| When you begin to study feng shui, you quickly | | | | and attention to detail mean you are probably on |
| realize the importance of the qualities and | | | | top of any maintenance or clutter issues, so |
| characteristics of the five feng shui elements: | | | | focus on creating a good flow of chi through your |
| wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. This | | | | home, counteracting any negative influences, and |
| knowledge is essential to selecting appropriate | | | | activating your power spots. Your clean and |
| colors, furnishings, and accessories for your home. | | | | tranquil home is a wonderful environment for |
| You can also use your understanding of the five | | | | self-nurturing methods such as meditation and |
| elements to develop a personalized feng shui | | | | qigong. |
| strategy, based on the element that is reflected | | | | PACKRAT - Your biggest problem is clutter! |
| most strongly in your own style of living. | | | | Closets are overflowing, you have three sets of |
| Metal energy is clean, simple, and detail-oriented. | | | | everything, books are stacked two deep on |
| Earth is lush, nurturing and comfortable. Water is | | | | every shelf, you've saved every greeting card |
| free-flowing, expressive, and intuitive. Wood is | | | | you ever got, and all the flat surfaces in your |
| ambitious, forward-thinking, and practical. Fire is | | | | home are piled with stuff. You might still be able |
| passionate, excitable, and changeable. Each of us | | | | to breathe, but your space isn't getting any chi at |
| has a unique combination of these five energies in | | | | all! Create some breathing room in your home |
| our own personality, usually with one element | | | | before you do anything else, or you'll just activate |
| dominating. This is reflected in how we decorate | | | | all your clutter into even greater chaos. Chances |
| and use our homes. Some of us developed a | | | | are you've been feeling a little stuck lately, so |
| strong style preference at a very early age, | | | | focus on getting rid of the old to make room for |
| which continues to serve and suit us well. Others | | | | the new before you do anything else. Once |
| go through different phases as they progress | | | | you've cleared out enough stuff to get a good |
| through life. You may once have covered | | | | look at your house, make sure you've got a good |
| anything that didn't move in chintz and ruffles, but | | | | flow of chi through the space and address any |
| now find yourself appreciating the clarity of a | | | | maintenance issues before making other feng shui |
| more sparsely decorated space - or vice versa. | | | | changes. Your own chi will shift a lot as you clean |
| During an earlier phase you may have been happy | | | | out your home, so be sure to practice some |
| with few possessions and a minimalist lifestyle, | | | | grounding and balancing techniques as you go |
| only to find greater comfort now in the abundant | | | | along. |
| colors and textures of a more lavishly decorated | | | | FREE SPIRIT - You've been feng shui-ing your |
| home. | | | | space since the day you first got your own |
| The element that is strongest in your personality | | | | bedroom, even if you didn't know to call it that. |
| right now will influence your current decorating | | | | You are the type most likely to want to work on |
| style, housekeeping habits, and your approach to | | | | everything at once, so be sure to define some |
| feng shui. Your experience will be more fun and | | | | priorities before jumping into making changes. |
| more comfortable when you tailor your feng shui | | | | Your enthusiasm for creative décor may |
| strategies to your element style. Let's begin by | | | | lead you to overlook basic maintenance issues |
| seeing which of the five descriptions below most | | | | and allow clutter to pile up. Take care of those |
| closely describes you: | | | | first, then make sure that you are applying your |
| - Neat Freak (METAL): I hate clutter! My home is | | | | individuality to your power spots rather than |
| always immaculate, with everything tidy and | | | | scattering it randomly about the place. Of all the |
| well-maintained, and I am very thoughtful about | | | | types, you are boldest in your use of color, so |
| what I bring into my space. | | | | get out the brush and roller and have some fun |
| - Pack Rat (EARTH): I love my stuff, and can't | | | | with feng shui color-theory. Make sure that you |
| get rid of anything. My house is so full of clutter | | | | haven't overlooked any negative influences that |
| that when something is broken I can't even get | | | | should be corrected, and use your creativity to |
| to it to fix it. | | | | develop your own unique feng shui enhancements. |
| - Free Spirit (WATER): I'm too busy being me to | | | | You've probably tried a lot of different personal |
