Feng Shui for you storage space
Feng Shui will ensure that your storage space is in total harmony with your home.
Adapting Feng Shui or Vaastu tenets for a new home or for an existing home is not limited to room positions and orientations of the plot. Feng Shui can be used to design the storage cupboards as well.
Whether it is home or office, cupboards become an integral part of decorations, although the material, shape, size and positioning of cupboards vary according to the requirement of the individuals.
Wardrobes, chests or drawer units often provide ideal storage solutions and are used for storing clothings, linens and valuables. However with the present day space constraints and costs, many homes have limited space for storage or furniture.
Generally storage cupboards are made of wood. In some countries plastics, processed paper and even bamboo is used to make cupboards. Using the wall which has minimal windows, ensures a larger space for wardrobes. The extended areas in irregular shaped rooms or the space beneath room dividers or the stairs can also be used for storing. Using lighter shades of veneer/laminate or polish will make the room look larger and also make the cupboard blend in with the decor. Having a wealth safe in the cupboard at a higher level is good Feng Shui . Make sure the mirror on the dresser unit in the wardrobe does not reflect the bed or the toilet door.
Another important area for storage is the kitchen. One needs to consider the parameters which will make a kitchen more spacious and easy to use. Devote a drawer to store odds and ends in the kitchen . Make sure that your junk drawer is well organised and can open and shut easily. Most importantly, do not have storage cupboards too close to or above the gas stove.
Look around in your house and explore possibilities of building shelves in unusual places, like the side of a bay window or a corner hidden behind the door in the wall. Get the clutter out of your cabinets, cupboards and drawers. Organise your storage spaces and don’t keep equipments that you do not use on a daily basis. Using the space creatively by following Feng Shui will ensure that your storage space is in total harmony with your home.
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Staying healthy with Feng Shui
F eng Shui is commonly understood as the practice of arranging ones living and working environments to optimize social and financial success and good health. Very often a wind chime, a crystal ball, an aquarium or a mirror is strategically placed to bring about the desired results.
Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Feng Shui pervades the most minor events of our daily lives, creating a set of opportunities for better or for worse, which ultimately determine and shape the quality and direction of our lives. From birth to death, we are accompanied by ch,i - the living essence of the Universe. The clouds floating across the sky is chi, a leaf gently swaying in the breeze is chi , the breath in our lungs is chi, the fragrance of a flower is chi, falling in love is chi. Simply put - if something has no chi, then it just does not exist.
It would be apt to describe the internal energy systems or chi within us as the chakras and the external energy system or chi of our environment as the feng shui . We can cure our illness vibrationally from both inside and outside. This dual approach can alter and transmute an illness making one more receptive to medicines, treatment processes and good old prayers. Feng Shui is both - a strong and powerful medicine and a support system, but it should be used responsibly. Understanding and working with the principles of Feng Shui is the key to harnessing the power of chi in a way that will support us and benefit our life. Our health is ultimately the product of our environment. The Environment covers all the aspects that surround us, that provide us with immediate sustenance.
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Feng Shui for your kitchen
The Chinese medical model emphasises on the nutritional value of food and is often referred to as the “post natal Chi”. Chi, in this context, refers to the positive energy of an individual which is attained by having nutritional food, essential for maintaining proper and harmonious Feng Shui.
Everything that is brought into the kitchen is changed in some way and this process of changing includes a cycle of energy that symbolises the entire process of life.
In order to understand the world of Feng Shui and the art of Chinese cooking, it is important to understand the logic of landscape to live, cook and eat in accordance with the dynamic harmony of nature. The common expression, “you are what you eat”, has been part of the Chinese culture for centuries. You can change what you are and how you feel by what you eat. We do this every day without particularly thinking about it. The most common ingredients in Chinese food are onions, ginseng, ginger root, garlic, carrot and spinach. They are called “medicinal foods” and you will find at least one of these items in each meal being consumed by them.
A fundamental principle of Feng Shui is that there should be a clear distinction between different functional areas inside a home and especially in the kitchen where different kinds of energies exist. It is mandatory to demarcate the areas of each function. It is important to keep the stove away from the water source. There should be a large window behind the sink and not behind the stove. Colours like brown and beige are good for the kitchen. A darker brown shade is good for the floor.
All equipment which rely on water should be put together in one corner of the kitchen as this makes any plumbing work easier and also ensures that there is no clash of elements. Remember a good and healthy kitchen is not just about good food but a harmonious environment, that supports the occupants and connects them with the energies of the premises.
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Feng Shui for Father’s Day
Father’s Day is the right time to thank your dad for all he has done for you. We tend to forget to say our thanks to our father who has always been there by our side. In Feng Shui, father is the ultimate Yang symbol, identifiable with the character of Chien in the Book of Changes (I-Ching). The Chien symbol is pictured as three solid lines, firm, unyielding and unbending.
The Northwest sector represents the father or patriarch and is one of the most important parts of the house, as it controls the luck of the head of the household. As fathers are usually the breadwinners of the family, his successes would affect the family’s fortunes and well-being. Therefore, by energising this sector, you can ensure your family’s fortune and good luck as well.
With the help of Feng Shui, you can make this Father’s Day very special. You could start by de-cluttering the Northwest sector of the house and his room. You could organise his bedroom and enhance the Northwest corner with figurines or artifacts made of metal. Present him with a hand-made wealth pot in a nice large belly porcelain or metal container, filled with semi-precious stones, coins and a small red envelope containing some money. Jazz it up with a red ribbon tassel and place it in the NW sector of his bedroom to ensure perennial flow of good wealth and prosperity.
A photo album is a positive energy gift and you could also add a collage of all his achievements and important phases in his life and put it up in the living room. If you wish to send across flowers to your dad’s office, then the good Feng Shui flowers are Orchids for harmony and peace, African violets for recognition at work, Sun flowers and yellow Chrysanthemums for fame and power.
If your father is no more, then you should make donations in his name or give away old clothings and food to the needy. For some who are not having a very pleasant relationship with their father, you could gift your dad a visual intention. In other words, you could spend few minutes with him and visualise all good things happening between the both of you.
On that day, keep smiling and don’t react to situations even if it gets irritating. After all spreading harmony and good energy is the core of good Feng Shui, so make the most of it this Father’s Day.
