You may hear a lot more about Feng Shui these days as it has become more popular and commonly referenced in design, and if you’re curious about the benefits but don’t know where to start - don’t be discouraged! Anyone can incorporate Feng Shui into their lives, but like so many philosophies, individuals can apply the teachings differently. After all the knowledge and training I have accumulated about Feng Shui, it has culminated in my own practice which is a variation of the art that uses a lighter approach while still bringing effective results. Here’s how you can apply Feng Shui to your individual environments (home, office, etc.), regardless of how much you already know about the practice. You can adjust the tips to what you see fit - everyone will have different preferences and that’s totally okay! It’s important to focus on the main goal of Feng Shui, which is to open up the energy in your space.
Feng Shui can do for your home what acupuncture can do for your body. Acupuncture and Feng Shui share philosophical roots, and both deal with the movement of energy. Acupuncture can provide a wide variety of health benefits ranging from anxiety to chronic pain to arthritis. So, if adjusting the energy in your body produces these kinds of health benefits, imagine what adjusting the energy in your home can do for your day-to-day life. When the energy in your home is blocked, it will affect your mood and energy. When you live and work with good Feng Shui you can energetically attract the things you want into your life. The practice of Feng Shui teaches us to harmonize with our spaces to stimulate good energy, health, and fortune. While I am certified in Feng Shui, I also believe in the power of intention (hence, The House of Intent!). If you have an intention that you believe will come to fruition, it will. Conversely, if you believe that Feng Shui doesn’t work, it won’t. Whether your intentions regard your love life, your career, or your family, having a positive mindset is essential. So how can you apply Feng Shui to your environments? This is where I introduce to you a simplified explanation of what appears as a Feng Shui Grid – or more properly known as the Bagua Map.
The Bagua Map is an energetic grid that represents the 9 most important parts of your life and how it correlates to your home or office. You can apply this map to any space whether its an individual room, an entire floor plan or even your landscaping. Each map is divided up into 9 sections called Guas and each gua is associated with an element, color and life area.
To use this map you start by sketching out a floor plan of your home. If your home is irregular shape do not worry there are always cures that we can use to compensate for the “missing” Bagua areas. Line up the lower edge of the bagua map with the entry of your home (Knowledge, Self-Cultivation, Career, Travel).
This may already seem overwhelming, but I want to assure you that you DO NOT need to focus on every area! Here’s my advice: make three wishes. Do you want to travel? Fall in love? Further your career? Make your wishes and then focus on the area’s that pertain to these desires. I will happily be your genie guiding you through each area providing you with the information you need to grant your wishes.
I want to take a moment to re-emphasize here, that intention matters. Come into this with an open mind, and you will see results!
Let’s get started
Helpful People, Travel
Metal Element
Use this area to call the right people into your life to further your goals, attract clients or mentors, strengthen spirituality, and to encourage travel and adventure in your life.
Use a metal element (such as a metal decorative piece accessory or piece of metal furniture) and the colors gray, white, or black to help cultivate the goals aligned with this part of the home. One example of how to accomplish this is by adding a picture of somewhere you would like to go or a map if it fits the space.
Career
Water element
This is usually located right when you walk in. This area has the potential to further advance your career, or help you begin a new career.
Since the element here is water, you can paint the walls in this area using a watery high-gloss lacquer. But if you’re already set on your color you can instead, for example, simply put a picture of the beach, or place a small fountain, or put a diffuser - anything to reference water.
On the second floor of my home, my career center lies in my laundry room. A true personal story I love to tell people is how for a while when I had a leak in the sink in this area without realizing it my husband began to mention how he felt that money seemed to be going out faster than it was coming in…however after discovering and fixing the leak this issue seemed to fade away and my personal career also seemed to take off! This proved to me how important these elements are for each of the areas and how they can truly affect your life.
Knowledge – Wisdom – Harmony
Earth Element
This area is essential for progressing in your education, encouraging self-growth, and cultivating a peaceful life. If you’re trying to learn something new, this is your area. It’s also a fantastic area for mediation and inner growth, as I can attest.
Use the earth element and the colors blue and green to complement your goals. A simple way to accomplish this is by placing plants here – but this is additionally a great place to put those books you’ve been meaning to read.
Family
Wood element
Yes, I always advise to keep all of your spaces clean. You’ll hear me reference de-cluttering over and over again, but in the family area it is especially important. This area heightens your family relationships, your community relationships, builds your social circle, improves health, and overall strengthens your connections. Personally, as an interior designer, I don’t like a ton of family photos because they tend to clutter space. However, this is a great area in your home to place pictures of your friends and family to secure the intention of making those bonds stronger. Placing these photos within a wooden frame, or placing a wooden accessory or furniture piece here will also amplify the wooden element in this area. You can also utilize the colors green, gold, and blue to heighten your intentions.
This area will depend entirely on your intentions, if you desire stronger relationships with your children, your parents, your friends, or broadly all of the important people in your life make your intention clear for the best results.
Health/Well-being
Earth
This area lies at the center of your home, so it should be clean and clear! Emphasizing this area can assist in recovering from an injury, or achieving your health or fitness goals. I use a orange crystal salt lamp as an accessory here, since the crystal comes from the earth it aligns with the earth element and color of the crystal aligns with the yellow, orange, and brown colors that should be applied here.
Children
Metal element / white
If you have children this is a great area for a play room, as it will nurture creativity and push imagination. But if you do not have children, this is also a fantastic space to nurture your own creativity and imagination! You can reach the inner child within yourself to help you start new projects and unblock creativity. For example, I use this space to place my mood board. You can follow the metal element here by bringing in something such as a metal framed mirror or picture or rather hang a crystal here, but try to also focus on the color white. White radiates a bright platform for imagination!
Wealth
Wood element
This is an area that a lot of people focus on. It wills power, wealth, and prosperity. The colors that should be applied here are purple, green and gold. To emphasize this area, I placed an amethyst crystal in the back corner. But you may also utilize the wood element to heighten your intentions for this space.
Fame
Fire Element
Just because you’re an introvert don’t think you have to avoid this area of your home! This area influences how the world perceives you, i.e. your reputation. If you are looking for fame or increased recognition, this is the place to highlight. Make sure all of your lights are lit, because the element here is fire you should ensure that there are no faulty bulbs. Furthermore, this is a great place for candles and other forms of light. Don’t hold yourself back, go big or go home.
Relationships
Earth element
This is the space in your home to enhance your existing romantic relationship, attract a new relationship, or cultivate self-love. I put two giant rose quartz in this area, using two of them to represent a pair or union. I like to use crystals in the areas where the earth element is because crystals not only come from the earth but have their own beneficial and energetic properties. But you may use whatever items that resonate with you, such as some nice artwork that exudes romance.
As I mentioned before, you do not have to focus on all of these areas. Pick your wishes, and take steps to help facilitate them. I like to place little intentions around my house, small notes that I write. I hide them around my house in inconspicuous places such as taped under a table so that if I have guests they won’t read them. I will leave a note such as “I have met the partner of my life” in the marriage section of my home, or something like “my family is happy and healthy and living in harmony” in the health section. I write these intentions and leave them to do their work. It is very important that you realize your intentions from the start, so these intentions align with the energy flowing through your home to sustain them. It might seem silly, but I promise there is a power within intentions that we can all tap into.
So here you have it! A brief introduction to the Bagua Map and how you can apply it to your home. If you want to learn more about Feng Shui, I am always available for Feng Shui consultations and you can follow me for more tips at @thehouseofintent_
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