Basic Concepts of Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of placement that is thousands of years old. In Feng Shui, your surroundings or environment can be a reflection of your life. You can thus influence your life in positive ways by making appropriate changes in your environment and surroundings. Below is an outline of several things you can do to start applying Feng Shui principles to your home.

Evaluate your home using the bagua: The bagua is the map of life's valuable qualities. Your experiences, at any given moment, can fit into one these nine areas of the bagua. These areas include: Wealth and Prosperity, Fame and Reputation, Love and Marriage, Family, Health, Creativity and Children, Knowledge and Self Cultivation, Career, Helpful People and Travel.

The bagua (map of qualities) is overlayed onto your home. Then it is possible to evaluate and analyze your home in relation to the areas of the bagua. Are there areas in your life that you would like to improve? Use the bagua to work on the areas of your home that correlate with areas of your life you would like to improve.

Clutter: One basic and important principle in Feng Shui is clearing your clutter. Clutter is our home symbolizes clutter in our lives. It can present itself as procrastination, feeling overburdened, or avoiding things or tasks that need to be addressed. It can also drain your energy, and leave your feeling fatigued.

By cleaning our clutter, we are making room for new experiences in our lives. For example, by cleaning your desk, getting rid of old papers, organizing the drawers; you are making way for new experiences in your business life.

Chi Enhancers: After evaluating your homes life areas using the bagua and then cleaning your clutter, you may consider using items known as chi enhancers. Chi enhancers are items to place in your home that will attract chi. Chi is the vital life energy. We want to attract more chi in our homes to provide harmony and balance in our lives.

Crystals are beautiful chi enhancers that can be used anywhere in your home. By placing the chi enhancer in a certain bagua area of your home that needs uplifting, it will contribute to bringing harmony and balance to that area of your life and home.

Water features are another type of chi enhancer. Water features include fountains, fish tanks, birdbaths, etc. In Feng Shui, water brings good luck and wealth. Wealth can be financial wealth, or spiritual and emotional wealth or fulfillment.

Water features can be placed inside or outside the home and can contribute to a soothing and relaxing environment. One key point, the water features, of course, must be kept clean to promote positive chi.

Plants are also good chi enhancers for the home. Plants must be kept healthy and in good shape for chi enhancement. Silk or real plants both work well. Avoid dried flowers. Since the plants have already died, they will not attract chi.

Animals and pets are also good chi enhancers. Their life and presence is a powerful attraction for chi. The animals must be well looked after and their homes or special areas kept clean and cared for.

Anything moving and flowing also contributes to bringing chi into our homes. Wind sculptures, wind chimes, flags, etc are examples of some items that can be used to encourage chi. Placed on the front porch or entrance attracts the chi though the door and into the home.

As you can see, there are many things you can do to begin applying Feng Shui principles to your home. Consider Feng Shui as a way to improve your home and life.

Amy Toplikar is the developer of alternative-stress-management.com This website offers information about Feng Shui, Qigong, aromatherapy, and meditation. To learn more please visit http://www.alternative-stress-managment.com.

Big Feng Shui Benefits - 7 Winning Ways to Give Yourself an Enormous Edge

1. Feng Shui is "Vibrational Homeowner's Insurance!"

Ordinary homeowner's insurance pays for damages after you've been hit with a problem, but authentic Feng Shui allows you to see what damages may be on the horizon ahead of time and energetically prevent them before they have a chance to occur.

2. Analyze your Space from a Valuable New Angle.

Both the building and you have a particular energy pattern. These patterns mix and create a unique vibrational combination. Feng Shui is a tool that can identify these patterns plus determine the areas where you can envelop yourself in gentle free flowing vibrant "chi" to increase your well being and consequently attract the good things in life.

3. Use an Energy Based Solution to Restore Your Energy.

We're all aware of the importance of preventing identity theft but what about preventing "energy theft?" Feng Shui can protect you from "energy theft" by removing environmental energy depleters and purposefully enriching the atmosphere of the space you are in. The more our bodies are stressed the more they depend on the quality of the life force "chi" available in our environment.

4. Infuse your Bedroom with "The Essence of Love."

I recently read these words of Master Sheng-Yen Lu: "All of life flourishes in the Essence of Love, and dies in its absence." We know how spectacularly a child or an adult can blossom when they are loved, so imagine how you would feel if all of the elements that went into creating your bedroom contained "The Essence of Love."

5. Incorporate Environment in your Strategy for Success.

Feng Shui is for two kinds of people. There are those who are totally focused on living a life of excellence and always on the lookout for special ways to give themselves an edge. But others are feeling disheartened by dreams and goals that never quite happen, or feeling anxiety and insecurity from a dwindling bank account. Right now that second group is actually at an exciting crossroads.

Some simple Feng Shui adjustments can prompt and support welcome changes in your life!

6. Connect to the Dynamic Power of Nature.

Nature is the dynamic behind all Form and quantum physics has demonstrated that everything and everyone in the universe has a life force connection. Our lives then are undeniably intertwined and influenced by the quality of the Form of the land we live on and the structures we place on it.

