According to the ancient practice of feng shui our natural world is comprised of five elements, earth, and water, fire, wood and metal. Each element works out a different mood and energy, and balancing these elements leads to a harmonious garden space that benefits the homeowner’s personality. Although feng shui means wind and water, wind is not considered one of crucial elements. However, it still bears significant power. This is a short guide on how to combine fire, water, earth, and wind in a garden decoration.
Engraved Garden Stones
The Element of Earth
Attributed to physical strength, the earth element creates the energy of stability, balance, support, and firm grounding. Its lack often involves sensations of chaos, disorganization, and confusion, while too much of it makes people bored, inert, and overly serious. Earth element can be boosted by adding earth colors like brown, sand and green, square and rectangular shapes and low or flat surfaces. Decorating your garden with few rocks, clay décor, and pottery pieces works well for re-establishing the nurturing energy of earth.
Camp Fire Pit
The Element of Fire
The protector of enthusiasm, fire element can increase leadership skills and boldness. It is used to improve expressiveness, inspiration and freedom of action. Fire element that dominates over the others results in anger, aggression, agitation, and impulsive behavior, while not enough of leads to emotional coldness, blurred vision, reclusive behavior and low self-esteem. Fire elements can be increase by adding candles, incandescent bulbs and sunlight, colors like reeds, pinks and purples and animal prints. Building a stone or cast iron fire pit in your garden will augment the fire element.
Large Pond Fountain
The Element of Water
Governing the aspect of spirituality and deep emptions, balanced water energy flow is a harbor for inspiration, wisdom and deep thought. Overabundant water element can show as emotional overload, something that ancient practitioners called emotional drowning. Not enough water element in your garden may result in you feeling lonely, isolated and unsympathetic. Asymmetric and flowing shapes, dark tones or the black color, planning a reflective pond, fishery, or a fountain, can increase the water element. Many plumbers offer domestic services like fountain installation, so you do not have to.
Wind Chimes
The Wind
Although not included into the five-element division of energy, wind is believed to govern the feelings of independence, freedom and vitality. Installing wind chimes on the patio or anywhere in the garden cures negative energy and brings prosperity and wealth to a home. Metal wind chimes should be placed in the West, Northwest and North, while wood or bamboo chimes are best placed in East, Southeast and South. Made of clay and porcelain, they augment the earth element and should be positioned in a central garden area.
Combining the Elements
Once the basic characteristics of these elements are understood, you can approach balancing them. There is a point in explaining that many objects reflect more than one element. For example, a potted plant represents earth because of its clay pot and the earth within. If the flowers or the pot are red, pink or purple they stand for fire. The best strategy is to make a list of objects together with elements that they augment, so you can fit them more easily.
When you are trying to increase or decrease influence of an element, you should be aware that no change makes the negative energy disappear, but simple establishes the balance between the positive and negative flow.
