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Module: 2
Introduction to Feng Shui for a Happy,
Balanced Life
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In this module, you will be introduced to what is called balance and really begin to learn how two forces
can impact each other to understand what impact this can have on the space. You will begin by learning
about clutter and how it is intimately related with chaos in your life. You will then learn more about chi,
the force that drives all life, and the importance of balance in space to ensure chi has space to move. In
section three, you will be introduced to the ancient Yin and Yang symbol and learn its significance in
FengShui as a guiding principle of balance. Section four covers objects and FengShui cures as well as a
brief overview of how to choose and place them. Finally, you will conclude with a brief note on finding
balance and how this principle must be at the forefront of your mind and intentions when practicing the
art of FengShui.
2.1 Clutter and Chaos
2.2 Chi and Balance
2.3 Yin, Yang and Tao
2.4 Object Placement
2.5 Finding Balance
2.1 Clutter and Chaos
Before diving into this module, perform the following exercise:
Close your eyes and imagine walking into a room that is filled with objects. Every surface is covered
with things. Some of them are useful while others could easily be thrown away. There are clothes
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hanging on the back of chairs, papers and dishes covering the table, books and magazines on the
sofa and shoes scattered across the floor.
Now, think about how you feel when entering that room. Do you feel cool, calm and collected or do
you feel stressed and overwhelmed? Think about how you feel and write it down. You’ll return to it at
the end of this section.
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There is a good chance that your feelings in a cluttered room are negative. That is completely normal.
In FengShui, clutter is associated with chaos. In fact, clutter can be one of the most important things
getting in the way of your life because it blocks the positive energy in the room that would otherwise be
the source of positive things in your life. Clutter represents decisions that are put off and your inability
to make a decision and move forward with your life.
In other words, if you want to use FengShui in the design of a room, the clutter has got to go.
Here are a few ways to keep a design or room free from unnecessary objects:
1.Think About What You Have and Why You Have It
Before you decide to add an object to a room, think about what the object is, what it represents to
you and why you need to keep it.
By doing this you will be able to better rationalize the décor and objects you keep in a room. It will
allow you to find the pieces that are full of negative energy before they even enter the room. It also
helps you prioritize only the positive things in your life.
2.Remove All Clutter from Greeting Spaces
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When you first enter the home or the room, you are in a place called the greeting space. This space
has the ability to set up your entire experience of a space and it is especially important to keep this
clutter free.
Yet, these are the spaces that become chaotic quickly. The first thing you do when you enter your
home is remove your outer layers, put down your belonging and kick off your shoes. If you’re not
careful, you’ll find that your greeting space is filled with things that are essential for your life but
create chaos in your space.
To combat this, explore ways of designing the room where you can easily organize your belongings
to prevent clutter. Additionally, find ways to keep the clutter in check by moving your dumping area
into another space that is away from your greeting space.
3.Keep the High Traffic Areas Clutter Free
There are three rooms in the home that feature high traffic: the bathroom, the family room and the
kitchen. It is essential for these places to be clear of clutter. Doing so can transform these spaces from
the source of stress into a wonderful spaces that promote growth, togetherness and productivity.
4.Keep Clutter Out of the Bedroom
The average human spends 30% of their life in their bedroom. In fact, you’ll spend more time at home
sleeping than you will on any other activity.
Because of this, you probably already know how a bedroom can play a key role in the quality of sleep
you achieve. Since clutter represents negative energy and negative energy is chaotic, you must keep
clutter out of the bedroom.
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Clearing clutter in the bedroom does not mean hiding everything you think you need to keep under
your bed. It means removing any visual clutter, like work related objects, televisions, computers,
storage items and exercise equipment. You should also clean out your closet, getting rid of
unnecessary things. For more details on what to get rid of and when, see steps five through seven.
5.Clear Out Anything that is Broken
Broken objects represent one of the worst types of clutter because it is negative energy related to
brokenness. Having too many items in disrepair in the home can result in the inhabitants of the space
feeling just like that broken object.
If something is broken, decide in the moment whether it is worth fixing. If it isn’t, dispose of it
appropriately and quickly. If it is, fix it now.
6.Get Rid of the Things You Don’t Like
Keeping things you do not like makes very little sense and is bad form in the practice of FengShui.
Whenever you look at something you don’t like, you harbor negative energy.
7.Remove Anything You Don’t Use
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Items that have positive energy are items that are used frequently. They are alive, useful and make
life easier. Things that just sit around are dead, and death represents negativity. Thus, it is important
that you get rid of anything that you have not used in the last year.
8.Perform a Deep Clean with Natural Cleaners
You will remember from the first introduction that FengShui is concerned with your health. This is
why FengShui specialists also recommend removing small clutter by doing a deep clean of the
space. Get rid of the harsh chemicals in your cleaner and opt for natural cleaners instead to help
keep your air quality healthy.
