Preparing to move into a new dorm, apartment or house can be a stressful time. While it’s fun and exciting to pick out a new bedspread, furniture and decorations, it can be hard to coordinate your new digs with the things you already have. In addition, although we strive to make our new space a haven for both studying and slumbering, sometimes we surrender the time-consuming process of arranging and rearranging to simply putting things wherever they fit. This summer, I challenge you HC readers to take time to think about your future (or current) space, and create the collegiate sanctuary you have always dreamt of through the principles of feng shui.
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art and science that dictates how to balance the energies of a space (your new place, for example) to ensure the well-being and good fortune of those residing in it. Because feng and shui (‘feng’ meaning wind and ‘shui’ meaning water) are associated with good health in the Chinese culture, “good feng shui” has come to mean good fortune while “bad feng shui” means misfortune.
Cindy Jarz, a court reporter from Minooka, Illinois and mother of three, uses feng shui to create a calm environment in her home and to promote positive behavior in her family. “I think people who live in a feng shui household provide a place of stable energy for themselves. A clear house promotes a clear mind,” Jarz said. Reap the benefits of feng shui with these simple tips from World of Feng Shui to rearrange or redecorate your current place or plan ahead for your new pad.
One easy and effective way to bring good feng shui your way is adjust the placement of your bed. If your bed is placed in proper feng shui position, you can avoid negative energy that is harmful to your health. According to feng shui principle, your headboard should be anchored against a wall for proper support, and should not “hang” in the center of the room. In addition, your headboard should never point towards the bedroom door. This is thought to drain your energy and make you tired. Finally, if you sleep close to the ground, consider raising your mattress. This guards against both illness and bad luck.
Next, incorporate feng shui color schemes to maximize the good energy in your space. “My room used to be painted red, an unfit color for a bedroom according to feng shui. After painting my room blue, I noticed I felt more at ease, and began falling asleep faster,” Jarz said. “Feng shui (color schemes) also influence behavior: The color red is said to trigger appetite.”
For each cardinal direction in your house, apartment or room, there are correlating colors. Energize the element of water that characterizes the north zone of your space by using blues and blacks, which improve career prospects for the inhabitant (i.e. an internship or landing a post-grad job). In the east zone of your place, characterized by the element of wood, use greens and blues as much as possible to create optimism and contentment. Represent the element of fire in the south zone of your apartment by using reds and oranges, which energize fame, success and luck. In the west, represent the element of metal with yellow, brown and other earth tones to awaken and enhance youth, joyfulness and family.
Finally, one of the simplest yet effective ways to clear old energy and produce good feng shui is to de-clutter your space. Instead of letting messes build up over weeks, pick a time at the beginning or end of every day to choose an area that needs the most work (like your unrecognizable closet or non-existent floor) and organize and clean the space.
According to World of Feng Shui, a clear, clean home “brings out the creativity and confidence that lies latent within you.” For Jarz, organizing her home has been a profound feng shui experience. “When things feel organized, the energy flowing in my house and life feels really positive and light,” she said. “Your outlook on life is geared toward the glass half-full. I would tell anyone that pitching clutter and clearing out is the first step in changing energy in your space.”