Feng Shui: Concepts and Modern Practices

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Feng Shui: Concepts and Modern Practices

Maybe you’ve heard of feng shui – creating balance with the natural world in one’s indoor spaces. Tied to some important Chinese cultural beliefs, this fascinating art is a few thousand years old. But how exactly does it work? Once you understand the basics, feng shui can be a little easier to grasp. This quick guide introduces its concepts and their applications. 

Taoist Principles Behind Feng Shui 

New York architect Anjie Cho explains feng shui’s roots. The term comes from two separate Chinese words — “feng” means wind and “shui” means water. It’s related to Tao, a principle underlying all creation and calling for harmony with its natural order.  

Tao is an extensive philosophy, but some of its basics play out in feng shui. Qi, pronounced as “chi,” is a fundamental life energy flowing through the world. You may have heard of yin and yang – these refer to complementary opposite forces that must remain in balance. And then there’s Wu Xing, a cycle in which life moves through five states: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.  

With Wu Xing, creative or destructive effects occur based on the order in which the cycle moves. The Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia details how this works. Starting with wood, one state helps create the next. Wood can fuel a fire, which can produce ashes to create earth, and so on. But there’s also a controlling or suppressive cycle. Fire melts metal, metal cuts wood, and wood grows through earth. As this cycle continues, earth hems in water, which in turn extinguishes fire.   

How the Five Elements Work 

In another piece for The Spruce, Cho further describes how the five states work in feng shui. These states have physical properties, but they also represent intangible things. Earth, for instance, stands for nourishment, self-care, and boundaries. These states also have their own sets of colors: 

  • Fire: red and orange 
  • Earth: yellow and neutral earth tones 
  • Metal: gray and silver 
  • Water: black, darker gray, and navy 
  • Wood: green and light blue tones 

Shapes can also represent these element states. Fire shapes are very angular – usually triangles. Squares symbolize earth. Circles and round shapes recall the metal element. Irregular and wavy shapes point to water – like waves in a pond or lake. Tall shapes and columns represent wood, like the trunks of trees.   

Thoughtful choices can help bring needed elements into your spaces. Sometimes, these choices are obvious. You could add a wooden desk and houseplants as wood elements in a home office. But sometimes, an item symbolizes one of the elements. Maybe you don’t have a brick oven in your kitchen, but your stove represents fire just the same. You shouldn’t bring a pile of dirt into your living room, but a square yellow rug can stand in for earth. 

Positions in Feng Shui 

Cho adds that placement makes a huge difference in feng shui. There’s the commanding position – the spot in each room located the farthest from the door. The commanding position is not in direct line with the door, but you can still see the door itself. It’s where you’d place objects that you use the most – the stove in your kitchen, your desk in a home office, and so forth.  

Feng shui also uses a map to locate eight key areas in a space. This map, called a bagua, assigns each area to an aspect of life. The central southern area, for example, is red and represents one’s fame and reputation. There’s also a central area that stands for the individual – specifically, wellness and health.

More Than Interior Design  

Feng shui comes from Taoist philosophies: important ideas that helped shape Chinese culture. While using feng shui can create beautiful interior spaces, the central goal is achieving balance with nature. Today’s practitioners have adapted its ancient concepts to modern interiors, building design, and lifestyles. 

Feng Shui: Concepts and Modern Practices

Maybe you’ve heard of feng shui – creating balance with the natural world in one’s indoor spaces. Tied to some important Chinese cultural beliefs, this fascinating art is a few thousand years old. But how exactly does it work? Once you understand the basics, feng shui can be a little easier to grasp. This quick guide introduces its concepts and their applications. 

Taoist Principles Behind Feng Shui 

New York architect Anjie Cho explains feng shui’s roots. The term comes from two separate Chinese words — “feng” means wind and “shui” means water. It’s related to Tao, a principle underlying all creation and calling for harmony with its natural order.  

Tao is an extensive philosophy, but some of its basics play out in feng shui. Qi, pronounced as “chi,” is a fundamental life energy flowing through the world. You may have heard of yin and yang – these refer to complementary opposite forces that must remain in balance. And then there’s Wu Xing, a cycle in which life moves through five states: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.  

With Wu Xing, creative or destructive effects occur based on the order in which the cycle moves. The Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia details how this works. Starting with wood, one state helps create the next. Wood can fuel a fire, which can produce ashes to create earth, and so on. But there’s also a controlling or suppressive cycle. Fire melts metal, metal cuts wood, and wood grows through earth. As this cycle continues, earth hems in water, which in turn extinguishes fire.   

How the Five Elements Work 

In another piece for The Spruce, Cho further describes how the five states work in feng shui. These states have physical properties, but they also represent intangible things. Earth, for instance, stands for nourishment, self-care, and boundaries. These states also have their own sets of colors: 

  • Fire: red and orange 
  • Earth: yellow and neutral earth tones 
  • Metal: gray and silver 
  • Water: black, darker gray, and navy 
  • Wood: green and light blue tones 

Shapes can also represent these element states. Fire shapes are very angular – usually triangles. Squares symbolize earth. Circles and round shapes recall the metal element. Irregular and wavy shapes point to water – like waves in a pond or lake. Tall shapes and columns represent wood, like the trunks of trees.   

Thoughtful choices can help bring needed elements into your spaces. Sometimes, these choices are obvious. You could add a wooden desk and houseplants as wood elements in a home office. But sometimes, an item symbolizes one of the elements. Maybe you don’t have a brick oven in your kitchen, but your stove represents fire just the same. You shouldn’t bring a pile of dirt into your living room, but a square yellow rug can stand in for earth. 

Positions in Feng Shui 

Cho adds that placement makes a huge difference in feng shui. There’s the commanding position – the spot in each room located the farthest from the door. The commanding position is not in direct line with the door, but you can still see the door itself. It’s where you’d place objects that you use the most – the stove in your kitchen, your desk in a home office, and so forth.  

Feng shui also uses a map to locate eight key areas in a space. This map, called a bagua, assigns each area to an aspect of life. The central southern area, for example, is red and represents one’s fame and reputation. There’s also a central area that stands for the individual – specifically, wellness and health.

More Than Interior Design  

Feng shui comes from Taoist philosophies: important ideas that helped shape Chinese culture. While using feng shui can create beautiful interior spaces, the central goal is achieving balance with nature. Today’s practitioners have adapted its ancient concepts to modern interiors, building design, and lifestyles. 

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