Although it’s become a recent trend in Western society, the ancient Chinese art of feng shui (meaning “wind-water”) actually dates back nearly 5,000 years. Feng shui’s central philosophy is that life energy, or chi, affects one’s wellbeing and that health, wealth, relationships, and even creativity can be improved through the creation of a harmonious external environment. While the application of feng shui typically involves changing the layout of your living and workspace, few of us have the luxury of remodeling our homes or offices purely for this purpose. Even if you’re stuck with what you have, our beginner’s guide to feng shui will help you to maximize the energy of your particular space – be it a mansion, studio apartment, penthouse office or 6×6 foot cubicle! — Catherine Parker

1. Improve Energy Flow
Feng shui maintains that energy should move easily through the home or office, entering through the front door, moving in curves and exiting through back doors or windows. Sharp angles and dark corners can slow down energy flow, so “remedy” a sharp table corner by placing a tablecloth over it or a plant in front of it, and spruce up a dark corner with a lamp or wind chime.

Active spaces in your home, such as the kitchen and living room, should have a faster energy flow, while areas of relaxation like the lounge and living room should allow energy to linger. Energy should also not exit too fast, so a long corridor where the front door looks directly onto the back door, for example, will cause chi to move out of the space too quickly before it is able to be of any benefit. The flow of chi can be slowed down by using objects such as wooden screens, water fountains or plants to block its path. Conversely, remove excess objects and create open spaces in order to speed up energy flow.

2. Get Rid of Clutter
According to feng shui principles, clutter in the home or office blocks chi and causes it to stagnate. This can leave you weighed down and stuck in the past, making it difficult for you to move forward and make decisions. In contrast, an orderly home or office facilitates change and makes space for new opportunities. To kick start this change, commit to a rigorous spring cleaning: give away old clothes you never wear and donate books you don’t read to charity. In your office, clean your desk of clutter: file away important documents and throw out old papers, books and stationery.

3. Clean and Maintain
As with clutter, dirt, dust, poor ventilation and even unfinished maintenance jobs in the home or office can also cause energy to stagnate. Feng shui takes this a step further and attaches symbolic meanings to problem areas: a door that is difficult to open makes it difficult to progress in life, dirty windows cloud judgment, poor ventilation breeds fatigue and apathy, and burnt-out lightbulbs contribute to a lack of vision and initiative. In contrast, a well-ventilated home or office that is clean, well-lit and in good working order encourages vitality, clarity, and creativity. So crank out your duster, oil that creaky door, and watch your life improve!

3. Activate Your Power Spots
In feng shui, different areas of the home or office, known as “power spots,” are symbolic of various areas of your life. These power spots can be activated using objects or colors (see specifics below) that represent the five feng shui elements. Typically, major life areas are represented by the following rooms:

• Personal relationships: Bedroom, living room

• Career: Front door, anywhere you work or study in at home, or your office or cubicle

• Money: Office or home office, kitchen, and anywhere you work on finances in the home

• Health: Bedroom, kitchen, and dining room

• Family: Living room, dining room

4. Know the Five Elements
As with power spots in the home and office, the five feng shui elements of water, wood, fire, metal, and earth are used in conjunction with the eight compass points to affect different areas of your life. These elements are represented as follows:

• Fire
Purpose: Career success, high energy, passion
Placement: South, northeast and southwest
Colors: Red, orange, purple, strong yellow

• Earth:
Purpose: Stability, nourishment, and protection in relationships
Placement: Northeast and southwest; center of your home or office
Colors: Light yellow, beige

• Metal:
Purpose: Mental clarity and precision of thought
Placement: North
Colors: Gray, white

• Water:
Purpose: Mental calm, revitalization, abundance
Placement: North, east, southeast
Colors: Blue, black

• Wood:
Purpose: Health, vitality, growth, abundance
Placement: South, east, and southeast
Colors: Brown, green

5. Choose Meaningful Objects
Once you’ve located the power spots in your home or office and decided which elements you’d like to focus on to affect a particular area of your life, choose an object that symbolically represents that element and place it in the relevant power spot. Choose something simple, bearing in mind the principle of minimal clutter, and be sure to choose items that have strong symbolic meaning for you so that its personal effect is enhanced.

The objects you choose are limited only by your imagination: use a water fountain or fish tank to represent water, a bamboo screen or plant to represent wood, and a silver ornament or steel bookcase to represent metal. Objects can also represent an element by their color: a well-placed red throw cushion or bunch of flowers can represent fire, for example, while a light yellow candle or acrylic painting can represent earth.
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