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5 Ways to Balance and Support Your Energy: Five Element Feng Shui

I have a client who was having difficulty sleeping and felt depleted. Her attractive bedroom had green walls, finely crafted wood furniture and a deep red comforter on her bed. My client is a Wood element person. While her bedroom was beautiful and correct in a design or aesthetic sense, it was working against her personal energy.

As a Wood element person in a wood dominated room – the green walls (green symbolizes wood in Feng Shui) and the wood furniture she was influenced to be restless. Wood is the element of “doing” and a bedroom is a place for “being.” The red comforter represented Fire energy, an energizing element which was consuming her Wood energy. Not a good combination. She needed something to balance and support her personal element energy.

The five elements are an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Philosophy and Feng Shui. The system of the five elements was developed by Taoist scholars over 2000 years ago. Each element represents a form of energy. Wood energy is upward growth – think of a tree growing upward. Fire energy is expansive – think of fireworks. You contain all five elements in varying proportions, with one element predominant. The use of the five elements allows you to go deeper into the wisdom of Feng Shui.

5 element creative cycle — Five Element Creative Cycle

5 element controlling cycle — Five Element Controlling Cycle

The five elements are usually portrayed in a cycle diagram. There is no hierarchy to the elements, they are all equally important. In the Creative Cycle one element or energy creates or supports the next. In the Controlling Cycle (sometimes called the “Destructive Cycle”) one element of energy controls or balances the next.

The use of the five elements in Feng Shui can help you support or balance your personal element energy. As interpreted by Lillian Bridges of Lotus Institute you assess your element type and then make sure the other 4 elements are included in your bedroom to support and balance your personal energy.

Element energies are symbolized by shapes, colors, textures/patterns and other qualities of materials and objects.

For my client, I suggested adding Water energy to her bedroom. Water energy supports Wood energy and controls Fire energy. I suggested she replace her red comforter with a blue one (we selected several shades of blue which worked well with the rich tones of her wood furniture and had enough “presence” – not a pastel blue in this situation – to guide her shopping. ) She needed lamps by her bed, so I suggested getting some with clear glass bases because glass is one of the symbols for Water energy. The light from the lamps represents a more balanced form of Fire energy in her bedroom. A white curtain is both functional and represents Metal energy. She already had several ceramic pieces in her bedroom that had great positive emotional meaning for her – these represent Earth energy. These things plus artwork on the walls created a bedroom balanced and decorated for her personal element energy.

With this client I emphasized the relaxing and supportive element of Water. Now she is sleeping better and has more energy.

Warning: This configuration of elements is not a recipe for the perfect bedroom for everyone, or even for all Wood energy types. Five Element Feng Shui is subtle. It requires an assessment of the element type of the person, current issues or stressors, the energy of the room and what are the simplest changes to balance the energy of the room – all with the goal of supporting the energy of the client.

If you would like a personal Five Element Feng Shui consultation to balance the element energy in your space and support and harmonize your own energy, contact me at 781-643-8697 or email me here.

If you would like to learn more about the five elements please let me know by posting a comment below. This blog is here to inform you and meet your needs. Let me know what you would like in these posts. If enough readers say they want to learn more, I will write a 5-part series on the five elements and post it here.

Feng Shui and Self Help Books in the Bedroom, or a “Bookcase Filled with Nuns”

Your bedroom is your sanctuary; your place to escape stress. Feng Shui recommends that you not have too many books in your bedroom, because lots of books make it harder to get deep, restful sleep.

book shelf filled with self-help books — The kind of books you have in your bedroom subconsciously influence the quality of your sleep.

Over the years I have noticed what kind of books people keep in their bedroom. I have also observed there is a gender difference in books at men and women’s bedsides. Men tend to have histories, biographies and books about their professional fields. Women tend to have self-help books. What a horrible message to give yourself as you try to relax and have a good night sleep: “You are not a good enough person.”, “You need to improve yourself.”

I pointed out a bookcase of self-help books to a recent client, with the suggestion she go through them and decide what books she really wanted in her bedroom. During our follow-up phone call a week later, she said she moved most of her self-help books out of her bedroom. “It was like having a bunch of nuns hanging out in the bookcase. Telling you what you haven’t done, or haven’t done good enough.” Now, without those books in her bedroom, she sleeps much better.

