At first glance many Westerners dub feng shui a superstitious practice—this writer included—but a deeper look into a philosophy that has been practiced for thousands of years, and still continues to make believers out of the worst of cynics, deserves a chance.
Until just recently, I didn’t realize what a huge role feng shui played in our everyday lives. Last year while house hunting, I stumbled upon a quaint home with a finished yard and decent-sized kitchen. Thinking I had found “it” I invited my mom for a second viewing before making an offer, only to have her make a comment kyboshing the whole thing as we were driving up towards the home.

“This can’t be it,” she had said. “It’s got bad feng shui. You know you can’t buy a home directly across from a T-intersection, bad energy would be pushed towards you by oncoming traffic.” And that was that.So I decided to catch up with Calgary’s own feng shui practitioner Carl Klimuk to get to the bottom of this “feng shui” business. The philosophy behind it, he explains, is your external environment is a direct reflection of your internal environment. “We are subconsciously attracted to our environment,” Klimuk says. That is, your home is the single most important reflection of yourself. But like every soul-searching journey, where do you start?
First is to understand the concept of feng shui. While there are two basic schools of practice, each centres around the same set of principles. The Bagua, or matrix of which a space is laid, is shaped by rules that govern nature. How the natural elements—wood, fire, earth, metal and water—interact forms the flow of energy in your home or space.

The Bagua
The Bagua can be interpreted a few different ways, but the bottom line is to keep the elements balanced. This, in turn, allows a good flow of energy, which will lead to a more balanced life. Once the Bagua is laid out it is in your best interest to keep the elements associated with each zone present and to “cure,” (meaning disrupt) any unwanted elements within the space.

Back to school – it’s elementary
Klimuk’s school of feng shui allows flexibility to improve and change within a given space however there are others whose practice is under a more rigid set of rules. Those others include MaryAnn Russell, author of The Feng Shui Factor, Modern Homes Ancient Blueprint. In her book, she tackles every nook and cranny of a home but for simplicity’s sake, here are a few hard-fast rules of the two schools of thought.

Cut the clutter
Both Klimuk and Russell stress the need for keeping clutter to a minimum, as energy cannot flow well in a crowded space. “I have never been in an overly cluttered environment where the person’s health was optimum,” writes Russell. Opening up a space allows for circulation of energy and new opportunities. Once that’s out of the way, literally, your next step is lighting.

“Darkness brings a lot of stagnant energy,” says Klimuk. “On the other hand, sunlight allows energy to flow up which creates for an open mind.” An easy way to assist the flow of energy is to open up the blinds during the day and close them when the sun has set. The energy accumulated during the day will stay within the home throughout the night.

Fix leaks
However, Russell cautions against having too many glass doors, large windows and skylights. True, glass lets sunlight in, but at the same time it can leak energy out as well. Maintaining a balance is key. More obvious leaks include faulty plumbing fixtures and windows that don’t shut properly. In fact, even bathrooms leak energy by the constant act of flushing. Of course no home is really complete without one, so there are few ways to cure the leak. If you have the chance to design a bathroom, have the toilet enclosed and separate from the rest of the room. “I realize most bathrooms are not designed with feng shui in mind so it is good practice to close the toilet lid and keep the bathroom door closed when it is practical,” writes Russell. But one of the simplest ways is to keep a bathroom well lit and colourfully decorated. Because most people begin their days in the bathroom, it is essential to have it cheerful and energetic to uplift you psychologically.

Have some heart
The next obvious room to address is the heart of the home. With all five elements present in the kitchen the lines are blurred between which elements should flourish and which should be minimized. “When the sink and the stove are aligned directly opposite one another the water is in conflict with the fire element and may result in agitation and arguments,” writes Russell. To avoid this, offset the two to displace the controlling water element. However, placing a live plant next to the sink or on the island between the sink and the stove can make for a more harmonious kitchen when the layout cannot be changed.

Getting in command
The layout of the bedroom can be changed and should be, though to follow the rules of the commanding position. In feng shui, the commanding position is located such that the bed for a bedroom or the desk for an office will never place your back to the door. This is to provide you an optimal view and command of the space ahead of you while maintaining support, protection and stability in the back. “Ideally, there should be a solid wall behind your headboard or in the case of an office, the chair where you sit,” writes Russell. If this just can’t be achieved, do not fret, as mirrors can always come into play.

Time to reflect
Using a mirror to provide a rear view of the door will still be beneficial. But that’s not all mirrors can be used for as Russell’s book proves they can be used as tools to push or deflect energy, draw it in, enliven a space or to cool down the fire element. Placement of such mirrors is essential, for instance avoid having a mirror in the front entrance hall facing the front door. This essentially pushes energy back out the front door.
Since we’re back to the front door, or the beginning, it seems a good place to leave you folks to figure out how to make your home feng shui-friendly. But not empty-handed of course; you’ll be armed with these simple, yet possibly life changing, rules.