- Jackie

There are a lot of things to consider when combining a bamboo plant and Feng Shui, especially with regards to the bamboo plant’s placement in your home, office or room. There is also a bit of confusion regarding the bamboo plant and Feng Shui… and the lucky bamboo plant and Feng Shui.

Let’s start with the normal bamboo plant and Feng Shui. Bamboo represents the five elements of Feng Shui: wood, in the bamboo itself, earth, in the soil and dirt, water, in the water that nourishes the bamboo plant, fire, in a red ribbon that is tied around the bamboo plant, and metal, in the form of a glass pot or a metal coin or figurine placed alongside the bamboo. The bamboo plant and Feng Shui are often associated with each other, not only because the bamboo plant represents the five elements of Feng Shui, but because it is recognized in China as a hardy plant, and one that is resilient in a lot of conditions, and thus believed to bring luck and fortune into the home.

The problem with the traditional bamboo plant and Feng Shui however, is that bamboo can grow to extreme heights, and is very difficult to implement in the modern house or apartment. To overcome this difficulty, Feng Shui practitioners have ‘modernized’ bamboo in the form of what is known as ‘lucky bamboo’, which is almost like a miniaturized version of traditional bamboo.

The lucky bamboo plant and traditional bamboo plant and Feng Shui are all related and interchangeable. In fact, many practitioners prefer the lucky bamboo plant and Feng Shui for its convenience. It’s also incredibly easy to look after – water it once a week, keep it out of direct sunlight and it will just grow!

To see a lucky bamboo plant, click here.

It is also possible to enhance the effect of the lucky bamboo plant and Feng Shui. By changing the number of bamboo stalks, different qi effects can be achieved: 3 or 6 stalks represents happiness, 5 or 7 stalks represents health, 2 stalks represents love and marriage, 8 stalks represents wealth and abundance, 9 stalks represents general good luck, and 21 stalks represents blessings for the home. The bamboo plant and Feng Shui can also be modified and decorated for additional effect. The luck bamboo plant is usually hydroponic in nature, and so can be grown in just water. Feng Shui practitioners usually place the plant in water, with pebbles or marbles to stabilize the plant. This adds both the water and earth elements to the lucky bamboo plant. This is all encased in a glass pot (representing metal), which also conveniently allows us to monitor the quality and level of water in the pot. A red ribbon is usually used to secure the bamboo stems together, and at the same time adds the fire element to the plant.

You can have lucky bamboo plant delivered to your home by clicking here. You can also find lucky bamboo plants already enhanced by Feng Shui practitioners such as these ones here and here.

Here are some tips to help you care for your lucky bamboo plant and Feng Shui, and hopefully keep it alive and healthy! Apart from watering your plant once a week, be sure to monitor the water for algae – algae thrives in the open light that a glass pot allows for and needs to be kept under control. If the plant’s stem or leaves start to yellow or darken, then consider using rainwater or filtered water rather than tap water for your lucky bamboo plant and Feng Shui – the plant is very sensitive to fluoride and other chemicals typically found in tap water.

Like everything else in Feng Shui, the bamboo plant and Feng Shui should be in alignment, and placed according to the bagua compass.

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Bamboo wind chimes are frequently found in residences and environments adjusted by Feng Shui practitioners. This is because bamboo wind chimes, and wind chimes in general, are a positive influence in Feng Shui, and a simple way to introduce a wood element item into the environment. Bamboo wind chimes are known for their ability to slow the movement of qi, or energy, in a given space, and promote the gentle circulation of qi to bring balance into an environment. Bamboo wind chimes are also known to weaken the effect of malignant stars for followers of the Flying Star school of Feng Shui.

Many people prefer to purchase metal wind chimes because of their durability and the ability to finely tune each wind chime to a given tone and pitch. But Feng Shui practitioners prefer bamboo wind chimes, because of the calming natural acoustics produced by the bamboo wind chimes, and the deep and hollow sounds which are suitable for all environments. The only consideration with bamboo wind chimes is that if they are used outdoors, they have to be replaced occasionally – which can in fact be beneficial to the flow of qi in your home, as items with energetic property can collect negative energy over a period of time anyhow. This is why bamboo wind chimes are ideal.

