By Amelia Cuesta
Editorial Staff El Inmobiliario
What does being in harmony mean to you? I invite you to think about it for two seconds…
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy defines harmony as follows: from the Latin harmonĭa, and this from the Greek ἁρμονία; properly 'joint', 'assembly'.
We can achieve this state in various ways: waking the children up; preparing a coffee, tea, or smoothie, whatever you like; going for a walk or eating at your favorite restaurant, seeing a loved one smile… You keep going.
Just as harmony is an art, there are other philosophies that provide you with tools to find balance in everything you think, say, do, and express, both within yourself and in your home. This is extremely important.
“Feng shui is an art that deals with people, in which we use the space that surrounds us to promote harmony in their lives; it seeks to harmonize the individual between heaven and earth,” said Dr. Sandino Grullón in an interview with El Inmobiliario, about the philosophy of feng shui in the home.
There are different philosophies with different principles throughout Asia. In India, it's called Vastu, and in China, there's Feng Shui (fēng: wind, shuǐ: water). It experienced a great boom in the country in the 1990s. It has two main schools: the form school, which focuses on the physical environment—the shape of the building, the surroundings where the house is located, including the sides, front, and back.
Here, the house has its front facing a certain place to achieve a certain impact, and the compass school, in charge of the time factor, which - based on the date and moment when the house was built - tells you what type of energy moves in it, observing the cycles of increase and decrease, or what type of energy will circulate in the different spaces during the year.
“In conclusion, the school of form harmonizes you in physical space, and the compass in time. All of this is focused on the individual, on how the harmonizer will influence that person's life at the level of space and time. A house facing north is not the same as one facing east,” explained the space harmonizer, “energetically, the distribution of space is not the same,” he emphasized.
Imagine that everything you do and say is a dance where your thoughts, words, movements, and actions are in perfect rhythm, flowing like a scarf lost in the wind, creating different shapes as it floats through the air; just like nature, a unique representation of change, transformation, and movement. That is the philosophy of feng shui: it allows you to be dynamic and for things to come to you, but to receive, you must let go.
The effect of feng shui in the home
Movement activates energy zones. In some buildings, the best areas are the garden or the laundry room, while the worst are the master bedroom or living room. In these situations, the focus is on using colors, furniture, and shapes, selecting those that the space needs, healing it, and making the most of it. These elements aim to change the energy of a given space, either by stimulating positive influences or diminishing negative ones.
It's the balance of opposites, like yin and yang. Every home has favorable and unfavorable areas; harmonization allows you to manage the energies of your home using the right elements.
What's the starting point for this technique?
External and internal order, explains Sandino Grullón, who states that being harmonized is both an internal and external process, where order and cleanliness are very important—having what works for you and brings you good. Within the philosophy of feng shui, accumulating things is not advisable. Energy flows in your home like the current of a river; therefore, if the spaces aren't clear, there won't be room for new things. The purpose of order in feng shui is to have what you need and use—to be functional.
Regarding how each space in the home should be organized, he maintains that the most important thing is for the house to be clear, with nothing obstructing your entrance. Furniture such as the sofa, armchair or rocking chair should not have its back to the door; you should be able to see it easily.
"In bedrooms, it's important to consider that the bed shouldn't be directly in front of the door. Headboards symbolize protection and security, so it's always a good idea for the bed to have one. It also shouldn't be placed under the window, as the movement passing by can cause discomfort and disturb your sleep. The same can happen if your mirror is facing your bed; ideally, its reflection should be on another wall. However, if your bed faces the window and you like it that way, simply close the window before going to sleep, or you can hang a curtain to cover it.".
In the kitchen area, make sure the sink and stove are not next to each other, and that all the burners are working. If they aren't working properly, something is wrong. Leaks in both the kitchen and bathrooms are associated with financial losses; you generate a good amount, but it disappears easily.
The materials, textures, and decorations will depend on the space, the consultant's opinion, and the specific needs of the project.
Feng sui includes the so-called celestial animals, each representing one of the five elements, with different shapes and colors:
- Water: represented by the turtle, black in color and in irregular shapes
- Wood: represented by the dragon, any type of wood, all shades of green, in elongated or cylindrical shapes.
- Fire: represented by the phoenix, bright red in color and with pointed shapes.
Metal: represented by the tiger, with white and gray colors and rounded metallic shapes. - Earth: represented by the snake, it is yellow and ochre in color, square shapes, stable, heavy in materials such as ochre and clay.
If you feel that life isn't flowing as it should, if your relationships aren't going well, or if money isn't coming in, you can turn to this technique. Feng shui isn't like waving a magic wand; it will unblock the energy around you so that it flows freely and move it so that things happen, as long as you do what you need to do.
The best times to use feng shui techniques and philosophy are before construction, after construction, and when a space is out of harmony.
For this art's harmonization work to be effective, you must take action. These tools can be used to start a project, continue a healing process, or maintain what is already in perfect balance, always allowing everything to remain in constant motion, in a state of profound fluidity.
