My son and his roommate just bought a fountain for their room in the fraternity house and wanted to know where they should put it. I told them either in the southeast corner of the room or near the door, but make sure the water faces into the room and doesn’t flow towards the door. How did I know this? Well, there is a 3,000 year old Chinese philosophy for “using energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment” called Feng Shui. In fact, the term Feng Shui literally means “wind-water” which are natural elements that are thought to direct the flow of “Qi” or “Chi” or energy and thus can be used to direct abundance and richness into our lives. In short, Feng Shui offers an instruction manual for organizing our homes so they work to produce abundance, happiness and richness.
About 16 years ago, I hired a Feng Shui expert to come into my office and help organize 35 years of mess because I couldn’t take the clutter anymore. For someone with ADD, clutter and chaos create sensory overload and are not conducive to fostering innovation or productivity. Here were some of the areas that we worked on for my office and my home:
Bringing the 5 elements into the space
Water – Blue, Black – Connects to wealth and prosperity. That is why my son and his roommate wanted to put a fountain in their room. The southeast corner of any room is the area of abundance.
Wood – Yellow, Beige – Connects to growth and vitality. Plants create great energy in your office or home, while dead ones restrict the flow of energy and should be removed.
Metal – White, Grey – Connects to strength and independence. Metal art, frames or clocks are great for representing this element.
Earth – Brown, Green – Connects to balance and knowledge. Plants, plants and more plants.
Fire – Red, Orange – Connects to passion, high energy and creativity. Fireplaces are great for inciting passion and spurring creativity.
Set up furniture so that YOU are in a Commanding Position – the Commanding Position is the place in the room that empowers you.
Bedroom – A place where you are the most vulnerable because this is where you sleep, the bed should be placed so that you have a clear view of the door(aligned diagonally is optimal), but not directly in line with the door. This will create security and a sense of peace by allowing you a clear vision of everyone entering the space.
Office – A place where you need to be in command of your career, a desk should be positioned to face the door, but not be in directly in line with the door (aligned diagonally is optimal). There is too much distraction if you are in direct alignment with the door as there is the prospect for commotion on the other side.
Energetically, the doorways of your home or office are the entry points of opportunity
The main doorway is the entrance to your home/life and energetically represents your gateway to abundance, happiness and life’s riches. Make sure it is inviting. No clutter, dirt or scratches on the door. Make sure the door is always clean.
Be purposeful in the color you choose for floors, walls and furniture and where in the office/home those colors are present.
Blue, Green, and Teal – East – Family life and new beginnings
White – West – Joy
Red – South – Fame, Passion and Inspiration
Black – North – Career and Wisdom
Purple – Southeast – Wealth, prosperity, and self-worth
Pink – Southwest – Partnerships, Love, and Marriage
Grey – Northwest – Helpful People and Support
Dark Blue – Northeast – Knowledge and Skillfulness
(https://comfyliving.net/feng-shui-colors/)
Bring the light inside
Since light is the greatest source of energy on our planet, allowing it to flow freely in your space is very important. Windows, opened curtains or blinds, lighting fixtures, lamps and skylights are all ways to bring light into the space.
Keep spaces decluttered
Remove or throw away furniture that doesn’t fit, old unworn clothes, outdated pictures, old papers, bills or notes filling drawers, a bunch of old, outdated emails and old client information in your computer files. Clutter can be just about anything that is unused, unfinished or unloved.
Look at this…
Where and why you have clutter says a lot about what is going on in your life. If you look at clutter all day, clutter is what you will attract into your life. Here are some common clutter locations. What do they reveal about hidden aspects of your life?
Clutter at the entrance of your home – may be concealing fear of relationships.
Clutter in your closets – reveals an unwillingness to examine your emotions.
Clutter in the kitchen – represents resentment of care-taking.
Clutter next to your bed – symbolizes a desire for change or escape.
Clutter under your bed – represents a fear of relationships.
Clutter on a desk – reveals frustration, fear of letting go, and need to control.
Clutter behind a door – means detachment from others.
Clutter under furniture – represents concern with appearances.
Clutter in a basement – reveals procrastination.
Clutter in an attic – symbolizes living in the past.
Clutter in a garage – reveals the inability to reach your potential.
Clutter all over – reveals anger and low self-esteem.https://fengshuiforreallife.com/Detailed/252.html#:~:text=Clutter%20in%20Feng%20Shui%20is,and%20focus%20to%20your%20life
When you boil down the philosophy of Feng Shui, you realize just how logical it is and that the philosophy can be applied to everything from organizing your home to your office to your computer to your car to your phone to your purse to your wallet and 1000 other possessions. And, this is what it is saying in a nutshell. Everything is energy and because everything is energy, you better understand how it works and how to direct it and once you do, you can manifest just about anything you can dream up. There are certain rules that apply to energy, and one of those rules is that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Since it cannot be destroyed, energy leaves a signature. For instance, remember that old girlfriend or boyfriend of yours that you broke up with or who broke up with you? Well, since you still have their texts in your phone, their energy signature is still working as a hook in your energy field. How about that old client that didn’t pay their bill? Is their company profile still in your work computer? If it is, that companies energy signature is still working as a hook in your energy field. How are you supposed to move forward, when you have those hooks in you? Look in your purse. Are there any expired credit cards taking up space? Well, those expired credit cards do not work and as such are sending the message that your finances are lacking. Get rid of all of it! Now!
My personal Feng Shui favorites and the ones that have had the greatest effect on my office/home environment have been ones that don’t take a ton of effort to implement.
I put a fountain, that I found on Amazon for like $35 in my office to invite abundance. Just make sure to place it near the door or in the southeast corner of the room. Since bathrooms have drains and water represents money and abundance in Feng Shui, they can be a source of depletion, so always make sure you keep the door closed to your bathroom and all toilet seats shut. Since death is the ultimate blockage of energy, remove all dead plants, foliage and animals (like anything mounted) from home/office. Since light is the greatest producer of energy, make sure all lights and fixtures are in working order and not burned out – replace all non-working lightbulbs. Also, squeaks sound like “crying” so fix everything that squeaks in your home from doors to fixtures. And, finally, your bedroom is a place of serenity and tranquility because that is where you sleep – so everything that requires strenuous activity like gym equipment should be removed!
