Harmony and your house

Continuing his series of property articles, estate agent Trevor Cooper considers how applying feng shui techniques at home could be of benefit...

What is it that makes some people like houses that others loathe, or are merely indifferent about? What is the magic 'x' factor, to quote estate agents and house hunters alike?

We know when walking through a property if we like it or not, but feng shui practitioners would have us believe there is much more to it.

The theory is based on creating positive 'qi', or life force. Feng shui literally translates as 'wind-water', and a balancing force is needed to create harmony. Rather than aesthetics – prominent in modern western building design – feng shui places emphasis on energy flow, called Ch'i.

This is not implausible if the Ch'i energy lines are likened to the electromagnetic spectrum that modern western science has shown exists everywhere around us.

Feng shui is said to have begun in Tibet at least 4,000 years ago, before moving across China and beyond.

Changes over time have resulted in different schools of feng shui, originating with the Form School that analyses landscape. A feng shui compass incorporating both time and direction is used by the Compass School, with five element theories using a person's date of birth to calculate directions or areas of the environment favourable to that individual.

The more comprehensive Flying Star School believes that all things are energy and in a constant state of change, reflected in time and direction.

The Black Hat Sect is the most recent of these schools, originating in the East and favoured in the West, particularly America where more schools have since been created. This focuses on the positioning of windows and doors, and the placement of furniture and objects.

Feng shui interior design is best understood with a basic knowledge of each feng shui element. The website, www.fengshuiroomdesign.com explains how the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) must be in perfect balance to create harmony in a given space. This will also determine which colours to use and how the furniture should be placed.

The sceptics claim these are not ancient Chinese secrets but merely good design that understands places and people and how people react in those spaces. Colour theories being no more than people responding differently to different colours.

Nevertheless, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was not only a great architect but also a prolific writer. Among his many theories about nature, he wrote, 'Whether people are fully conscious of this or not, they actually derive countenance and sustenance from the 'atmosphere' of the things they live in or with. They are rooted in them, just as a plant is rooted in the soil in which it is planted.'

Feng shui, we are told, is neither pseudo-religious nor a spiritual practice. It's not magic or shamanistic. It requires knowledge and practical experience based on the acceptance and understanding of invisible energy forces.

Nancy Canestaro – www.fengshuiladies.com – says, 'It is very easy to understand and apply. There is no need to use a compass, just use the bagua map on a room based on the direction of the door.' (A bagua map is used in modern forms of feng shui to map a room or location to see how the different sections correspond to different aspects of a person's life). 'It's so easy to implement that people all over the world are using this ancient art of placement in their own homes.'

Strong emphasis is placed on the five elements being in harmony. "If there is a lack of one of the elements in a given room, feng shui can be used to realign the balance to achieve harmony. Rooms can have an emotional impact on us, creating an environment filled with happiness and calm or invoking stress and anxiety."

Bad Ch'i can produce negativity just as strong as the sense of harmony achieved with creating positive qi. It could explain why some people feel comfortable in a room when others do not. Similarly, each room serves a different purpose, so not all feng shui basics can be applied universally.

So are there general rules that all of us could benefit from? Apparently so, and it is never too late to apply feng shui techniques at home.

Tips include removing clutter inside and outside of your house or flat to feel refreshed and clear of mind.

Clean out kitchen cupboards. Dispose of expired food, damaged crockery and anything else no longer required.

Throw out or give away unwanted goods, including clothes, shoes and household items no longer to your liking. This will allow you to 'let go' of the past.

Keep a constant flow of fresh air throughout your home to assist with a general sense of wellbeing.

Repair broken furniture and any structural damage to the house. A house in gradual rundown represents a gradual decline in health.

Leaking taps symbolise money going down the drain and a gradual loss of income.

Avoid sleeping close to electrical equipment including clock radios, TVs, computers, electric blankets and mobile phones. Unseen electromagnetic fields affect our bodies and sleeping patterns.

Fresh and abundant plant life will bring good energy as well as lift your spirits.

Beautiful music and fragrances (aromatherapy) attract good

energy.

Clean floors, rugs and carpets allow fresh energy to enter and dwell in your home.

Keeping the front garden tidy and any plants nourished will entice opportunities to come your way. This is taken further in Japanese gardens where nothing is left to chance.

Landscaped Japanese gardens are designed to bring out the best of their surroundings. Every plant – its colour and placement – is carefully considered.

There are many areas with their own purpose and open spaces are just as important as any other part of the garden. Pathways create a journey and views inspire and elevate a person's positive Ch'i.

The world of feng shui is truly vast and worthy of thorough study. Could this article do it justice? No. Has this article banished all scepticism? Probably not.