Feng Shui is the study of the connection and inter-relationship between the exterior physical environment, buildings (exteriors and interiors), people and time. It looks at how Qi (energy) can be harnessed to benefit people in their internal and external environments. So it seemed a perfect topic for a feature article on GoGreenInside^®, which is all about the sustainability of and connection between our internal and external environments.

To learn more about how the principles of this ancient art and natural metaphysical science could be applied to our daily lives, we spoke with Marlyna Los, a Master of Feng Shui who has been studying and teaching classical Feng Shui for more than 20 years. Ms Los is the owner of the Vancouver-based  Feng Shui Consulting, and  author of the just released book, Do You See What I See?, which teaches you how to identify positive and negative features in your environment, pick the location best suited to support your endeavours, and change your home to attract beneficial opportunities.

According to Ms Los, basic to both Chinese philosophy and classical Feng Shui is the belief that there are three main things that control our destiny– heaven, earth and man.

“Heaven” is the energy you’re born with, a blueprint unique to each individual that can be interpreted using Chinese astrology. Similar to vegetables growing through the seasons in a garden, humans go through cycles in their lives, although they coincide more with years as opposed to seasons within a year.

“Earth” refers to where you live, and it is believed that location determines the type of energy that enters your home. If your home has good energy or “Qi” and can tap into it, you can bring opportunities into your life.

“Man” refers to our own actions, such as how we cultivate our relationships, our good deeds and how we take action to create results.

These three elements, says Ms Los, are thought to have an equal influence on our lives.

One of the main keys to a happy, successful life, according to classical Feng Shui theory, is to find a good location.

“A hundred years ago, you had to find a place that would grow you the crops that you could winter, and build a house that would be protected so you could survive to the next year,” says Ms Los. “The person who had the best location would end up becoming the richest person in town. He had better crops; he might have more children because they were healthier, and so on.”

The next aspect is how you situate your home in that location. Classical Feng Shui works with a compass to determine the best placement for a home as the various directions have very different influences in relationship to the features surrounding them.

“For hundreds of years the Chinese observed certain patterns,” explains Ms Los. “They saw that certain locations were better than others, and that the orientation of homes within those locations produced consistent results.”  While our lifestyles and cities today are created in a very different way, she says, the same principle applies today.

So how can the ideas of classical Feng Shui be put to use in practical ways? While this style of Feng Shui uses compasses and formulas to determine many of the elements unique to a particular individual, it is possible to do a little DIY Feng Shui to help harmonize your home and maximize its Qi.

Ms Los offers the following basic tips to bring in and optimize the energies this season – or at any time of year – by focusing on what are considered to be the three most important parts of the house: the front door, the bedroom and the kitchen.

The front door

“Seventy per cent of the energy in a home is based on the features outside the house,” says Ms Los. Ideally, you want a wide-open green space in front of your house where abundant Qi can gather and collect before entering the house.  The front door should not be in shadow or in a windy area, and no trees should obstruct the entrance. Generally, it is considered advantageous to have a house that faces south.

Once inside, the foyer or “bright hall” should ideally be as bright and airy – and of course, uncluttered – as possible.

The bedroom

Since we spend one third of our lives sleeping, the bedroom should be yin – soft, inviting and quiet. This will support good sleep and help you wake up refreshed and full of energy to start your day (yang). Start with a good solid bed, preferably with a headboard.  The bed should be positioned against a solid wall, if possible the wall opposite from the main door, and not underneath a window (which is yang). Mirrors are also yang and may disturb sleep. Consistent with the advice of health, sleep and relationship experts, Los says there are two things a bedroom should do without – light seeping in through windows, and a television.

The kitchen

“The kitchen is where we prepare food, and metaphorically, if you have good food, you’re wealthy,” says Ms Los.  It’s best to situate the stove against an outside wall (the specific direction is decided on based on what is most favourable to the home’s “breadwinner”). The stove should not be in line with the door or directly across from the sink. It is thought that the kitchen can disturb the energy in the rest of the house, so it is preferred that the kitchen is a separate room (these days this is somewhat uncommon, except in larger homes).

And don’t forget the importance of symbolism in the objects you place in your home, adds Ms Los. For example, flowers, bamboo or fish in water represent life and growth. It is said that photos and artwork represent your subconscious beliefs, and should therefore be used mindfully so that they support rather than work against your intentions and goals.

To learn more about classical Feng Shui , the work of Marlyna Los and her book, Do You See What I See?, visit fengshuiconsulting.info.