Bamboo wind chimes themselves consist of multiple hollowed-out bamboo reeds and what is known as the bamboo wind chime sail, a longer piece of reed that catches the wind and moves the entire set of chimes. When you are purchasing bamboo wind chimes, be sure to look at the design of the bamboo wind chimes, where you are going to place them, and consider if they may disturb anyone such as your neighbors. When in doubt about price, more expensive bamboo wind chimes tend to be of better quality and are much more pleasant-sounding in general.
Bamboo wind chimes also come in multiple sizes, from the large, to the normal to the very small.

Feng Shui practitioners prefer to use bamboo wind chimes that have six or eight rods, which are auspicious numbers. Any chimes with five rods are regarded as a harbinger of negative energy however. Bamboo wind chimes should never be placed above any places where you sit, sleep, eat or work. Also ensure that the bamboo wind chimes actually have hollowed-out rods, and never place them in a bathroom. Because they are bamboo, be sure to replace them occasionally to ensure the continual circulation of positive qi in your home.

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Chinese calligraphy art represents a long standing tradition of calligraphic art that was and still is practiced all across Eastern Asia. Part drawing, part written character, part pictogram, Chinese calligraphy art is valued for its simplicity and at the same time for the complexity in meaning behind the brush strokes. Whilst Chinese calligraphy art can be found almost anywhere nowadays – tattoos, t-shirts, art galleries – what we are most concerned with here is the type of Chinese calligraphy art that is beneficial to your home or office, and how it fits in with the practice of Feng Shui.

A scroll symbolizing serenity can be found here.

There are many different styles and scripts of Chinese calligraphy art, but for the purposes of Feng Shui we are primarily concerned with the cursive and semi-cursive scripts of Chinese calligraphy art (also known as the grass and running scripts). These scripts have a natural curvature to them, and as such when used properly, promote the gentle flow of qi in a given space or environment. Chinese Calligraphy Art can be placed almost anywhere within a given space, as long as the characters and art itself bear proper meaning. This is easier said than done.

Chinese calligraphy art is extremely complex, and the artwork has meaning on many levels – the characters themselves, the representation created by the calligrapher, the choice of paper, brush, paint and so on. In general, appropriate characters should be placed in the appropriate areas of your home. For example, characters representing fortune, or prosperity should be placed in the wealth or career parts of your home (as per the bagua map). Characters representing happiness or luck should be placed in the journey parts of your living space.

To take a look at a happiness scroll, click here.

There are also considerations such as the color of the paper (red and white are the most common) and how they affect the flow of qi in the room. Chinese calligraphy art should generally not be a centerpiece in any interior arrangement, but rather a complementary aside that gently influences the flow of energy in the room.

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I often hear people talking about how you can ‘clear your clutter with Feng Shui’. At first, I thought they were simply referring to the general Feng Shui principles of managing your environment and space – and literally going about your business to clear your clutter with Feng Shui. If you’re an avid Feng Shui follower, on a clutterholic, you’re probably aware that there is a book called ‘Clear your clutter with Feng Shui’ by Karen Kingston too.

In relation to the general principles on how to clear your clutter with Feng Shui, I offer some of my own guidelines. The foundation behind Feng Shui solutions has always been prevention over cure. Thus, when you clear your clutter with Feng Shui, you are undertaking in a cure (by removing clutter), and prevention (by preventing future clutter from entering your life and space). For most people, this is a simple systematic process which can be completed over a weekend, moving from room to room in the house, and clearing out old and unused items (believed in Feng Shui to contain old and potentially bad energy). This is how, in principle, you clear your clutter with Feng Shui.

Now onto the book. Despite the title, ‘Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui’, Kingston’s book is really more about clearing clutter than applying Feng Shui. Sure, Kingston is a Feng Shui practitioner, and there is mention of the bagua here and there, but at its core, ‘Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui’ is a book about…. Clutter! All aspects of clutter, decluttering, how to deal with clutter are covered in the book. What I loved the most about the book was its emphasis on individual motivations and reasons behind why people collect and accumulate clutter – be it inheritance, sentimental value, habits or otherwise. Kingston has dug deep into the world of clutter and come up with a goldmine solution for addressing it.

