For the past few weeks I have been working on a feng shui project with the generous help of a friend from the forums. She was nice enough to offer to share her extensive knowledge of feng shui with me and I am excited to tap into her expertise to work on my new room and house this summer! Already I am learning so much from her feedback and from my own reading in books and on the internet. Check out the feng shui discussion in the forum.

Sante_j recently wrote a blog on feng shui. While I admire her vigor in expressing her view, I just don’t see things in such a strict way. Why assume that the great thinkers and artists she mentions chose imbalance and were therefore great? While I believe that NOTHING is ever in balance, isn’t it the SEEKING of balance (or “harmony” or “right” or “better”) that produces greatness? No one who is a “master” in some field begins as one. True masters learn the guidelines and techniques of their art and use these tools for their own extraordinary self-expression. The paintbrush does not create a masterpiece, it is simply a conduit for the painter.

So, I think rather than being restrictive, feng shui is a tool that encourages creativity and individual expression. Feng shui provides guidelines and a structure for creating a harmonious home just like the BTD does for creating a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Many people see the BTD (or any other popular diet or lifestyle strategy) as being too restrictive, but my experience has been that learning about this lifestyle, and natural medicine in general, has challenged me to go beyond what was easy or convenient and instead step up and learn what is RIGHT for me. It provided a structure to learn the best foods, exercise, and lifestyle for me as an individual and the reward is a healthy, happy outlook that I might not have achieved otherwise. Just like I have tools to help me achieve my goals for health, feng shui is a tool to help me achieve my goal of a harmonious and personalized environment. Feng shui is a set of guidelines, not hard and fast rules. It is up to the user to go beyond “following the rules” to become an artist and to apply this information to their unique situation.

Today I was working on possible floor plans for my room and thinking about what colours and decorations I want to use. If I was not considering feng shui principles, my room would look nice enough, but I definitely wouldn’t have put as much time and effort into it. Learning about feng shui is so interesting that I am now challenging myself to be more thoughtful and creative. Because of this effort, I have come up with new ideas on furniture arrangement and how to use pieces I already own (and love) creatively to make this space truly mine. The result is going to be far more harmonious and personalized specifically BECAUSE I have feng shui guidelines at my disposal.

The use of any tool depends on the user – guidelines may exist, but the use of them by a unique individual is what makes the product art.