Feng shui

The five elements

Feng shui borrows the five phases of Chinese philosophy — wood, fire, earth, metal and water — and uses them to balance a room through color, material and shape. In the productive cycle wood feeds fire, fire makes earth as ash, earth bears metal, metal gathers water and water nourishes wood. In the controlling cycle wood parts earth, earth dams water, water puts out fire, fire melts metal and metal cuts wood.

A practitioner who finds too much of one element — a red, south-facing room full of fire — would add the element that controls it or the one it produces, rather than simply removing things. The same logic lies behind the colors in the bagua table above.

Room by room

• Entrance: keep it clear, well lit and uncluttered; it is where qi, and guests, enter.
• Bedroom: place the bed so you can see the door without being directly in line with it, with a solid wall behind the headboard and no heavy beam overhead.
• Desk: sit in the "commanding position", facing the room and the door rather than with your back to it.
• Kitchen: avoid the cook standing with their back to the door, and keep the stove and sink from facing each other directly, a clash of fire and water.
• Living room: arrange seats so conversation is easy and walkways are free.

Most of these rules hold up without any metaphysics: being able to see who is coming feels safer, a tidy room is easier to use, and daylight helps you stay alert by day and sleep at night.