The Wood Element in Feng Shui
February 16, 2009 – 7:50 amWOOD: (3,4) East, Southeast, Straight/Upright, Spring
Wood energy alive and well in the backyard of Chris Deer & Mark Carr
The most gentle and easily used of the five elements is WOOD. Wood is alive in the green plants that are all around us. Even after it is cut down and turned into furniture, it exhibits a life force in the grain and growth rings. Although not as strong as METAL, WOOD can be used to absorb and purify WIND.
Think about how plants clean the air. They absorb air molecules, convert them into usable elements and release excess oxygen. In the evening they reverse this process, absorbing air molecules, converting vital elements and releasing carbon dioxide. This constant process cleans the air by removing impurities. In that same manner, WOOD absorbs and redirects the flow of energy around and through itself. How often have your read about using evergreens as a wind breaker? They slow down the wind rather than block it completely as a wall would do.
In relationship to the other elements, WOOD absorbs WATER and feeds FIRE. It pulls energy from EARTH and is cut down by METAL.
WOOD exists around the yard in all of the living green plants, shrubs and trees. Think about a nice, fresh, green lawn or a neatly trimmed row of hedges. These carry the vital WOOD element but can also serve to soften the energy before it enters the home.
If a house sits directly opposite an on-coming road, for example, where it feels like a car could drive directly into the front door, WOOD can serve as an organic buffer in the form of a privacy fence, a row of hedges or a cluster of shrubs. Each reduces and redirects the oncoming destructive energy.
Indoors, WOOD can be found in almost every room, in furniture, plants and the color green. Feng Shui masters recognize the varying degrees of each. Living plants carry the strongest amount of Chi (positive energy), the color green the next strongest and cut wood the weakest.
Using WOOD energy is as easy as placing a houseplant in the path of destructive energy. A good example would be placing a plant near the stairs that face the front door. We’ll talk about placement of rooms and stairs later, but for now understand that your front door should never be directly opposite of your back door, nor should your stairs face the front door directly, as is the case in many of our homes. Proper placement will redirect the WIND energy that enters the home and prevent a strong current from moving right through the space without stop.
Unlike FIRE, METAL or WATER, WOOD doesn’t attract a great deal of energy. Rather, it helps purify the energy already present. A light, spring green paint color will freshen up a space, making a room seem more inviting, but a bright yellow will make it come alive.
As subtle as its energy force is, WOOD can be overdone. Too many plants will give a cluttered appearance and suck up all of the WATER and EARTH energy in the space. In a kitchen, too much WOOD can burn down the house.
Excessive paneling and wood furniture, without the other elements to balance them, will make a room feel old and dated. In the bedroom, a light green wall color can “add fuel to the fire” in a positive way but too many plants will suck all of the oxygen out of the room at night.
WOOD is associated with the direction of East and Southeast and is an auspicious element for those in the healing arts, medical profession, gardening centers and elementary education.
Now that you understand the Five Key Elements in Feng Shui, look around your space once again. Can you find all five in every room of the house? Does one overpower the rest? Are any fighting each other? Have fun exploring and you can learn to become the master of your own energy.