I do have a couple of observations about ‘Clear your clutter with Feng Shui’ however. The first are its organization principles – principles where Feng Shui could be applied. To be fair, the book is sold as a book addressing clutter and Feng Shui (yes to the clutter part, not so much to the Feng Shui part), not for organizing your home and belongings. The second is the new-age, quasi-religious and spacey feel to the writing and recommendations. I think the important thing here is to keep an open mind and take the writing at face value and for what it is – a deep look at how clutter has psychological affects and consequences, and what can be done to address it. If you must dig deeper into the semi-ephemeral aspects of the book, consider it a manifesto into the cognitive maps and processes of a highly efficient organizer and declutterer. ‘Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui’ is highly recommended for its thought-provoking writing and general principles on managing your belongings – let’s get going and clear your clutter with Feng Shui!

You can find Clear You Clutter with Feng Shui on Amazon here.

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Contemporary dining room furniture is an important part of every home today, whether or not Feng Shui principles are applied. It is important that care is taken in choosing your contemporary dining room furniture, not only so that it matches the remainder of your decor, but so that it promotes harmony and stability in your household. In Feng Shui, we seek to promote balance in all rooms of the house, and the dining room, containing contemporary dining room furniture, is no exception.

There are a number of Feng Shui specific considerations you should be aware of when purchasing or arranging contemporary dining room furniture. The first is the purpose of the dining room – the main focus of the dining room is to dine as a family, and therefore the centerpiece of the room is always the dining table. Any other contemporary dining room furniture should be considered secondary when it comes to Feng Shui placement. The dining room table should ideally be round (symbolizing earth and stability), or octagonal. Failing this, pick a piece of contemporary dining room furniture that at least has rounded corners, and compensate by utilizing an octagonal centerpiece on the table, or octagonal placemats.

Dining tables such as this one here are ideal for Feng Shui purposes.

The table itself should be placed in the center of the room, with an even number of chairs around the table. No chairs should restrict doorways, and there should be ample space around the dining table and chairs (don’t clutter up with contemporary dining room furniture!). In ancient China, some observations were made around seating arrangements which can still be practiced in the modern day. In the family of the day, the father and mother would sit at opposite ends of the table, with the youngest son on the mother’s right, eldest on the mother’s left. Similarly, the youngest daughter on the father’s right, eldest on the father’s left. Of course, in today’s society, this arrangement has changed somewhat and should be appropriately modified to suit the peculiarities of contemporary dining room furniture.

If you prefer a more modern-looking dining piece, consider this table here, or this one here.

Any contemporary dining room furniture you purchase should not be dark, heavy or old. This type of furniture typically blocks the flow of qi, and is not really contemporary dining room furniture. The same goes for time pieces and the sort – they have no place in the dining room amongst the contemporary dining room furniture. The dining table itself should be wooden – a light wood such as elm or pine if a casual feeling is required, or a dark wood such as teak or mahogany if a more formal setting is required. Any overhead lighting (chandelier, fan or light) should be centered over the dining table, not any other piece of contemporary dining room furniture.

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A curio cabinet is a wooden-framed cabinet that is mainly made of glass and normally used for display purposes. For this reason, curio cabinets are usually found in people’s living rooms, lounges or dining rooms. Whilst most people use the curio cabinet as a means to display items of value, they are not actually display cases – they usually have glass shelving which allow entire standing items to be displayed, and they are also protective in nature, shielding out dust, moisture and other pests from collectible items. It is for this very reason that instead of using other forms of display cabinets, people use curio cabinets.

Wooden curio cabinets such as this one are excellent items for the home.

