Feng Shui is the study of chi, the universal life force that permeates everything. Just as Chinese acupuncture manipulates the body to correct imbalances and enhance the flow of chi within a person, Feng Shui manipulates the physical environment to correct imbalances and enhance the flow of chi in a building.
People living in a home with good chi tend to have successful careers and relationships, whereas a home with poor chi hinders progress in life. For this reason, those who believe in Feng Shui are very particular about the houses they purchase—they believe that a house’s chi directly impacts their future success.
Many factors affect the quality and flow of chi. Feng Shui consultants analyze a home in multiple ways: for its balance of Yin/Yang; its balance of the five elements (fire, earth, metal, water, wood); the location of its furniture; the chi emitting from structural features and placed objects, the shape of the house and lot, and so on.
Feng Shui Tips
Whether you are getting your house ready for sale, or you want more success in your life, here are some Feng Shui tips help to enhance the chi in a house.
- Think expansive! Invest in landscaping the front yard so that it looks large and open. The good chi of your neighborhood can more easily come into the home if it first has a place to settle in your front yard.
- Think welcoming! Paint the front door, install good lighting, and plant flowers and flowering shrubs so that your entrance is fresh and inviting. Remove excess furniture in the foyer so that it looks as large and open as possible, but have a place for coats, shoes, keys, and handbags.
- Think clean―squeaky clean! Dirt and grime traps chi, slowing down its flow and reducing its quality. Wash your walls, drapery, carpets, windows—anything that traps dirt. Be sure to de-clutter and remove any items that you do not love, or that are not useful.
- Think vibrant and strong! Remove anything that is dead or dying, and fix what is broken. This includes dried flowers, diseased plants, burnt out light bulbs, broken hinges, and so on. Have a bowl of fresh oranges and blossoming flowers in the kitchen and decorate the house with artwork that elicits positive, healthy emotions.
- Think success! The reason why you’re selling should be framed in terms of your success, such as a promotion or some other positive event in your life. Your successes in life mean the house has positive chi, a boon for its future owners.
- Feel the love! The more you love your home―and the things that surround you―the more your home vibrates with positive chi. Potential buyers will feel this positive chi as soon as they walk in.
Allyson Butt is a certified Feng Shui consultant and professional organizer. Visit reviveorganize.ca or contact her at allyson@reviveorganize.ca. Please visit Allyson's website at http://reviveorganize.ca/feng-shui