You may not have a “bookshelf full of nuns” in your bedroom, but your critical-self needs only the slightest nudge to relentlessly badger you, instead of letting you sleep.

Check out your stack of bed time reading. Weed–out the self-help, diet, exercise and “guilt “books – those books that were given to you, but which you have no real interest in reading. Move the ones that are truly useful to another room and donate the rest to your local library. Curl up with an intelligent mystery, novel or biography; or maybe some poetry. The really good ones teach you about the larger world. You never out-grow the need for a good bed-time story.

photo by “Evelyn Giggles“

Furniture Placement for Connection: How to Avoid Furniture Sprawl

Tips on Furniture Placement for Connection with Others

Feng Shui gives you insights about furniture placement to maximize Chi flow and to provide a sense of protection. While this is important, it does not address the your most important need: connection with others. Furniture placement for connection is not about the furniture, it is about arranging seating, tables and lighting for relaxed conversation and easy eye contact.

“The most important thing is being able to make eye contact.”– Witold Rybzinski, architect and historian.

People feel most comfortable being together when the degree of emotional connectedness and physical closeness match.

When these two factors are not in sync people feel invaded or isolated, which can be experienced as anxiety or discomfort. And yet, people tend to spread out their furniture to fill the room, no matter the size of the space.

Please Note: The rooms you see in design magazines and online are setup for the best photo composition, not for how the room works in real life. These rooms are totally rearranged for the photographer.

Furniture placement for connection, diagram of interpersonal distances for specific interactions — For true connection and communication to occur, it is essential that you are the right distance from the person you are talking to – otherwise you will experience a feeling of stress, invasion or disconnect.

Interior Psychology calls this interaction zone “Interpersonal Distance”. Knowing how to use this helps you create spaces that make conversation calmer, intimacy easier and privacy possible.

The interpersonal Distances in Your Life:

Intimate Distance, 0-18 inches, is from skin-to-skin contact to arms length. This is most often used by lovers and parents with their children: for care, protection, passion. You can speak in a whisper or low voice, touch, kiss.

Personal Distance, 1 ½ – 4 feet, is for connection without touching. This is best for conversations with family and close friends. People will be drawn to seating spaces that are cozier, inviting people to hang out and connect.

Social Distances: 4-7 feet, is the “close phase” of Social Distances, which is appropriate for business or formal social gatherings. This is not a comfortable distance for everyday family time and conversation.

Seven to 12 feet is the “far phase” of Social Distance. At this distance your voice must be projected, the tone of your voice changes and your message becomes briefer. This changes the emotional dynamic of your conversation. Interior designers call this “shouting distance.” Spaces with furniture sprawl are most vulnerable to this.

How to Use Interpersonal Distances in Your Home – Furniture Placement for Connection

In Gathering Spaces: Living Rooms, Family Rooms, Dining Rooms and Kitchens:

Arrange seating to support face-to-face distance of 5 ½ – 7 feet or less (a tape measure is handy). During my consultations I move furniture around to help my clients experience how much better it feels to have a smaller seating area. Their surprised response is “I really like it this way!” Moving furniture closer together is especially important in large rooms where the impulse is to spread out furniture to fill the space = furniture sprawl.

When furniture is farther apart a space feels more formal and people will interact that way. When seating is closer together, what may at first glance look crowded, will feel cozy and comfortable.

Chair Placement for Eye Contact and Connection

Being aware of distance is the first part of arranging your furniture by making it easier to hear and speak. How your seating is grouped makes eye contact easier and more relaxed.

People instinctively gather in a circle when talking together. So arrange your chairs and sofa in a circle or U-shape or even an L-shape. When seated at a table, a round table is ideal.

Want help arranging your furniture for greater intimacy and connect while creating a room that looks beautiful? Contact me.

How do you arrange your furniture to make you feel comfortable? Share your ideas in the comments below.

image by linda varone

Feng Shui and The Ergonomic Equation (with apologies to Albert Einstein)

Feng Shui is about creating spaces that harmonize body, mind and spirit. Borrowing from the science of ergonomics in the service of physical harmony is fine. Sitting at a desk or computer for long hours is very fatiguing. If your body is not in natural, supported alignment you can experience back pain, stiff muscles, headache and eye strain.