Curio cabinets are commonly found in homes that utilize Feng Shui principles. Their normally wooden frames, transparency and protective qualities all bring beneficial qi into the home. They are also capable of displaying metallic figurines or other Feng Shui cures inside them, making them extremely versatile for the Feng Shui enthusiast who may be a bit tight on space. Almost all curio cabinets are complementary to Feng Shui principles, but there are some general guidelines that you should follow before selecting one. You will likely be placing the curio cabinet in the living room or dining room, as these are the most appropriate places to display items. If you are placing the curio cabinet in the dining room, put it in the southwest corner of the room, and as with all furniture in the dining room, do not allow it to cramp up the room or block access to chairs or the dining table. The curio cabinet itself should have a wooden frame, should be fairly new (not overly dark or old), and should match the style of the dining table and chairs. As with all pieces of furniture in Feng Shui, be sure to keep your curio cabinet clean and dust-free to avoid a buildup of stagnant qi. Round curio cabinets are also preferred for their redirection properties.

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The Feng Shui Bagua is an eight-sided map or diagram that helps practitioners of Feng Shui properly align the elements of their homes or environment. If you’ve ever stepped into someone’s house or office, and instantly felt uncomfortable or that you just had to get out of there – that’s a sign that something is wrong with the flow of qi in the room. On the other hand, if you’ve ever entered someone’s home and immediately felt welcome – that’s a sign that Feng Shui may be at work. And it all links back to the Feng Shui bagua.

The Feng Shui bagua is part of the mantle that says that our environments ultimately impact upon our lives, and vice-versa. It’s a diagram that can be laid over a map or representation of a room or environment to determine the most auspicious locations for items and décor. There is a lot of debate over how the Feng Shui bagua should exactly be used for a given space, but the basic rule is to stand facing the space you wish to apply the Feng Shui bagua to, and hold the Feng Shui bagua in your hand with the black (career) gua facing you. Now of course, there are variations on how the Feng Shui bagua should apply given, say, you share your living environment with others (e.g., you share an apartment with roommates), or if you’re renting the top floor of a multi-storey townhouse. The general principles still applies though – take a look at your space, face it so that you can see the entire space, and then take your Feng Shui bagua and hold the career gua towards you.

One common problem that many people have using the Feng Shui bagua is that they are unsure if they should use it just on their bedroom, or on their entire home, especially if they live with others. In traditional Feng Shui, one’s quarters are a microcosmic reflection of one’s general living environments, and they both affect each other. In this case, use the Feng Shui bagua to determine how changes made to your general living environment will affect the qi in your bedroom, as well as using the Feng Shui bagua in your bedroom to compensate for inconsistencies in your general environment.

You can find a bagua mirror here.

The Feng Shui bagua itself is divided into 9 sections:

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The Feng Shui bamboo flute is one of the most misunderstood elements and cures in the Feng Shui practitioner’s toolkit. There are a number of practitioners and Feng Shui stores out there, that will tell you that flutes, more specifically Feng Shui bamboo flutes will provide an ‘energy push’ because of the properties of the bamboo, and that bamboo will add to the power, safety, peace and endurance of your home. While the majority of these practitioners are well-meaning, and simply misguided, there are some unscrupulous individuals out there who will tell you Feng Shui bamboo flutes are one of the ‘essential cures’ for your home.

To see a lovely bamboo flute, click here.

Let us look at the common misconceptions behind Feng Shui bamboo flutes.

There is a common misconception that Feng Shui bamboo flutes counteract the destabilizing energy of exposed beams inside the home. Unfortunately, this is not true. The only Feng Shui treatment that will counteract exposed beams is a false ceiling installed to hide the exposed beams.

Similarly, Feng Shui bamboo flutes also do not provide an ‘energy push’ that counteracts draining energy fields and sources. Practitioners should treat Feng Shui bamboo flutes as they simply are – representative of the wood element within traditional Feng Shui. It is true that bamboo does have some energetic properties, but Feng Shui bamboo flutes in and off themselves will not provide an ‘energy push’ when simply placed in a room.

The Feng Shui bamboo flute is a sophisticated item, and should be treated with care. Some people recommend using them as being an all-encompassing Feng Shui cure or one of the “eight vital cures” of Feng Shui. Put simply, Feng Shui bamboo flutes represent the wood element, and should be used alongside other elements in a proper Feng Shui arrangement.

