Putting Feng Shui Into Perspective

The essence and overall objective of the art, science, and discipline called feng shui is the experience of harmony, peace, and well-being in one's environment through the balanced placement and arrangement of one's space and possessions. While this can definitely include having things such as plants, water features, wind chimes, and the like so that elements of earth, fire, metal, water, and wood - forms of nature and its energy - can enliven and support the space, it also includes us and our energies, too.

One underlying issue for many individuals is oftentimes not the lack of having enough feng shui items but having too many items period. More often than not, simply getting rid of things that no longer serve a purpose and rearranging and organizing the rest are plenty to breathe life into any heretofore stagnant chi and to elevate the level of flowing chi in the space. And presto, the occupant feels wonderful in the space as a result - without ever spending a penny on feng shui coins.

(Read "The Top 3 Reasons to Properly Dispose of Unused Gadgets" to learn about feng shui and old digital devices.)

Another, deeper issue is a disempowering sense of self. When a person relates to him- or herself as being inadequate, unworthy, or any variation of "not good enough," he or she is a walking, talking mass of that kind of energy, and no feng shui object is going to make that person feel any more peaceful or comfortable at home or anywhere else. But when this person gets the true nature of his or her being and becomes empowered, then intentions can manifest into physical reality, and oftentimes without any conscious application of feng shui.

None of this is magic. It's the combined energy of our selves integrated and balanced with that of our environments and the objects within them that bring about the results we desire.

Feng shui and other spatial energy practices such as Hindu-based Vastu are inherently pragmatic: Get rid of the clutter. Keep pathways open. Work in the office, not in the bedroom. Practical. Sensible. Simple. That is not to say, though, that it is always easy. If your home is prone to flooding, no amount of feng shui-ing or vastu-ing is going to prevent the water from flowing in when it does whereas moving to higher ground probably will.

So what, then, is there to the crystals, images, mirrors, and all the other items cited as positive energy enhancers or negative energy neutralizers? Certainly they can provide the benefits attributed to them or else they wouldn't be recommended in feng shui, right?

Yes. However, it is only within the appropriate context and in relation to one's personal energy and intentions as well as one's resonance with the object can it enhance positive chi and counteract negative chi. When one's context is fear, it is unlikely that any object is going to provide peace, no matter how effective it is credited to being in feng shui. If a person is afraid that business is going to go down the toilet because the bathroom is in the career corner, then putting a mirror on the bathroom door will not deflect any "flushing" energy but instead reflect his or her own self-sabotaging energy. Likewise with the intention to have a wonderful relationship, it is counter-productive and ineffective to introduce a wind chime as a "feng shui cure" to liven up "stuck energy" in the relationship corner when the person cannot tolerate the sounds from it and the subconscious context is "men are jerks," "women are playthings" or some other equally defeating statement.

Compare those examples to one where the context is love. I have a friend who loves her work and loves working at home. For a time, though, she found that whenever she sat at her desk, she felt something was "off" but couldn't put her finger on it.

The issues were clutter, energetically "heavy" items, and not enough "room to breathe." We moved files that she didn't use consistently into a closet, which we also cleared of old stuff (that she eventually organized and kept, donated, or discarded). Then we moved a bookcase out of the office and into the foyer of her apartment, which had been a "dead space" next to the entryway to her office. We also moved non-work related items out of the office, added some life-giving plants, and rearranged the rest of the things to support her work and professional accomplishments.

Not only did this open up the office to give it (and her) some breathing room and energetic focus on work, but it "grounded" the foyer, gave this space life through the placement of plants and keepsakes she loves, and provided uplifting and inspiring energy that supports her whenever she enters her home and home-based work environment. None of this required any special feng shui object or cost a plug nickel, just a bit of time, energy, and creativity. Now she feels like she's living and working in a brand new place, is productive as all get-out, and loves it.

While this may seem like common sense, both sense and cents often go out the wisdom and wealth corner windows when it comes to implementing many of the feng shui "remedies." The language alone implies that there is already something wrong. "You've got negative chi here and not enough good chi there so use this and that to cure them." Thus fear often becomes the unspoken companion to the ferns, flutes, and other feng shui fix-its. Coming from this context, it's no wonder that the desired results don't happen.

Add to this the fact that much of feng shui "advice" often focuses on the objects themselves, where the powers of effecting positive change in one's space are given to them. You may be the person who is putting them in place but what are you actually empowering as the shifter of the chi - the object or yourself?

When these objects are regarded as being the source of power for spatial harmony and balance, it isn't feng shui (or vastu or any other spatial energy discipline) that is being practiced but a lack of using one's personal power, intuition, and instincts under its guise. The objects and their energies can certainly contribute to balance and harmony in the appropriate context but you must realize that you are the power source for their contribution.

What, then, is the appropriate context? The specifics will vary by person but overall, the answer is: an empowering one. Objects only have the power that you attribute to them. The question is whether you are giving them power that you believe you lack within yourself.

According to Feng Shui Master Quita Crump, "It's really about one's intentions, being clear about what you want from elevating the energy of your space, and being confident... People bring their energies to everything, including the things in their homes and on their properties. And these things, whether or not they are designated for feng shui use, bring their energies to people too, reflecting back to [the people] the vibrations they are sending out."

Thus the coexistence and co-mingling of energies can support or detract from the experience of harmony, peace, well-being, and balance in our spaces. And using feng shui to create or enhance a favorable energy environment can be effective when done from the context of empowerment. Start with what's already present in our outer environments and then do what feels resonant with us to raise and expand the energies from there. And this begins with elevating the energy within our inner environments - our selves.