieces of furniture, and other objects that have mass and weight. Square shapes, which we associate with stability (because squares are hard to push over), fall into this category, too.
Augmenting Cures
When more is considered better, these are the best cures to use. Augmenting cures promote growth and increase. Live plants, which grow and thereby symbolize expansion, are the most popular augmenting cure. Wood comes from trees, so by extension anything made of wood falls into this category. In some situations, mirrors can be used to encourage growth. For example, mirroring a wall in a small room gives the impression that the room is much larger. When a mirror is hung so that it reflects an object, the mirror “doubles” it so that it seems as if there are two objects instead of one.
Ten Common Feng Shui Cures
Feng shui cures are designed to increase, disperse, modulate, or otherwise alter the movement of ch’i through a particular space. In theory, the number of possible cures is probably endless, and as you become familiar with feng shui you’ll undoubtedly come up with ideas of your own. The following remedies, however, are commonly used in the practice of feng shui. One (or a combination) of them will effectively resolve nearly any problem in nearly any environment.
Light
Electric lights function as artificial sunshine. By simply turning on a light, we can “extend” daylight. Dimmer switches allow us to control the amount of light we shine into our living and work spaces. Lights of all kinds (including candles, lanterns, and gas lamps as well as electric lights) augment the fire element and the yang force. Crystals and light-catchers also fall into this category because they catch, reflect, and enhance light, thereby augmenting its power.
One of the most frequently utilized feng shui cures, light is used to bring warmth (either physically or psychologically) into a cold or dark room, to stimulate or activate sluggish ch’i, to increase the amount of vital energy in a particular area, or to fill in a missing sector in an irregularly shaped space.
Mirrors
Mirrors can be used in a variety of ways: to open up a confining space, to augment ch’i or direct its movement, or to increase the power of a symbol. The reflecting nature of mirrors lets you position them to deflect unwanted energies or to attract and enhance desirable energies.
For instance, you could hang a mirror on an exterior door to “bounce” disturbing energy caused by traffic or street noise back to the source and away from your home. Mirrors can also be used to create the illusion of space and openness. Hung on a wall in a small room, they reflect the opposite wall and seemingly double the space. When hung on a slanting ceiling or enclosing wall, a mirror serves as a symbolic window. To double the influence of an object, hang a mirror so that the object is reflected and visually “cloned.”
Living Things
Because feng shui seeks to improve our connection with the natural world and the Tao, its practitioners often bring nature indoors in the forms of plants, fish, birds, and water. Living things symbolize growth, so cures that utilize them generally promote increase and expansion. Plants provide an additional benefit, too—they absorb carbon dioxide in the air and help us to breathe better. Water nurtures all life, so cures that involve water, such as fountains, bird baths, and aquariums, are used symbolically to attract or strengthen the life-giving power of ch’i.
Moving Objects
Objects that move stir up and activate ch’i, to keep it from getting “stuck.” Wind chimes, mobiles, fans, fountains, and whirligigs are popular cures of this type. These remedies can also be used indoors or outside to direct the flow of ch’i or to deflect unwanted energy away from your home.
Heavy Objects
Heavy objects provide stability by “holding down” ch’i so it doesn’t move through a space too rapidly. Large stones, statuary, heavy pieces of furniture, large plants, and other big or dense objects fall into this category. These cures are beneficial for stabilizing unsettled situations or when you want to hold onto something that seems to be slipping away. They can also be used to concentrate energy in a particular area.
Sound
Pleasing sounds can improve the energy patterns in your environment. Soothing music promotes feelings of peace and harmony among the home’s occupants. Lively music awakens sluggish ch’i and can provide balance in an area that has too much yin energy. Wind chimes, bells, and singing bowls are frequently used in feng shui to activate stuck ch’i, disperse or reroute disruptive ch’i, and summon positive ch’i.
Electrical and Electronic Objects
Objects such as televisions, computers, phones, sound systems, air conditioners, stoves, and other appliances stimulate ch’i and keep it from stagnating. These items promote movement, activity, and change. They can also be used to balance an area that contains too much of the yin force.
Colors
Colors affect us physically and psychologically. In feng shui, the symbolism inherent in colors as well as their influence on us can be used to cure certain problems. These are discussed in greater depth shown here.
Scents
As discussed earlier, scents affect us in subtle and profound ways, both consciously and unconsciously. Incense, potpourri, scented candles, essential oils, perfume, and other fragrant items are effective and versatile feng shui cures.
Although personal preferences must be taken into account, the art of aromatherapy has shown that certain scents influence us in measurable and distinct ways. Pine, peppermint, and eucalyptus are stimulating and help to promote mental clarity. Vanilla, lavender, and chamomile have a calming effect on us. Amber, cinnamon, and cedar encourage sensations of warmth. Citrus and mint fragrances tend to make us feel cooler. Sage has long been used in many cultures to purify and clear the air. Rose, ylang-ylang, musk, patchouli, bergamot, and jasmine are known for their aphrodisiac qualities.
