Feng Shui Friday: Balance

Octagon graphic, Bartett Designs
Every week I take a break from romance/erotic fiction writing and explore simple tricks to bring positive energy to YOUR writing...and life!

Last week I talked about the last of the feng shui elements, The Fire Element. I've spent several weeks splitting the zones and elements up individually, so now I'd like to talk about a little thing called...

Balance in Feng Shui

graphic courtesy hvaldez1, Stock Xchg
A lot of folks I talk to who are getting involved in feng shui make a common mistake I myself was guilty of in the beginning--focusing all energy in one area. Perhaps they want to beef up romance, and saw some Love Area cures to help. Or who couldn't use some extra cash? Perhaps someone goes all out on their Wealth Area to attract money. But as with all things in life, shifting one area affects others. Rock a boat sideways and you may find yourself seasick and capsized, rather than arriving happily at your destination. So it's important not only to know what elements work best in what areas of the home, but how they must all exist in a careful balance in order to truly flourish.

The Balancing Act of Feng Shui

Life spinning out of control? Have you feng-shui'd your heart out in one or more zones but aren't noticing an appreciable difference? Overall lack of balance in your home may be the culprit.

Take a look at your home as a whole for a moment, eyeballing each of the following elements:

1. Earth (clay/ceramics, natural stone, square shapes, "harvest" earth tones)

2. Metal (Metal furnishings, decor, stair railings, circle/spherical shapes, gray/white colors)

3. Fire (candles/fireplaces, lighting, red colors, triangle/pyramidal shapes, sun-themed decor)

4. Water (fountains, snow globes, fish tanks, water themed decor, ponds, water-filled lamps or furnishings, wavy shapes, blue/black colors)

5. Wood (indoor trees/plants, wood furnishings/decor, wood chimes, rectangular/column shapes, green colors)

Chances are good you will find your home leans toward one or two of these elements. If there is a significant lack of proportion, however, this can create imbalance and "lopsidedness" in your life. The good news is, this can be corrected without bringing in a decorator.

Stacking the Balance

Photo courtesy satty4u, Stock Xchg

There are three main ways to bring obvious discrepancies back into balance.

1.Opposing Elements
Have all wood furniture and too little of other things? No money/desire to ditch the current arrangement? Bring in the opposite element, Metal, to level the playing field. Gray/white toss pillows, carefully positioned metal decor, etc. can help counteract the effects of too much Wood in a space. Same thing with bringing in Water to counteract too much Fire, Earth to dam up too much Water, Fire to soften the effects of too much Metal, and Wood to penetrate the effects of too much Earth.

2. The Thousand Mirror Effect This is what I call the act of reinforcing feng shui zones on multiple levels. Meaning you apply the octagon not only to the house, but to each room and even to a surface in a room (like a desk) to assign feng shui zones to each area of that space. I'll be talking about "micro" feng shui later in the series, but for now let's look at it like this. Say you've got a modern home with metal light fixtures, furnishings, and gray/white/silver color tones throughout. To counteract the barrier effects of all that Metal, make sure the counter element, Fire, is strongly represented in its natural area, the Fame area. Place Fire elements in your home's Fame area, then go to each room of the home and use the octagon to find the Fame wall in that room, and place Fire elements there as well. This reinforces the neutralizing effects of Fire to help minimize the disproportionate amount of Metal.

3. Total Equilibrium
If your life is steeped in Dramaville and you can't seem to get things leveled out, or just really want to amp up the harmony in your existence (boy, that seems like an oxymoron), Make sure all five elements are represented and in balance in all nine feng shui zones. These "echoes of balance" can help reduce those inexplicable hiccups that occur no matter what you do.


Have fun exploring the ways balance can enhance your chi!


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Romance writer duties call!! I hope you've enjoyed Feng Shui Friday. Have a tip or dilemma to share? Please post in the comments! Until next time, may you find the magic within that brings perfect balance and harmony your way!