A simple way to adjust your workspace for your best ergonomics is: E² = MCK

image of person sitting at desk in good ergonomic alignment — 3 simple changes can improve your comfort when working

Ergonomic Equation = Monitor (or laptop screen), Chair, and Keyboard.

Starting from the ground up:

1. Chair

A $1500 status chair, all by itself, is not the solution to back problems. To prevent leg cramps and low back pain:

Your chair should allow your feet to rest flat on the floor,
With your ankles, knees and hips at approximately 90º or right angles.
The chair seat should be shallow enough for your feet to be flat on the floor while your back is supported.
It should be deep enough to support your thighs without the seat edge pressing into the back of your knees.
A chair on wheels with a five-point base is the safest.
Is there enough firm cushioning to feel comfortable?

And while you are adjusting your chair for optimum comfort, this is a good time to clear out the jumble underneath your desk and make room for your feet.

2. Keyboard

To avoid having your shoulders hunched while you work (a major source of muscle tension):

Your keyboard should be at a level that allows your shoulders to relax and your elbows bend at a 90º angle.
For most people this means an articulating keyboard tray or adjustable keyboard stand. A keyboard drawer may not provide you with the adjustable height that fits you.
If you work with a laptop, you may need a standard keyboard that you connect to your laptop. The keyboard tray should be wide enough to hold your computer mouse and allow you to maneuver it easily.

3. Monitor or Laptop Screen

To avoid neck pain and headaches:

Have your computer screen adjusted so your head is balanced and not thrust forward.
Ergonomic engineers recommend the top of the computer screen be on the same level as your eyes when you are seated at your desk and looking straight ahead. The center of the screen should be 15º below that and the bottom of the screen should be 30º below eye level.
This allows for a slightly downward gaze that is less fatiguing for your eyes and can minimize dry eyes – because your eyes are not wide open.
This means your computer screen should be 3-4 or more inches above your desk.
You may require an adjustable monitor or laptop stand or simply a box, phone book or ream of paper to elevate your computer screen.
If you are short when seated or wear bi-focals, you may not need to elevate your computer screen.
The screen itself should be about an arm’s length from where you are sitting.
If you find yourself squinting or leaning forward or back to see better, you might want to use the often overlooked “zoom” function on your computer’s tool bar and adjust the font size to one that is easy to read.
Avoid positioning your computer screen or keyboard at an angle from where you sit. A twisting sitting position is a set up for back problems. Have your computer screen and keyboard aligned right in front of you.

Chair, Keyboard and Monitor are the 3 components of Easy Ergonomics

Click here to learn more about office comfort and productivity

What comfort challenges do you have when working? Have you discovered solutions? Please share!

Feng Shui Holiday Happiness: Healthy Relationships

The holiday season gets more busy and stressful every year. Marketers want you to believe money can buy happiness, if not your own happiness then the happiness of your loved ones.

“…luxury is not a requirement for well-being… I am convinced that healthy relationships are the real ‘stuff’ of human happiness.”– James A Roberts, author of “Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy”

I came across this quote in a book review. It couldn’t be more timely. Healthy relationships are the stuff of human happiness.

Make the time and create the space to connect with the friends and family you love most

Carve out time for a quiet cup of hot cocoa and real connection.
Steal time from the big festivities and share an enjoyable afternoon or at-home evening with your immediate family or “family of friends.”

In the spirit of the holidays and to help you strengthen your bonds of affection with the people you love, here are links to 3 articles to help you de-stress and have more fun:

Feng Shui and Nature: Bring the Outdoors Indoors

Nature indoors is a powerful way to energize your home and yourself. Modern social scientists are now discovering what Feng Shui Masters understood thousands of years ago: Nature balances and de-stresses us.

Pink peonies on window sill, Bring the power of Nature indoors — Peonies in the window bring the energy of Nature indoors.

How to bring nature’s energy indoors:

Bring potted plants indoors, or bring some home, and arrange them where you can enjoy them.
Place a comfortable chair near a window, so you can sit in the warmth of inside and enjoy the ever-changing life outside.
Keep window treatments simple so they don’t crowd or obscure your view.
Consider doing some planting in your garden with an eye on what you see from inside, rather than from the curb. Do some landscaping for your own pleasure, rather than the neighbors’.

