Yin Yang

Yin Yang

The Feng Shui Home & Yin-Yang

Feng shui (pronounced “fung shway” and literally meaning “wind” and “water”), a far eastern meta-physical oriented philosophy, and with origins dating back over 3,000 years, is utilized in design by concentrating on the blissful elegance of room space, object placement and equilibrium.

Thru extensive thought of color, spacing and alignment, the feng shui room adds positive “chi” (or life force) energy to your home, which is said to increase mental and physical health, ward off evil spirits, and bring health, wealth and tranquillity into your life.

There are many mechanisms for boosting the circulation of chi in your feng shui room. Lighting and brightness work to quell the dark forces while exciting the positive chi within your environment. Likewise, plants are used to add life to the inside by both conveying chi as well as manufacturing it.

Chinese mirrors are another neat way to reinforce chi, and are particularly effective as a defense to disturbed locations where only a puny positive or a very negative chi is present. And water, symbolizing wealth, can be incorporated into the home through babbling fountains, or a clean, healthy fish tank.

As well as the interior, further feng shui home decorating tips so as to maximize chi include consideration of the home’s exterior qualities,eg physical placement (i.e, ideally the front facing south), as well as vicinity to surrounding hills and mountains (providing protection), bodies of water (symbolizing wealth), and the stars.

Yin-Yang

The ancient Chinese philosophy of yin-yang is an appreciation of the coexistence of opposing forces which complement each other and seeks to unite opposites. But what does it mean and how does it pertain to Asian art & home decor? As a core Asian philosophy, yin-yang represents life’s opposites and striking balance, which translates at length into how Asian homes are decorated.

Examples ofyin(black-female) include being dark, passive, down, wet, weak, inner, or cold.Yang(white-male), on the other hand, is exemplified by such things as light, activity, up, dry, potent, outer and life. Light versus dark, hard and soft, round or angled, past and present, are often contrasted against each other in Asian home decorating in such a style as to weave this philosophy into daily existance.

This philosophy is not about “good” vs “evil” but instead it conveys the universal truth about the inherent opposites, the push and pull, the tug of war, occurring throughout our complete existence.

One preferred example of this unremitting exchange between opposites in Asian decor is located when black is used to contrast with lighter coloured objects, for example displaying white stones against a black dish to achieve the visual aspect of balance.

Chris Jeub has 2 websites devoted to interior decorating, where you’ll find many great articles spanning Feng Shui home decorating and other design themes from all over the world. Be sure to visit his sister website, www.worldly-treasures.com, for decorating accessories and ancient art.

Ying Yang Twins – Salt Shaker