linenandlavender.net: Wind and Water

White panels blowing in the wind, image via Maisons Côté Sud Fev-Mar 2004, edited by lb for linenandlavender.net, http://www.linenandlavender.net/2009/07/wind-and-water.html

Feng Shui…Literally translated as “wind and water”…is perhaps most easily explained as Chinese Geomancy or the “Art of Placement.” Feng Shui predates Confucianism and Taoism and has been practiced for over three thousand years. The I Ching (“Book of Changes”) defines the practice as a guide to acting with integrity, respecting the earth and working with the flow of nature.

Although the name Feng Shui (pronounced “fung-shway”) often sounds mysterious and foreign to people in Western cultures, it is actually a very sensible collection of ideas and specific steps applicable and beneficial to any person in any culture and in any walk of life.

Garden bench, stone steps via Jayme Barrett's Feng Shui Your Life as seen on linenandlavender.net, http://www.linenandlavender.net/2009/07/wind-and-water.html

One of my favorite books to introduce these concepts is Simple Feng Shui by Gina Lazenby. It’s a small hardcover book that is easy to understand and interspersed with inspiring quotes and photos. She starts with a scenario that anyone can relate to:

“We all know what it is like when we decide to move house and visit other homes that are for sale. Some of the properties just do not feel right to us – they have ‘bad vibes’ – while others feel more welcoming and comfortable and just seem to ‘click.”

Living space image via Simple Feng Shui, edited by lb for linenandlavender.net, http://www.linenandlavender.net/2009/07/wind-and-water.html

Gina helps you analyze each room of your home and offers practical advice for making positive changes. All in all a very simple, straight-forward guide.

If you are open to whole life integration, Karen Kingston's books Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui and Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, cover in more detail the energies we experience and the relationship to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual self:

“Everything around you, especially your home environment, mirrors your inner self. So by changing your home, you also change the possibilities in your own life. Removing the obstacles to the harmonious flow of energy in your living environment creates more harmony in your life and the space for wonderful new opportunities to come to you.” -Karen Kingston.

Last but not least, I like Jayme Barrett's holistic approach in feng shui your life. Here’s an excerpt from the book's introduction that sums up her philosophy nicely:

"In addition to decor and interior design ideas based on feng shui elements, this book offers a new way of interacting with the world around you. Feng shui can be a lifestyle. From my point of view, arranging your environment is one piece of the puzzle. It is a beginning; an entry into a new way of discovering how energy affects you on a daily basis. As you interact with and personalize your environment, you connect with your inner aspirations. I believe that in order to change your life you must breathe new energy into the way you think, speak, act, work, love and, of course, design your surroundings. Shifting your perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors immediately influences your actions. Your actions create your destiny. When you learn to combine the inner and outer feng shui techniques, you'll soon see positive changes in your life." -page 8, feng shui your life, Jayme Barrett.

Fountain and pond with water lily's, Feng Shui Your Life by Jayme Barrett, edited by lb for linenandlavender.net

I have always been fascinated by the role our environment plays with regards to our well-being and so found it quite awe-inspiring when I was introduced to Feng Shui and learned it had been developed thousands of years ago.

The Peaceful Home (Country Living) as seen on linenandlavender.net, http://www.linenandlavender.net/2009/07/wind-and-water.html

In our modern day world, we are beginning to see a return to these concepts the masters so long ago realized were the keys to our well-being: A balanced living environment generates well-being and a balanced life. Thus, a truly successful living space not only reflects who we are, it nurtures who we want to be.

~Wishing you inspiration~

Window and lily's via Côté Ouest Magazine as seen on linenandlavender.net, http://www.linenandlavender.net/2009/07/wind-and-water.html

Photo credits in order of appearance: 1-Cote Sud Feb-Mar 2004; 2-feng shui your life, Jayme Barrett; 3-Simple Feng Shui, Gina Lazenby; 4-feng shui your life, Jayme Barrett; 5-The Peaceful Home, Country Living 6-Cote Ouest.