Feng Shui---Simply Divine

FENG SHUI, SIMPLY DIVINE

Feng Shui (Fung Shway), most people can’t pronounce it. They’ve heard about it, but they’re not quite sure what it is. Literally, it means wind, water. Feng Shui is an ancient, Chinese art of placement. It began with selecting the most optimal site for a grave. The gravesite hosted a stone, shaped like an armchair. The back, as well as both sides of the "armchair", provided the interred a protection from negative energy. The front opening, the seat, was placed with precise coordinates, in the direction that was most beneficial; and it invited a positive energy flow called ch’i. For the deceased, this site would be home-sweet-home for eternity.

Presently, Feng Shui has grown into an industry and offers many ways to balance your ch’i. As a certified Feng Shui consultant, I have recently put my expertise to the test. Every Feng Shui practitioner that I know agrees-- the best time to have a Feng Shui consultation is before, not after, you buy a home.

I, along with my husband, purchased a new home. We searched, for more than a year, through a plethora of old, as well as new houses. My husband humored me and let me scrutinize every nook and cranny of each home we toured. Then, we fell in love. The architectural plans had everything we wanted-- the kitchen, master bedroom suite and closet space-- and it passed the Feng Shui test, as well. We decided to buy. I got to choose the direction my front door faced. I even worked with an electrician, right down to where the extra outlets would go and how the lighting would influence each area of my home, inside and out.

The layout was perfect, except for the sunroom; I wanted to square it off with the family room, modeling it after The Golden Mean, divine proportion, similar to Di Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Basically, it is taking a rectangle then squaring it off; thereby, creating another rectangle inside the original one—this becomes divine proportion. It’s called the Fibonacci sequence and can be found in the Chambered Nautilus: The sequence is as follows:

(0+1+1+2+3+5+8+13+21+34+55+89+144…to infinity.
(A room 13 X 21 would be divine proportion).

In Feng Shui, all regular shapes are best; they enhance a positive energy flow. But, in the end, squaring off the sunroom couldn’t be done. The builder could not violate the building codes of our particular model. Instead, the room became an extension onto the basic shape of the house, creating an increase in the abundance area, one of the eight, life pathways associated with Feng Shui:

The Life Pathways in Feng Shui are: Career-- Knowledge-- Family/Health—- Fame/Abundance-- Relationship-- Children-- Travel & Helpful People.

On the outside, adjacent to the sunroom, a small area was left vacant. I balanced and grounded the edge of this area, with a large piece of marble. Then, I added a purple gazing ball in the center, to bring the outside space and the wall of the sunroom into a harmonious blend. I also asked the builder, if the living room, the front of my home, could be extended. I wanted a bay window seat there and another one built in the master bedroom, as well. He obliged. As far as I know, my home became the only one with two bump-outs that are part of the original foundation. In Feng Shui, these areas, respectively, equate with extended knowledge and relationship.

Next on the agenda, were ceiling fans; I did not permit any to be installed. The coordinator suddenly caught on.
She asked, "Are you one of those people that does 'Fing Shoee'.
Why may I ask, don’t you want ceiling fans, most people have them; especially in the loft, sunroom and master bedroom?"

"There won’t be any flying swords hanging above my head," I said.

Wide-eyed, the coordinator got the picture.
"I see what you mean," she said. "Let’s skip the ceiling fans."

But the more faucets, tile, hardwood, cabinets and marble I was shown, I became much more Feng Shui-challenged.

My husband piped up, "Why can’t we have a fan in the sunroom? I happen to like fans."

I relented. We decided to put in the wiring for two fans, one in the loft and one in the sunroom. Maybe one day, a fan will be a permanent fixture in both places. I realized that no one would be sitting directly under those flying swords, since the fan blades would be centrally located in the sunroom, as well as in the loft.

When it was time to call for custom drapery and interior painting, both the designer and painter were impressed, as I whipped out my notebook. Each page was coordinated with the proper directional color scheme, border and fabric for each room. As an example, my master bedroom faces east, so I choose various pink & green tints and shades that would support and enhance that direction. The painter and installer were delighted to have my book; it became their working canvas and made their jobs so much easier.
I truly enjoyed every moment, decorating my new home, making qualified judgments based on my Feng Shui expertise. My years of training really paid off.

Feng Shui, in ancient China, has certainly come a long way, from the stone armchair and gravesite, for those lucky enough to afford a consultant. Even back then, the wise choose their site before, not after, they died. They wanted assurance that, forever, they would rest in peace, in a wonderful balance of ch’i.

Now, as I sit in my family room, feet propped up in my comfy recliner, I can finally enjoy the fruits of my labor. There’s only one difference-- I’m very much alive! I can get up, meander into my bedroom, put out the lights and contentedly rest in peace, in my beautiful, Feng Shui-correct, master suite-- that is, until the sun streams in and awakens me with its vibrant, easterly energy. Oops! I think I better call the designer and order a heavier drape. ###