7. Capitalize on your Property's Vital "Chi."

Choose your real estate investments by using "Feng Shui Eyes" to see what others cannot see. When you know what to look for, you can zero in on choice locations. Every piece of land, home or building has a sweet spot. Once you find it, you can magnify its most vital energy, reduce risks and benefit from surer profits.

Start covering your home and yourself with some first class "Vibrational Homeowner's Insurance" by downloading a free report: http://www.redpeony.com about Feng Shui and your Bedroom - the room where you spend at least 1/3 of your whole life! Beth Borray is a Feng Shui expert and an advocate of creating Healthy Houses.

How Shapes Of Buildings Implicate Feng Shui

There is something about shapes of buildings, which in feng shui are associated with one of the five elements. Basically, these shapes are; square or cube, rectangle, the circle or sphere, the wave or curve liner, and the pyramid or triangle. Each of this shape represents or associate with five of the elements; earth, wood, metal, water and fire. It is possible to use these shapes to incorporate subtle yet effective feng shui harmony into buildings. Beside the shapes, elements, direction where the building sits also plays a important part in feng shui. Element Shapes can also be used as a means of enhancing or exhausting certain sectors based on either Flying Star combinations or the 8 Mansions formula.

The five elements of feng shui and shapes

EARTH - Square
FIRE - Triangle
METAL - Circle
WATER - Curve liner
WOOD - Rectangle

Five Elements and Shapes of Building

Square Shape building represents the element of earth. It will be auspicious if a square building faced or sits in the direction of SW/NE. It is said that square shape building command authoritative with dominance, therefore, it will be suitable for a corporate offices and bank. Enhanced the building with an earth element base, using material such as granite and marble will offer strong earth energy which benefits the luck of the building. SW and NE are the direction for earth element.

Triangle shape building signifies the fire element. The ideal sitting location should be south, the sector of fire. Building with the shape of triangle, the best orientation would be a North-South axis, with the building facing north and sitting south. To enhance the luck of the triangle building, the alternative location would be for the building to sit East or Southeast, in this way, the wood element would then feed the building's fire element.

A circle or Sphere shape building signifies the metal element. So long there is a curve within the overall building in concept, it suggests that the building is a circle shape. It needs not to be overall circle in shape. To enhance the luck of the building, the use of glass and steel are beneficial. Such buildings are excellent sitting West or Northwest, so facing East and Southeast.

A curve liner building symbolizes the element of water. Water is an element that is constant movement. Curve liner buildings adopt a prominent curve form that extends throughout the building design. The curve liner gives a powerful statement of visual 'wave'. Shopping malls or exhibition centres will benefit from this design concept. Curve liner building forms are efficient for creating the flow of speed. It is advisable to avoid building with such shape for office or residential locations. The direction for a water element building should be to face South and sit North. Use full steel-base "look" material for the base of the building to enhance the water element of the building.

A rectangle shape building is associated with the element of wood. Many popular of high-rise building shapes is the rectangle. It will be beneficial if the building can incorporate wood or water elements energy. Avoid glass and concrete dominate the building. Blue-tinted glass, which represents water energy, is a good ideal for the building. Once can also provide the building with a "wood' look as enhancements. The best directions for this type of building, is to sit East, Southeast or North.

More Feng Shui Tips at Good Feng Shui Tips

Apex Lim, will soon be a publisher of Feng Shui eBook. Currently, he spent most of the time reading and reseraching on Feng Shui. His aims is to improve the life of people around the world. You would like to visit his Feng Shui Blog @http://goodfengshuitips.blogspot.com

Using Feng Shui to Embody Your Inspiration

Who inspires you, who makes you envious? The answers will help you design your life!

If there's someone who inspires you, or someone you envy - that is your heart giving you a clue as to what you want more of in your life. These questions will help you embody your inspiration.

1. Who inspires you?

2. What is it about their life that resonates most strongly? Is it what they are doing, or is it how they are being?

3. What could you do to incorporate more of this into your life?

4. The Helpful People & Travel area of your home or office is a good place to put symbols of people who inspire you. It could be a photograph, you could place their name on a piece of paper in a silver box, use an example of their work, or place something symbolic there.

5. The Children & Creativity area relates to projects and creativity. Place a symbol of what this person represents to you there.

6. The Knowledge & Self-Cultivation area represents awareness and knowledge. Place a symbol of the inspiration you would like to embody in this area of your home.

You can place these enhancements in that particular area of your home, or of a room, such as your office or bedroom. Those two rooms are where people usually spend the most time, so will have a greatest impact on you.

For a visual representation of the various areas of the Bagua, what they represent and how to find them in your home, see:http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/BaguaMap.html

Maximizing the Power of Your Enhancements

1. Get clear about what you want to create.

2. Make sure the area is clutter free.

3. Place your enhancements with intention - it makes them much more powerful.

4. Make space for insights, awareness and creative ideas to come to you. You can do this by taking time to just 'be' - no errands, emails or to-dos!

2003, Vicky White. All rights reserved. May be duplicated with attribution and copyright notice intact.http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/

Vicky White is a Certified Feng Shui Consultant and Life Coach who works with clients both locally and internationally. Get your FREE 7-part e-course Your Secret Weapon: Powerful Feng Shui Tips To Give Your Business The Competitive Edge at http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/