How to Create a True Feng Shui Bedroom

January 13th, 2010

How to Create a True Feng Shui Bedroom

A lot of people come across the ancient art and science of feng shui and thing it might be a good way of adding vitality and energy to their lives in as natural a way as possible. Other people want the opposite. They want to create a relaxing, calm environment instead. Whatever your reasons are for finding out more about feng shui, there are a few easy tricks you can use to create a true feng shui bedroom in your home.

Feng Shui Bedroom Tip 1

The most important thing to do when adding feng shui elements to your bedroom is to ask yourself which kind of atmosphere you are trying to create. For instance, do you want to add spice and sexual energy to your bedroom? Or are you trying to make it a relaxing, warm place to encourage restful sleep.

When making up your mind on which changes would be appropriate to make your room into a feng shui bedroom, you need to decide exactly what the room needs and what you need yourself. These two atmospheres are polar opposites of one another and you don’t want to add vibrancy and spice to a room where you just want to get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Nor do you want to create a relaxing, soothing atmosphere in a room where you want more sexual passion and energy to happen.

Feng Shui Bedroom Tip 2

After deciding what changes you want to make to your bedroom, depending on what kind of mood you are trying to enhance, you will need to totally de-clutter the room. Your bedroom is not an office. Nor is it a laundry room or exercise room. No matter whether you want a relaxing, calming bedroom or one with some energy and vibrancy, clutter is going to stand in the way of you achieving either of these.

Look at any decorating magazine photos and look at the rooms. How many are cluttered up with a variety of objects? Absolutely none of them and there is a reason for this. A cluttered room is simply unappealing. Would you try to sell your house with clutter all over the place? Of course not. You would tidy it up, lose the clutter and make it look nicer. Why not do that for yourself? You will get great results.

Feng Shui Bedroom Tip 3

Color is very important in all aspects of feng shui and the same applies to the bedroom. Dark, warm colors will be relaxing and bold, bright colors will attract energy.

Depending on your decision about what kind of atmosphere you want to create in your bedroom, you might want to choose a soothing color like dark green or brown to relax you or you might prefer purple or red tones to create tension and energy. Don’t go overboard once you have made your decision. Don’t paint every single wall red and match the bedding, ornaments and furniture. There is nothing so depressing or draining than feeling overwhelmed by one single color when you enter a room. You might want to use one main color and have accents instead, or combine two or three relaxing or energizing colors.

If you can apply these three easy tips, you will be able to create a true feng shui bedroom which will either introduce some energy and spice into your life or soothe and calm you, promoting a good night’s sleep.

Wind Chimes: Just Aesthetic or Perfect For Feng Shui?

January 13th, 2010

How Feng Shui Wind Chimes Can Boost Your Energy

You know how common wind chimes are in Asia – if you are at all acquainted with Asian culture in general and Chinese culture in particular, you’re aware that nearly every home has wind chimes somewhere, whether in the window, on the porch or in the doorway itself. Wind chimes have been in America for a while, but the growing popularity of feng shui has brought them into more American homes than ever before. Why is this?

Other questions to be answered are: how do you use feng shui wind chimes in the home? Where should they be placed? Where should they not be placed in the interests of practicing sound feng shui?

Remembering the Five Elements of Feng Shui

Surely you are already aware of the five elements spoken if in the practice of feng shui: metal, wood, water fire and earth. According to the ideas of feng shui, these elements must be kept in balance, with no one element being allowed to dominate a space. Feng shui wind chimes are often a part of this balance, bringing the elements of wood and/or metal into a room.

Take for instance a room which has a lot of the earth element to it – say a room colored in earth tones. Feng shui suggests that this element should be balanced out with metal. If you have a den colored in earth tones, then a wind chime will be placed there to balance out the earth element with metal. You can place the chimes outside of the room, just outside a window for example, as long as they are visible form the inside.

If you have feng shui wind chimes in vibrant colors like oranges and yellows, they will work well to offset the muted colors of the earth tones in your den and provide balance to the room.

A white kitchen has a bright, clean look, but can also feel a bit clinical. You can balance out this feeling (which is caused by an overabundance of the water element) with the warmth of the wood element. Wooden feng shui wind chimes can be introduced by putting them right outside of the kitchen. Again, this can be outside from a window or door off of the kitchen. The warmth of the wood will balance out the cold feeling of a white kitchen.

Where NOT to Use Wind Chimes for Feng Shui

Feng shui is just as much about what to leave out as it is what to include. For this reason, there are situations where feng shui wind chimes may be unwarranted. For example, if your home tends to be noisy and chaotic, wind chimes may not be such a good idea for your particular case. They should also be left out if you live in close quarters with neighbors who will be annoyed by them or where you live prohibits them.

