Beginners feng shui guide

Feng shui, translated literally, means "wind and water." It is a Chinese art, one that is rapidly overtaking the United States. It deals with the placement of life objects in ways that promote health and happiness in the human spirit.

Feng shui's purpose is to bring nature back into life, make people more compatible with the world around them, and teach them to use this world to further themselves in their health and goals. This practice believe in the life force of a body, or "chi." It believes that the force of all things can be manipulated by the position of wind and water. Ancient Chinese people used these elements to achieve what they wanted in life. This means preventing bad fortune, creating a good impression on the job, achieving love and marriage, feeling safe and protected, getting pregnant, finding better health and uniting family.

Feng shui promotes a new way of looking at space. It breaks it into gradations, with numbers assigned in terms of how the space is used. It is not unusual for a feng shui master to break a room into a grid of nine parts, each with a number from 1 to 10. This number indicates an area, and the energy level of the area. Certain tokens, like crystals or coins can be placed in an area that is low in energy to give it a boost. Feng shui students are urged to feel these areas and determine what is needed in them. Thia approach, while unusually intuitive, promotes a healthy understanding of the body's needs.

There are a few basic elements that are used to increase and decrease energy (tokens). One is earth, which symbolizes human interaction and relationships in family and love. When the energy in this area is increased, love and receptive behavior is promoted. Water is another, and thunder is a third. Water relates to the ability to flow through life and let it cover you with healing. Thunder is indicated by power images and darker stones. It represents power, and certain areas of power or helplessness in a life. Wind, lakes, peace, mountains and fire are all other areas of energy. Wind celebrates newer blessings in a life, and prosperity. Peace is the reconciliation of opposing forces, lakes bring creative powers to the mind, and mountains represent our own spirituality and the journey to get to an inner peace. Finally, fire is the light of illumination, burning even as it enlightens. It symbolizes inner happiness and contentment when present in the right amount.

Some of the elements should be studiously avoided in certain areas. For instance, water should never be placed in a bedroom because of it's transient quality. Fire should not be placed in a food area. Mountains should not be placed in an area of love, and so on.

Feng shui is so popular in the States that consultants are rising dramatically in number. If you are looking to take the principles of feng shui into your home, consider hiring one of these experts to aid you in your transition. Good luck, and good chi!