Easy feng shui decorating with the Earth element: nourishment, stability, and protection.
Earth feng shui element is definitely the element that each home or office must have. Of course, we need all five feng shui elements for our well being — in different proportions for different spaces and different people — but the Earth element is the one to strengthen in your home no matter what your personal birth element is. As you can guess from the name, the Earth feng shui element brings the energy of nourishment, stability, support, and caring patience. With the very disconnected, hectic, as well as vastly artificial way of modern life, a strong Earth element in your space will bring you back to your own center, will calm and reassure you, as well as provide stable support and calm.
Earth feng shui element is especially welcomed in the bedroom, its warm, nourishing, and earthy feel brings the best energies for the bedroom, especially when combined with a bit of Fire feng shui element. As with all feng shui elements that we are exploring in good feng shui decorating of a home or office, start by asking yourself how does the energy of earth feel to you and how can you best express it in your home. We say Mother Earth in almost any known language and culture, so the energy of the Earth element is first and foremost a very nurturing, strong, and protective feminine energy. It gives and sustains life, it protects, it holds, it cherishes and it heals.
In feng shui, the Earth element is created by the element of Fire (in the so-called creative cycle of feng shui elements), so there is a strong and powerful connection between these two elements. It is always best to have at least some of the Fire element when you focus on decorating with the Earth feng shui element. My own personal birth element is Earth and this explains the abundance of calming earthy colours in my home, as well as my sometimes over the board love for crystals and stones. I also have a lot of Fire element in my energy make up (we have all 5 elements, just in different proportions), so an earthy decor helps absorb some of the excess fire that can get triggered in me when I get too busy working on various creative projects.
My Earth element decor brings me back to balance and calms and strengthens me in a very wholesome way. I feel very nourished and supported by its energy. If your personal feng shui birth element is Earth, Metal, or Wood, you can bring an abundance of the Earth element energy into your home, as it will definitely balance and strengthen your energy. However, if your personal birth element is either Fire or Water, then you might want to experiment and see when and where to bring the Earth element, and when to avoid it.
Generally, it is considered that a predominantly Earth element decor can weaken the energy of Fire and Water feng shui birth element people. Experiment and see if this is right for you, as we are all unique and have different factors to look at when creating a good feng shui home or office. As with the other elements info, I am structuring the Earth feng shui element decorating basics in three clear and easy sections: “When”, “Where” and “How”; and then the infographic below should help apply this information.
WHEN
To Decorate with the Earth Feng Shui Element
Strengthen the Earth element in your home or office decor when you need to reach a place of centred calm and peace, as well as create a strong, supportive foundation to keep your creative fire burning steadily instead of in quick exhausting bursts. Look for Earth feng shui element to bring stability to any area of your life — be it love, health, or family harmony.This is also the element to look for when your energy is scattered and you lack the sense of being centered and grounded. Stability, nourishment, and a strong foundation are the three main keywords for this caring, strong and motherly element.
WHERE
To Focus on Earth Element Decor
As with any feng shui element, the Earth element is always best in bagua areas that are either defined by it or nurtured by its energy. The bagua areas that have Earth as their defining element are Southwest, Northeast and Center. The bagua areas that are strengthened by the powerful energy of this element are Northwest, West, East and Southeast.
HOW
To Decorate with the Earth Feng Shui Element
As always with genuinely good feng shui, choose decor expressions that come out of your creativity and love of beauty rather than from a textbook on feng shui. Understand the classical feng shui guidelines, then apply them in your own creative and personal way. Some of the best examples of bringing the energy of the Earth element are the use of color, pottery, crystals and stones, s well as images of earthy landscapes (without too much greenery or water). A perfect example of the Earth feng shui element art is the stunning photography of the Antelope Canyon in the USA.
This infographic should be an easy reference for using the nurturing Earth feng shui element in your home or office decorating. Now let’s explore the Metal element.
Photo via Restoration Hardware; infographic by Rodika Tchi
