|
 MAKING
WAVES WITH FENG
SHUI
Doing Yummy
Yin-Yang
by Dennis Fairchild
As we segue into spring, let’s hear it for
Feng Shui (pronounced “fung schway”), which has been around 3,000 plus
years globally-advising how to create healthy living and working
environments. Feng Shui is a melange of Buddhism, Taoism and rural magic
with roots in ancient agrarian China where farmers worshiped harmony
with nature. It has endured because it works – combining common sense,
tradition, superstition and the power of self-fulfillment. Plus, it’s a
gas and loads of fun!
Time now to explore the mailbag.
Dear Dennis:
I am writing because
I’m told that my house has too much Yin energy. What does Feng Shui say
about this?
Eve; Waterford, MI;
internet
Dear Energized Eve:
The world is filled with forces that press
in, on and affect us in many ways. Small is different than tall. Morning
ain’t night. High ain’t low; happiness and sadness are not the same.
Joy, sorrow, up, down, right, left, love, hate; all are variations of a
similar theme. One works off the other; everything turns into its
opposite.
Yin and yang, the ancient Asian concept,
are differences and the mutually supportive dynamics of things and, in
Feng Shui, places. Yin is expansive, dark, feminine, rounded, curvy,
flowing. Yang is concentrated, light, masculine, blunt, squarish,
straight. Originally, yin meant “cloudy, overcast”; yang, “banners
waving in the wind.”
Dark, depressing corners brighten up when
lit. Cluttered areas become more spacious when organized. In balance
with one another, they encourage happiness. Hospital rooms have more
energy when filled with fresh flowers, colorful posters, vibrant smells.
Clean windows provide more light; heavy curtains darken. Damp, mildewed
basement smells interfere with enticing kitchen aromas – remember how
the house smelled when grandma baked fresh bread and rolls? Yum!
Buckminister Fuller, daddy of the geodesic
dome and other architectural wonders, said that there is no right or
wrong, only right or left. If something is too much one way, balance it
with an opposing factor. Know thyself, know your space.
Excessive, exaggerated yin energy is cold
and dark. This is very common in tri-level dwellings because one-third
is built underground and much of the floors atop cold concrete. When
there is insufficient yang energy and balance between it and the yin,
finances and health suffers. Ch’i (pronounced ‘chee,’ meaning energy)
diminishes and fades like what happens to fairies in Peter Pan when
people say they no don’t believe in fairies.
A too-yin space features stale air smell,
is dark or gloomy, has mold, cold and damp, very few (or lots of dirty)
windows. Homes with water stains or buckling, rotten wood is un-good yin
too. So, how do you make a too-yin place more perfect? Try:
• Washing the windows, let the sun shine
in or turn on the lights. Brighten up the corners. Try incorporating
shiny objects, reflective surfaces, mirrors, use warm, bright, bold
contrasting colors either on walls or as accent accessories like pillows
or stained glass.
• Feature tall, thin (versus wide or
round) or irregular shapes— like in table legs and chairs and picture
frames.
• Bring in ‘movement,’ things that spin,
rotate and look alive. Easy fixes include mobiles, even leaving on an
electric fan. Think flags waving.
• Play favorite music; dance and laugh.
Although, your question wasn’t about too
much yang-energy, let’s address that too, Eve. After all, Feng Shui is
about balance.
Dwellings that have too much yang-energy
are often skyscrapers, tall buildings and homes that provide spectacular
and sweeping views. Living by a busy highway, expressway, shopping
center, police or fire station or heavily traveled street is a Feng Shui
no-no because the excessive yang energy can make one very depressed,
paranoid.
Kitchens and home offices and other rooms
that have cluttered countertops, littered with magazines, papers and
“stuff” is also said to breed morbid low self-esteem, financial upset.
Ditto if you can smell the used-litterbox, dog-doo and have an overgrown
lawn or garden in desperate need of weeding and attention.
Is this your situation? If so, try using:
• Track or muted lights, close the drapes.
Subdued color tones work best— pastels versus bolds; paisleys rather
than stripes.
• Add heavy, solid furniture rather than
spikey, skinny objects.
• Keep music and TV volumes low
• Subdued colored fabrics; stone statuary
Look around you. What do you see in your
home?
Just as people become healthier when
maintaining good eating and exercise habits, color, seating arrangement,
furnishings, lighting, music and aromas either enhance or diminish a
home’s ambient energy, too.
Dennis Fairchild is
author of many books on divination and conducts personal Feng Shui and
astrological-tarot consults. (248) 546-6912 |