Getting into trouble over wind chimes is not good feng shui after all. Feng shui aims to create peace and positive energy, hardly what having and angry neighbor or landlord will gain you.

What Exactly is a Feng Shui Tree?

January 13th, 2010

What Exactly is a Feng Shui Tree?

There is a lot of current interest in the Eastern art and science of feng shui. The problem is that many people would like to learn what feng shui is and how it can be applied, but they are receiving conflicting advice. There are many online stores selling feng shui wind chimes, feng shui jade, feng shui crystals and feng shui trees.

Do feng shui trees actually exist and if so, what are they? How do you use them? Are there fake feng shui trees for sale and if so, how do you know? Let’s have a closer look at the answers to these questions and then you can decide whether or not you still want a feng shui tree.

The Five Elements of Feng Shui

You might already know the five elements of feng shui. They are water, fire, wood, metal and earth. These natural elements are able to live harmoniously together in nature and they are thought to bring harmony to your indoor living environment too. This is where feng shui trees can come in useful.

If one of your rooms is very strong with one element, it should be balanced with another. A white bathroom, for example, has a very pristine and clean feel to it because of the color. White is a water color which is associated with cleanliness.

Too much white can make your bathroom feel sterile, cold and almost surgical. A wood element is what is required to tone down the white. You could use a small feng shui tree with brown and gold in an all-white bathroom. You can also use the tree in a white kitchen. White can make a room feel larger and brighter than it is but it can also be overpowering.

A lot of people living in small apartments and homes are encouraged to use white to make the rooms look bigger. This leads to the danger of having too much white, which makes the rooms seem unwelcoming and sterile. This obviously is not a good feeling for the hearth of the home!

The Fire Element and the Money Tree

Some people believe that if you have a feng shui tree in your home and you tie coins to it, wealth will come your way. This is, of course, rooted in superstition rather than logic, which is why many modern feng shui practitioners reject this idea.

There is some use for feng shui trees though. Many money trees have bright red ribbons tied around them, which offsets the golden brown branches. These ribbons can introduce the fire element to any room that needs it. For example, if your living room has a very strong earth element because it is painted in browns, the fire element can help to harmonize the room and be an interesting centerpiece.

Now you can see how and where feng shui trees can be useful. They might not bring the wealth and good luck you were led to believe but they can definitely add an important accent to your feng shui home.

How Feng Shui Crystals Work

January 13th, 2010

The Real Truth About Feng Shui Crystals

How did you feel when you first learned that there was so such thing as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus?  As a child, you may have been hurt or upset, but looking back on it now as an adult, do you see how silly it is to believe in those things in the first place?

When speaking about things such as feng shui crystals, many people may be upset to learn that there really is no such thing in the true application and science of feng shui.

As this practice came to the western parts from ancient China, it began to be intermingled with New Age “hocus pocus,” which really adulterated the true art form.  Many unscrupulous individuals realized that they could slap a “feng shui” label on virtually anything and sell it to unsuspecting customers, and one popular item along these lines is the so-called feng shui crystals.

But before you start to feel hurt or betrayed the way you did when you heard about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, let’s talk a bit about the true use and history of “feng shui crystals” and see if perhaps some logic and reasoning might help you out a bit.

The True Principles of Feng Shui

Many people don’t understand how truly simple feng shui really is.  They believe that you need a feng shui reader or expert to explain every minor detail of its application in their home or life, and from this belief sprung the sales of so many items, including those feng shui crystals.  When people believe anything that some “expert” tells them, then of course it’s easier for them to be taken advantage of.

Feng shui really is all about balance, harmony, peace, and positive energy.  There is no magic bullet or talisman that can bring these elements into your life.  For instance, if you and your spouse refuse to talk to each other or if you’re hiding a secret affair, all the crystals in the world are not going to give you a peaceful marriage.  Hang all the feng shui crystals over your bedroom mirror that you want, and there will still be disharmony and chaos in your relationship.

De-cluttering your life is an important part of feng shui, as it’s true that sometimes the negative elements in our lives have more of an effect than the positive.  Removing old and useless things that bring nothing positive to us, and that just simply drain us and make us feel guilty or depressed, can do much to usher in that positive uplifting energy that we’re looking for – more so than any feng shui crystal could do.

When Feng Shui Crystals Are Useful

Of course, some people simply like the look of crystals, whether they are by themselves or are crystal ornaments.  They do reflect light and can add a certain brightness to an otherwise dark corner or room.  If you enjoy your crystal knickknacks for this reason, or just like looking at that crystal dangling from your rearview mirror, then there’s nothing in feng shui principles that says that you must get rid of it.

