FENG SHUI NEWS

DO UP YOUR HOME THE FENG SHUI WAY  

Bring positive energy into your homes by applying simple feng shui principles, says NEHA BATRA

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art that is gaining prominence nowadays. This practice emphasizes on the importance of 'qi' or 'chi', which is energy flow, as the crucial factor that influences our lives, our surroundings and the kind of circumstances or luck associated with it. Feng shui is based on the art of balancing the five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal for harmonizing home space. Feng, in itself, means 'wind' and shui means 'water' and a feng shui expert employs a 'bagua', which means a feng shui map, as a preliminary step in examining conditions of the house. To restructure your home according to favourable feng shui is quite easy and interesting. Here are a few pointers to attract harmony and balance for your family and make your home a blessed one.

Primary Rule - De-clutter

Feng shui strongly recommends a clutter free home to welcome good energy into one's home. Er. R. Prasad, a Delhi based feng shui expert, informs, "The first rule of feng shui is to declutter the house thoroughly. Use camphor lamps to clear any kind of stagnant, dull or negative energy that may be hidden in any area of the home." Remove any newspapers or files or magazines, books and office related documents scattered in the bedroom. The refrigerator in the kitchen, all the drawers, surfaces and the stove must be cleaned. While this may require some effort from you, it is definitely worth taking out time for because feng shui believes that once you eliminate clutter from every room, you begin to experience higher energy levels, clarity of mind and calmness.

Zone Wise Division of Home

Using the feng shui 'bagua', a feng shui expert divides the house into nine distinct zones. Each zone corresponds to nine aspects of life. "The north zone signifies career and prosperity and aquariums or fountains can be placed here since the element most active in this area is water. The north-east zone, with light earth as the element, represents the area of knowledge and is ideally suited to be children's study room. The east zone stands for family and young children and the south-east zone for wealth, both with wood as their major element. A living room in the east and a kitchen in the south-east are most preferred. The South zone, with fire as the element, is symbolic of fame and reputation, so having a drawing room here works well. The south-west zone can be the master bedroom as it is the ideal area for nurturing relationships. Here, the pre-dominant element is big earth. The west is the zone for children's creativity and to have the children's room here is considered good since the element metal can be found in this corner. Next is north-west, with metal as the element and this is the area for mentors or helpful people in one's life. The centre uses earth as its element and represents health of the family", informs Prasad. Each zone carries a unique vibrant energy and in order to tap powerful energy influences, all family members should be accorded rooms keeping in mind the areas most suited for their development.

Colour Scheme

Colours play a major role in feng shui. Charuhas Naik, a feng shui expert, suggests, "The colour scheme should be chosen depending on the goals one wants to achieve in their life. The living room is the heart of one's home so use only vibrant colours like shades of red and yellow here. For the bedroom, one should avoid the use of blue, black or red colours. Instead, use pastel colours for better quality of sleep and smoothness in relationships. It is my observation that too much of red in the kitchen leads to arguments in the household. Hence, go for beige, light grey or yellow in the kitchen."

Special Artefacts

Numerous feng shui products flood the markets, nowadays. These artefacts serve a dual purpose, that of beautifying home space and of ushering fresh and pure energy therein. Sanjay Sarkar, testifying enthusiastically of the benefits of feng shui in his home and life, says, "I love feng shui items. I use bagua mirrors, iching coins, laughing Buddha and tortoise in different rooms to enhance aesthetic appeal and to attract the right kind of energy for these rooms." Prasad, also states, "I recommend the use of a three legged toad in golden colour, a wealth Buddha or a bamboo plant in the south-east corner of your home to attract money. Play with red in the south area. Red curtains, flowers and bulbs here, can be effective in enhancing one's reputation in society. Place an education tower or a crystal globe on the study table and hang a crystal ball on the windows, to enable children to have better concentration and retention power."

Times Property, Times of India (Lucknow).

Rameshwar Prasad invites you to Read Published Articles Written by Him.