Images
Pictures, symbols, icons, sculpture, and similar items trigger subconscious associations for us and serve as psychological motivators. They can be used as powerful feng shui cures to encourage certain associations, strengthen intentions, or prompt emotional responses. For example, a picture of a happy couple makes us think of love and companionship. A trophy connotes success. A Rolls Royce is an obvious symbol of wealth.
FENG SHUI SYMBOLISM
More than just a convenient form of graphic shorthand, symbols contain within their patterns the essence of the things they represent. Some symbols are universal. These appear in cultures around the world, both ancient and modern. People everywhere respond to these symbols in pretty much the same way. For example, the egg has long been associated with birth and fertility. Other symbols are personal and have significance for you alone. Both personal and collective symbols can be tapped in feng shui to produce results. Colors, numbers, logos, and geometric shapes are some familiar symbols that we see and use daily, usually without giving it a second thought.
When you view a meaningful symbol, an instant recognition is sparked at a very deep, subconscious level—even if you don’t consciously understand the symbol’s meaning. Your response to the symbol may cause you to act in a certain way. Because symbols influence us subliminally, they can be very powerful tools for producing results. In feng shui, you can intentionally choose symbols that will generate particular responses in order to bring about the conditions you want in your life.
In Part Two, I recommend using many different types of symbols, including Chinese calligraphy, hexagram patterns from the I Ching (an ancient Chinese text), astrological glyphs, and other easily identifiable symbols such as geometric shapes. If you wish, you can “mix and match” symbols to create unique and very specific cures.
COLOR
Color enriches every area of our lives, aesthetically, psychologically, and physically. The following are some basic color associations that you can use in feng shui cures to bring about desired conditions in every area of your life.
Red: Considered to be a lucky color, red is associated with the fire element, strength, activity, and passion. In China, many people believe it to bring happiness, good fortune, and fame. Chinese brides have traditionally worn red. Gifts of money are given in red envelopes. Many feng shui cures use red ribbons, red envelopes, or red ink for calligraphy. Red attracts positive energy and dispels bad luck.
Orange: A blend of red and yellow, orange (and its variations peach, coral, and russet) contains some characteristics of both of these other hues. It stimulates ch’i and symbolizes happiness and power.
Yellow/Gold: In China, palaces were painted yellow because this was considered to be the color of authority. In the West, yellow is representative of the sun and its life-giving warmth. Psychologically, yellow encourages feelings of optimism and cheerfulness.
Green: The color of plants, green is associated with growth. A calming color, it also has a relaxing influence on us.
Blue: The color of water and the sky, blue reminds us of nature and conveys a sense of serenity. Its soothing influence can help to counteract stress or hyperactivity. We associate light blue with hope and purity, dark blue with seriousness and dignity.
Purple: In many cultures purple has been considered a “royal” color, reserved for the wealthy and powerful. In some Western religions, it is linked with spirituality and worn by religious leaders. In China, purple is thought to be a fortunate color.
Pink: Pink is associated with love, affection, and joy. Psychological studies show that this color produces feelings of sociability and congeniality.
Black: Black is the color of wealth in China. In the West, it is associated with seriousness, formality, and wisdom. In feng shui, black can be used to increase mental activity and communication.
Brown: We connect brown with the earth, trees, and stones; therefore, this color symbolizes stability and permanence.
Color and the Five Elements
Fire = Red, orange
Water = Black, dark blue
Earth = Yellow, brown
Wood = Green, blue
Metal = White, gray
SHAPES
Our environments are composed of shapes—natural and manmade. Some manmade structures are intentionally fashioned to imitate natural ones. The Mayan pyramids, for example, are thought to simulate mountains; swimming pools represent ponds.
We respond to these shapes with the subconscious, just as we respond to colors. Artists often incorporate carefully chosen shapes into their work to convey certain concepts. I Ching coins combine two basic symbols: a circle (representing heaven) with a square (representing earth) cut out of the center.
In feng shui, we can tap the deeper meanings inherent in shapes to create the circumstances we desire. In Part Two, I offer a number of cures that use shapes to produce effects. The following list briefly explains the significances, in feng shui terms, of some familiar geometric shapes.
Shapes and Their Meanings
Circle = wholeness, continuity, unity, harmony, heaven
Square = solidity, permanence, stability, earth
Triangle = movement, change, direction toward a goal
Rectangle = growth, expansion
Curved or wavy lines = flexibility, interaction, adaptability
Straight lines = rapid movement, single-mindedness, focus
NUMBERS
Usually, we think of numbers as units of measurement. However, numbers contain hidden, mystical meanings as well. The study of numerology connects each letter of the alphabet with a number. Each number has a unique energy vibration, and these vibrations can be utilized in feng shui as cures. As you may have noticed, shapes and numbers overlap—because their vibrations are similar, you can use either one to produce the same result. The following list briefly describes the meaning of each number.
Numbers and Their Meanings
0 = unity, wholeness, harmony, continuity
1 = beginnings, the individual
2 = polarity, pairing, complementary forces
3 = creativity, growth, movement toward a goal
4 = stability, permanence
5 = change, activity, instability
6 = cooperation, give-and-take
7 = withdrawal, introspection
8 = money, business, material power
9 = fulfillment, completion