Useful Tips for Feng Shui Beginners

September 16th, 2008

Useful Tips for Feng Shui Beginners

Have you heard about the wonderful benefits of using feng shui in your life but are at a loss where to begin? Are you worried about paying so-called feng shui experts a lot of money to give you a reading about what you should do in your home? Are you wondering whether it is real or just baloney?

Don’t worry because we have some great pointers and tips for all feng shui beginners to think about before they go further. Before spending anything on an adviser or dismissing this ancient science and art as a bunch of bunk, check out the following explanations.

Feng Shui is About Order and Calm

This is one of the most important principles in feng shui and one which the beginner needs to be aware of first. Feng shui is not about painting your front door red to attract wealth, nor is it about having to place your sofa exactly here or your bed exactly there. It is about attracting calm, order, peace, balance and harmony into your life. One of the first things that beginners to feng shui are advised to do is to de-clutter their home as much as they can.

Why is this important? Because clutter causes chaos and stress in a home. This is a scientifically proven fact. If your living environment is cluttered with all sorts of things you feel disappointment and guilt over unfinished projects and chores. You are also frustrated and annoyed when you can’t find an important item amid the mess.

Some feng shui beginners might immediately dismiss this element but think about it. If your home is messy and cluttered, how does that make you feel? Do you feel positive about your home and good about yourself? Probably not.

Feng Shui Helps to Create Specific Moods

The use of color is a major part of feng shui but not because some colors are better than others or because certain colors are “lucky”. This is a common misunderstanding amongst feng shui beginners. Instead of this, one color is used to energize a room or to create a certain mood. Strong colors such as purple are red are used sparingly and seen as bold and fiery. Vibrant, bright colors can be a great pick-me-up and soothing, warm colors are calming and relaxing.

There is scientific data available to back these claims up. Biologists understand the way in which we relate to colors around us. This can apply to a variety of situations. Brake lights, fire engines and stop signs are red to draw immediate attention to their importance. Taxi cabs are yellow to make them stand out amongst other cars.

If you are a feng shui beginner, don’t dismiss the concept but don’t let it overwhelm you either. You don’t need to believe in the hocus pocus superstitions that some people have mistakenly thought applied to feng shui. You can however appreciate the aspects of this art as being effective and sensible.

If you want more proof of what feng shui can do for you, clean out your closets and repaint your bedroom. See if those simple changes bring some positive energy into your life!

Analyzing The Principles Of Feng Shui for Your Home

September 5th, 2008

Analyzing Feng Shui Principles for Your Home

If you have made the decision to remodel or redecorate your home to encourage energy and health, you might want to analyze feng shui to see if it can help you. Do you know how de-cluttering can relax and calm you? Do you know how the use of color can create a calm, peaceful mood or a vibrant, lively one?

By dedicating some time and thought to these subjects, you can start to analyze feng shui and find out if there are any scientific principles that you can apply in your decorating project.

Use of Colors in Feng Shui

When you analyze feng shui and the use of colors you need to understand how color can change and influence feelings and moods. Lively, vibrant colors energize you. Imagine trying to be upbeat in an all-black room. Doesn’t that harsh color bring you down and make you feel quiet and depressed?

A lot of kitchens are painted in bright shades or orange and yellow. These colors are thought to be sanitary and clean as well as vibrant and full of energy, when it comes to feng shui principles.

Why De-Cluttering is Important

If you analyze feng shui, you will see that clutter and excessive items are not recommended. Clutter has been shown to make people feel anxious and stressed. Clutter is a constant reminder of things that need to be done, such as broken appliances, laundry that needs to be folded, socks that need darning and so on. This nagging voice in the back of your head will do nothing to encourage positive energy.

The Best Way to Analyze Feng Shui for Your Home

So how can you apply these principles in your own home? You don’t need to be an interior designer to understand color. Take a good, long look at each of your rooms. How do you feel when you are standing in the doorway? Do you feel like you want to enter that room or do you feel depressed for any reason? Do you avoid the room in question because of something you dislike about it? If you are going to analyze feng shui, you will need to have a clear feeling for every room and face up to these feelings.

There are no set rules about clutter in any one area but you do need to be honest with yourself. Look at the things you are holding on to but do not use much or at all. Do these items add any value to your life or do they just get in the way and depress you? What kind of energy do you feel when looking at these items? You don’t have to keep anything “just in case” because this introduces negative energy into your home, which outweighs any benefits from supposed uses for these items.

If you can spend some time and analyze feng shui, you will be able to use it in your life and home. Just by applying these few simple principles, you can derive some great benefits.

