Significance of Colors in Feng Shui practice

 

Have you ever wondered what feelings do you have when you look at bright red rose in the garden? Can you imagine if a garden that does not have colorful flowers but only the green foliage? Early in the morning when you see a newly opened flower in your garden, your heart is filled with joy and happiness. Each flower in the garden has a different color and hue that affects you differently. While the white lily touches your soul for its serenity, the red rose with its vibrant energy elicits a feeling of love and passion. The feeling is different because the flower is reflecting a different color and Feng Shui uses this natural magic of colors to transform your life.

A rose is red because it reflects red color and Feng Shui makes use of this reflected energy to create a balance between yin and yang energies that suits your personality or your environment.

You may be aware of two types of energies (yin and yang) that the colors in Feng Shui represent. You can think of yin energy as like a plant growing from the earth. It comes from the soil, raising itself upward and moving toward the sky. As yin energy moves up to the sky it becomes diffused and dissipated. Yin energies have an element of dreaminess about them and the colors like blue, white, green and purple according to Feng Shui are believed to have yin energies.

If your home office is full of creative and dream-inducing objects or colors, Feng Shui may ask you to get rid of them (at least some of them) and introduce in their place more vibrant colors that will help you get in the right spirit to do some work and be enthusiastic.

Every association you have with a color contributes in some way to how you are. That is why colors play a meaningful role within the practice of Feng Shui. It is very essential for you to understand why toning down or playing up certain Feng Shui colors in your home will help you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself in your life.

The guiding principle in using Feng Shui Colors should be to achieve balance rather than excess. Whether you are planning the color scheme of your home, office, garden or personal appearance, the following characteristics of the colors in Feng Shui practice will give you an insight into how they can be used in Feng Shui design.

Yin Colors & Feng Shui

Yin colors according to Feng Shui are the colors which bring about healing and relaxation. The relation between colors and Feng Shui can be better understood by taking the example of some colors as given below.

Blue: Blue color according to Feng Shui has yin energy and it is calm and soothing. This color has great significance in Feng Shui as it reflects love as it heals and relaxes. Blue creates a feeling of peace and trust. Since it is the color of the sea and sky, Feng Shui associates it with adventure and exploration. Navy blue it the color of intellect and wisdom.

Black: Black color in Feng Shui symbolizes money and income, black is great for careers, especially when combined with metal. It is the Feng Shui color of emotional protection and power.

Purple: Purple, the color which lies at the end of the spectrum, has a great significance in spiritual Feng Shui. The color is excellent for physical and mental healing and Feng Shui associates it with spiritual awareness.

White: The color in Feng Shui represents poise, confidence and purity. Because of its yin energy, Feng Shui uses this color mostly in combination with gold or silver to generate an atmosphere The other yin colors of Feng Shui are pink and green which also have their individual properties that are used in Feng Shui practice.

Yang colors and Feng Shui

Yellow: Yellow color in Feng Shui is considered to be as auspicious as red. Yellow represents sunbeams, warmth, motion, cheerfulness and friendliness. However, according to a noted color Feng Shui consultant, prolonged exposure to large amounts of intense yellow can cause anxiety.

Orange: With a lot of yang energy the orange color has great significance for spiritual Feng Shui practice as it strengthens your concentration. You might use this color when your creative well runs dry. Orange color in Feng Shui is used to give you a sense of purpose. Orange is the color of organization.

The other yang colors of Feng Shui are Tan/Beige, Brown, Red, Mauve, Maroon and lavender and gold. Each color has its significance such as money, luck or romance. These colors can be used in different combinations with Feng Shui elements for balancing the chi of your Feng Shui home, Feng Shui bed room, or Feng Shui office.

Colors & Feng Shui also have a lot to do with the direction in which your home sits. There are different colors that Feng Shui defines for the use in exterior facades of your house. Exterior colors of your house in Feng Shui practice can be used for matching or enhancing the basic house type that you have.

For example if your house is facing towards the south, painting its exterior with white, grey or blue enhances the flow of chi in your home. For houses facing towards East, the colors in earth tones or metal tones are thought to be of much use for enhancing the positive energies of the house.

The above article has been written with the sole aim of introducing you to the significance of relationship between colors and Feng Shui. But in actual Feng Shui practice there are many other factors which need to be given importance, it is very essential for you to understand the core of Feng Shui.

Once you know what is Feng Shui, you are in better position to understand the significance of Feng Shui tips. Remember that opening your heart to universe is more important than knowing meaning of colors and Feng Shui practice, because it is from there that you allow the healing energies to flow in your heart and living environments. The book on The Spiritual Feng ShuiTM has been specially written for Feng Shui study for beginners to bring home the significance of spiritualism for Feng Shui practice.

The author is an expert Feng Shui Consultant - http://www.thespiritualfengshui.com/feng-shui-color.php

7 Feng Shui Fundamentals for Children's Bedrooms

 

7 Feng Shui Fundamentals for Children's Bedrooms

Feng shui is a very popular and intriguing concept in home design today. In addition to the life benefits it provides, it also offers a roadmap, so to speak, of not just how to decorate... but why. In short, it offers you, the homeowner, design with purpose. For a child's room this purposeful design is especially important.