Want to bring the power of Nature into your home? Contact Linda to discuss a personal consultation.

photo by muffet

Feng Shui Ecology: Going Green Shouldn’t Leave You Looking Green – with updates

The right compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) can make the difference between a warm, welcoming room and a home that looks like a cheap discount store. A number of my green conscious clients complain their new CFL’s make a stark unattractive light. They miss the warmth of incandescent (Edison) light bulbs. (I admit that I exaggerate a little – no one looks green, but the wrong CFL’s will make you look pale and sickly.)

: Choose the right kind of compact fluorescent

The remedy to this is “warm white” or “soft white” CFL’s with a color temperature between 2700 K to 3000 K, which approximates the warm light of 2400K incandescent light bulbs.

“Bright white” CFL’s have a color temperature of 3500 K. These are best for situations where you need bright light – such as craft work. Please note that CFL’s labeled “sunlight” or “daylight” are cool white fluorescent and only suitable for precision work areas.

Unfortunately light bulb manufacturers do not offer color temperature or Kelvin information on their packaging. You will either have to trust the “warm white” or “soft white” labels or go online and double check the color temperature ratings of specific bulbs. Sparsam™ CFL’s (available only at IKEA stores) provide the warm light of incandescent bulbs.

Update #1: Since I first wrote this blog there have been changes in the manufacturing and labeling of light bulbs. A new label “Lighting Facts”, which looks similar to the nutrition facts labels on food, will list brightness – in lumens, estimated yearly cost to use the bulb, estimated life of a bulb, “light appearance” using a “warm/cool” scale and degrees Kelvin.

Hint #1 : I find that I need more wattage than the conversion factor listed on the label. If you want to get 75 watts of illumination you will do better with an 18 watt CFL than a 15 Watt CFL. I honestly don’t know why this is. If anyone knows, please contact me.

Hint #2 : CFL’s contain mercury, so dispose of them as a toxic material at special recycling places, or see if your retailer will accept them for safe disposal.

Update #2: CFL’s now contain 60-75% LESS mercury than previously. Continue to dispose of the carefully.

Update #3: To get the full estimated life expectancy from a compact fluorescent bulb, they should have as little on/off activity as possible. Also they need to be in a vented fixture. This means a lamp should have some air vents or heat outlets, rather than in a fixture with a solid metal or plastic covering. Similarly, CFLs in recessed ceiling fixtures need to have heat vents in the fixtures.

Take a look around your home and see if you have lighting in the right places and if your light bulbs give you the warmth that makes your space inviting, relaxing and user-friendly.

Feng Shui and No More Anonymous Art

I encourage my Feng Shui clients to use art and personal treasures as cures. But “anonymous” or generic art does not have the energetic impact of art and photos with personal meaning.

When I was a college student I was invited by a friend to her birthday party, hosted by poet Donald Hall in his home. At that time I was clueless about Donald Hall and his work. As I rang the doorbell I glanced into the foyer and spied a Last Supper on black velvet painting on the wall. With all of my youthful superiority I thought: “what bad taste!” I was warmly welcomed in by a very gracious Professor Hall. During the party I noticed a Roy Lichtenstein pop art silk screen on the wall and a small Henry Moore sculpture on the coffee table. When I mentioned them he smiled and modestly related the personal story attached to each. What I learned was the importance of art with personal meaning. And… the “good taste police” should have a sense of humor.

best feng shui cures, child's drawing — Homemade art, candid photographs and personal treasures make the best Feng Shui cures.

Recently I have worked with several Feng Shui clients who have filled their walls with “anonymous art.” The kind of framed wall decorations you can find at Home Goods or Target. This is not bad art, it just generic art lacking any life to it or personal meaning.

One client had nothing representing her family or special someone. I mentioned this to her and she said she had lots of photos, but they were on her computer. Does this sound familiar? When she showed me her pictures I was bowled over: Great snapshots of the two of them and beautiful photos of a trip to Europe. She had never thought of the treasures she had hidden on her computer. She selected her favorite photos to have printed and framed, and remind her of the people, places and events she loves best.

