Feng Shui Explained - 4 Essential Tips for Every Home

featured this month on Lifestyle Designer Homes

So, you want to feng shui your home. It’s an ambition held by many, but comprehensively understood by few. To begin: What does “feng shui” even mean?

According to Anjie Cho, author of 108 Ways To Create Holistic Spaces, “The ancient practice of Feng Shui focuses on changing the flow of chi, the vital life force in humans and nature, to improve and transform lives.” Type “What is Feng Shui?” into Google, and the official definition appears to build upon the literal translation of the Chinese words “fēng” for wind and “shuǐ” for water: “…a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi), and whose favourable or unfavourable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings.”

There’s a plethora of information on Feng Shui, some of it inconsistent. However, there are some basic principles that regularly appear across most Feng Shui guides, and we decided to break it down to the essentials. Go forth, and balance your home!

1. Map it out.

Most Feng Shui guides at least partially root the concept in the Bagua: “A map,” according to a realestate.com.au article, “that lays out the nine separate areas of energy and intention in Feng Shui.” In fact, the second chapter of Cho’s book is dedicated entirely to the map, which breaks down eight life components that can be reflected in the home: Abundance, recognition, relationships, new beginnings, health, completion, knowledge, path in life, and benefactors. Each of these factors, she explains, can be reflected and cultivated in respective areas of the home; for example, “What is going on in the Abundance areas of your home,” she writes, “particularly in your bedroom and office?

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Practice Feng Shui with the Moon

featured this week on Over the Moon

This month, I thought it appropriate to address the symbology of the moon from the feng shui perspective for our lovely Over the Moon readers. BTB feng shui draws much of its wisdom from Taoism, which looks to nature as “the Way” to achieve harmony. It also sees the universe in a constant dance and balance of opposites, which we call “Yin-Yang Theory.”

Yin and yang principle is about opposites, such as dark and light, cold and hot, passive and active, female and male, and so on. Even the moon and the sun fall into these two categories. The key is that, in our world, the two opposites are in constant flux because one cannot exist without the other. Darkness only exists in the absence of light.

And because the moon is yin, it’s also related to darkness, coolness, and indirect, subtle energy. In feng shui, we recognize the importance of the balance between the yin and yang energies and use the energy of the moon to make adjustments. Yin, or moon-focused adjustments, can be effective for taking the indirect route toward change or improvement. For instance, we call on the moon to clarify a confused mind, or to support fertility, or even ask for help.

One yin moon feng shui adjustment is chanting to Quan Yin under the moonlight. Quan Yin is the goddess of compassion and she is connected to the moon, as she represents the feminine yin principle. You can find a chant that calls to her and recite it under the moonlight. An example is, 

“Namo Kuan Shi Yin Pu Sa,”

which translates to, 

“Salutations to the most compassionate and merciful Bodhisattva Quan Yin.”

She has the power to cultivate compassion and understanding in your life. If Quan Yin doesn’t resonate with you, try another female deity of compassion, such as the Buddhist or Vedic Tara.

Another way to connect to the moon is with a Sun Moon Mirror. This is a BTB feng shui ritual object that has been imbued with both the yin and yang energies of the moon and the sun. There are countless ways to use this talisman, which can be prescribed by an advanced BTB feng shui practitioner. However, if you simply carry it with you at all times, it will protect as well as balance your yin yang qi.

The moon is an important expression and symbol in feng shui. I hope that you can tap into the yin energy of the moon to improve your life! 

by Anjie Cho

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