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Feng Shui Newsletter No. 2 : Feng Shui and your Bathroom
Jon Sandifer, MRSST, RCFSS |
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Feng Shui evolved some 2,500 years ago in China and was mainly used for the design of palaces, fortresses and the dwellings of the wealthy merchant classes. However, its underlying theme of choosing an auspicious site for a building, along with balancing the subtle energies within the walls, can be applied in contemporary times. Whether you're looking to design an entire new office block, or simply wish to give your kitchen or bathroom a Feng Shui makeover, the same basic design principles apply.
In Chinese medicine, Chinese astrology, Feng Shui and meditation, finding the best yin/yang balance and the more subtle relationships of the Five Elements are essential. Yin is about the dark, the still, the quiet and the secluded, whereas yang represents activity, heat, warmth and socialising. Our home, and especially our bathroom, is a quieter space relative to the busy outside world and needs to reflect these yin relaxing qualities. Your bathroom needs to feel like a sanctuary where you
 feel safe and secure, and the whole ambience needs to be restful. Keep the lighting fairly low and choose darker shades of the colours that you prefer.
The Five Elements are represented by: FIRE, EARTH, METAL, WATER and WOOD.
These Five Elements not only support themselves - e.g. Fire creates Earth, Earth creates Metal, etc. - but they also have the tendency to control one another - Water puts out Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal chops Wood, etc. Also, within this cycle each Element draws and even drains the energy of the previous Element for its support, e.g. Water is drained by Wood, Wood is drained by Fire, Fire is drained by Earth, etc. The reason for paying attention to this factor is that the predominant Element of the bathroom is Water - the Shui of Feng Shui. Healthy water, like good quality spring water, is one of the most essential support systems for life in our ecosystem. It can bring vitality, abundance and luck. Whereas the negative qualities of Water, which are represented in drainage systems, sewers and stagnant ponds, have a more detrimental effect on our health and wellbeing. Since the bathroom is more associated with waste, it is essential not to over-stimulate this Element through the choice of colour and any other interior design features. In almost every single culture in the world it was unheard of until recent times to consider placing a toilet or a washing facility within a dwelling - they were always outside as they were regarded as unhealthy spaces. In Feng Shui, designers tend to utilise the quieter and less vibrant areas of a home to locate the bathroom.
The colours of the Five Elements are: Fire - reds, pinks, purples; Earth - yellows, creams, browns and natural wood; Metal - white, silver and chrome; Water - blues and blacks; Wood - Greens. Since the bathroom already has plenty of the Water element, you don't need to bring in much black or blue into this space. Neither do you want to give the Water a lot of support from Metal, so try to reduce the uses of white, chromes and silver within this space. The best solution would be to drain some of the Water element by bringing in plenty of the Wood element - by bringing a green theme to the room.
USEFUL TIPS FOR THE BATHROOM
If you find yourself with a limited budget and you're in rented accommodation, and the entire bathroom is tiled white and the landlords will not let you paint over their white wall or white ceiling, then there are other ways that you could integrate the Wood element without causing hassle with your landlord!
Introduce the colour green by having towels, flannels, shower curtains green.
Introduce odd numbers of green plants into the bathroom (odd numbers are considered lucky in Feng Shui, e.g. 1, 3, 5, etc.). The Peace Lily has a gentle ionising effect on any room that it occupies, and three of these would be perfect. If the room does not get much light and has a tendency to be damp, try introducing ferns, even one hanging close to the window in a basket would be very effective.
If there is a faulty washer on any of the taps, get it fixed as soon as possible. Energetically, this is symbolic that Water (Shui) is slowly trickling away and being wasted. The Chinese have a slang word for cash which is Shui! Do make a point of fixing any faulty washers as soon as possible, as they do reflect a cash flow problem!
If you find that your bathroom is located in the south-east sector of the property, then you need to be even more careful about wasting water in this space. The south-east in Feng Shui is associated with luck, wealth, prosperity and abundance. It is not the ideal place to site a bathroom. However, this can be remedied by always keeping the door shut and secondly, making sure that the loo seat is firmly down when not in use!
If your bathroom or toilet is positioned either very close to your front door, or within view of your kitchen, then it is absolutely vital that you keep the door closed at all times. Bathrooms near the front door can indicate a loss of opportunity, whereas near to a kitchen they can be connected with tedious or niggly health problems. The best way to remedy this is to purchase a small four inch diameter circular mirror and with some double-sided tape attach it to the outside of the bathroom door about six inches below the door frame. This will help to reflect away any negativity.
MIRRORS AND BATHROOMS
I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to have a large mirror in your bathroom close to where you wash first thing in the morning. Ideally, make it as large as is practicably possible for the space. If you're in rented accommodation I'm sure that you could buy a fairly decent wood-framed mirror in the local market, paint the wooden frame green, hang it on a couple of hooks near the wash basin. The size of the image that you see of yourself first thing in the morning speaks how big your game is, how big your dream is for the day ahead. A tiny mirror does not give way to a big possible future and bathroom cabinets with two mirrors effectively divide your energy and direction for the future. If it's the only thing you add to your bathroom and you want to play a big game in life, then get yourself a massive mirror!
Having visited literally hundreds of homes, offices, businesses and hotels in the last twelve years, it is the one factor that I have noticed in the bathrooms of all successful individuals or companies. Try it out and see what the future brings you!
© Copyright Wholistic Research Company 2001
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