SUPPORTING & CALMING ELEMENTS
Feng Shui's elements can stimulate, support, harm, and calm, each other. Wood supports Fire (this one is easy, think of a camp fire), Fire supports Earth (think of Earth's core), Earth supports Metal (Earth stores minerals and metals), Metal supports Water (bit harder to remember but metals/minerals enrich water), Water supports Wood ('trees need water').
Support & Destruction
Fire destroys Metal (think like a blacksmith), Metal destroys Wood (think how logging machinery clearing woodlands), Wood destroys Earth (think of wood chip bedding preventing vegetables to grow), Earth destroys Water (think of too much sand turning water into mud), and Water destroys Fire (no-brainer).
Too much water and metal element in your bathroom? A too white and shiny bathroom? Add a plant (earth) in a wooden bowl (wood).
Too much wood element in your garden shed? Add a stone collection (earth), or a water bowl with floating plants (earth & water).
An absence of metal (no ambition, sluggishness) in a 100% wooden studio? Add a metal desk, or a metal sculpture.
A too sunny (fire element) and hot kitchen with a 6 pits stove and red walls? Add a water bowl with water plants to 'destroy' (limit) the excess of fire element and paint your kitchen walls soft green.
Studying Feng Shui is a pleasurable and creative activity. Read, make notes, and draw maps. Add colours, cut-outs of inspiring home interior magazines. Keep the theoretical and practical part of your in harmony balanced.
The Atmosphere of the Elements
- Water flows and is flexible and regenerative
- Wood grows upwards and is active, creative, and rising
- Metal withdraws inwards and is focusing and strengthening
- Fire expresses itself and increases energy and passion
- Soil (Earth) settles downwards and is all about growing, rooting, and grounding.
Fengshui's QI
A SHORT NOTE ON QI
In short, Qi is energy but not the one you are used to call energy in
'I have loads of energy today' or 'Our energy is off; we have a black
out'. In Feng Shui everything has Qi, you, your possessions, your home,
and the weather. But also artwork, and actions between people. In Feng Shui we can feel energy, Qi, and we can change it. We can
change how we feel by reorganizing our relations and interior. We can
feel one way about a park and another way about another park and it is not only you but the lay-out, safety and relaxing characteristics of the two parks can be different. We can change our emotions and well-being through de-cluttering or buying the right furniture for a room. Feng Shui teaches us how to change our direct environment for the better.
The assumption is that there is a constant flow of Qi, or in modern working 'electromagnetic energy'. We can optimize that flowing Qi, not so much the Qi of big things like tsunamis or weather, but those close to us, our gardens, balconies, and rooms. Be kind, live green, and do not harm. We are very capable beings and we can change temperature, lights, sounds, prevent illnesses, and stop pollution. One person can be hugely beneficial to the environment. Feng Shui gives us tools. Start with the Five Elements and take it from there.
Combining and balancing the elements often enriches a room, a home or a park. Imagine a park with just trees (wood-element). Add to it a pond (water-element), a work of art (metal-element), a rock 'garden' (earth element) and red rhododendrons (partly fire element but mostly wood element).
Combine, support, or destroy (minimize) elements that are too dominant or too little represented and see how that affects a living space. Feng Shui does not have an end. One can keep on adding harmony and new insights because our homes and parks change in function over time.
Your Home: Your Design
To create a handmade -designed by yourself- luxury home, work on harmonizing Fengshui's elements. This is such nice thing to do! Instead of blindly following home interior fashions, you work with what you have (already). There is probably very little you need to do other than starting a notebook and studying the elements. Take notes! Then work out how to identify and harmonize the five elements per room. Soon your home will feel luxuriously peaceful.
I hope the explanation on how to combine (support) and distribute the five elements inside your home, will create more harmony and happiness inside your home.
Paula Kuitenbrouwer
Fengshui small art cards by Paula are for sale in our Art & Illustration section.
Paula's artistic interpretations of Fengshui's Five Elements
Large Glass bottle (Water element), combined with Wood element (flooring) and Earth element (stones of hearth).
Wood Element (chest) combined with Metal element (tray) as well as Water element (translucent gemstones)
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