Feng shui gives parents a guide for decorating your children's bedrooms, and perhaps more importantly, a reason for adding particular elements -- something standard decorating practices don't always offer. What does that mean exactly? Well, when it comes to a child's bedroom, feng shui dictates everything from correct bed alignment, proper bedroom choice, essential decorating and design elements, i.e., do's and don'ts (no vicious animals, etc.) for a child's room, even how to influence the child to be studious and well-behaved -- all things most parents would appreciate knowing.

The purpose of feng shui in a childs bedroom is the same as every parents objective in decorating their childrens rooms: to create a healthy, happy environment that fosters education, good health, happy relationships with parents and siblings, and respect for parents. Children and parents can enjoy success and healthy relationships if the environment supports them.

Naturally, children must feel safe, secure, and cared for to thrive. By putting interest and effort into your childs room, you are showing your child that you believe the childs space, and therefore, your child, is important. The tips presented here are some of the fundamentals of feng shui for children.

1.Place a happy picture of the parents in the childrens rooms.

This subtly exerts the authority and prominence of the parents as heads of the household. It is also one of the quickest and most effective ways to bring a problem child into line.

2.Align the childs bed to the widest part of the room.

Make sure your child can see the door from his or her bed easily, but is not in direct line of the door. Your child should also not share a wall with a toilet or see a toilet or bathroom from the bed as this can cause health problems.

Bunk beds are not advised. If possible, try to have a separate bedroom for each child. If this isnt possible, there are lots of decorative ways to create division and privacy within a room.

3.Create a space for study and accomplishments.

Having a dedicated space, including a desk and lamp where your child can study, demonstrates to your child the importance you place on education and your childs educational achievement. If this has been a source of problems, make the study position in the NE corner of the bedroom. Also make a place on a south wall, if possible, of your childs accomplishments. Doing so reinforces that you are proud of your childs efforts. Display drawings, crafts, awards, trophies, ribbons, or other special items, such as tests with good scores or letters from teachers. Place items here that have brought special recognition.

4.Make the childs room a healthy place. Water pictures, aquariums, or sounds of water that can be heard from the bedroom can create an unhealthy environment and may even lead to respiratory ailments. This is especially important if the child has any health problems, particularly asthma.

5.Clear the space so your child can rest and be creative.

Jammed closets and drawers, beds with boxes, shoes and other items underneath must be cleaned out. Creating space and visual openness helps your child to feel less pressured, and more likely to be imaginative and creative. More is definitely not more when it comes to kids. Give them a visual rest and clear out all the stuff they havent played with in a month or more.

6.Use light, color, and artwork in the room to make a happy environment.

A childs room should stimulate, not dampen, the childs spirit. Make sure there is adequate lighting for the desk, for a bedside table, and that windows can be closed off for privacy.

Rooms that are painted blue (unless its a bright or light-colored shade) or other dark colors can be depressing and create too much oppressive energy. Bright colors, such as yellows, light greens, purples and pinks are good choices, with yellow being the optimal choice.

Monitor the images your child sees being certain to eliminate images of ferocious or dangerous animals or violence. These are poor symbols for making a child feel safe in the bedroom. Select items for the room that inspire and intrigue a child to learn and that foster his or her sense of security.

7.Position children in the correct bedroom locations.

If possible, boys should be placed in the east or north bedrooms and girls should be placed in the south or southeast or west bedrooms.

Kathryn Weber is a certified master practitioner in feng shui and the publisher of The Red Lotus Letter, a FREE weekly feng shui ezine. Subscribe by logging on to www.redlotusletter.com. Her articles have been featured in Seventeen Magazine, Indy Star newspaper, and SelfGrowth.com, among others.
kweber@redlotusconsulting.com

Using Candles in Feng Shui Decorating

 

Using Candles in Feng Shui Decorating

The basic belief behind Feng Shui is that there are five elements, some combinations of which create a productive cycle, and some a destructive cycle. When one of these five elements water, wood, fire, earth, and metal, respectively for the productive cycle are combined with an element adjacent to the main element, a productive cycle is perpetuated. The reason being that water sustains wood, wood feeds fire, ashes create earth, earth creates metal, and metal holds water. So if you have a room where wood is the main element, it would be good Feng Shui to add a water or fire element to the room, as water feeds wood and wood feeds fire. This is where candles would be a nice touch of good Feng Shui.

A look at the destructive cycle will show which elements do not work well together: water, fire, metal, wood, earth. And we can see that water puts our fire, fire melts metal, metal cuts wood, wood clogs earth, and earth muddies water. Although these elements are generally considered bad Feng Shui combinations, one can be used with an adjacent element in the destructive cycle to minimize an overpowering element. For instance, if a room has overpowering metal elements, maybe filled with modern metal furniture, you can minimize that with wood elements like some green leafy plants, or with fire elements such as red throw pillows, a fireplace, or even candles.

It is beneficial to bear in mind the productive and destructive cycles while decorating, but for optimum Feng Shui, a room would have an equal balance of all five elements none being too overpowering. If this isnt the case and there is not one overpowering element, then the productive cycle is a good place to start when decorating.

