In the world of herbology and nutrition, I love nature’s adaptogens. What is an adaptogen? It is a substance which can give you balance in the way that your body and mind uniquely needs support. An example could be a nutritional supplement that will lower your blood pressure if it is too high or raise your blood pressure to a safe level if it is too low.
There are other examples of adaptogens, but the premise is the same, where the substance itself will do whatever is needed for your internal balance.
When I work with clients and describe what elemental adjustment is needed and why, I try not to confuse or be unnecessarily technical. And yet, someone not very familiar with Five Element Theory may get the wrong impression about what an element does or what they think it symbolizes. For instance, the FIRE element can be used to stimulate the 8 earth star. In Five Element Theory, fire nurtures earth. But there are different types of earth. One type like the 8 star is related to potential wealth luck. Nurturing it with fire is one way that fire works as an adaptogen to increase financial success. Another type of earth, namely the 5 star, should not be strengthened with fire. This would only encourage the 5 star to trigger arguments or accidents.
In another part of a house, fire might also be used to weaken a type of wood energy associated with legal problems. This is because Wood is exhausted by Fire in Five Element theory. When we want to weaken the wood energy, we use the reductive element of fire if there are no conflicting interactions. Here we see that the element of fire can be used in the same house for different reasons. Fire works as an adaptogen to enhance energy that is inherently positive and to diminish other types of energy which could be harmful to most.
This is the same with all the Elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. There is nothing inherently good or bad about any of the Elements. They work in specific ways depending on other features which can be factored into the equation and potential outcomes. Many people are surprised to learn that a live leafy plant could be placed in an area that might exacerbate problems with bones or muscles. How could a plant be bad in any circumstance? A live plant (Wood Phase energy) placed in the right location could strengthen the heart or eyes.
Water placed in one location could boost romantic encounters. In another situation, water could increase financial luck, or weaken energy related to deception or betrayal. By utilizing Five Element Theory in Classical Feng Shui, we are purposefully using “adaptogens” in the form of these natural elements.
Apart from the Elements, even something as mundane as a light dimmer could be a “feng shui adaptogen.” With nothing inherently good or bad about a light dimmer, it can be used to increase light in a room that is too dark or decrease light in a room that is too bright. This all may sound too obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I hear people rigidly claim, in the name of Feng Shui, that an element “does this” or “does that,” but it is really circumstantial and unique to a certain set of environmental features. This is why you should turn away from anything so simplistic as statements like, “Fire=Fame” or “Water=Wealth.”
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company Name: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Feng Shui Theory Blog Series
