Feng Shui and mssing spaces - How to activate and balance energy in missing spaces

Missing spaces and corners in your flat always mean that there's energy missing. Depending on what Bagua area of your flat or house is affected, that may result in missing energy in a particular area of your life.

I posted already about how to identify missing spaces and corners. Remember: first, identify where the vaious Bagua areas in your home are located, second: determine whether you are dealing with an additional or missing space using the 60% - 40% rule:

How to activate and balance energy in a missing space or corner:

There are various cures and remedies you can use to activate and / or balance the lack of energy in a missing space or corner.

Let's look at an example. We've got a living room here with a missing space. The missing space is highlighted in red:

Cures and remedies could be:

• Mirror

Place a mirror on one of the walls next to the missing space:

Things to mind: as always when working with mirrors, be careful that the main entrance is not opposite the mirror (or reflected in the mirror), ensure that the mirror reflects something positive and nice (because the mirror symbolically 'doubles' what is reflected in it: that could be your fridge - which symbolically doubles your food and hence, your finances and wealth, or it could be old laundry, which will be 'doubled' as well by the mirror....) and try to buy a mirror of a high quality.

• Water fountain

Place a water fountain next to one of the walls. The constant energy of the running water will add additional energy in this sector:

Here are my tips on what to mind if you decide to use water fountains in your flat or house.
Instead of a water fountain, you could also use a picture of a water fall.

• Plants

Plants are always a good way to stabilise and add Chi energy. Place the plant next to the missing corner:

However: use large plants rather than a couple of flowers in a vase. Flowers have less Chi energy because they have been parted from their roots and can't grow or expand anymore.

• Light

Light is a great way to activate energy. It generates additional Chi energy and helps to balance the missing space very effectively. Place a light or lamp on the wall next to the missing corner:

• Strengthen the element of the missing space

Example: if the missing space is located in the Southwest of your flat or house, you need to strengthen the element earth (associated with the Southwest). That can be done in a variety of ways: crystals, stones, decorations in brown or beige colours, square shapes... For every element, there are lots of different options.

Obviously, objects and decorations resembling a certain element should be placed next to the missing space or corner.

Things to mind when activating or balancing a missing corner or space:

• Mind the element of that corner
  Find out in what Bagua sector the missing space is located (have a look here to find out how to do that). Then determine the element that Bagua sector is associated with. As mentioned, for the Southwest, for example, that would be earth. Be mindful that the cures and remedies used to activate the missing space do not weaken the element of that Bagua area. If the missing corner is in the Southwest, for instance, it would not be a good idea to place a very big plant there, because the element wood (represented by plants) weakens the element earth.
  
  Another example: if the missing corner is located in the South (associated with the element fire), don't place a water fountain or waterfall picture there, because water weakens the element fire.
• Mirrors
  I already mentioned that you need to be careful when using mirrors. Mirrors are a strong Feng Shui device and, in my opinion, the best way to activate a missing space or corner. But be mindful of what is reflected in the mirror: it should not be the main entrance, negative or unhappy-looking objects, open or hidden 'Feng Shui arrows'... Mirrors are highly effective when used to balance a missing space, but they can be equally harmful when the wrong objects are reflected in the mirror.
  

These are my thoughts and what worked best in my experience.

Feng Shui Bagua: missing spaces and corners

Missing spaces and corners in certain Bagua areas of your house or flat are an issue: they signify that there is energy missing. Depending on where in your home the missing space or corner is located, this missing energy may be directly reflected in your life.

If you've got a missing space in the Southwest, it may be difficult for you to find a partner or establish a long term relationship. If space is missing in the North, it may be difficult for you to progress in your career. Similarly, a missing space in the South could lead to you not getting the recognition you deserve (particularly in your job).

Additional spaces, on the other hand, always provide you with additional energy in a certain corner. Example: an additional space in the North could benefit your career. I know that a too much in energy may have a reverse effect: an additional space in the North could also mean that you end up working too much or prioritise your work over other, perhaps more important things in life. In that case, you need to curb the additional energy by weaken the element of that sector.

How do you identify a missing space?

First, you need a basic floor plan of your flat or house. Here is an example:

Take a pen and expand all walls to form a rectangular or square shape of your flat or house. Now you can identify missing spaces and corners. In the example below, I highlighted the additional space in green and the missing space in red:

Then, you need a Bagua map. I drew this very basic Bagua circle: (please note: I'm always working with compass points - I don't use the black hat school of Feng Shui with fixed Bagua points).

Identify the middle of the flat (the easiest way is to just draw to diagonals, crossing the middle point of your flat:

Now you need to place the Bagua map on top of the floor plan, so that the middle of the circle rests on top of the middle point of your flat:

Once that is done, identify from which direction energy is coming into your flat through the main entrance. To do that, stand where your entrance door is, looking outside. The direction you are seeing on your compass is the one from which energy is flowing into your flat.

