Being Green With Feng Shui

While the Green Movement gains momentum, Feng Shui enthusiasts and consultants are saying, “It’s about time!” Another phrase borrowed from Barbara Mandrell comes to mind, “We were ‘green’ before ‘green’ was cool.” So what does Feng Shui and being green have in common? Everything actually.

The end goal of Feng Shui and the Green Movement is the same: Living in harmony with Mother Earth. But the means is quite different.

Thousands of years ago the Chinese incorporated Feng Shui into their living spaces as a way of life. By intuitively following the way that the wind (Feng) and water (Shui) shaped the land, the Chinese would locate their homes in a way to optimally harmonize their living environment with the Earth’s energy. By living “in harmony,” our host, Mother Earth, benefited as did her guests.

Fast forward a few thousand years to 2009 A.D. One third of the Earth’s natural resources have been depleted in the last three decades. The United States alone consumes 30% of the world’s resources and 30% of its waste with only 5% of the world’s population. If every country consumed at this rate, we would need 3-5 planets. And then there are the toxins. There are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals used in commerce today with U.S. industries admitting to releasing over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals annually. (See www.storyofstuff.com for more stats.)

Somewhere along the way we have gone from living in harmony with Mother Earth to destroying her. The Green Movement is about undoing this destruction. What caused the disharmony and what will bring us back in harmony is the same thing: the bottom line. Businesses are learning that it can be a win-win situation to work in harmony with the Earth. On top of that, consumers are also demanding earth-friendly products, from cars to shoes to food. What everyone is realizing is that we simply cannot continue to live on this Planet while harming it. As a result, we are coming up with smarter, better, and more cost-effective ways of living. And, in doing so, we are slowly returning to a time of respecting our host, Planet Earth.

While the Green Movement looks at how we can live harmoniously with the Earth on the physical plane, Feng Shui consultants consider the same thing but on the energetic level. Having toxins, energy inefficiencies, or lots of “stuff” is inherently not good Feng Shui and can be spotted a mile away through Feng Shui eyes. Even more so, a Feng Shui consultant can observe, feel, and improve the energy or chi (which is actually electromagnetic waves from the Earth) on the land or in a space to optimize the living environment.

While there is a difference in the means to the end, these two sciences overlap with a singular message that is spreading across the globe. And that is to live consciously. That alone will make Mother Earth smile.