Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy. It is the study of living in harmony and prosperity with nature. Feng Shui means literally "wind water". It is a form of geomancy, trying to understand the relationships between nature and ourselves so that we may live in harmony within our environment. It is based upon the simple thought that our lives are deeply affected by our physical and emotional environment.
One of our chief environments is our house, where we spend most of our time. Feng Shui has advice and solutions to offer, in order to let the "chi", the energy, flow smoothly around the house. Curtains and windows are the most prominent features of our homes. Fabrics, color, material, window arrangement, yes, all these may affect your homes chi. Let"s see how to improve it.
· Pull the curtains back during daytime to allow sunlight to lighten your house and give the area positive energy.
· Keep your curtains closed at night. Don"t leave your windows exposed into night as it is considered to bring bad luck.
· Blinds and curtain rings should be of natural material. The most beneficial is wood. Avoid plastic by all means!
· Curtains should be large enough to cover the window and long enough to reach the floor.
· Curtains should have curves to them. When drawn together there should be enough fabric hanging to form pleats and folds.
· Make sure that curtains open and close easily.
· Curtains that hang limply each side of a window are considered bad Feng Shui.
· Keep your curtains and windows clean in order to allow the chi to come inside fresh and clean.
· Match your curtains with the seasons to freshen up yours and your chis" mood. Use heavy fabrics for winter and lighter fabrics for summer. Utilize warm colours for wintertime and light happy colours for spring and summertime. Choose shades of green at spring, shades of red, orange and pink at summer, white, grey and metallic colours for autumn and shades of blue in winter.
· Windows are best when opening outwards. If a window opens inwards make sure it doesn"t face the West, which is the direction that signifies death or ending. In that case, block negative chi with an outward facing mirror or a plant with round leaves.
· Octagonal and arched windows are considered good Feng Shui.
You can also utilize colours in your curtains to change colours in each room of your house, adjusting it correctly to specific energies each room should have. Have matching pairs in your bedroom and colours that invite love such as pink or green. For the diving room use red to keep guests energized and excited. For kitchens and playrooms orange and yellow is refreshing and revitalizing. Green is a calming colour ideal for living rooms. Purple signifies richness and transformation, which makes it ideal for spiritual rooms.
Whether you believe in Feng Shui or not, the best way to decorate your house and choose your curtain fabrics and colours is your personal taste and instinct. Add some positive Chi energy and you have the perfect house. Yours!