Color, Nature, &
Sound
for a harmonious home
by Terah Kathryn Collins
Color for Feng Shui
Color can be a tremendous Ch'i enhancement when you love it, or cause a real depletion in energy if you don't. If a color bugs you, get rid of it. It could save your marriage or your sanity or both, as one couple recently discovered.
Two weeks after they'd moved into their "new" fixer-upper home, they were fighting like they never had before. One look at the wallpaper in their large kitchen and family room told me why. The former owners must have bought the entire stock of pea green and old gold wallpaper, and covered a 20-by-20-foot-square area with it. The couple had planned to take the paper down eventually, but after their fights (and our consultation), they started peeling it off immediately.
Removing the offensive colors made a positive change in the entire house -- and in their moods! Color is powerful and personal. The colors that one person likes, another person can't stand. And like all Ch'i enhancements, color is optional.
Keep in mind that each basic color includes a wide spectrum of tones and hues. Red, associated with the Fire element; and the Wealth and Prosperity, Fame and Reputation, and Love and Marriage Bagua areas, is present in all red tones, from light pink to Chinese red to dark burgundy. Your color choices may be subtle, bright, vivid, dark, or subdued. It's completely up to you. Stay within the palette you are attracted to, and your color choices will create an atmosphere you'll enjoy every day.
Color can be introduced in a number of ways. Blues and greens, associated with the Wood element, and with the Knowledge and Self-Cultivation, and Health and Family Bagua areas, can be brought in with vases, books, and furniture. Or, walls can be painted in attractive shades of green, teal, or blue.
A client whose Health and Family area is in her garage arranged a collection of items that she enjoys every time she gets in or out of her car. It consists of a poster of an herb garden, dark green silk ivy in a turquoise glass vase, and several bright blue and green bottles containing fragrant oils. Although she was already in good health when she made this arrangement, she noticed that she has even more energy and vitality than before.
Color can nurture your soul as food nourishes your body. Determine what colors are your favorites. Which ones feed you right down to your bones, and energize and heal you? Whatever colors they are, make sure that you have them somewhere in your environment.
Choose items in your colors, such as fabrics, vases, dishes, and flowers, and place them where they can feed you with a glance. Whether it's the violet light within an amethyst crystal or the vibrant turquoise glaze on a favorite mug, feast on the colors that nourish you.
Nature Objects
Creations of nature, such as rocks, pine cones, seed pods, driftwood, birds' nests, and shells, can be powerful, easy-care Ch'i enhancements. When endowed with personal meaning, these objects become sacred and can elicit potent memories of special times in nature. A beautiful rock found during a vacation will keep the memory of your mountain holiday alive for years to come. Pine cones gathered during a health retreat can symbolize vibrant health, while seashells found along the beach can hold the Ch'i of a magical moment when you felt completely relaxed and rejuvenated.
Nature objects can hold your goals, wishes, and aspirations in place. A collection of stones that symbolize attributes that the owner wants to keep in mind as the owner works, arranged in the wealth and prosperity area of her work table, is a reminder of life's abundant blessings.
I have a hickory nut I found many years ago in the woods. At that time, I'd been looking for an apartment for weeks and had found nothing that suited my needs. Frustrated, I sat down under a huge hickory tree and prayed to be guided to the perfect place. Beside me on the ground was the hickory nut, and I picked it up as a symbol of my quest. That afternoon, with the nut in my pocket, I found the perfect apartment. To this day, it reminds me of how grateful I was to find a home.
Substantial objects of nature, such as boulders and logs, can also be incorporated into your home design. Rocks and boulders are considered great storehouses of natural energy, and they strengthen the Ch'i in any area. Logs, driftwood, or rocks can be incorporated into your furniture design or placed as either primary or accent garden pieces. Study their unique shapes and features, then position them so that their inspirational qualities are highlighted.
Sound Makers
Sound makers summon and enhance Ch'i flow. Wind chimes, bells, bead curtains, musical instruments, gongs, and anything that makes a beautiful sound is considered a Ch'i enhancement. Always choose a resonant sound maker that lifts your spirits every time you hear it.
The classic sound maker in Feng Shui, the wind chime, is often hung at the front door to call in positive energy. In her book, Cultivating Sacred Space, Elizabeth Murray says that wind chimes "draw music from the wind; a universal harmonic sound played spontaneously by nature."
Wind chimes can be placed in any Bagua area you want to activate. Melodious sound makers also stimulate the energy in an area that feels claustrophobic and stagnant. They cleanse the space and return it to a more balanced, energized state, minimizing stress, illness, and lethargy. As sound makers, music and the sounds of nature can also be used to calm or energize a room and the people in it. Choose sounds -- such as romantic, relaxing, or empowering music -- that elicit the thoughts and feelings you want to experience.
This article was excerpted from
 The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment
by Terah Kathryn Collins.
This article was excerpted with permission of the publisher. Published by Hay House, www.hayhouse.com.
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About The Author
Terah Kathryn Collins is an internationally recognized Feng Shui consultant, speaker, teacher, and the bestselling author of The Western Guide to Feng Shui and Home Design with Feng Shui A-Z. She is the founder of the Western School of Feng Shui, which offers Essential Feng Shui Practitioner Training programs, as well as one-day workshops, consultations services, a speakers' bureau, and related products. For more information on this author visit the Hay House website at www.hayhouse.com or the author's own website at www.wsfs.com.
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