Posted by Amy Chini on Sep 18, 2020 in Audio & Video, Bagua, Ch'i, Featured, Feng Shui Classes, Five Elements | Comments Off on Space Clearing with the Five Elements
Space Clearing with the 5 Elements online course
Feeling stuck in your personal life, career, finances, relationships or health is an important sign. Unfortunately, most people try to change themselves, not recognizing the impact of the spaces where they live and work. These spaces hold energy, which can stagnate, impacting everyone in the home or building.
Clearing the stuck and stagnant energy from these spaces can allow the energy to balance and everyone in those spaces to move forward in their lives! Are you ready to move forward? Learn how to do Space Clearing for yourself and your clients! If you are already a Feng Shui practitioner, adding Space Clearing to your skill set can bring exponential change to your client’s lives.
Now, you can learn Space Clearing online, from the comfort of your own home. Learn at your own pace with the Western School of Feng Shui’s new online video training program, Space Clearing With the 5 Elements.
“The wisdom I absorbed from your offering was enormous. I believe ongoing knowledge of Feng Shui and all it’s attributes are vital for FSC’s and I really appreciate you making it so readily available.” – S. Gates
Feng Shui Space Clearing With the 5 Elements
Virtual Course
$198
Click here for more information.
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Posted by Amy Chini on Jan 17, 2017 in Five Elements, Your Home | Comments Off on Nourishing and Controlling the Five Elements
The Five Elements in Feng Shui
In Feng Shui, the elements Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water are considered the basic building blocks of everything physical on the planet. They manifest in countless ways and combinations all around us. Feng Shui observes that human beings are made up of all Five Elements, and therefore, we are most comfortable when they’re all present in our homes. The fastest way to learn how to work with the elements is to observe them in your home.
“Wood” collage by Terah Kathryn Collins
Although many people can sense when an environment is out of balance, they often don’t know exactly how to fix it. Would red or blue be good here? Should the table be round or rectangular? Is a mirror or artwork best there? Questions such as these are easily answered when you know how to read the elements, making them one of your most intriguing Feng Shui tools. Learn how to recognize and combine the Five Elements, and you’ll be able to see exactly what each room needs to bring it into perfect balance.
Five Element arrangements can be made in any room and can be any size that’s appropriate for the space. I often suggest that people put together an elemental arrangement of objects in areas that need energizing, such as a garage, spare bedroom, or basement. This positive action marks the beginning of change and stimulates the Ch’i so that it’s easier for people to organize these areas.
“Fire” collage by Terah Kathryn Collins
The Nourishing Cycle of the Five Elements
When you bring the Five Elements into a room, you are tapping into their Nourishing Cycle, where each element feeds and sustains the other in perfect harmony. Water sustains Wood; Wood feeds Fire; Fire makes Earth; Earth creates Metal; and Metal holds Water. The Nourishing Cycle shows us how the elements strengthen and nurture each other in an endless regenerating sequence. When all five are present in an environment, a natural balance is achieved.
The Controlling Cycle of the Five Elements
“Earth” collage by Terah Kathryn Collins
In the Controlling Cycle, we see how the elements dominate and control each other. In this cycle, Woodconsumes Earth; Earth dams Water; Water extinguishes Fire; Fire melts Metal; and Metal cuts Wood. The Controlling Cycle is regarded as a powerful guide for establishing elemental harmony, and is present in many of the places we consider the most beautiful. A palm tree oasis in the desert is a perfect example of Wood consuming Earth, while a tropical island in crystal-clear water is essentially Earth damming Water. Nature constantly provides us with examples of how the Controlling Cycle of the elements can create harmony and beauty.
It’s also very useful to be aware of the Controlling Cycle when you’re balancing the elements in your home. When one element is especially dominant, the Controlling Cycle will show you the element that can quickly balance the Ch’i. Once you have balanced the dominant element with its controlling partner, you can turn to the Nourishing Cycle and further refine your elemental
work.
“Metal” collage by Terah Kathryn Collins
I worked with a home where the living room was dominated by Earth. The decor included square tile floors, stucco walls, dark beige-checked couches, brown chairs, small square area rugs in various earthtones, and many small earthenware accessories. The furniture was arranged in a tight square around a large rectangular table made up of ceramic tiles. On the wall behind the sofa hung a painting of the desert. So much Earth gave the space a heavy, boxed-in feeling, which matched the way the owners felt in their home.
To balance the Earth, they needed to first introduce the element that controlled Earth, which is Wood. They added turquoise pillows to the sofa, a large textured rug in blues and greens beneath the coffee table, and several large plants. Turning to the Nourishing Cycle, they fed the Wood element with Water by replacing their desert painting with a large mirror and adding a small tabletop waterfall. They also introduced the Metal element by framing that mirror in a gilt frame and arranging the plants in round metal pots. Lamplight, natural light, and touches of coral painted on their ceramics brought in plenty of Fire, which by nature strengthens Earth.
They also opened up the boxy “Earthy” furniture
“Water” collage by Terah Kathryn Collins
arrangement by turning the two brown chairs at a diagonal, giving them a peripheral view of the door. As a finishing touch, they ran a turquoise table runner diagonally across the coffee table to soften two of the corners. With these changes, their once-constricted living room became very comfortable, inviting a more spontaneous and enjoyable lifestyle.