Once the clutter is removed, clean out drawers, wipe down appliances and clean all the important
surfaces in your home to remove micro-clutter like dust, dirt and other particles that can bring you
down.
Exercise
At the beginning of the module, you closed your eyes and pictured how you would feel walking into a
cluttered space. Since then, you’ve learned about all of the ways to de-clutter that space to improve the
flow of energy in the room and improve your life in general. But getting rid of all of that stuff may feel
daunting, especially when there are so many decisions to be made.
Do not worry. That is the clutter talking. To demonstrate how clutter can prevent you from trying to
improve your life, perform the same exercise now. This time think about how you feel walking into a
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room that has received the gift of FengShui. It is clean, balanced and both the energy and your body are
able to traverse through it.
How do you feel? Happy?Calm? Relaxed? Ready to take on the world? Whatever it is, it is likely a marked
difference from how you felt in the cluttered room. Keep this in mind whenever you are struggling to
make decisions about the objects in the space that need to stay to be certain that they don’t actually
need to go.
2.2 Chi and Balance
Chi is central to the practice of FengShui and to Taoism. As described in module one, chi is the force
behind all life. It is the invisible force that animates everything in the universe.
In order for you to have a successful and healthy life, it is imperative that your chi is free-flowing and
balanced. It must not be blocked or built up in certain areas while leaving other areas of your life
neglected. When this happens, chi becomes imbalanced and stagnant and can lead to spiritual and
physical diseases.
Chi does not just apply to humans but to every single thing in the universe. It applies to natural
landscapes just as much as it applies to the things that humans build. Just as chi needs to flow freely
through your life, it also needs to flow freely through your home. This is the call of the practitioner of
FengShui: to set up a man-made structure in such a way that the imbalance of chi is restored to a healthy
or natural balance by using various remedies.
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In FengShui, chi is manifested in the yin and yang (which will be discussed in section three). The yin
and yang demonstrate how the universe is balanced.
Chi also manifests itself in the five elements: earth, fire, metal, water and wood.
You can also find chi manifested in other important areas of FengShui like color, shape and intensity
because of their different associations with the elements.
Basically, each element is required for good FengShui because each element brings its own
qualities of chi into the space.
As you have learned, the goal of FengShui is to bring chi into your home and allow it to flow in a way that
supports balance. Including the different types of chi allows that balance to take place. Using all of the
elements maintains the quality of the chi you have around you, keeping it vibrant, fresh and always in
support of your goals.
Feeling Chi
Chi is an invisible force and thus, those who are not looking for it may not see it. Perceiving chi is a skill
and it is a central tenant of Taoism and FengShui. For some, the ability to feel or see chi comes naturally
while others have to work for it. However, because it is a skill, anyone who is willing can work on their
abilities and become someone who notices chi and thus has the ability to correct it when it is
imbalanced.
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To start a practice of the perception of chi, begin with your own body. Although the human body is a
solid form that can be seen, heard, touched and smelled, the body is actually made up of water. In reality,
your body is a fluid designed to fit in with the fluidity of the world, which also appears solid at first
glance. When you think of your body this way, it is easier to see how a person is made up as patterns of
energy and the flow of chi. This premise helps you understand and accept change and allows you to feel
the joy in adapting to nature and looking for energy patterns.
2.3 Yin, Yang, and Tao
The yin yang symbol is the most recognizable ancient Chinese symbol and is one of the oldest remnants
of ancient China as the earliest yin and yang symbol was found on a set of oracle bones used for
divination practices dated to the 14th century B.C.
The yin yang symbol is an important part of what is called the Tao. The Tao is the principle that
recognizes how the universe works. According to the Tao, everything in the universe is a duality or
divided into two opposite principles, i.e. yin and yang.
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The yin yang symbol is surrounded by an outline of a circle which represents everything in the universe
or the entirety of existence. The colored areas, white and black, represent yin and yang. The shapes in
the circle symbolize how the two energies in the duality interact and how that interaction is the catalyst
for every event in the universe. The curves and flowing nature of the shapes explain that the universe is
constantly changing and mediating back and forth between yin and yang.
Yin
The yin is the dark area of the symbol. It is the feminine side and includes qualities like:
Cold
Completion
Contradicting
Dark
Death
Downward
Moon
Night
Passive
Receptive
Weak
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Yang
The yang is represented by the white color in the symbol. It is masculine and is the symbol for qualities
like:
Activity
Bright
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Day
Dominance
Expanding
Forcefulness
Heat
Heaven
Strong
Sun
Yin and Yang as a Duality
Essentially, yin and yang are designed to explain the dualities inherent in the universe and how
these dualities interact with each other. They explain life and death, hot and cold, day and night, land
and ocean, power and submission and wealth and poverty.
