The WATER Element in Feng Shui
February 13, 2009 – 9:18 am
Water Element: "...Gently down the stream"
WATER: (1) Water is considered the messenger of prosperity. It can quench thirst or cause drowning. It can cleanse the body or destroy by flood. WATER is associated with North and Winter, the color black and round shapes.
WATER extinguishes FIRE and is controlled by EARTH. It is purified by METAL and nourishes WOOD.
To understand the vital role that WATER plays in Feng Shui, we must first understand the origins of belief in the relationship between Mountains, Wind and Water. Long, long ago, when man was first beginning to seek shelter, mountains were considered extremely valuable. They provided a natural barrier against attack, strong winds and heavy rains. Over time, the belief arose that mountains possessed powerful, protective properties; the longer the chain of mountains, the stronger the protection.
Wind was viewed as a destructive force, constantly doing battle against the mountain. While gentle winds were necessary for clean air, strong winds considered destructive. Water was the great equalizer, absorbing positive energy from the mountain and transporting it through movement, Wind energy, to man and his environment in a constructive way.
[Think about your body for just a minute. Mountain is found in bones and muscles. Water is found in circulation of blood and bodily fluids. Both play a vital role in overall health, as does gentle wind energy in the air you breathe. When air enters the body its positive energy, Oxygen, is converted in the lungs and delivered to muscles and bones through the blood and circulatory system.]
Among the Five Elements, Water is the most important because Feng Shui masters believe that water brings good fortune. You can have a happy home without a mountain to protect you but without water you will quickly perish.
In a modern application, WATER is also considered to bring goodness in the form of money, a good job, a satisfying career, welcomed visitors, etc. Therefore it is associated with your front door and “Bright Hall” entryway of the home. If you wish to bring good fortune, always keep your entrance bright, clean, uncluttered and welcoming. To enhance WATER energy, add symbolic or actual water features to the area, like a bird bath or small pond out front, an indoor vase of pretty flowers in your hallway or something as simple as a picture of a sailboat near the front door. It should be a gentle reminder of water as you enter the space.
Conversely, inauspicious WATER is associated with laundry areas and bathrooms and should never be near the entrance of the home. These rooms, like the trashcans, should be at the back of the house.
To be appealing a Water room should be decorated in appropriate colors that remind you of calm, gentle flowing water like blues or sandy tans. White is also a good choice because it represents METAL which purifies WATER. Light green represents WOOD which is feed by WATER. You would not want a red bathroom, however, because WATER and FIRE would constantly be at battle, causing no rest for those who use the space. Red in a bathroom can also subconsciously register as blood, an undesired effect.
If you live at the beach or near a river or lake you will want to use EARTH elements to balance your environment and harmonize your home. Think about all those tan or bright yellow beach houses. You wouldn’t want to paint your beach house bright blue because you already have enough WATER energy and a red oceanfront home would feel out of place even if you don’t realize why.