The True Usage of Mirrors In the Science of Feng Shui

August 15th, 2008

The Real Use of Mirrors in Feng Shui Applications

A lot of people begin using mirrors as they get into the practice of feng shui, believing mirrors to be an essential element of feng shui. Is this really the case? Are mirrors so important to the art of feng shui? Do feng shui experts find so many applications for mirrors in the practice of the art? How do mirrors create positive energy flow – or in fact do they do this at all? Keep reading for an examination of the use of mirrors in feng shui before you start covering every surface in your home with them.

The Ancient Use of Mirrors in Feng Shui

Most are aware that feng shui is primarily concerned with creating a balance of what in feng shui are known as the five elements: fire, water, wood, metal and earth. feng shui holds that these elements create circular patterns of either construction or destruction with each other and that having one element too predominant in a space prevents the effective flow of positive energy. For that reason, feng shui aims at creating a harmonious balance of these elements.

At one time, mirrors in feng shui were used to introduce the element of metal to a room. A room with too much earth element (for instance, being colored in earth tones) needs an other element to balance it out, with metal being a good fit. A mirror was one way of doing that.

The use of a mirror in feng shui makes sense in these kinds of spaces, making a dark room seem more sunny and bright and opening up the space since earth tones can make a room claustrophobic feeling.

Today’s Use of Mirrors in Feng Shui

Nowadays, however there is rarely any actual metal employed in the manufacture of mirrors. This is a big difference between the use of mirrors in feng shui past and present. A mirror now is as likely as not composed of plastic, which does not have the characteristics of a true metal element containing item.

So in this age, how should one use mirrors in feng shui? Simply put, the same way as they are used in any design or decoration scheme: to make rooms seem larger and brighter and spread light around a room, offsetting any closed in, claustrophobia inducing decor.

Mirrors in feng shui are also introduced simply for their decorative value. Feng shui holds that art should be enjoyed for its own sake rather than ascribing spiritual benefit to it. Mirrors are, in feng shui, decoration and should be enjoyed as such. They are not usually made of the metal element in our age and should not be considered as such for the purposes of feng shui.

When using mirrors in feng shui, go ahead and introduce them to a room; but keep in mind that they are there for decorative use and you still must bring a metal element into a room that needs it to be balanced rather than putting up a mirror.

Some Feng Shui Bedroom Tips To Help You

August 14th, 2008

How to Create a True Feng Shui Bedroom

A lot of people come across the ancient art and science of feng shui and thing it might be a good way of adding vitality and energy to their lives in as natural a way as possible. Other people want the opposite. They want to create a relaxing, calm environment instead. Whatever your reasons are for finding out more about feng shui, there are a few easy tricks you can use to create a true feng shui bedroom in your home.

Feng Shui Bedroom Tip 1

The most important thing to do when adding feng shui elements to your bedroom is to ask yourself which kind of atmosphere you are trying to create. For instance, do you want to add spice and sexual energy to your bedroom? Or are you trying to make it a relaxing, warm place to encourage restful sleep.

When making up your mind on which changes would be appropriate to make your room into a feng shui bedroom, you need to decide exactly what the room needs and what you need yourself. These two atmospheres are polar opposites of one another and you don’t want to add vibrancy and spice to a room where you just want to get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Nor do you want to create a relaxing, soothing atmosphere in a room where you want more sexual passion and energy to happen.

Feng Shui Bedroom Tip 2

After deciding what changes you want to make to your bedroom, depending on what kind of mood you are trying to enhance, you will need to totally de-clutter the room. Your bedroom is not an office. Nor is it a laundry room or exercise room. No matter whether you want a relaxing, calming bedroom or one with some energy and vibrancy, clutter is going to stand in the way of you achieving either of these.

Look at any decorating magazine photos and look at the rooms. How many are cluttered up with a variety of objects? Absolutely none of them and there is a reason for this. A cluttered room is simply unappealing. Would you try to sell your house with clutter all over the place? Of course not. You would tidy it up, lose the clutter and make it look nicer. Why not do that for yourself? You will get great results.

Feng Shui Bedroom Tip 3

Color is very important in all aspects of feng shui and the same applies to the bedroom. Dark, warm colors will be relaxing and bold, bright colors will attract energy.

Depending on your decision about what kind of atmosphere you want to create in your bedroom, you might want to choose a soothing color like dark green or brown to relax you or you might prefer purple or red tones to create tension and energy. Don’t go overboard once you have made your decision. Don’t paint every single wall red and match the bedding, ornaments and furniture. There is nothing so depressing or draining than feeling overwhelmed by one single color when you enter a room. You might want to use one main color and have accents instead, or combine two or three relaxing or energizing colors.