Now that we have a basic understanding of the elements, we can see how to best utilize candles in our decorating. In areas with predominately metal or water elements rooms which would have a lot of blue or silver colors or metallic furnishings a candle would help minimize the overpowering colors and add balance. If you want to start using Feng Shui in a room with no overpowering elements, you could bring in a candle and a complimentary element like a plant or a brown oval rug since that color and shape are associated with the earth element.

Candles can be an easy way to bring a natural element into your home and can be a good starting place for implementing Feng Shui design. Not to mention that scented candles are often great Feng Shui because of the mood-enhancing qualities certain scents have. Candles provide a simple start in creating a pleasant ambiance and good decorating style.

Jennifer Hall is the founder and editor of http://Candle-Lite-World.com, http://Savvy-Cafe.com, a journal for fun home ideas and an online guide to saving money; and http://onetimesone.com, an online magazine featuring independent music and film. When she's not online, Jennifer's spending time with her family, gardening, or playing the piano or accordion.

jennifer@savvy-cafe.com

The 7 Feng Shui Fundamentals for Children's Bedrooms

 

Feng shui is a very popular and intriguing concept in home design today. In addition to the life benefits it provides, it also offers a roadmap, so to speak, of not just how to decorate... but why. In short, it offers you, the homeowner, design with purpose. For a child's room this purposeful design is especially important.

Feng shui gives parents a guide for decorating your children's bedrooms, and perhaps more importantly, a reason for adding particular elements -- something standard decorating practices don't always offer. What does that mean exactly? Well, when it comes to a child's bedroom, feng shui dictates everything from correct bed alignment, proper bedroom choice, essential decorating and design elements, i.e., do's and don'ts (no vicious animals, etc.) for a child's room, even how to influence the child to be studious and well-behaved -- all things most parents would appreciate knowing.

The purpose of feng shui in a childs bedroom is the same as every parents objective in decorating their childrens rooms: to create a healthy, happy environment that fosters education, good health, happy relationships with parents and siblings, and respect for parents. Children and parents can enjoy success and healthy relationships if the environment supports them.

Naturally, children must feel safe, secure, and cared for to thrive. By putting interest and effort into your childs room, you are showing your child that you believe the childs space, and therefore, your child, is important. The tips presented here are some of the fundamentals of feng shui for children.

1.Place a happy picture of the parents in the childrens rooms.

This subtly exerts the authority and prominence of the parents as heads of the household. It is also one of the quickest and most effective ways to bring a problem child into line.

2.Align the childs bed to the widest part of the room.

Make sure your child can see the door from his or her bed easily, but is not in direct line of the door. Your child should also not share a wall with a toilet or see a toilet or bathroom from the bed as this can cause health problems.

Bunk beds are not advised. If possible, try to have a separate bedroom for each child. If this isnt possible, there are lots of decorative ways to create division and privacy within a room.

3.Create a space for study and accomplishments.

Having a dedicated space, including a desk and lamp where your child can study, demonstrates to your child the importance you place on education and your childs educational achievement. If this has been a source of problems, make the study position in the NE corner of the bedroom. Also make a place on a south wall, if possible, of your childs accomplishments. Doing so reinforces that you are proud of your childs efforts. Display drawings, crafts, awards, trophies, ribbons, or other special items, such as tests with good scores or letters from teachers. Place items here that have brought special recognition.

4.Make the childs room a healthy place. Water pictures, aquariums, or sounds of water that can be heard from the bedroom can create an unhealthy environment and may even lead to respiratory ailments. This is especially important if the child has any health problems, particularly asthma.

5.Clear the space so your child can rest and be creative.

Jammed closets and drawers, beds with boxes, shoes and other items underneath must be cleaned out. Creating space and visual openness helps your child to feel less pressured, and more likely to be imaginative and creative. More is definitely not more when it comes to kids. Give them a visual rest and clear out all the stuff they havent played with in a month or more.

6.Use light, color, and artwork in the room to make a happy environment.

A childs room should stimulate, not dampen, the childs spirit. Make sure there is adequate lighting for the desk, for a bedside table, and that windows can be closed off for privacy.

Rooms that are painted blue (unless its a bright or light-colored shade) or other dark colors can be depressing and create too much oppressive energy. Bright colors, such as yellows, light greens, purples and pinks are good choices, with yellow being the optimal choice.

Monitor the images your child sees being certain to eliminate images of ferocious or dangerous animals or violence. These are poor symbols for making a child feel safe in the bedroom. Select items for the room that inspire and intrigue a child to learn and that foster his or her sense of security.

7.Position children in the correct bedroom locations.

If possible, boys should be placed in the east or north bedrooms and girls should be placed in the south or southeast or west bedrooms.

Kathryn Weber is a certified master practitioner in feng shui and the publisher of The Red Lotus Letter, a FREE weekly feng shui ezine. Subscribe by logging on to www.redlotusletter.com. Her articles have been featured in Seventeen Magazine, Indy Star newspaper, and SelfGrowth.com, among others.kweber@redlotusconsulting.com