Feng Shui and Water

How to get the perfect balance indoors and outdoors

The art of Feng Shui is a custom that keeps our homes and offices in perfect harmony and balance. Did you know that water is a key element to implementing this practice? Water isn’t just beneficial for your health and the environment. It’s also a way to bring luck and prosperity into your lives when used correctly in Feng Shui. But what exactly is Feng Shui and how can you incorporate its use of water into your home? We’ve got all the answers about Feng Shui and water for you right here.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that implements all of the natural elements-Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water- into a space to help create a positive flow of energy. Actually, the term feng shui literally translates into wind and water. Wind carries chi, the energy of life or the energy that permeates everything around us, and it gathers near water. Feng Shui is often misunderstood as a way of simply arranging and decorating the home but is a very formulaic system for balancing and attracting positive energy into a home, office, room, or garden. When appropriately executed in the room, you will notice less stress and anxiety as well as a much more effective flow of energy. The goal is to create a place that is comfortable and loving for you and your family where all the elements complement each other to produce balance and harmony.

Water and Feng Shui

While all the other elements are essential, water is extremely important in Feng Shui as it is the ancient Chinese symbol of prosperity and abundance. Flowing water symbolizes income. This could be a river, lake, or a pond. As long as it is flowing in a peaceful way it symbolizes wealth aka money coming in each month! And when the water accumulates it signifies affluence and a collection of assets like a company, property, or business. According to legend, to amass great wealth, you need to accumulate water. You can build a swimming pool or a pond, at least 18 inches deep and you will reap the benefits.

Besides all the good fortune water can bring, the sight and sound of moving water is relaxing and reduces stress. It also helps to keep the positive energy flowing through out your living space at all times. Stagnant energy is negative and wreaks havoc on the body and mind, but keeping the energy flowing is considered to be extremely healthy and revitalizes the energy life force. Water also helps to humidify the air, which increases the air quality and is another benefit for your health.

Implementing Feng Shui and Water Indoors

The first step to incorporating the water element of Feng Shui inside your home is to cut the clutter. This gets rid of bad messy energy and gives you a fresh start. In order to have good chi, you must have a clear space, good light, and good air quality. Then get your bagua or Feng Shui map to analyze where the specific energies are located. The map has regions dedicated to family, career, wealth and much more, and putting a water feature in the wrong location can be devastating.

A Feng Shui fountain helps to balance energy and increase personal strength. It also brings nature indoors to incorporate harmony in your home. It is good to have one that holds at least a few quarts of water. If placed in a large room it is good to have several gallons or even a larger quantity of water. The material and color do not make much of a difference as long as you have enough water. Just try to avoid colors like red, which represents fire, an element that clashes with water. The fountain that you choose can also represent one or more elements. A metal fountain, like one made of copper or steel, will represent the element of metal, while a fountain made of stone or ceramic will represent the element of earth.

Proper placement is vitally important for success. The water element is very beneficial in the following Feng Shui areas: East, Southeast and North. Water fountains should not be placed in the South direction because it is associated with reputation and fame and its element is fire. If these areas fall in your bedroom, kitchen, or bathroom place the fountain in the wealth corner of your living room. Also do not put a fountain under a stair way as this can cause illness or other misfortune to children. Regardless of direction, the main entrance to a home is always a good place for a water feature, as it tends to attract wealth and success. Just make sure it is to the left of the door. It is said that having water to the right may cause extramarital affairs.

Having a portable fountain may be the best way to determine the best placement. Using a portable fountain allows you to experiment. Place a fountain or water somewhere in the room and then wait a week and see if anything changes. If you experience a lot of negative things in your life then remove the water feature from that area. Do this one fountain at a time to see how it affects your life.

In any fountain, indoor or outdoor, water should be kept clean and constantly flowing. The speed of the water should look pleasing and relaxing and the sound should be pleasant, not harsh. You can run the fountain continuously, but to help the pump to last longer, use a timer, or try an auto shut-off pump. Once a month you should turn off your indoor fountain and wipe it down with a mild cleaner or use fountain cleaner tablets and some solvent that will remove hard water deposits.

Implementing Feng Shui and Water Outdoors

Feng Shui is not only implemented inside the home, it can be executed outdoors as well. In Feng Shui theory, every 9 years buildings and homes will be locked for money, which means financial trouble can occur. Placing the right amount of water to a complementary area outside of your home can unlock your home or business. As long as the water is flowing the money will be too. Regardless of placement, make sure the water flows toward a house and not away from the house or building. To help avoid this locked phase, you can place a water fountain in front of your house. This invites the prosperity, abundance, and good luck into your home. However, a Zen water garden in the backyard can work as well. For outside fountains, you want many gallons of water to be effective. An outside fountain should hold at least 25 gallons of water and even more if possible. As mentioned above, adding a pond is also a great water remedy. Outside fountains and ponds need to be cleaned since they can collect dirt, leaves, bird droppings or other debris. You can hose down an outside fountain and also add water treatments to keep the water clean and clear, as often as is needed.

Don’t worry if the pond or fountain isn’t in the desired direction. You will just need to be careful with placement and understand how the five elements are expressed in shapes and colors and how they balance out the water element. Most important is to create a space for just for you. You’ll need wind chimes, plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and, of course, the fountain or pond. Create a path to your outdoor space with a few strategically placed Zen garden fountains, which you can buy or easily make yourself. Garden fountains should create a sanctuary for birds, pets, friends and family. Ponds innately attract this energy and give a natural Feng Shui effect. These water features help to balance the forces of nature and create a healthy energy for all living creatures. By sharing your Feng Shui fountain or pond with all living things, you’re opening your heart to positive energy, or chi.

Get Started

If you feel lost and want to make sure you are balancing your home correctly then consult with a Feng Shui professional. But hopefully we’ve given you some starter points to using water with Feng Shui so you can relax and enjoy your sacred living space.