If you can apply these three easy tips, you will be able to create a true feng shui bedroom which will either introduce some energy and spice into your life or soothe and calm you, promoting a good night’s sleep.

Some Feng Shui Tips that Everyone Can Apply

August 10th, 2008

Some Feng Shui Tips that Everyone Can Apply

If you are interested in the ancient science and art of feng shui, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the conflicting advice to be found on the topic. A lot of people think you have to hire a feng shui professional to visit your home and give you a reading about where the positive energy is and what you should do with every room but this is in fact unnecessary in almost every case and there is a lot you can do yourself to improve the positive energy flow.

Anybody can encourage the positive energy to flow and discourage negative energy with a few easy feng shui tips that you can use today.

Feng Shui Tip 1

The first thing to do when applying feng shui to your home is to de-clutter. Excessive clutter causes more energy draining in your home than anything else. Broken appliances which cannot be fixed and old clothes you don’t like any more are only reminders of unmet goals and unfinished projects. They drain you both emotionally and mentally.

This de-cluttering feng shui tip also applies to bigger things like car parts, furniture etc. if you have more than two large sofas in your living room, how come? If you have a garage full of useless car parts, why is that?

If your answer is “just in case”, that means they are useless pieces of clutter and should be gotten rid of immediately.

Feng Shui Tip 2

You should have a look at the colors used in your home and working environment. Color affects our emotional state and can be a factor in our moods. A good feng shui tip to use when you want to increase your vitality and energy is to use bold, bright colors in rooms you spend time in before heading out for the day. This might be the breakfast nook or kitchen. Warm, dark colors are good to settle your mood down. This would apply to the bedroom or living room. Warm browns and greens are good for such areas but there is no set color that you have to use. We all have different preferences and tastes.

You need to be a bit careful when using the above feng shui tip. Some people think the entire room and everything in it needs to be this chosen color. Too much of one bright color can make you feel anxious and tense. Too much of a dark color can depress you and make you feel down.

It is often a good idea to stand in the entrance to the room and observe it. Be honest about the colors you can see in the room. Is it too much? You might want to think about using a neutral color with other colors as accents or toning down the overall shade.

If you apply these quick and easy feng shui tips in your home, you will start to feel the positive energy flowing in and you will feel a lot better in yourself.

How to Correctly Use Feng Shui Candles

August 5th, 2008

How to Use Feng Shui Candles

If you are thinking about adding some feng shui elements to your home, you might have heard some people talk about feng shui candles. What exactly are feng shui candles and what are they for? How should they be used and are there certain places where using them is not real feng shui? Most feng shui candles don’t come with instructions so it can be confusing knowing exactly how they should be used in your home.

The Five Elements and Feng Shui Candles

Feng shui teaches that there are five natural elements. These are earth, metal, wood, fire and water. There needs to be a harmony between these elements in every room or space. What exactly does that mean?

To put it simply, different elements are able to feed or destroy each other. Wood can feed fire but water destroys fire. Earth can feed wood but metal destroys it. Feng shui does not teach about destruction but it does teach about balance. If you have a room that has strong earth elements, for example, such as the warm tones of your bedroom or living room, you might want to introduce the element of fire to bring some balance. This is where feng shui candles are used. Obviously you don’t have a fireplace in every room and you can’t set up a bonfire indoors but candles are affordable, small and safe.

Energy and Feng Shui Candles

The fire element represents strong vitality and energy and any corner of your home or room which requires this energy can benefit from the fire element. A lot of couples who want to bring more energy or spice to their love life are encouraged to have some feng shui candles in the bedroom. The fire encourages you to enjoy the revitalization and energy. You do need to exercise basic fire safety precautions of course and make sure you extinguish the candles properly before going to sleep!

It is a good idea to use feng shui candles when you want to create energy in any room, such as the dining room or family room, when you want the family to be open and to gather together. The fire encourages everyone to have energy in their thoughts and conversations.

Where Not to Use Feng Shui Candles

Fire is a very strong element and for this reason you need to be careful not to go overboard using it. If you have a big fireplace in your house, you probably already have enough of the fire element. Don’t line your mantelpiece with candles in this instance because this will be overdoing it. Keep the feng shui candles for another place in your home, far enough away from the fireplace not to compete.

You do need to exercise caution when using feng shui candles, the same as when using regular candles. Don’t leave them unattended. Don’t use them in children’s rooms and don’t have them where pets can knock them over.

If you apply these principles to your use of feng shui candles, you will soon begin to enjoy the vitality and energy that they bring to your life and your home.