Where Energy Flows

In Nature, nothing exists without its opposite. We would not know what light was, if we didn’t have dark to compare it with. We couldn’t appreciate the sun without periods of rain. This law of opposites is the essence of Yin and Yang: opposites that complement each other and bring a greater sense of harmony.

Extremes are not comfortable Feng Shui. Like the children’s book the Three Little Bears, we like our chairs to be not too soft and not too hard, but just right. Feng Shui looks for the balance, neither too Yin not too Yang. Yin is characterised by environments that are dark, small, ornate, quiet, curved, rounded, floral and feminine. Yang is defined by light, large airy spaces, plain, noisy or lively, straight or angular lines and masculine.

The Victorian Era was predominantly Yin. When I think of the Victorian style, what comes to mind are very quiet, dimly lit rooms with dark floral wallpaper, heavy drapery, ornately carved legs on furniture and tables draped to the floor with heavy cloths. The Energy feeling I get is grounded, cozy but claustrophobic.

In contrast, modern homes are often very Yang with large rooms, high ceilings, lots of angles and large expanses of glass and wooden floors. With the cavernous ceilings, sound echoes throughout.  The feeling I get is expansive but also exposed. It can be difficult to create a cozy retreat.

We can usually sense when a room or a home is slightly out of balance without being able to precisely put our finger on the problem. One thing to look for is the contract and extremes between Yin and Yang and when you find it, balance it some energy of the opposite.

Some examples:

• balance very bright overhead lights with lamps and task lighting so you can change the level of brightness and create mood areas.
• brighten up any dark areas, even if they are not functional, with a lamp or pot light.
• paint different rooms in the house a different colour. Warm up cool wall colours with warm accessories and vice versa.
• use and combine different textures and patterns can be combined. For every busy, vibrant pattern, add a subdued one. For each smooth texture, add a touch of roughness.
• look for contrast in shapes, e.g., put apples or oranges in a square dish instead of a round one.

Every little change you make towards balancing extremes affects your life in a positive way. You will feel more comfort and harmony in your home, and that is the art of living well with feng shui.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved. 

This time of the year starts to get to me.  Michigan winters where I live tend to be dreary and long.  The nights are longer, the temperatures are colder, the skies are cloudier, and outdoor activities are minimized….all qualities of yin energy.  As far as seasons go, winter is yin* as contrasted to summer which is yang.**

I experience this yin time of year as being less active, staying indoors more often, and doing quieter activities like reading, meditating and yoga.  I definitely align with the season, however, I do feel a bit less motivated to get things done.  To inspire me to be more motivated, I introduce more fire energy into our home.  I relocate all my faceted cut crystals to catch the sunlight (fire energy) to reflect rainbows into various rooms.  We have several lights on timers that bring more light (fire energy) into our space and yard.  In addition, I regularly burn candles (also fire).  Adding fire energy during winter, brings in much needed additional warmth and light.

If you are resonating with my experience of winter, I encourage you to invite more fire into your space.  Fire is the red color spectrum, sunlight, lighting, candles, animals, animal fibers, animal prints, people and conical shapes.  Be creative, inventive and playful!  In the meantime, join me in counting down the days until spring!!!
 * In feng shui, yin is defined as cold, dark, wet, still, ornate, soft, quiet, etc.

**Yang is defined as hot, bright, dry, active, simple, active, etc.

  © Catherine Hilker, 2008. All rights reserved.

There are a few colours in the spectrum that are stimulating and relaxing at the same time. Green is one of them and purple is the other: from the lightest lilac and lavender, to sweet violet and plums, vivacious magenta, and the deep earthy shades of wine, burgundy and eggplant.

There are a few symbols connected with purple, namely wealth, spirituality and power. The connection with wealth is because obtaining purple dye from natural sources is costly and difficult. Historically only those in high positions could afford it, such as royalty and the head of religious orders (for example the Pope of the Catholic religion.) These are of course, positions of power in society.

In feng shui, purple is one of the colours, along with blue and red that represents abundance and prosperity. Although I believe originally purple signified material wealth, the association it has with spirituality and insight can mean the inner wealth that comes from spiritual growth. Purple represents the crown chakra which connects us to our higher source and life path on earth. It is associated with psychic awareness and intuition and can be used to lift you into a higher spiritual plane.

Some of the uses of purple are:

• It is relaxing and at the same time mentally uplifting
• Stimulates creativity and motivation
• Balances the right and left brain (yin and yang)
• Opens consciousness of the higher planes of existence
• Can be used for inner purification and protection
• To assist in going on an inner journey for spiritual growth

However, purple can be…

• depressing in large doses or over large areas
• not a good colour to wear if you are feeling oversensitive and vulnerable.

In the Home: A lot depends on the shade but generally purple is a yin colour and best used for areas that have quiet or restful activities. As well, some shades of purple such as deep violet, eggplant or royal purple can feel cold and stark, and the message this gives out could be ‘unapproachable or ‘keep back’ both of which would tend to put distance between people. For this reason it is not a good colour to use in areas that you want to be highly social, so I wouldn’t recommend it for the family room, living room, dining room or kitchen.

However some shades such as lavender, lilac and magenta are warmer in tone and in home decorating I recommend these lighter shades; keep the deeper shades of purple as accents. Green also works very well as an accent for purple.

Purple is a great colour choice for bedrooms and the shade of lavender (and also the herb or essential oil) is useful for people who have insomnia. The lighter shades of purple are also suitable for a meditation or healing room.

Copyright ©2007 Deborah Redfern. All rights reserved.