As one of my favorite musicians, Moby, says, "We are all made of stars."
Or at least, we are all made up of Five Elements. The Five Elements of feng shui come to us from Taoism. According to Taoism, not only are we all made up of stars, but each of us is a mini-Universe or cosmos, comprised of a combination of the five elements.These are the same five elements used in popular Chinese medicine modalities, such as acupuncture.
And not only are you made up of the five elements, but so is your home and everything in it.
In Chinese Medicine, the energy of our home is on equal playing field with our mind and body when it comes to our happiness and wellbeing. This is why feng shui is such a huge part of the eastern traditions and now being integrated into western culture as well.
Although I had studied the Five Elements in tandem with learning feng shui from an academic perspective, it wasn't until I went to an acupuncturist during a particularly stressful time did I really grasp the Five Elements. I had an overbalance of Wood (for an already Woody person) and lacked proper Earth (grounding) and Metal (discernment). This is a common challenge for Wood elements who love to take off with new projects without proper foundation.
Having the awareness around my imbalance (which had led to severe hip pain) was useful and so I began to seek ways to maintain a better balance for what was a typical imbalance.
And so this was the beginning of my delve into the Five Elements in my feng shui practice. I began to use my interiors as a way to help balance my energy. I started with paring down some wood furniture and adding some metal accents (Metal cuts Wood). For example, I traded in my wood desk for a white desk (a metal element) and added my metal singing bowl to my desk as a metal accent.
I have moved several times since then being mindful each time of the elemental balance that will best support my energy. For example, now living in Los Angeles, there is much more Fire element (yang energy) to account for. Not only does Southern California need more of the Water element, but so do I!
Hopefully, you are by now wondering what your primary element is.
There are several methods to find out, which I cover in my book, including a quiz (my favorite method). You can download the quiz for free when you sign up for my newsletter.
To learn more about incorporating the Five Elements into your home and office, Decorating With the Five Elements of Feng Shui is now available!