Bamboo flutes are often also very ornate, making them symbolic as a wood element item, such as this one here.

There are also some elements of Feng Shui and traditional Chinese lore which are often misrepresented. It has been said that Feng Shui bamboo flutes were used as heralds of good news to the Emperor in ancient China. Nothing could be further from the truth – bamboo flutes were used in pre-modern Africa as messenger flutes, but the ancient Chinese utilized bone flutes as instruments signaling the arrival of news.

I have seen a number of merchants online selling Feng Shui bamboo flutes who state that the flutes must contain the root of the bamboo to be effective. This is a partial truth. Bamboo, as a plant, has energetic properties, specifically in the root. Feng Shui bamboo flutes however, do not necessarily need to contain the root of the bamboo given that they simply symbolize the wood element. Bamboo flutes such as this one here are perfectly suitable.

The last and strangest myth concerning Feng Shui bamboo flutes that I have seen are people who claim that they symbolize weaponry and ward off negative energy. This is utter rubbish. Weapons in ancient China were made of metal – the bamboo flute is a musical instrument, not a weapon.

So there you have it that should dispel all the myths and misinformation out there about ‘Feng Shui bamboo flutes’. If you absolutely must have a Feng Shui bamboo flute in your house (or just a bamboo flute for that matter), it is recommended that they are placed appropriately as wood element items, not just as ‘Feng Shui bamboo flutes’.

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The legend and lore about the Feng Shui bedroom and what constitutes a Feng Shui bedroom has become a bit muddled over the past 500 years or so. If you consider many of the things that are typically associated with ‘bad’ Feng Shui in the bedroom, you will find that these things are ‘bad’ because they break traditional Feng Shui principles, but are sometimes unavoidable because they are modern developments (e.g., en-suite bathrooms). So what should you keep in mind when designing a Feng Shui bedroom?

The most important thing in a Feng Shui bedroom, is the bed itself. The bed should sit in what is known as the “command position”, which actually consists of a number of things. The first is the bed itself, which should be constructed of wood rather than metal (to maintain a living element), have a strong headboard, and be luxurious in nature. This means not skimping on sheets or pillows – you will be spending almost a third of your life, in bed, so it may as well be comfortable. In terms of positioning, when lying in bed, you should be able to see the entrance (or entrances) to your bedroom. The caveat here is that the bed should never face the door (your head or feet should never point out the door – this is really important), and the crown of the bed should be against a solid wall. There should be no windows directly behind the bed (the ideal position is actually to the right of the bed), and there should be ample amounts of empty space (or two small bedstands) to both sides of the bed. As you can see, the bed is the most important component is a Feng Shui bedroom.

Your bed should be sturdy and durable, such as this one here. Larger sized beds such as these ones here are also suitable.

There are a number of other things to consider when designing a Feng Shui bedroom. A lot of them are basic organization and Feng Shui principles, such as clearing all old and lingering clutter from your room, and freeing up 25% of your space if you are single and interesting in attracting a new partner. Remember also that your bedroom is a place for rest and intimacy – and nothing else. At all costs, avoid putting a home office in your Feng Shui bedroom – this will cloud the energy in the room and result in restless nights. Similarly, avoid working out, exercising or storing exercise equipment (except clothes) in your bedroom. If you absolutely must have a computer or exercise equipment in your room, cover it with a cloth or screen it off somehow before you go to sleep. Remember, a Feng Shui bedroom is a bedroom.

Some more Feng Shui specific things to consider for your Feng Shui bedroom include: removing water features or water imagery from the bedroom, removing electromagnetic fields such as a television or alarm clocks, placing romance items in the Feng Shui bedroom, making sure your entrance door and closet doors open smoothly and non-squeakily, avoid placing pictures above the bed (or place only happy / romantic pictures above the bed), using skin-tone colors when decorating, keeping the air fresh by opening the windows or using an ionizer, covering up mirrors when sleeping, and generally letting qi flow freely in the Feng Shui bedroom.

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