by Jennifer Baltz

Creating a more spiritually-based life also means paying attention to your immediate environment--it means creating a sacred space in which to find a deeper connection with all that is. Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese spiritual art, seeks to create space that is in harmony with both physical and spiritual goals. Whether you are trying to create a more fulfilling career or a stronger relationship, attempting to sell your home or create a spiritual sanctuary in your garden, you might find that feng shui can help create your goals.

Feng shui practitioners suggest simple, inexpensive changes to balance and harmonize your home, aligning it with your goals and life energy. In our culture, where "out of balance" is the rule rather than the exception, feng shui can create profound changes, according to both practitioners and clients.

How Does Space Affect You?

"Some people see it as mumbo jumbo but I wouldn't build a house without it," says Susan, an employment transition consultant in Sonoma. She used feng shui remedies to sell her previous home and improve her present environment. "I wanted to create a safe place, a happy place where people thrive. Even my friends who are not intuitive tell me that something feels really different. They ask me 'Did you paint the house?'" She laughs. "It's very practical."

"Feng shui is really the psychology of space," says Barry Gordon, a longtime Bay Area practitioner. "How does the space affect the mind and body of the person? You create an enclosure that your senses can perceive, and it limits the way the body can move. When you control the body and the senses, you start to get emotional patterns built into the body."

These subtle patterns control how we think, move, what we eat, and how we feel. "There is a kind of conditioning that we create in our living space," adds Steven Post, Gordon's partner at the Geomancy Education Organization (GEO). "Feng shui is the art of getting those spaces to help us achieve our purposes." For example, if a wall is the first thing you see when you walk through your front door, "you might have great difficulty in achieving your purpose in life. Your ch'i is stopped."

Moving Ch'i

The movement of ch'i, or vital energy, is the focus of feng shui (pronounced fung shway). "Without ch'i, we would become a bag of bones and flesh," says Gordon. "The Earth has ch'i--a living force of its own. Even situations can sometimes take on a ch'i of their own-like riots." When the flow of ch'i in a home is out of alignment with the wishes and well-being of the occupants, practitioners say that discord, negative events and illness can result.

Petra G. redecorated her new Mill Valley home with Feng Shui. "I obtained this house under rather dramatic circumstances," she says. "I wanted to buy it from the woman but she went bankrupt, so I bought it through the bank. I wanted some healing and harmonizing."

Post and Gordon evaluated the home. "Petra's bathroom is in the center of the house," says Post. " It's a serious problem--especially with money. It may have affected the bankruptcy of the previous owner." In Feng Shui, bathrooms are considered to be major energy drains, since ch'i flows out with the water. Post and Gordon suggested adding a mirror behind the toilet to draw the eye upward and a Chinese bamboo flute to raise the ch'i. "The nine joints of this bamboo flute symbolizes step by step improvement. The flute serves as a kind of pump to lift the ch'i upward."

Feng Shui Tools of the Trade

Common feng shui remedies include strategic use of color, mirrors, bamboo flutes and wind chimes, artwork, light, fish tanks, plants, and ceremonies to clear negative energies. It doesn't have to be expensive. "The Western approach is to either put up with it or knock the wall down," says Seann Xenja, a California practitioner, general contractor and designer. "It's a lot easier to put up a mirror."

Xenja, Post and Gordon are all students of Professor Thomas Lin Yun, a feng shui master and founder of the Yun Lin Buddhist Temple in Berkeley. Professor Lin is credited with bringing feng shui, or Chinese geomancy, to the West.

Feng shui practitioners approach a house with a model in mind: the ba-gua, an eight-sided diagram that can be superimposed on a lot, a home or a single room. The ba-gua correlates areas in your home with elements of your life. "If an area is missing or impaired in some way, it could cause troubles in your life," says Xenja. "I interview my clients and check out their life experience in the eight different areas of the ba-gua since they've lived in the home."

The ba-gua can indicate the psychological influences at work in a person's life. "Sometimes you'll find themes-consistently blocked entryways, narrow hallways. People can be drawn to houses that reflect their personal problems," says Howes. For example, an unemployed man may subconsciously choose a home with a missing career area, thus impairing his chances of getting the job he wants.

Making Your Home Feel 'Right'

Rebecca, a banking executive, wanted to add special emphasis to her career and marriage. She and her husband implemented Xenja's suggestions to put a mirror behind the stove (to magnify wealth) and over work areas where their backs would be to the door, to avoid surprise. They had the dead branches of a neighbor's tree pruned and installed a Japanese lantern and flowers in the marriage area of the garden. "My husband and I both got raises, and we ended up getting a house we really enjoy. Things are slowly getting better in all facets of our lives."

It's a happy place to come home to," she adds. "With a minor investment, we were able to create that. It's much cheaper than getting a decorator. Who cares if your colors all match if it doesn't feel right? This works on a subconscious level."

Simply moving your plants or adding a mirror may not be enough, however. Experienced feng shui practitioners will often "layer" one remedy on top of another for the strongest effect. And Post, Gordon, and Xenja all agree that the intention to create change is vital. They suggest personal affirmations or ceremonies to energize the changes. "In a way, using feng shui is like making a physical prayer," says Xenja. "Once you do that with your will and intention, you set a process in motion which is very powerful."

Common Feng Shui Remedies:

While most feng shui practitioners agree that it is best to have someone else evaluate your home (it's easy to miss problems you live with daily), you can use your own intuition to make your home a happier place. Where can you start? Take a few moments to relax and quiet your mind, then walk into your home through the front door with the intention of noticing how the house affects you. One of the first things that many practitioners suggest is to clean house--not only vacuuming and polishing, but also eliminating about 10-20% of your "stuff." Many practitioners note that simply cleaning out the clutter and making needed repairs to your home will make a dramatic change in the quality of your life.

Other ideas include:

Make sure your front door works well and smoothly.

Place a mirror opposite a garden window to bring nature indoors.

Don't sit with your back to the door while working or watching TV. Add a mirror to reflect the doorway to avoid surprises. Position your bed, chairs and desk in the command position-in view of the door but not in direct line with it.

Place a large mirror behind the bed to promote healthy marriage.

Hang a wind chime over where you stand when you cook to strengthen your development. A mirror reflecting the burners on your stove is said to magnify your abundance.

Creating Sacred Space

If you have a spiritual goal in mind, such as creating a stronger communication with God, or a quiet place to meditate and rejuvenate, start by completely clearing a space, then adding back in simple furniture, objects and art that feels uplifting or sacred to you. Many Eastern homes have carefully tended altars, with sacred books and symbols, fresh flowers, and photos of loved ones. You can finish your house healing process by energizing your intentions with a simple blessing or prayer.

Portions of this article were excerpted from an article in Heart Dance Magazine. Copyright 1998 by Jennifer Baltz. All rights reserved--please email the author for permission to use this material in any form.