“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.” Wassily Kadinski
I feel so energized! I just completed a consultation in a beautiful Eichler home with lots of Yang windows. The client is an artist and her colorful, bold pieces hung everywhere making a definite statement. Most of the abstract paintings represented all five Feng Shui Elements. She loved her house and so did I. She was surrounded by the strong colors she loved and I left feeling nourished. Her art and colors were a gift to my soul.
There are numerous ways to enhance your home. The most common Feng Shui Ch’i enhancers are:
Colors, art, mirrors, crystals, sound makers, natural objects, animals, flowers, lighting, plants, sound makers, water features and wind dancers.
Of all of these, I always feel that colors make the most difference in a person’s environment. In Feng Shui colors are powerful Ch’i enhancers and add strong healing quality to your home. What color do you connect with the most? Every person resonates best with a color that nourishes and energizes them. Mine is red! Surrounding yourself with shades of this color in your home will act to revitalize you. Remember that in Feng Shui it’s important to “Live with what you love.”
The beauty of adding color to your home is that it can be done in a myriad of ways. Painting walls, replacing carpeting and new furniture is the most powerful and striking, but can also be the most expensive solution. If these options are prohibitive at the moment, accents of colors can be introduced through flowers, candles, fabrics, and art. Your choices are endless! Consider your home a blank canvas and you the artist.

The Colors of the Bagua

Feng Shui make it easy for you to choose the shade of color that works best for you and your environment. When working with the Bagua map use the color associated with each area. Remember that when the area calls for a color such as red, it means any hue of red (mauve, pink, burgundy, rust etc…) If you don’t like a color specified by the Bagua, just accent with it. The Ch’i is enhanced when you feel inspired by the colors of your surroundings.
The Feng Shui Bagua (Ba-gua) Map, is represented as a grid of nine sectors. The Bagua comes from the Chinese philosophy, “The I Ching,” and literally means “eight trigrams”, with the center used for grounding. Rooms should take on the color palette of the Bagua area they reside in, except for the Master Bedroom, which you will learn is treated with the qualities of the Love Area, no matter where it is located in the Bagua.
Some examples of adding colors and art are:

Career
* Color – black or shiny dark colors
* Art – waterscapes of moving water
Knowledge or Family/Friends
* Color – blues, greens
* Art – peaceful wooded scenes
Wealth
* Color – purples, dark blue or red
* Art – pictures with purple colors, or representation of opulent items
Fame
* Color – reds
* Art – representation of suns, stars, upward movement, people or animals in celebration, red tones
Love and Marriage
* Color – reds and pinks
* Art – romantic representations and/or pairs of items
Children/Creativity
* Colors – white and pastels
* Art – whimsical art, pictures of children or drawn by children
Helpful People
* Colors – grey and white
* Art – pictures of spiritual guides, travel posters, mountains
Center
* Colors – earth tones, yellows
* Art – anything in yellow tones

Colors for the Master Bedroom – Your Romantic Boudoir
The best master bedroom colors are found in the warm skin tones of all races of people: from light beiges and tans, creamy cocoas, blushing pinks and peaches, subtle yellows, earthy reds, copper, gold, bronze amongst others. The colors that are too cool and do not work in bedrooms are pure white, grey, black, blues, and greens. They may look beautiful in designer showrooms, but when they dominate they create a chilly room versus a sensual one. In the Master Bedroom the art and pictures should represent the qualities of the Love and Marriage area of the Bagua: pairs of items such as figurines and candles, pictures and art reflecting couples and romantic representations, pictures of you and your significant other.

Feng Shui at Work
Feng Shui author, teacher Terah Collins gave this advice, “Ask those you live with what color is their essence. The answer can strengthen relationships with spouses and children. In one case a couple determined that he was golden yellow while she was turquoise green. They added a pillow of each color to their couch to symbolize their togetherness.”
One of my most successful experiences working with color was in painting the master bedroom. A client and I both shared a similar experience many years apart. We both painted our master bedrooms a peach tone, replacing the stark white walls. When I redecorated my bedroom back in the 1980s I created a warm, loving environment in peach tones, and soon after I met the man I’ve been married to for 28 years. My client repainted her white master bedroom a warm peach. She soon met the love of her life while traveling and they have been happily together for the last 3 years. I now have a warm spot in my heart for peach colored walls. Colors do make a difference!
Gardens can be the crowning glory of your beautiful environment as they are filled with rich colors and emit positive Ch’i. A client was looking to enhance her fame and reputation area so as to get more recognition at work. I recommended that she place a number of red flowering plants all along the back fence of her yard. She planted hibiscus, red roses, red trumpet vine and red salvia. She placed up-lighting on the vines and twinkle lights across the top. Since the fame area is represented by stars and the sun, she also hung a large ceramic sun in the center of the fence. Now she can sit in her living room and enjoy the glow of the fire element through her beautiful garden. She recently received a new job and was thrilled when they had a party for her upon her arrival and the CEO sent her a handwritten welcome note.

Feng Shui on a Shoestring:
Feng Shui enhancements do not have to cost a great deal. One of my favorite recommendations is to “shop in your own home.” Just moving the art you already have to more auspicious locations based on the Bagua can make a great difference.

Affirmations:
Remember that in Feng Shui, intent plays a significant role in enhancing any area of your home or business. That’s why all enhancements need to be made with intentionality; written or stated affirmations that are expressed as if they already happened are very important. Examples of affirmations related to colors are:
Black – “My career is thriving.”
Blue/greens – “I am calm and at peace with myself.”
Purple – “Prosperity is flowing in.”
Red – “I am well known and respected for my accomplishments.”
Pink – “I am in a happy, committed, loving relationship.”
White/pastels – “My children are happy and healthy.”
White/grey – “Everything is happening as it should, synchronicity abounds.”
Earth tones – “I feel centered and grounded.”
Remember that colors resonate personally with you. It’s important that you have your favorite color in your home, so that when you need a boost of energy you can gaze at it and be revitalized. Enjoy the world of colors and their healing energy!!!
For questions or home consultations email at mtmccull@aol.com and put “Feng Shui” on the subject line, or visit my website at www.fengshuibymaria.com, (where you can read past columns), or Facebook “Feng Shui by Maria”, where I post pictures as examples to enhancements.

I NOW have a BLOG
Just go to the website and click on “Blog”: You can view many pictures and, I will respond to your questions quickly.
Until then…Blessings!

Maria McCullough, is the owner / founder of Feng Shui by Maria (www.fengshuibymaria.com), a speaker and educator with over 20 years of experience. She specializes in residential, landscape and business consultations. She is a graduate of the Western School of Feng Shui and has personally trained with Terah Kathryn Collins, founder of the Western School of Feng Shui, specializing in Essential Feng Shui® and author of numerous books including “The Western Guide to Feng Shui.”

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