The 7 Schools Of Feng Shui

Everyone has heard of Feng Shui, but what exactly is it? Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese belief that involves the study of both the natural and the created environments. To achieve a balance between the 2 affects the energy of a room.

7 Schools Of Feng Shui

There are many different versions of Feng Shui, each influenced by culture, geography, and religion. There are 7 predominant types or schools of Feng Shui:

1. The Compass School uses the 8 trigrams of the I-Ching. They are known collectively as Pa Kua, which is based on the 8 main directions of a compass. Each direction is associated with a specific chi. For example, southern is vibrant energy.

2. The Form School, based on the landscape's shape, uses 4 symbolic animals to identify the landscape. Easy to use, the Form School (along with the Compass School) increases chi both in and out of the home.

3. The Black Hat Sect uses a fixed entry point to determine the area. Although similar to the Compass School philosophy, it has differences. The Black Hat Sect also consists of psychology, Buddhism and basic design principles.

4. 8 Mansion School, also known as the 8 House Feng Shui, is based on the individual number of the person living in the home. That number is used to bring harmony and balance to the home. People who use this system have both lucky and unlucky numbers, with the west numbers being 2, 6, 7, and 8 and the east numbers being 1, 3, 4, and 9.

5. The 9 Star Key School uses stars to help identify lucky and unlucky days. This school of thought uses complicated math formulas to pinpoint when a person will get married and the astrological sign of the future marriage partners. It will also tell the practitioner how to live based on his house.

6. The most common form of Feng Shui, based on astrology and numerology, is the Flying Star Philosophy. Difficult to understand and learn, it is also based on mathematical principals and is used to determine a person's fate.

7. Four Pillars, the final school of thought, is not very common. Based on astrology tied to the person's date of birth right down to the minutes, this form of Feng Shui is also used to determine a person's fate.

5 Elements Of Feng Shui

After determining which school of thought is best for an individual, it is important to understand the 5 elements of Feng Shui. They are: Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. Balance and harmony can be created in a home through the use of these elements. If used incorrectly, however, the energy can be lessened or even destroyed.

Each of the 5 elements is also associated with a direction: Earth -- Southwest Fire -- South Water -- North Metal -- West Wood -- East

Beauty And Balance

In a Feng Shui home, all rooms should achieve a balance of these elements, although some items may weigh heavier than others. A chair might score 3 times more than a throw pillow, for example, because of the size difference.

Properly applied, Feng Shui brings both beauty and balance to the home or office.

Visit Feng Shui Home Design to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer, visit his website at Articles for authors

How to Improve Your Child's Bedroom With Feng Shui

Feng Shui, the 4,000 year old Chinese practice of arranging our homes to be in harmony with the earth?s energy (chi) so we are balanced with the forces of nature, can be a surprisingly useful tool for making kids feel comfortable in their bedrooms and well rested after a night?s sleep.

Just applying a few Feng Shui principles can make a child?s bedroom feel restful, considerably warmer and more secure.

Colour

The walls of your child?s bedroom and the soft furnishings that you add should be in relaxing colours. Neutral naturals such as blue, light pink, light yellow, beige, peach and green are all calming. Avoid using energising colours like red, dark blue and bold yellow as these are too stimulating for a bedroom. Bright colours are good for playrooms but bedrooms need to be more subdued.

Furniture

Be careful not to cram too much furniture into a child?s room, especially if the space is small anyway. Use furniture that is on a small scale so that your child does not feel dwarfed by their surroundings. Place the bed headboard against a solid wall but avoid positioning it under a window. Also try not to place the bed under skylights, beams or shelves full of books and games.

Lighting

Always provide enough light by using lamps and light fittings. Natural lighting is also important so throw the curtains wide and let the sunshine in. Also, open the window regularly to allow fresh energy into the room. Make sure that your child cannot reach the open window if they are in the room by themselves or without adult supervision.

Linen

Bed linen should be soft and soothing to the child. Brightly coloured sheets are a no-no. Try soft blues (not cold blues) or tone the colour to the paint on the walls. If you would like to add a splash of brightness during the day, throw a cover on the bed that you remove at night.

Possessions

A child?s bedroom should be kept simple and clean. Limit the toys and books that are kept in the bedroom and remove unnecessary clutter. Store out of season clothes and donate items that are not being used or have been outgrown. Keep the bedroom floor clear of objects as energy needs to circulate the room. Also be sure to clear out the space under your child?s bed frequently to prevent the ?sticking? of energy. You are aiming for a room that your child can feel focused and energised in. Too many objects create distractions and stifle the space.

