Feng Shui your Office

Knowledge of Feng Shui colors can allow you to choose the right colors to create harmony in any living or working space as well as it can be used with anything that involves choosing colors. According to Feng Shui color specifications, colors should not be used randomly but according to what they represent.

Each one of the five elements – fire, earth, metal, water and wood – is represented by a color. By using Feng Shui colors we can create balance.

In addition to the color associated with each element, I have included other components related to further help you decorate your office.

Fire Components

The color associated with fire are red, crimson, ruby, brick, scarlet, hot pink, orange, and purple. Other design features of the fire element are:

Shape: top-sharp, triangle, spiky, exploding
Décor: red ribbon, light, coffee maker, picture of beauty, sun, fire
Material: hot or burning, like gas, light, electricity, sunlight, steam, heater
Music: high-tuned, fast-beating, emotional, uplifting
Plant: blood lily, red clover, red pepper, yarrow, red hibiscus, begonia
Animal: horse

Fire is associated with the south or fame area (see Bagua Map). If you want to create fame or enhance prosperity, add fire elements like this triangular-shaped crystal. You could even get one in red, purple or other of the other colors associated with fire.

The spirit of fire is aggressive, hot-heated, sensitive, go-getting and offensive. If you want to develop a go-getter attitude, enhance the fire elements in your office. If you find that attitudes of your clients or yourself is too sensitive, aggressive or offensive, tone down the fire elements slightly by adding water elements.

Earth Components

Tan, beige, rust, brown, and yellow are earth colors. Additional aspects of earth element are:

Shape: square, fat rectangular
Décor: ceramics, clay pot, drawer, yellow-toned paint or lava lamp, boxy furniture
Material: sticky or made of soil, clay, ceramic, chinaware, nutrition
Music: peaceful, smooth and low-tuned, yin-yang balanced
Plant: sunflower, yellow oleander, yellow or rusty color mum
Animal: ox, tiger, ram, monkey

If you want to create loyalty, persistence, responsibility, or slow down the energy, use earth colors or components. Earth’s aspiration is love, marriage, motherhood, knowledge, and scholarly success. Want to add any of these elements into your office or life? Enhance the presence of earth by adding a few of the above-mentioned items.

For example, this square clock which is also brown could be one of the earth elements you add to aspire to success with education.

Metal Components

Metal is represented by white, ivory, silver, gold and gray. Design elements include:

Shape: circle, round, arch
Décor: metal pots, clock which chimes, glass, mirror, crystal, picture of automobile, machine, jewelry, and white lava lamp
Material: hard, cool, such as gold, silver, brass, copper, coins

Music: heavy, emphatic, repeating, encouraging, uplifting
Plant: baby’s breath, jasmine, mum, cornflower, love-in-a-mist
Animal: rooster, dog, boar

This Australian gold rooster coin would be a perfect representation of a metal element.

Metal is associated with teamwork, patronage and benefactors. Need more of these or decisiveness and determination? Add metal colors or elements.

Water Components

Black, blue, sable, and navy are all colors representing water. You will also find the essence of water in the following:

Shape: curly, wavy
Décor: fish tank, water fountain, pond, view of beach, waterfall, river, blue or black lava lamp
Material: watery, moist, slippery, such as liquid, drink, gel
Music: easy listening, slow, light, sedative, tranquilizing, soothing
Plant: bamboo, willow, white spider lily, daffodil, plum, narcissus
Animal: rat

Water symbolizes flexibility, humor, diversity and imagination. Also, career and money are the aspirations of water. Need more of these? Try putting a bamboo plant on your desk.

Wood Components

Wood is associated with green, jade and emerald. Additional wood elements are:

Shape: columnar, stripes
Décor: green plant, green lave lamp, woodcarving wall carpet, straight lines, books, poles, and pillars
Material: elastic, straight, like fabric, wooden product, cotton
Music: variant, continuous, detailed, progression, focusing
Plant: corn tree, peony, orchid, lily of the Nile, iris, wild jonquil
Animal: rabbit, snake, dragon

You might add this wood carving of Buddha if your aspirations wealth, health or to start a family. Wood will also help if you want to create a spirit of exploration or be more analytical in nature.

Next time you are feeling a little out of sync, figure out what it exactly it is that is off balance. Then at the color or decor associated with that aspiration or spirit and notice what happens.

I know Feng Shui can be a little confusing at times. Need a little extra help? I’m available for Feng Shui consultations. To schedule your Feng Shui consultation, contact me at linda@massagetherapisttraininginstitute.com.

Have a story to share of how your used Feng Shui colors or design elements? Share them in the comments.

The subtle flow of electromagnetic energy called chi (or qi) interconnects all things and is in constant flow. This energy symbolizes life, health, prosperity and everything that is positive to us. Massage Therapists and bodyworkers work, knowingly or not, with energy flow and vibratory information in the body. Feng Shui looks at the office, building or home much as we might look at the body, and in very similar ways works to bring about balance.