| clean up! If something's a mess, I just toss a | | | | renewal methods over the years, but may not |
| shawl over it. People say my home has lots of | | | | have kept up a consistent practice. Make a |
| personality, and I am constantly redecorating and | | | | commitment to pay as much attention to the |
| moving things around. | | | | inner you as you do to your surroundings. |
| - Go-Getter (WOOD): Housekeeping? Home | | | | GO-GETTER - Your house is probably beautifully |
| décor? Don't ask me; that's what the | | | | furnished and well maintained, but you may have |
| maid and decorator are for. I just want things | | | | delegated so many of your home-maintenance |
| functional and practical, and I need a quiet place to | | | | chores that you no longer have a strong |
| come home to at the end of a busy day. | | | | energetic attachment to your space. Make sure |
| - Whirlwind (FIRE): Enough of the quiz already! I | | | | you don't delegate all your feng shui tasks, too, or |
| have a million things to do and a short attention | | | | they won't have much power behind them. Find |
| span-just tell me how to feng shui my house! | | | | small, simple things you can do yourself and be |
| Many people are a combination of styles, so it | | | | sure to put some of your own energy into |
| may be hard to choose just one answer. If | | | | enhancing your key power spots. If you arrange |
| you're not sure, ask a few relatives or close | | | | for someone else to take care of other feng shui |
| friends for feedback; if you're a true Neat Freak, | | | | chores, it will be especially important to perform |
| you may think your house is a mess even when | | | | the body-speech-mind empowerments on each |
| it's immaculate by other people's standards! You | | | | one when the work is done. Throw practicality |
| may also find that you live one style, but secretly | | | | out the window for a moment and choose one |
| crave another. As a dyed-in-the-wool Free Spirit, | | | | unique and unexpected item for your home that |
| for example, I regularly break the feng shui rules | | | | expresses the inner you others so rarely see. |
| of good housekeeping because I'm just too busy | | | | Chances are good you've been pushing yourself |
| creating, writing, and living to keep things as clean | | | | pretty hard for a long time, so be sure to make |
| and organized as I would like them to be. But | | | | time for balance and renewal. A candle-lit |
| whenever I visit a Neat Freak's home, my soul | | | | aromatherapy bath will help you relax so you can |
| goes "ahhhhhh." The trick is to be aware of what | | | | enjoy your beautiful home. |
| type of space you are really, truly most | | | | WHIRLWIND - You're usually moving too fast to |
| comfortable in. As much as I like visiting pristine, | | | | pay much attention to your house, but once you |
| zen-like spaces, I know that I don't really want to | | | | get into feng shui you'll want to get it all done in |
| live in one -- that if I did it would soon look just | | | | one afternoon. Do some planning before you |
| as lived-in as my current home. | | | | begin, or you'll jump from one unnecessary |
| Here are some guidelines, based on the | | | | embellishment to another without getting to the |
| element-affinities described above, to help you | | | | important stuff before you're distracted by the |
| develop a personalized feng shui strategy: | | | | next exciting idea. You want to start with the |
| NEAT FREAK - Your home is so neat and tidy | | | | wind chimes and water fountains because they |
| that it may be a little rigid, sterile, or | | | | look like the most fun, but if you skip over |
| monochromatic. You tend to like the minimalist | | | | locating your personal power spots you won't |
| look, and are the most likely type to have | | | | know where to place them. And leaving the |
| all-white decor. If your furniture has been in the | | | | household maintenance tasks for later could |
| same position for years, look for ways to get chi | | | | sabotage your other efforts. You'll benefit from |
| moving without making more change than you'll | | | | the discipline of empowering your changes with a |
| feel comfortable with. Live plants and flowers will | | | | daily ritual-it's an essential part of the process, and |
| bring natural energy and color to your space. You | | | | the thing you're most likely to skip! Promise |
| may also need to add more personal touches | | | | yourself a massage when you're done, and |
| here and there. Find a place to display a few | | | | splurge on a big bouquet of flowers as a |
| favorite photographs of friends and family | | | | centerpiece for your home, so you remember to |
| members, so there are some human images | | | | stop and smell the roses from time to time. |
| around you. Your love for clean, simple spaces | | | | |