Yin and Yang in FengShui
Yin and yang is important in FengShui because nature requires balanced energy in order to be
healthy. The space cannot have too much passive energy (yin) nor can it have too much active
energy (yang) if it is to be harmonious.
In FengShui, yin is characterized by soft sounds and imagines like the soft music or a small water
feature as well as soothing images. Yang is characterized by vibrant features like bright lights.
A general rule suggest that you should only design a place for one or two cures at any given time.
You want to do this because having too many cures can throw off your success and clutter your space.
Essentially, it is possible to have too much of a good thing in the realm of FengShui.
Choose the most important cure for the space first and then choose a second. However, avoid choosing a
second cure unless the first cure will also benefit from it.
To choose that cure, create a list of priorities for your life and for the space. Priorities can be listed
according to the bagua map and will include:
Abundance and Prosperity
Family and Elders
Skills and Knowledge
Fame and Reputation
Health Center
Career and Journey
Relationships and Love
Creativity and Children
Helpful People and Travel
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To determine which of these are the highest priority for the space, ask yourself some of the following
questions related to each square. The areas which feature the most “no” answers are the areas
which require the most work and should be high on your list of priorities for cures.
Abundance and Prosperity:
Would you consider yourself a fortunate person?
Do you spend your money well?
Would you consider yourself a lucky person?
Do the things you require tend to show up just when they are needed?
Are your finances in a good place?
Family and Elders
Do you have a strong relationship with your parents?
Do you have a strong relationship with another elder?
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Are you able to easily let go of things?
Do you respect authority figures?
Skills and Knowledge
Do you like spending time alone?
Do you enjoy learning new things?
Do you have a strong understanding of the sacred aspects of life?
Do you consider yourself to be intelligent and wise?
Do you have the skills required to follow your dreams?
Fame and Reputation
Is your level of self-esteem high?
Do you feel valued on a regular basis?
Do others recognize and respect your work?
Do you feel confident in your own abilities?
Are you courageous enough to follow your own path?
Health Center
Is your health in good form?
Do you heal from injuries and illness quickly?
Do you feel energetic in the morning?
Does your life feel balanced?
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Career and Journey
Are you passionate about your vocation?
Is your work fulfilling?
Do you enjoy trying new things?
Do you feel like anything is possible for you?
Do you think you have found purpose in life?
Relationships and Love
Do you have strong and fulfilling relationships?
Are you social?
Are you in a relationship that is happy?
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Are you able to trust those you are in relationships with?
Is the romance you are experiencing the one you desire?
Creativity and Children
Do you feel creative?
Is life exciting?
Are your relationships with children joyful?
Are you curious?
Will you be able to conceive children with few problems?
Helpful People and Travel
Are your close friends supportive?
Do you help or mentor others?
Are there visible and invisible angles in your life?
Do you travel as frequently as you desire?
Are you able to accept help from other people?
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Placing FengShui Cures
When you begin placing the cure, be sure to do so with intention. Don’t place the cure wherever
feels suitable. Even the act of putting the cure down should be meaningful by contemplating what
you want to achieve for the cure. Make sure you are also expressing gratitude for the cure before
it is happened by thanking it for healing that is to come.
You can find further guidance on placing cures in individual rooms in module three, four and five.
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2.5 Finding Balance
Balance is an essential part of life and when one part of your life is thrown off center the rest of it can
soon follow suit.
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Practitioners of FengShui aim to use this art to help create balanced spaces, which promote balanced
lives in turn. It is effective because the environment you live in is a mirror of your life. When the space is
disorganized and unbalanced, there is a good chance that your life does not look very different.
The goal of FengShui is to create a personalized plan for the placement of the objects in your home to
create personal balance for those who live within it. It is important to remember that the emphasis
on personalization is important because in order for it to work, FengShui must be perfectly adapted to
your mind and life and be focused on the restorative cures that mean the most to you. Although there
are guidelines and rules, there is no singular cure that will create a balance in every house.
Creating balance sounds complex, however, there are a few important basics that are important to
master before you begin the personalization process:
Light and Dark
Try to make sure your space has the appropriate amount of light in the darkness. You don’t want
areas that are so bright that they are detrimental to your eyes and focus but you also need to find a
happy medium with spaces that might otherwise be so dark that you feel tired or lazy.
Be sure that you can adjust the light throughout the day so that the light can be dimmed before bed
and promote healthy sleep.
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Light and Heavy
You need a combination of objects that are light and heavy. If everything in the room is heavy or dense, it
represents a heaviness in your life. But if everything is light, it suggests a flimsiness that can be
associated with being ungrounded. Finding a balance promotes a sense of stability but still encourages
motion.
Bring in Nature
The home is a place to take refuge from nature. However, tuning nature out entirely can result in
forgetting the beauty that is out there. A touch of nature by the way of a soundtrack or water feature can
allow you to achieve the look you desire without forgetting where your foundations are.