Feng Shui for the Western World
By Erica Sofrina

A simple definition of Feng Shui is that it is the art of arranging your environment in a harmonious way which supports a healthy, happy, and balanced life. Feng Shui often seems mysterious and foreign to Westerners but it is actually a very sensible, practical collection of ideas and solutions that make perfect sense if you are a person who approaches the world in a holistic way. In Western Feng Shui, rather than applying Chinese " cures," we apply solutions which come from our familiar western culture that may have a more personal resonance or meaning to the client.

The foundation of Feng Shui is based on three universal concepts:

• Everything is alive and made up of life source energy called ch'i.
  
  
• Everything is interconnected. Our physical surroundings are a direct reflection of our inner belief systems about ourselves and our lives.
  
  
• Everything is changing. As we learn to embrace, rather than resist, change, our lives become connected to the natural synchronicity and flow that is in the universe. Feng Shui teaches us to practice mindfulness by being present with the messages that our environment is giving us

When we work with Feng Shui in the home or workplace, we will focus on three main areas:

• Is it safe?
  
  
• What is the "Clutter" quotient?
  
  
• Environmental Affirmations, i.e. what is the environment reflecting about the clients lives?

Safety:
Your brain is dedicated to survival. There are objects in the environment the subconscious registers as threatening or unsafe, even though you may not be aware of any threat on a conscious level. Here are a few examples:

Beams or any heavy objects overhead. This registers to the subconscious as a heavy object about to fall on you. You wouldn't want to spend any quality time sitting or sleeping under a heavy object.

Ceiling fans. These register to your subconscious as spinning knives or blades overhead and are disturbing to the nervous system. Again, move key pieces of furniture from beneath them, or replace then with more "friendly" fans made out of wicker and bamboo.

Weapons or weapon-like accessories. Weapons should be safely put away in a locked cabinet. Try replacing spear-like curtain rods with rounded, friendlier ends, and put knives in the kitchen in a knife block or a drawer.
Unfriendly furniture. Anything that has sharp-corners that you have ever run into, hit your head, or stubbed your toe on is considered unfriendly and will cause the subconscious to be continually be "on alert" whenever you're in their vicinity. Replace them with furniture that has rounded, more friendly corners, or remove from heavy traffic flow areas.

Sitting in the Command Position. It is part of our natural survival instinct to feel uncomfortable when we cannot see what is going on behind us. Position your main pieces of furniture, office chair, or bed in such a way that you can see the entrance but are not in direct alignment with the strong energy coming through a doorway.

Clutter:

In Feng Shui, anything that we do not love, that is not useful, or that does not reflect who we are now in our lives, is considered clutter. Since we are energetically connected to everything we own, having excessive objects in our physical surroundings that we aren't aware of, or is not useful to us on a regular basis, keeps us stuck in the past and hinders us from moving forward in our lives. Opening up physical spaces by clearing clutter opens up energetic spaces, and is one of the most powerful ways to get the energy, or ch'i, moving in our lives.

Affirmations in our Environment:

This has to do with clues found in our environment that tell us about ourselves. In Feng Shui we believe our outer environment is a reflection of both our conscious and unconscious belief systems. Negative artwork, no matter how much we resonate with it, will anchor in unhappiness or sadness. Unused exercise equipment, unfinished projects, dead or prickly plants, and excessive clutter are all negative affirmations. Excessive clutter often reflects a deeper "poverty consciousness." The need to keep everything "just incase" you may need it someday, instead of believing that your life flows with abundance and you will have the prosperity to manifest everything you need, at the time you need it. Unused exercise equipment nags us about our laziness and lack of self discipline. Unfinished projects talk to us about our procrastination. Single pictures and solitary objects affirm that we are alone and no partner is coming into our life. As we consciously replace negative affirmations with positive ones, we can shift the direction our life is going.

As we look at the essence of Feng Shui, we see that at its core it is a very practical collection of ideas and solutions passed down from generation to generation that can be applied to any culture. These simple yet powerful tools provide a way of looking at and improving our lives. Practical and inexpensive solutions can create dynamic results. Feng Shui can be a valuable road map which will lead us to profound insights about ourselves if we are willing to be present with the messages that are around us all of the time.