In Feng Shui we are working with two types of environmental influences: the physical environment of a building, the Forms, and its subtle energetic influences.
Energies and Forms are like two sides of a coin that need to be in harmony for a place to have great life force and balance. In this newsletter we’ll have a look at what is important about Forms.
Feng Shui Forms (definition):
Forms are the physical things: the mountains, bodies of water, roads, other buildings, trees, rocks, walls, pathways, furniture, objects…
Safety
Raging rivers and large busy, or oncoming, roads are threatening to us: you can’t get across them and may feel ‘attacked’; they may be noisy, polluted and unpredictable, and make you feel edgy.
Likewise, you would feel unsettled in a home below an unstable ragged cliff face or over-towered by a 15-story apartment block. You instinctively wouldn’t consider such forms ‘safe’.
Our gut reactions and common sense – and even house prices – are excellent indicators of good or bad Feng Shui.
Beauty
Beautiful Forms make us feel good. While beauty is to some extend in the eye of the beholder, we tend to have a general agreement as to what is harmonious and beautiful.
In our immediate environment we like soft meandering streams or roads, and soft hills. Inside, we prefer meandering corridors, rounded corners that help us move with ease, and pictures and objects that uplift us.
The principle of beautiful forms is violated in a home that is in a bad state of repair or in a rundown neighbourhood. Inside, dirt, clutter and broken things contribute to us feeling unsettled.
Purpose
Each type of activity requires different forms: Soft shapes help us relax in a bedroom or lounge. A square solid table or desk – and a regular rectangular shaped home – give us a sense of stability. A round building – or a kidney-shaped glass table with metal legs – is dynamic and would suit an environment that thrives on change.
Balance
Objects in a room need to be in proportion to its size: if the furniture is too big in a relatively small space, you easily feel crowded and stifled. If it is too small and sparse in a larger area, you tend to feel lost and ungrounded.
Likewise, the size of a home needs to be in balance with the neighbouring buildings – if it’s too large it tends to be too exposed; if it is too small it is dominated by the other building.
Good Forms are like a good meal – with the right proportion of each ingredient, beautifully arranged. If the Forms are good, you are a long way towards great Feng Shui. If they are wrong, you cannot overcome this by good energies alone.
Follow your gut instincts when selecting or decorating a place – you instinctively know which forms are right.
Photo by Christian Lohner on Unsplash