Direction and Color in Feng Shui
By Victoria Pendagron
Most of the practice of Feng Shui that we’re familiar with in the United States is based on the “Psychological” or “Western” approach, a simplified version of the compass-based intuitive science that has been practiced in China for centuries. Many cultures have their own versions of Feng Shui, though they might not have a name for the practice. Two features tend to be a constant in all: the entry to the home and attention to the directions of the compass.
There’s a reason for the attention to the directions and it is the path of the sun through the sky. The terms “southern exposure” and “northern exposure” are no doubt familiar to you. Northern exposure is well known as the desired location for artist studios because of its unchanging light. The reason the light in a northern exposure is unchanging is because the sun, in its ecliptic (path), rises in the east, passes over the south and sets in the west, leaving the north to itself. Consequently, light reaches the northern exposure but never shines directly on it. If you were constructing your yurt or your tee-pee in the cold of winter, you’d want to avoid setting it up with its entrance facing north with its cold winds.
Southern exposure, quite naturally, provides just the opposite, a constant exposure to the warmth and the light of the sun. Each direction has its own flavor and recommendations for making the best use of the energy of the direction. The angular directions – NE, SE, SW, and NW – draw a little from each of the prime directions that make them up.
The East is where the sun rises in the late spring, through summer and into the early fall; it never rises in exactly the same place every day, inching from SE to E as winter turns into spring and back after the summer solstice. One of the most delightful ways to keep yourself connected to and conscious of the ever-changing path of the sun is to hang prisms in the windows you have that bathe in the light of the sun.
Not only will you enliven the energy of your home with the small rainbow splashes of color, if you have a cat in the house you can swing the crystal gently on its mono-filament and bring the joy of laughter into your home as well, watching as he or she stalks the pesky multicolored invaders back and forth and around the room.
The favored color for rooms facing east, the direction associated with health in ancient China, was green and it remains the best choice. Green – the color of life because it is the color of the leaves that bring us both oxygen and nutrition – comes in a vast array of colors; so varied is the range that as a rule even people who “don’t like green” can find something that suits them.
The South, of course, is where it’s hot, hot, hot and the energy generated by this direction is lively, if not actually somewhat frenetic at times. Because the south is linked to the fire of the sun, its colors are reds, brilliant oranges, and yellows. But just as hot spices are best used in moderation, so too are these colors best used for accessories or accent pieces in a southern exposure where too much of a good thing can lead to a very high and even contentious energy.
For walls and carpets and large expanses, earth tones are the colors of choice. In the Asian 5-element system, fire is said to give birth to earth (think: volcano) so making use of the seemingly endless range of deep to pale yellows, browns, oranges, even off-whites sort of ‘wears out’ the fire energy, creating a space more comfortable than crackling.
By the time the sun reaches the west, where it sets, the superabundance of negatively charged ions that make the dawn air so healthful are depleted; even the light is different. The clear brilliance of the morning has given way, by dusk, to a somewhat softer though more deeply dramatic light that shows off landscapes at their finest and tends to compliment faces of all ages. Energy is declining in the west, going down with the setting sun.
To make the most of the drama present in the west, complement its energy with richer, deeper shades of color and use metallic accents to spark vibrance. Such a combination works beautifully for most communal rooms in a home; a child’s room, though, would be better off tending towards soft blues or yellows, and silver-greys. Children need more light than drama in their little lives!
Coming to rest in the north is a natural thing to do for this is the place of constancy, a place where one can observe the flow or dive into it.
The element associated with the north, traditionally, is water and while we mostly think of the refreshing, rejuvenating qualities of water, in the Chinese tradition water is considered the most dangerous of all the elements. Unlike fire – the obvious candidate for the ‘most dangerous’ position – water hides its dangers and many a person has been swept away by an unseen undertow.
One can drown in the stillness of the north – or freeze. An excellent spot for sleep, it may not work so well for someone who has difficulty rising in the morning and it can be a challenging spot for a home office or for a child with little inclination to get up and go.
To enhance its energy, use the colors of water: blues, blue-greens and whites and everything in between. To reduce it somewhat, as you might need to for a home office that can’t be moved, focus mainly on brighter shades of green, giving the room a more plant-like feel, allowing the water to ‘work’ on feeding those plants.
Let your home reflect the cycles of nature and the light of the sun and allow yourself to synchronize with the flow of life.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope!
Rev. Victoria Pendragon, D.D. is an artist and the author of six books, most recently, Sleep Magic, Surrender to Success, a do-it-yourself guide to cellular reprogramming. She is a thrice-certified Feng Shui consultant and former teacher at the Shambhalla Feng Shui institute. She can be seen on her YouTube series, My Alternate Reality. Learn more at www.victoriapendragon.com.
