Feng Shui Tips for Autumn

An essential part of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of object placement for bringing good luck, is the constant process of decluttering decorating the home. However a very important thing to remember is that a lot of Feng Shui is quite practical.  It is about making your home cozy for the winter.

 

Here are some practical Feng Shui Tips for the Fall season.

 

First of all make sure you declutter the place entirely. Get rid of anything to do with summer living. This shows you are willing to live in sync with nature.\

 

The next thing you should do is to pack away summer clothes. Make sure that your front closet is stored with the things that you need to have around in order to be ready for winter.  Bring out shoes and boots and organize them so that they do not obstruct the door. This is bad Feng Shui and causes negative energy to accumulate.  Yet another thing to avoid is an umbrella stand by the door.  This is considered to be very bad luck.

 

This is a good time of the year to hang some curtains or swags. Red or orange curtains are best.. Red represents the Chinese Feng Shui element of fire. Red and its fire element symbolize excitement, luck, energy, and passion.  Aside from adding a new decorative touches to your home, curtains will also insulate your home in the window area (where most heat escapes). Use decorative tiebacks to drape a bolt of heavy fabric like corduroy, velvet or canvas across the top of your windows. This keeps out the cold. If you use gold or silver tiebacks this can represent money coming into the house.  Attaching pulls in the shape of acorns can also symbolize abundance.

 

Choose greens and yellows to decorate the rest of your home.  These make up for a lack of sun and greenery in your life during the coming winter. Specific qualities of green as it relates to Feng Shui are balance, serenity, spiritual and emotional growth, and good health. Use green as one of your Feng Shui colors wherever you wish to promote healing, serenity, motivation, and inspiration,

 

It is also a time to place space heaters and stoves. If you are buying a new hearth of some kind keep in mind that the best place for it is the Southern sector as it is represented by the color red.  Fan based heaters do well in the Southeast prosperity corner of your home. This is symbolic of love and the warmth of the human heart.

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Just What is Feng Shui Anyway?

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of object placement to bring good fortune. Both the Japanese and Chinese practice it and the Balinese practice a form of it a well. The idea of the practice is to live with nature rather than in disharmony with it to create good energy in life.  This positive energy is also called “chi” in China and “ki” in Japan.  Feng Shui is so important in those cultures that it is considered to be an aspect of mental health.

 

The translation of the Chinese word Feng Shui (pronounced fung-shway) means wind and water.  The combination of these two weather elements in harmony creates good “chi.” In the Asian culture, gentle wind and smooth water have always been historically associated with a good harvest and good health, while harsh winds and stagnant water have been linked to famine and disease. Therefore, “good” feng-shui has come to mean a good livelihood and fortune, and “bad” feng-shui has come to mean hardship and bad luck.  The less clutter and mess you have in your house the healthier it will be because the energy will be much less stagnant.

 

Feng Shui is one of those alternative sciences that has been around for millions of years. It is a humanist science that acknowledges that we are very connected to our environment. If we surround ourselves with symbols of negativity and disappointment then we will attract misfortune.

 

Hard edges, uncomfortable furniture and clutter create what is called “sha” or “shar” which are the Chinese and Japanese words for “bad energy.”   However if we trade in noise, mess and filth for cleanliness and objects that are an expression of the finer things in life such as art, order, then we will attract good fortune.

 

Part of the beautification process is including objects that symbolize good energy like fountains, wind chimes, bamboo screens and statues of lucky animals.

 

The theory is that the kind of energy that we surround ourselves with creates more of the same energy.  The negative qualities in our home can create other problems in our life including relationship and money problems.  Your home becomes a metaphor for your spiritual life and determines what you will attract in the future.

 

The experts say that the fastest way to attract all of this is to clean your home. Get rid of all clutter and keep it immaculate. This will naturally attract other harmonic events and lucky coincidences into your life.

