Feng Shui - Texas Style

Can the right furniture work to further your goals? Will choosing the appropriate household decorations cause you to flounder financially? This is the premise of Feng Shui. The ancient practice of placement dictates that you can increase your fortune and wealth and have more positive relationships depending on your environment and the placement of objects within it.

Being from Texas, we were interested in how to incorporate the Feng Shui principles into a home that is decorated in a more Western style. And when we say Western in Texas, we are talking about the down-home cowboy ranch type Western design.

The movement of energy through your home and the placement of objects that either block or enhance the movement of that energy are the focus when it comes to curing your environment.

Traditional cures include the use of crystals and mirrors to redirect energy. Feng Shui being originated in the East means that the items you usually see in reference to curing your space will be oriental in design. Good luck and protection symbols like Fu Dogs, guardian lions; Ba-gua, a wooden-framed octagonal mirror; tortoise; and Chi Lin, the dragon horse are all cures that have an oriental design flair. If that is the look you are going for, then those cures will work well for you.

To aid us in finding ideas for our Texas style home we spoke with Patty Bassine. Patty is a Texas based Feng Shui Consultant.

We focused on three areas of the home that homeowners find important. The Wealth Corner, The Marriage Corner, and the Marriage Corner. To find these areas, you should think of your house as a large square. When viewed from the front of your home; the Wealth Corner will be the far left-hand corner, the Career Corner will be the front center of your home, and the Marriage Corner is the far right-hand corner.

For our Wealth Corner, Patty suggested using a hand-carved piece of wood furniture. The elements that influence this area are wood and earth and a piece like this, especially if you can purchase one from a local artisan, would really increase the flow of energy in the space. For additional warmth and depth, a nubby rug in burnt orange, umber or brown could also be used under the furniture piece. Not only would the piece be functional, but it would fit in with our Texas Western theme and be pleasing to the eye.

The Career Corner is usually where your entrance is located, but not always. For this area Patty suggested that our best option here would be a metal water fountain as metal is the element to be used here to improve one's career or to find a new job. Find a local artisan who creates water fountains and you could have one in any shape you wished to fit the décor, an oil rig, windmill, or longhorn would all work wonderfully. If you possibly could, commissioning a custom piece would be perfect and you could dictate more thoroughly your design wants.

And for our Marriage Corner, we learned from Patty that the Earth element is dominate here again. She suggested a hand-carved pine headboard. Footboards are not encouraged in Feng Shui. And you can use a bedspread that has warm, earthy tone in it to complement the décor. One cure that won't be seen but will aid in keeping the occupants close and communicating, is to place a red piece of fabric between the two mattresses, if you have chosen a king sized bed.

"Decorating the space is only one aspect to Feng Shui. The other is to bless the space by aligning the body, mind and speech with the intention the homeowner has." This direct quote from Patty about the most important and powerful aspect puts all our efforts into perspective.

Sources

Patty Bassine
Feng Shui Consultant

Easy Feng Shui Website
Bagua Corner Locations References

Practical Feng Shui
Simon Brown
Feng Shui Today, Page 5

Spirit of Angels Website
Feng Shui Tips