By: Gerry Loken / Source: Ask Men

You’ve likely heard of Feng Shui, and probably thought it was #57 at your favorite Chinese restaurant. But little did you know that this is a way of life that involves more than General Tao chicken and spring rolls.

Do you feel as if you are surrounded by negative energy that corrupts your life? Or as if no matter what you do or how you try to organize yourself, that your success is fleeting? Keep an open mind and you may find practical and man-friendly solutions with Feng Shui.

More than prissy colored baubles, silly shapes and the crazy trend that your girlfriend keeps talking about when she’s decorating your pad, the ancient metaphysical art of Feng Shui can bring aesthetically pleasing and beneficial changes to your home and your life. From getting a good night’s sleep to being more productive at work, Feng Shui can help men too.

Feng Shui is mostly about positioning objects in your environment, so it is largely related to decorating. However, it is more about achieving a personal balance with your surroundings rather than a specific set of color schemes or accessories à la Martha Stewart.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui (pronounced “fung shway”), literally meaning “wind water,” is an ancient Chinese discipline that dates back to over 4000 years and was once kept as a secret tool to ensure the good health, fortune and power of the imperial dynasties.
In poetic terms, Feng Shui was designed to balance the energy between heaven and Earth; or, to align man with the heavens. In practical terms, it’s a way to get you in tune with your environment so you can reap the maximum benefits from your mental and physical space.

In modern times, Feng Shui attempts to implement design and placement strategies, in any environment (home, office, school, etc.) in order to optimize the growth and positive energy flow of its occupants. Again, in layman’s terms, this essentially means that you get to move stuff around in your home or workplace until you feel as if you are in tune with your surroundings and in a beneficial frame of mind.

According to Feng Shui, the many ways to balance energy typically involve elements such as Chinese symbolism, like dragons and other mystical creatures; pleasant lighting and sounds, such as chimes and gongs; freedom of movement; plants; wood and metal objects; electricity; and color, one of the most important and easily administered cures of Feng Shui.

When decorating, close attention must be paid to the balancing the five elements of Feng Shui — fire, earth, metal, water, and wood — which correspond to specific areas in your life.

Know the tools of Feng Shui…

Tools of Feng Shui

I will not lie and say that Feng Shui, in its purest form, is a simple practice. Many experts study their entire lives to master Feng Shui principles. Principles of geography, architecture, environmental psychology, astrology, electromagnetism, urban planning, and landscape design are also employed in modern Feng Shui.
Furthermore, there are many variations, or strands, but most authentic forms use maps called baguas to orientate a home corresponding to the following nine areas of one’s life:

1- Career
2- Relationships
3- Family & wisdom
4- Creativity & children
5- Fame
6- Health
7- Helpful people
8- Travel
9- Prosperity

If you’re really serious about Feng Shui, you may need an expert to show you how to correctly calculate your birth date and the ideal compass directions. Specialized compasses are used to determine the orientation of the house, while the birth dates and times of the occupants determine which alignments work best for each individual and the group.

How does it work?

In essence, Feng Shui arranges objects, forms and colors in your environment, and the layout and orientation of your setting, in order to attract, balance and enhance positive life energy, called “Qi” or “Chi,” and balance hard, or opposite energy, called “Sha Chi” or “Sha.”
As mentioned, the ultimate goal of Feng Shui is the harmonious re-balancing of “Yin and Yang,” the opposite forces of the universe. The Chinese believe that good and bad forces balance each other out, kind of like a cosmic check and balances. We are all part of the same system, thus we are obligated to respect and balance that order.

Therefore, some Feng Shui specialists believe that once energy movement or exchange is optimal, the quality of life of the individual improves. For instance, sometimes people who have been confused at work may improve their concentration by turning their desk so that it faces the door. This way, instead of turning their back to other lives in their environment, they face them head on.

Proponents of Feng Shui strongly believe that the right layout and attention to detail in your home can improve your business success, economic status, love life, personal and mental health, and happiness levels. What you see and experience in your home makes can make the difference between being relaxed and on top of your game, and edgy, uncomfortable, ill-rested, and imbalanced.

For example, think of how much better you feel in your warm, cozy room, perhaps stretched out on a goose down quilt with a lovely companion, versus the annoyance of being cramped and stressed in a small, dimly lit cubicle. Feng Shui essentially tries to make your environment happy and healthy so you can feel the same way.

Here’s how you can implement Feng Shui in your life…

Implementing Feng Shui

Now that you understand that Feng Shui is mainly about the positioning of objects in your living environment for a better flow of positive energy, you can apply the following tips in minutes, and at little or no cost.

Paint your bedroom an inviting color like warm yellow, rich terracotta or an earthy green. As most adults go to their bedrooms to relax and recharge, it is essential to have the greatest level of serenity in the bedroom. Plus, the more relaxed you feel, the more likely you are to invite the energy for good sex with your partner. And remember, the right use of red can make for a happier and richer sex life. So be sure to include some red pillows or other accessories.

Remove/move around uncomfortable furniture, as anything that makes you edgy or sore in your environment can block positive energy flow. Stiff chairs, old sofas with protruding coils or rough fabrics all make for a painful and undesirable living space. Invest in products that tailor to your body and your level of comfort sensibilities. For instance, get an office chair that provides both back support and leg space, and which is stylish as well.

Adjust light levels to pleasing levels. Try for natural light from windows as much as possible, and if this is not possible, aim for natural white light bulbs and candles, and avoid fluorescent or glaring halogen lamps. The right light levels will give your eyes a rest, and enhance your mood. Levels of light determine wakefulness and emotional experience, so test out what works best for you.

Purchase special auspicious figures like prosperity frogs or dragons because they ignite the fiery powerful energy in your room and attract money, power, affluence, and wealth.

Keep your area clean because if your space is too busy, you may not have room to think or freedom of movement. Clutter in the house generally indicates clutter in the mind and soul. You should regulate and order your environment or the chaos will order you!

Fix what’s broken such as drafty windows and leaky faucets.

Face the door. You should never have your back to the door while working as it blocks productive energy.

Remove mirrors from your bedroom as they can attract a third party to the relationship. (That is, unless you want a third party to join.)

Chi and Harmony

Feng Shui can work for you, either under the guidance of a professional to maximize your chances of channeling Chi, or even “Westernized,” as a simple principle of living in balance and harmony with your environs.
However, it is certain that Feng Shui is not a cure-all, nor is it about buying cheap store products like incense, chimes or sculptures, and/or needlessly painting your home in garish colors. And although there is no well-documented, scientific proof that Feng Shui really works, its effects might still make you feel more at ease where you live and work.