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Feng Shui Gifts

If you have a friend who into Feng Shui then here are some suggestions for gifts that might please them.  To refresh your memory, Feng Shui is the fine art of object placement in the home in order to create good luck and energy.

 

A great gift for a Feng Shui Fanatic is a Lucky Cat.  There are different kinds of cats and each brings you a special kind of lucky. The Golden Lucky Money Cats are white or gold ceramic statues. The Cat holds up his left paw to attract good fortune into your business or home. As this cat is also a piggy bank, you are supposed to feed him every day with a coin to keep prosperity circulating in your life.

 

The White Lucky Money Cat Bank of Wealth and Health holds up his right paw to attract good fortune. This is an ideal gift for someone who runs his or her own business.

 

The Black Cat of Protection is a cat with an expression of warning and holding a broom. The cat’s right paw is raised with the palm out to ward off evil energy. The broom symbolizes insight and wisdom and is believed to have the power to sweep away worry and trouble.  It’s a good gift for a friend who has had a rough year.

 

Lucky Fish also make great gift for Feng Shui  fanatics. These are statues or pictures that feature a single leaping carp. The animal is a symbol of wealth, success and staying power. A common statue features two carp leaping for joy. Usually this statue is gold, orange, green and pink in color. This joyous image is called Fu Gui You Yu” which means,  “brimming with wealth.”

 

One of the most coveted of Fish configurations is the Nine Lucky Goldfish. This image is usually found on a scroll or a poster that features eight goldfish swimming with one black gold fish. Hanging this poster on the right side of your entrance (as you look from the inside to the door) is said to bring prosperity to a home.

 

Dragon statues also make great gifts. The Dragon is a symbol of Strength, Goodness, Courage and Endurance. This fantastic is the emblem of vigilance and security, and a symbol of the spirit of positive change. The Dragon and Phoenix statue that features the two fantasy figures courting or embracing represents the ultimate balance of all things in your life and makes a great gift.

 

Another popular present for a Feng Shui fanatic is the Three Legged Money Toad or Money Frog. There are many versions of this toad or frog that is commonly found in various silver, gold, brass, glass, plastic and red lacquered incarnations. His purpose is to draw wealth into your life. To activate the toad or frog, place him within view of your front door. Every morning place the I Ching Coin in his mouth to signify that he will always deliver prosperity to you.

 

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Wind Chime Gifts

Wind chimes look beautiful and sound beautiful. They are manufactured from every material imaginable now so there is a type of wind chime to suit every type of personality.

 

One thing that is even more important than how a wind chime looks is to consider how it sounds.  Like anything you buy there are both high quality and low quality wind chimes.   If amazing acoustic noise is important tan you might want to go for a high quality set of piano type wind chimes that are made of brass, nickel, aluminum or a metal alloy. These types of wind chimes hang in a lateral way and are constructed out of hollow tubes. Each tube has its own unique tone that harmonizes with the rest. You can get these in versions that are as large as organ pipes or as tiny as a kid’s piano. .

 

If the gift is for a child then you can buy all kinds of wind chimes that are made from many kinds of interesting materials including precious stones, metals and plastic. Many of the plastic versions feature translucent cartoon characters or happy motifs that are meant to knock together in the wind. You can even buy wind chimes that you can wind up or plug in so that they rotate over a baby’s cradle.

 

If you need a gift for a nature lover then get wind chimes made out of natural materials such as petrified wood, or sea shells. Wind chimes made out of agate slices have a particularly pleasant sound.

 

If the person you are buying the gift for is really into Feng Shui cures then you can’t go wrong getting them a set of wind chimes that are made from hollow flumes of bamboo. When they clank together these bamboo rods make a particularly pleasing sound. They are also an ages old cure for dispersing bad energy. Wherever they are hung in the home they are bound to improve the auspiciousness of the area that the area symbolizes. For instance, bamboo chimes hung in the center of the home can go a long way to dispersing stagnant chi (energy) to do with health as the center of the home symbolizes the health sector.

 

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