Once you've got that, rotate the circle until the compass point on the Bagua map matches the direction from which the energy is coming into your house through the entrance door.

From then on, you can identify in which Bagua areas you are dealing with missing or additional space.

Important here: the 60% - 40% rule. Look at the length of the wall in which the additional or missing space is located. If 60% or more of the wall is inside the flat and the other 40% or less outside the flat, than you are dealing with a missing space. If 60% or more of the wall is outside the flat and the other 40% or less inside, then you are blessed with an additional space:

Once you know whether you are having a missing or an additional space in your flat, you can go on with finding remedies and cures for this to balance the missing energy caused by a missing space.

Patterns and colours in Feng Shui - when is it too much?

I'm a huge fan of Bohemian-style interior design. I love the mix and mash of different patterns and colours, particularly if it involves all shades of red and pink.

Below is one of my personal favourites:

Bohemian interior design - source: smoothtwinkbottomslut.blogspot.co.uk/

However, I know that a too much of patterns and colours in one place will diffuse energy and, well, is just bad Feng Shui. Have you ever been in a room where you feel restless, nervous or anxious? Apart from various shapes or the ominous 'Feng Shui arrows', it could have been because of a mix of various patterns and shapes.

Bohemian-style interior design often involves a combination of all kinds of colours and patterns:

Bohemian-style bedroom - source: smoothtwinkbottomslut.blogspot.co.uk

In such a room, as beautiful as it may be, you might find it hard to concentrate, sleep or learn. Since all the various designs may diffuse energy, the overall energy level might be unstable and will affect you.

When are too many patterns and colours a problem:

• In the bedroom
  Unconsciously, the unstable energy level will affect you, but even consciously, all the patterns and colours may make it hard for your to sleep because your eyes can't rest - and that may cause insomnia
• In a working environment
  Whether you are a student and need to study or you are in your office and need to work: whenever you need to concentrate, make sure that there are only a view decorative items on which your eyes can rest and keep the variety of colours and shapes to a minimum.
• In a children's room
  Here, a too much of patterns and colours might be caused by posters and images of a child's (or teenager's) favourite pop stars, football teams, favourite actors...  The child may feel anxious or restless and will find it hard to do his or her homework.
• In a room where people are coming together (example: living room)
  This is very much my own experience: too many colours, shapes and patterns may make people aggressive, particularly if many shades of red are involved. People will feel anxious and balanced debates might end up in heated discussions. To keep peace and harmony with the people you live with, it makes sense to create a calm and balanced environment in communal rooms such as the living room (or kitchen).

In my experience, sometimes less is more and it may be nice to keep things simple. Below is good compromise: we've got a bit of pattern on the blanket and pillows with a slight mix of colours - but the overall look is still balanced:

These are my thoughts - please share with me your own experiences when it comes to an overflow of too many colours and patterns.

The element wood and Feng Shui - how to activate wood in your home

Quite obviously, the element wood in Feng Shui is associated with, well, wood. Everything and anything green, trees and wood activates this element.

However, as with every Feng Shui element, there's more to it.

Main characteristics of the element wood:

• colour: all shades of green
• shape: tall, rectangular objects, tall and long cylindric objects
• materials: wood, bamboo
• natural landscape: forerst, tall mountains, trees
• plants: Bonsai, tall, long plants
• patterns, stripy, long vertical and horizontal stripes

Some interior ideas to activate the element wood in your flat:

• A picture of a tree

• Tall objects out of wood:

wodden cupboard - source: objectsonline.com

• Plants

• Green blanket

• Long pillars

• Tall floor lamp

• Bamboo curtain

These are some of my ideas. But there are a lot more - I've created an entire Pinterest board dedicated to wood: Wood and Feng Shui.

The metal element and Feng Shui - how to activate the metal element in your home

The metal element in Feng Shui is activated using a variety of different methods. That's particular important for the Bagua area in the West and Northwest, which are both associated with the element metal.

Main characteristics of metal:

• Colour: white, silver, grey, Gold
• Shape: round, circle, semi-circle, oval
• Material: metal, gold, silver, copper
• plants: plants with round leaves, plants cut in round shapes
• patterns: dots, circles, round shapes

Some interior ideas on how to bring the element metal into your home:

• white furniture and interior designs

white interior design - source: home-designing.com

• round vase

round vase - source: weddinggiftsdirect.com.au

• round pillows

gold, round pillow - source: etsy.com

• Metall furniture

• round lamp

• patterns with dots

These are just some ideas. If you need more inspiration, you could take a look at my Pinterest board 'Metal and Feng Shui'.

The element earth and Feng Shui - interior ideas to bring earth into your home

For me, a very important Bagua sector is associated with the element earth: the Soutwest, which influences relationships and love. So I try hard to keep this corner of my flat strong and harmonious. The best way to do that is to strengthen earth in this sector.

