Sometimes the very things we crave and feel comfortable around are not necessarily good for us. I once consulted with a feng shui client who loved the color red. He had purchased some red leather couches that he had unknowingly placed in a terrible spot for the fire element. But he was all too happy to paint some walls in his house red that needed the fire element, after my suggestion to do this. In one area of his house, the fire element could work to reduce arguments or gossip. In another area of this house the fire color was recommended to prevent bone and muscle problems.
This particular client was born in 1962 and a man born in this year is called the “Kun” trigram. This is an Earth trigram and in the cycle of the elements, Fire strengthens Earth. It would appear superficially, that it is good for him to have fire colors around him, regardless of where he lives. Often, people try to coordinate feng shui principles into their wardrobe.
But when I went deeper into his personal astrology, including the month, day and hour of his birth, he was completely lacking in water. He had a little Wood, a little Metal, and a lot of Earth in his chart, but no water. And for that reason, I recommended that he wear more black and blue (water colors.) Normally, wardrobe colors are not a part of a traditional feng shui consultation, but he asked for it, so I looked into it.
In Chinese Metaphysics, which includes Feng Shui, Astrology, Chinese Medicine, and Martial Arts, there is an understanding that balance is the main objective. There are two major systems for balance. One is called Yin/Yang Theory and the other is called Five Element Theory. Sometimes it is hard for us to distinguish between things that we want versus things that we need. It can be confusing on so many levels. But Yin/Yang Theory and Five Element Theory will always help us know what we really need versus what we think we want.
For instance, if you are craving chocolate, is that a signal that you really need it? Conversely, if you are craving a green salad, does that mean you need it? When you feel like wearing pink or black, does your aura need it that day or are you just going to exacerbate a state of mind or mood that is already out of balance?
And when you desire to paint a wall in your house green or yellow, are these signals from some higher sense of intuition or intelligence? Sometimes clients relish in telling me about the magical and mystical ways they were drawn to the house they are living in, while I might end up finding the feng shui of the space to be really lacking in serious ways.
In Yin/Yang theory, we have to consider the age, gender, and occupation of a person, amongst other details in order to know what may be appropriate for that individual versus someone else. I once had a client whose teenage son wanted to paint his entire room black. Ironically, his son NEEDED the water element to be strengthened in his room, so I did not object, except for the fact that his room was tiny and not well-lit to begin with.
I didn’t want his room to become a dark cave with too much black so I asked him how he felt about a compromise of just painting one wall black and not the whole room. This is an example of combining and compromising both Yin/Yang Theory with Five Element Theory.
The more a person develops balance inside and around them, the easier it will be to distinguish between wants versus needs. It will become easier to know whether or not to listen to that inner voice and whether or not it is coming from a state of emotions or a place of higher consciousness.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ®
From the Health and Personal Matters Blog Series
