Page 7 - August 2021 Isle of Palms Magazine (1)_Neat

The Skeptic's Guide to Feng Shui

The ancient Chinese art of feng shui translates to “wind and water.” It’s a practice that helps people align
their energies with their surroundings. Here's the science behind it. Over-crowded living spaces have
been shown to have an effect on our health, acting as a stressor. And research shows that spaces and
our environments play a huge role in how we feel and perform. This logic is kind of what feng shui is all
about. Many feng shui practitioners are adamant that adopting a few simple tips to carve the right
environment can improve nearly every aspect of life — whether it’s improving your health, finding love, or
making more money.

Feng shui helps you make the most of your living space by harmonizing its energy flow. Feng shui splits
the world into five elements:
wood: creativity and growth
fire: leadership and boldness
earth: strength and stability

metal: focus and order
water: emotion and inspiration
Working to balance these five elements properly in your home can help their corresponding traits to thrive
in your life. Because everyone’s living space is different, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to feng
shui. But if you’re curious about experimenting, there are three ways to add feng shui.

Kill the clutter, especially in the bedroom.
Clutter isn’t just about aesthetics, it creates stress. Find a physical spot: a drawer, room, corner of the
refrigerator, desk—the size doesn’t matter—and let go of what’s no longer necessary. When you let
something go, you create open space to invite a new, fresh opportunity.

Act like other people live there.
If you’re trying to find love, feng shui would ask you to follow mom’s old adage of “acting as if." Look
around your home and ask yourself, ‘Is this space prepared for another person?’ If you only have one

towel, your soul is living a single life. So instead of having one towel, have two towels. Even though that
person hasn’t arrived physically yet, act like they’re there already.

Add plants for inspiration.
For improving productivity and boosting money flow, add one or two plants near your desk, home office,
or work area. It’s related to the element of wood, which connects to networking, expansion, growth,
growing wealth, and opportunities.

Don’t turn to feng shui expecting a miracle - but stay open-minded even if you’re not completely
convinced.

Article adapted from www.healthline.com/By Laura Barcella, August 10, 2019