Four Items to Add:

Place a hanging crystal in the window ? it will reflect colours over the room.

Buy a good quality bed, preferably wooden.

Stick stars on the bedroom ceiling to create a night sky effect.

Positioning a family photo near the bed reminds children of their loving family.

Four Items to Remove:

Never keep rubbish in the room. Place the waste basket outside.

Don?t allow a phone in your child?s bedroom.

Nocturnal pets make too much noise at night to be in a bedroom. Fish tanks should also be removed.

Computers, games consoles and televisions do not encourage quality sleep. At the very least place these devices in a cupboard or behind a screen at night time.

Stella Winstanley is the producer of a children's bedtime story CD that is specially designed to relax youngsters and encourage restful sleep. Visit http://www.dreamtimetales.com for more articles on helping children sleep better and tips on how to improve their bedroom.

Better Sleep And Health With A Feng Shui Mattress

The practice of Feng Shui has been going on for centuries. Started in ancient China, Feng Shui is used to create positive energy by the movement and placement of objects, decorating techniques as well as color choices. When these actions are taken, the occupants of that living space or other location can be affected in positive ways.

ButFeng Shui isn?t limited to the inside of a home either. Many Feng Shui practitioners utilize basic tips to help with the outside of the home as well, often extending the practice into the yard and surrounding property. In fact, doing so can actually intensify the results of the Feng Shui practice and help to garner more positive results in an abbreviated amount of time. What?s important to note is that in this want to create change, balance is the key to creating desired effects. Each room has its own part to play in the effectiveness of Feng Shui tenets. But as the bedroom is the room of the house where you will spend much of your life, it is crucial to consider what Feng Shui has to say about a Feng Shui mattress.

In choosing a Feng Shui mattress, you will want to consider a few things: size, materials, elements included, and support. Feng Shui is based on the balance of factors, so everything needs to be in moderation. For example, beds that contain too much water or metal might be problematic for energy in your bedroom and cause ill effects in your life. Here?s what you need to know.

As with any mattress purchase, it is necessary to find a size that works well for the space in which you are placing this bed. But in the Feng Shuimattress tips, you will want to think about how many people will be sleeping in that mattress, thus affecting the size choice in a different way. Those that are single and wish to remain single might choose a smaller sized mattress ? a twin or a full. However, singles that wish to find a partner and become a part of a relationship will want to choose something larger and more conducive to having an additional person in their bedroom. What you?re doing is creating the energy necessary to draw a person into your life, if that?s what you choose. Of course, choosing a mattress that is much too large for your needs has also been seen to create issues in a relationship, so a queen mattress is generally the best choice.

In these times of tight budgets, the idea of buying a mattress can be problematic. But for a proper Feng Shuimattress, you should avoid sleeping on something that has already been used. Energy-wise, this can create problems for person sleeping. Not only is negative energy associated with a used mattress, but it also can bring the unwanted energy of another person into your bedroom, adding to negative results in your life. Used mattresses can also cause problems for those that wish to find a new partner in their life as well as disrupt your overall sleep cycle. With these factors in mind, it?s easy to see why ?new? is better than used.

A Feng Shui mattress should also be chosen with the materials in mind. For most people, the idea of a spring mattress with metal coils is the only option, but it can be detrimental in terms of creating positive energy. Metallic coils are conductive and will increase the electromagnetic field in your bedroom, leading to a multitude of problems. But as many mattresses will have coils, you will want to look for coils that are wrapped individually to reduce this conductive effect. There are sleep number beds that can work better than coil options, but they too contain a magnetic effect that can cause more harm than good.

Other Feng Shui mattress choices include waterbeds, but these come with a set of problems as well. Because they are filled with water, they are not balanced in terms of their elemental qualities which can lead to energetic disruptions. In addition, water can conduct electricity which can affect electromagnetic energy that is already present in the environment.

The best Feng Shui mattress choice on the market is the foam mattress. It provides consistent airflow without including elements like water or metal from coils. This will not conduct electricity and create disturbances in the energetic field of your bedroom, plus it creates an ideal sleeping surface for you to get a good night?s rest. The supportive qualities of the foam mattress are also helpful for creating positive energy. Not only are you not going to affect your partner?s rest (as the foam cushions movement), but it also cradles the body and allows it to be supported naturally.

Candace Czarny,ASID,CFM,LEED AP, "Award Winning" Interior Designer, Feng Shui Expert & author. www.artofplacement.com is continually ranked "Top 10" in Google and Yahoo. Clients testify of dramatic results!