Elemental extremes abound in our architecture and rooms.
Monochromatic motifs, and the constant repeating of one shape, are two things I often see in people’s homes. Although the effect may be perceived as quite trendy or dramatic, most people will not find comfort there, because on the elemental level, one is dominating while the others are missing. Remember, your ultimate goal is to bring all Five Elements into balance in every
room. It’s remarkable to witness the difference this makes in the perceived comfort of a room.
You’ll find much more information on the Five Elements in Terah’s book The Western Guide to Feng Shui, Room by Room.
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Posted by Amy Chini on Jan 16, 2017 in Alumni Speak, Five Elements | Comments Off on Making a Splash! Coloring the Five Elements
By Karen Abler Carrasco
We recently had a questions about elemental colors- why is blue associated with Wood and not Water? Teacher, Practitioner, and WSFS alum Karen Abler Carrasco explains:
Q: I feel confused about the color blue being associated with the wood element. I want to associate it with the water element.
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Posted by Terah Collins on Dec 31, 2015 in Career & Business, Essential Feng Shui Tips, Five Elements | 2 comments
On a recent visit to a new gift shop in town, I passed a woman who was just leaving with a big shopping bag in hand. “This place has great Feng Shui,” she beamed. My curiosity piqued, I asked her, “What exactly do you mean by great Feng Shui?” “Oh, you’ll feel it right away,” she said, smiling over her shoulder. “It’s the whole atmosphere.”
And indeed, the store did have a very inviting atmosphere. Inviting enough for me to buy something so I could take a little piece of that great Feng Shui home with me… So what exactly is “great Feng Shui?” As an Essential Feng Shui® consultant for
over fifteen years, I liken it to the favorite meal you create with just the right ingredients. When you know the recipe, you can make magic happen and in this case, an enchantingly irresistible retail atmosphere.
The recipe begins with three fundamental ingredients, or the three foundational principles of Essential Feng Shui:
1. Everything is Alive ñ Essential Feng Shui® observes that all things are essentially alive with the thoughts and feelings we associate with them. Every thing triggers internal dialog, memories, and associations. The trick is to create a shopping environment that prompts the chatter inside shoppers’ heads to say things like, “I really love the lighting in here; oh, I love that color; this reminds me of being on vacation, what a soft chair …” Not, “I look awful in this lighting; what an ugly color; that looks like my kid’s messy room; there’s nowhere to sit in this place …”
Creating an environment that encourages feel-good mind-talk is a gift – a gift that shoppers purchase and take home with them. Instinctively, they know that every time they look at their purchase, the pleasing memory of their experience in your store will come alive again.
2. Everything is Connected -Essential Feng Shui® views all parts of an environment as connected. For storeowners this means that areas such as the “employees only” bathroom, the storeroom, and the back office are just as connected to the store’s success as the showroom. Whether it can be seen from the front entrance or not, clutter and disorder can push prosperity right out the door. Every square inch counts and it’s all connected.
What’s more, your personal connection with your business is crucial. The more you really love and feel connected to it, the more you’re ready, willing, and able to pour your essence into it, and to address clutter and maintenance issues as they arise. This principle also applies to your connection with every customer who walks through your door. Serving customers with the “just right” balance between harassing and ignoring them is the holy grail of customer service. People respond best to soft landings, where no one barks a pseudo-cheery “Hello!” at them as soon as they enter the store and yet they can connect with someone helpful when they’re ready.
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Posted by Amy Chini on Dec 2, 2015 in Essential Feng Shui Tips, Feng Shui Definition, Five Elements | Comments Off on Essential Feng Shui Tips: Colors in Feng Shui
Colors in Feng Shui
Feng Shui Definitions
Colors in Feng Shui are kind of a big deal. Because color is a very personal and powerful tool for enhancing the Ch’i in your home, make sure to surround yourself with the colors that feed and nurture you. New colors can be easily introduced via flowers, candles, fabrics, and other decor. However, to remove or replace paint, carpet, and upholstery colors in your home is usually a big job. You can’t just throw them off at the end of the day like a bright red shirt or yellow dress. You will live, eat, and sleep with your color choices for a while.
This isn’t to suggest that you should be timid with color, just smart. Experiment with color before ordering enough to fill a room. For instance, before buying a bright blue couch, lay out bright blue paper or fabric where the couch will be and live with it for a week or so. Are you still as in love with the color on the eighth day as you were on the first? If certain wall colors look good in a magazine, try painting a section of your wall that color, put your furniture or artwork against it, and live with it for a few days. You may find that you’d like it deeper, richer, paler, or not at all. If you live with other people, make sure they like the colors you’re choosing. Take your time. When chosen well, colors add a powerful healing quality to your home.
When working with the Bagua Map, use the color associations that you find appealing. Don’t feel pressured to use black to enhance your Career area, or red to bolster your Fame and Reputation area unless you like these colors. Any color enhances the Ch’i if it inspires you each time you see it (see other Ch’i enhancers).
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Posted by Amy Chini on Oct 18, 2015 in Ch'i, Five Elements | Comments Off on Color: Ch’i Enhancers
The Colors of Comfort and Inspiration
Color is a very powerful Ch’i enhancement when it inspires and nurture you!
Learn about color and other Ch’i Enhancers here!
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