Bodily health, or balance, corresponds to the harmonious interconnection of all parts of the body. The chi of the body is also in communication with and interconnected to the chi of the surrounding environment — plants, animals, buildings, communities, mountains, wind and water. “Wind-water” is the literal meaning of Feng Shui, suggestive of the way chi moves — like the ebb and flow of tides and air circulating in and around things. The chi of one’s immediate environment influences moods, emotions, physical energy, and, over time, health. Whenever chi finds obstacles for circulating we will notice it since it will directly affect our lives. Our life quality can diminish or be improved depending on the way chi flows in the environments we inhabit.

In the same way we learn to discern the energy of the body, we can develop sensitivity to feel the energy of dwellings and of place. Applying Feng Shui principles to create better energetic communication and harmony in a physical space is similar to helping restore the unobstructed flow of chi in the body through acupuncture, Shiatsu and other massage modalities.

Imbalance clearly affects body, mind and emotions. It affects what we are capable of doing, both now and in the long-term. It affects our interactions with people and how we are perceived by others. Imbalance in the environment in which you live or work affects you in these same ways, no less profoundly than an imbalance in the body.

The main door to into your office, building or home is said to be the mouth of the Chi. According to Feng Shui, chi should always be able to flow freely through any space in order to help us being in balance with the elements surrounding us. Therefore, it is important clear pathways leading to your door. Also, it should be free from clutter and debris. As I mentioned in The Bagua Map [Video] post, once chi enters your space, it goes to the center of the space then disperses to the remaining areas (guas). When chi is blocked by finding too many objects on its way, it might not only be unable to flow freely but it might also even become stuck at some spots. When chi is detained, the life flow of those who inhabit that space would become detained as well, making them feel they are not moving on or succeeding in achieving new goals. Feng shui helps people overcoming and preventing all these chi flow problems.

Feng shui studies how to help chi flow in the best possible way within living or working environment in order to maximize the life quality of those who inhabit those spaces. Depending on the way objects are placed and distributed within environments, they would help or block the natural chi circulation. Therefore, we need to make sure they are placed in the correct way and that is what Feng Shui does.

Through seeking to balance chi, supporting the energetic grid, clearing congestion, and clarifying and focusing intention, we can begin to create healthier bodies, homes, workplaces and communities.

Introduction to Feng Shui

Feng shui (pronounced “fung shway”), a Chinese term meaning “Wind and Water” originated in China more than 3,000 years ago. The ancient practice of Feng Shui is concerned with picking the most favorable location for building homes and other structures, as well as how to blend harmoniously with the surrounding physical environment. By placing one’s home or business with the natural flow of energy, it helps to promote health, love, happiness and success for the home’s or business’ owners.

Today, we don’t have the luxury of choosing the most auspicious site for our home or business. We usually take what is available or what we can afford. Therefore we must look to more contemporary applications of Feng Shui to create harmony around the existing dwellings in which we work and reside.

The Bagua Map

The Bagua (pronounced “bah-gwah”) is a map which is divided into nine equal sections called “guas”. Each gua correlates to a particular part of you life, such as wealth and prosperity, fame, love and relationship, family, health, children & creativity, self knowledge & spirituality, career, helpful people and travel. In addition to specific areas, it has colors, elements, compass directions, and areas of the body associated with each gua.

To use the Bagua Map, you will overlay it over any lot, building, house, apartment, room, or piece of furniture. You will align the bottom edge of the map with the wall through which you enter the structure. This means that you will always enter a room or building through Self Knowledge & Spirituality, Career or Helpful People and Travel depending on where the door is located. If the building is irregularly shaped, you will have a part of all of a gua missing and this will become evident when you overlay the map. You will need a Feng Shui cure (more on that in a future post) to correct these missing areas.

When chi enters the office (or home/room), it goes to the center of the dwelling and then disperses out to the nine guas from there. The flow of chi is directed and shaped by the space itself (is it rectangular or square? does it have long hall ways?) as well as by all the objects in its path. Because this causes certain energy patterns to develop you may want to re-think any clutter you have both in your office as well as your home and body. You can’t be well organized at work and have a cluttered house and expect it not to affect you.

These energy patterns attract the chi of our bodies to that of the world, drawing to us life situations (people, opportunities, relationships, etc.) like a magnet. The energy of our life experiences is then transferred back into the world. Therefore, it is possible to influence the energetic flow you experience by making simple alterations to things in the environment and coming into balance with the natural flow of life all through the use of the Bagua Map.

To begin to create a more harmonious environment, you will need to look at the areas of your life and what gua is associated with it. Ask yourself, if that area of your life is working or does it need a little help. Pick one to three areas that you would like to enhance. Next, look for things which may be adversely affecting these areas. Clear out any congestion. In the same way that congestion within the body creates a myriad of problems (both health as well as in a relationship), the obstruction of energy flow in the office (or home) can create similar problems. One of the biggest culprits of energetic congestion is clutter. Clutter prevent chi from moving freely. Get rid of it. You’ll immediately feel the difference.

After you have cleared the clutter, you will want to gain clarity of what you want in each of the areas you want to enhance. Our offices (and homes) are a reflection of us. Is the space an accurate reflection? What do you want the space to do for you? When we have focused intentions, we gain some power over the forces that shape our lives.

Feng shui is a powerful system for working to restore proper energetic alignment in all aspects of our lives and create the life we desire. In future posts, I will be writing about what to do with missing corners and specific things you can do to enhance different areas of your life. Until then, gain clarity of your purpose and clear the clutter.