What heart-warming photos do you have buried in your computer? Pick out your favorites and have them made into prints. You can burn the photo files onto a disc or zip drive (your 11 year old can show you) and take them to your local drugstore or photo shop. Or upload them to one of the online photo services. If you want to fine tune your pictures you can edit them on free photo software like Picasa. I found it great for cropping out parked cars in the foreground of my London vacation pictures, or to zoom in on a people picture for a close-up (no one’s knees are that attractive. 😉 ) For professional quality developing check out photopipe.com.

If none of your photos are frame-worthy, then look at online art and photograph sites like Art.com, iStockphoto or National Geographic for something that speaks to you.

You deserve better than empty walls or anonymous space fillers. Just do it!

My own to-do: enlarge and frame a snapshot from my mother’s 80^th birthday hot air balloon ride!

Update: I had the enlargement printed and framed. It greets me every morning as I wake-up and reminds me of the true treasures of my life.

photo by The Paessels

Feng Shui Your Window Treatments: Are Your Curtains Getting Between You and Nature?

Feng Shui has known for centuries that contact with nature is essential for balance and health. Recently a growing number of Architectural Psychology studies have supported this wisdom – contact with nature decreases blood pressure and the incidence of chronic-stress related illness. The right – or wrong – window treatments make all the difference.

But many of my Feng Shui clients have unknowingly set up their homes to limit connection with nature. How? They use window treatments – curtains, blinds and shades – that block views of nature that nourish energy and spirit.

Window Treatments

Curtains:

Too often I see curtains and valances covering a third or more of the window. This limits your access to light and nature. BIG curtains are meant for BIG windows in TALL rooms.

Solution #1: Hang valances and swags higher, so that the bottom edge of the valance is just below the top of the window. A recent Feng Shui client was excited with how much more light came into her kitchen with this simple change.

Solution #2: Mount your curtain rod closer to the ceiling. This will make your window look bigger when the curtains are closed.

Solution #3: Use longer curtain rods, 6-12 inches on each side, so when your curtains are open they gather and hang along the outer edge of the window – framing your view, not blocking it.

Shades:

Shades can be an all-or-nothing window treatment. If you need protection from sun glare, you draw the shade and close off all access to sunlight. And your room feels like a dark box.

Solution #1: Consider a pleated or honey comb shade for softly diffused light.

If you need protection from nosey neighbors, you do not need to shut out all access to nature along with curious eyes.

Solution #2: Bottom-up pleated shades give you visual privacy while allowing you to leave the top half of your window open to light and views of sky and trees.

Blinds:

If you use blinds for protection from sun glare or nearby neighbors:

Solution: Adjust your blinds so the blades are partially open and either tilted up or down to get the light and privacy you need, this will give you indirect light and avoid a totally dark room.

Simple changes in your curtains, blinds and shades will give you access to sunlight and connection with the natural world outside your window. Take a look around your home and see where some easy changes can make a big difference.

photo by author

Connection is the Secret to Happiness: Arrange Your Home Around This

Connection is the Secret. The more time you spend having deeper conversations the happier you will be.

”…people who spend more of their day having deep discussions and less time engaging in small talk seem to be happier” – Matthias Mehl, psychologist University of Arizona.

Why is connection through conversation so important?
We need to find meaning in our lives.
We are social creatures and need to connect with other people.

Connection, Interiors psychology, three people talking and making easy eye contact — Easy eye contact is key to emotional connection and bonding.

Does your home set up hinder or support real conversation and connection with others?

Interiors Psychology identifies interpersonal distance and eye contact as the two most powerful factors in personal connection and bonding.

Arrange your home for connection. Do you eat your supper in front of the television, at your kitchen counter? Or do you sit down at a table with those you love most? Making eye contact with each other while sitting around a table is essential to creating and maintaining personal bonds. This is where conversation happens and sharing occurs. Support the powerful ritual of breaking bread together – sit around a table, not in front of the TV.

Is your living room or family room furniture spread out to fit the room, creating “shouting distance”? Move your furniture closer together is a simple and powerful way to support connections and encourage conversation. If your living room is large, borrow a tip from Upper East Side New York decorators: create two conversation or sitting areas in a room, instead of one disconnected sprawl of furniture. Illuminate your new sitting arrangements with some well placed lamps. Voila! – both your living room and you will have a new lease on life.

photo by Chip Griffin

Big space or small, get help arranging your home for better connection with your loved ones. Contact me today.