 Feng Shui Garden - Tap
Into the natural Rhythms & Cycles of Nature
By Debra Ford of the Feng Shui Zone
The benefits of gardening
are really too many to list, but two of the most important are health and exercise.
Gardening encourages you to spend more time outdoors, and if you include the principles of
Feng Shui into your gardening you will be blessed with a garden that not only improves
your health, but also adds to your peace of mind and nurtures your soul.
A Feng Shui garden is one in which there is a
balance of Yin and Yang energy plus a balance of the Five Elements. This balance allows
you to tap into the rhythms and cycles of nature and incorporate nature’s balance and
harmony into your life.
Feng Shui is all about balancing energy. Actually Feng Shui is only
about balancing energy. It is believed that if you balance the energy of your environment
(including your garden), this will balance your personal energy. Once your personal energy
is balanced you will increase your life success and improve all parts of your life - your
health, prosperity and relationships to name just a few.
One of the key ways to balance the energy in your garden is to make
sure that there is an equal representation of the Five Elements. The Five Elements are
wood, fire, earth, metal and water. In the garden, Wood Energy is represented by wooden
garden furniture, the colour green, wooden decks, fences and lattices and evergreen
plants. Fire Energy is represented by garden lighting, the colour red and the barbeque or
fire pit. Earth Energy comes from terracotta or earthenware pots, yellow or orange
colours, rock gardens and brick paving. Metal Energy could be metal sculptures or
containers, metal furniture, the colour white, grey or variegated leaf plants. Water
Energy is represented by a pond or fountain, a hot tub or the colours black and very dark
blue. If you strive to have something representing each of the Five Elements in both your
front and back yards, you be well on your way to balancing the energy in your garden.
Energy needs to flow through your garden like a babbling brook - it
shouldn’t rush and shouldn’t have stagnant pools either. To ensure that this
energy is flowing here are a few tips:
•Remove all unhealthy plants and trees from your garden - they
have sick energy. Only have healthy vibrant plants in your garden, particularly those that
are flowering, have berries or fruit, or are fragrant.
•Clear the clutter from your garden - weed the beds, remove the
dead heads and dead leaves and cut back any over growth. Keep the soil mulched and
fertilized.
•Make sure that your garden taps don’t leak - don’t let
your energy go down the drain.
•Keep the lawn mowed and in good condition and refrain from using
toxic chemicals in any part of your garden.
•Add bird feeders and birdhouses to your garden.
•Have curved beds and rounded paths in your garden to encourage
the energy to meander. If you have a straight path or driveway try to remove the straight
lines - plant ground cover along the edges or place flower pots along the edges to soften
the straight lines.
•Garden lights not only make the garden look great in the evening,
but also stimulate the flow of energy. Garden lights generate Yang energy to counteract
the Yin darkness. In the front garden, lights will attract energy into your garden and
home.
You can balance the energy further by adding sound, movement or solid
objects to your garden. Add sound by hanging wind chimes or bells, by installing a water
feature or attracting birds to your garden. Add movement with colourful flags or mobiles.
Add solid stable energy with heavy statues or large round rocks. Guide the energy in your
garden through curves and undulating lines. Enhance and welcome it with pleasant sounds,
harmonious colours and shapes, tidiness and a sense of balance between Yin and Yang energy
and the Five Elements. And most of all, remember that if you balance the energy in your
surroundings, you will balance your personal energy and this will increase your life
success.
Debra Ford, of the Feng Shui Zone, is a Feng Shui
Practitioner & De-Cluttering Coach, consulting on all aspects of Feng Shui for homes
& businesses. Contact her at 403.375.0668 or email fengshuizone@shaw.ca |
