Sometimes people have reservations about getting a feng shui consultation because they assume that they will then have to go and buy some expensive items in order for their home to be balanced or corrected in the flawed areas. This is often not the case. Depending on what a person is financially capable of doing, there are some very inexpensive ways to make effective changes in one’s home or business.
The FIRE Element: When the Fire element is needed, you can accomplish this in a number of creative ways that will be appropriate for the room or area you want to enhance with Fire. You need to either have a large display of red color or use an accent light because you are trying to create heat in an area that would otherwise not have it.
If your entry way needs fire, then you might choose to get a large red colored entry mat or rug. You can shop at Target, IKEA, and any other discount or affordable home store to get items like this. Artwork that is predominantly red in color can work also. I have had several clients go to an art store and get a large white canvas that they painted themselves in some strong red tone. If your bedroom needed fire, then you could get reddish colored bed coverings, pillow or drapes at bed and bathroom store departments or any discount store. If you want to use lighting instead of color, you can go to any lighting or hardware store and get an affordable floor light or accent light.
The WATER Element can be very effective as a remedy, but often you will see fountains that cost several hundred to several thousands of dollars. The irony is that the proper placement of water can help people increase their income, but you have to be able to afford the remedy first! You can make your own fountain for very little by just purchasing a nice deep bowl that holds at least a few quarts of water or even up to a few gallons. I’ve bought some nice mosaic tile bowls discount stores. Then, you can go to an aquarium store or garden center and get a fountain or fish tank pump for $10-$15. All told, you might invest $25-$45 dollars instead of spending hundreds or more for your “moving water” remedy.
The METAL element can be a challenge for some people to bring into their home if they already have all the furniture they want and it happens to be made out of wood. I often see the need for clients to have 50-100 pounds of metal in a particular room, but most people are not going to run out and buy an expensive bronze statue to accomplish that.
The least expensive way to get metal into a room is to just get the raw metals at a hardware store. You can get copper sheeting or copper plumbing bits, and put them in a basket or box. Metal does not have to be seen in a room in order for it to work, so you can literally place the metal under a piece of furniture or in a closet, as long as it is in the correct area for metal. Another cheap way to get the poundage of metal that you may need in a small area is to use iron barbell weights..
The WOOD element can be manifested with a large leafy plant or more than one plant. You can also use just about anything that has a large green surface area for the wood energy. With all these element recommendations, you have to have enough present in a room to notice. The element as a remedy should stand out. This does not mean that a subtle remedy cannot work, but it is better to have a sense of it.
The EARTH element can be anything made of stone, clay, brick, ceramics, soil, natural crystals or even bone, like sea shells. Some earthen items are naturally occurring like a stone façade on a fireplace. Other times the earthen items need to be added to a room and often they can be décor items like statuary or surface areas like a marble table top. When it comes to staying within budget, this is where you may get some cool earthen items at an antique store, a garage sale or some other discount outlet.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Feng Shui Theory Blog Series