Main characteristics of the element earth:

• colour: various light yellow shades, brown, beige
• shape: rectangular, square
• material: earthenware / baked clay, ceramics, chinaware
• natural landscapes: flat hills
• plants: plants with flat shapes which are spreading horizontally

Here are some of my favourite ideas on objects or interior designs which resemble earth:

• brown or beige colours

brown interior - source: fancycribs.com

• decorative stones

decorative stones - source: wallconvert.com

• Crystals



crystals - source:pheonixshb.co.uk

• square-shaped beige pillows

• a picture of flat hills or mountains

• a flat, square coffee table

• a square or rectangular storage box

These are some of my ideas. I've got a whole lot more on my Pinterest board 'Earth and Feng Shui'.

The element water and Feng Shui - ideas on how to bring water into your home

As with all elements, there's a wide variety of options on how to bring the elment water into your home. The main characterists of water are:

• colours: blue, black
• shape: wavy, crinkly
• natural landscapes: the sea, lakes, waterfalls
• material: glas
• patterns: wavy and/ or unregular patterns
• plants: long and wavy shapes, growing downwards

Below are some of my ideas on objects which resemble the element water:

The colour blue

Blue interior design (by Sara Sjögren - source: ideastosteal.com)

A picture of a waterfall
Here's some caution needed: the larger and more massive the waterfall in the picture, the stronger the energy. So a picture of the Niagara Falls might emit too much water energy...

A water fountain
If you choose a water fountain to strengthen the element water in your house or flat, there are some things to mind. I blogged about it here.

water fountain - source: kineticfountains.com

Blue flowers

A glas bowl filled with water

A picture of a sea or lake

These are some of my ideas. If you are in need of more inspiration, have a look at my Pinterest board: Water and Feng Shui.

The element fire and Feng Shui - home decor ídeas

Fire is one of my favourite elements - I love the colour red, I like using incense sticks... Decorating those bagua corners of my flat which benefit from the element fire is a real joy...

The main characteristics of the element fire are:

• colour: red, purple, pink, a very strong orange or yellow
• shape: triangular, sharp objects
• natural landscape: mountains with sharp top shapes
• patterns: spikes or jags, triangular shapes

There are a myriad of ways on how to bring a certain element into your flat. I thought I'd share some of my ideas - please let me know if you can think of other ways on how to strengthen the element fire in your flat or house.

• Quite obvious: the colour red

red interior - source: decoist.com

• Candles

• Incense Sticks

Incense sticks - source: sparksgiftwholesalers.com

• Picture of a sunflower
  Not many people seem to know this: the sunflower represents the element fire

Sunflower represents the element fire

• Triangular shapes
  Below is a triangular (wine) bottle holder

• Red flowers

These are only some ideas - the options are endless and creativity is needed to find what works for you! However, if you do run out of ideas - I've created a Pinterest board dedicated to everything and anything that represents the element fire: http://www.pinterest.com/jennyfengshui/fire-and-feng-shui/

Antique or used furniture - a good idea?

I admit: I'm a rather superstitious person. I believe in all sorts of stuff: the number 13 is bad, number 4 is even worse, I'd never walk down a road which had been crossed by a black cat before... All sorts.

So I'm not sure whether it's all superstitious thinking when I say: I don't like antique furniture or 'used' interiors in my flat.

I'm aware of all the benefits of recycling and I've got no issue with using a piece of furniture that belonged to a family member or good friend. What I'm wary of is stuff that has been used before by someone I don't know.

Chi and energy is everywhere: around us, inside us and inside objects. Furniture in your flat will incorporate your 'energy'. Example: a bed used by an unhappy couple might incorporate this 'unhappy' energy and won't emit energy beneficial for a relationship.

Antique armchair. Source: http://blog.collectables-now.com/

I firmly believe in this: all the energy and moods rub off on furniture. This is why it's so important to cleanse a new flat from the energy of its former inhabitants. One of the ways to do that is to burn an incense stick: the fire energy released will cleanse the flat and furniture from all old energy.

As I said, I'm fine with using furniture or interior stuff from people I know. The danger for me lies in used stuff from other people, or even worse: antique furniture.

A piece of old furniture, as beautiful and nice as it may be, might come with old energy. Perhaps the previous owner was very unhappy, had a troubled life or was constantly faced with difficulties and barriers. Or there's a mix of energies from various owners, in case a particular object is very old. With antique furniture, you're bringing all this into your home.

Obviously, sometimes we need to make do with furniture from previous owners. I'm a tenant in London and always had to rent furnished flats. So everytime I'm moving flats, I'm well aware of all the old energy that might be still hanging around.

So far, I'm dealing with this by thoroughly cleaning the flat and all furniture. After that's done, I'm burning a number of incense sticks.

When it comes to very old and antique furniture however, I don't take any risks. I just don't think that all the energy, particularly of furniture that's several centuries old, can be cleansed and removed.

What are your thoughts on this?