Feng shui is about balance and expresses its polarity as the yin and yang energies. Yin and yang are opposites yet create the necessary polarity to balance chi energy. The polarity of feng shui is expressed in active energy known as yang and passive energy known as yin. Together these two energies create harmony.
Balancing of Yin and Yang Polarity in Feng Shui
The yin and yang theory of feng shui polarity can be compared to a bipolar magnetic field. The polarity has two parts. One part is creating an exertion of energy, while the other is receiving the energy caused by the exertion. According to ancient Taoist theory, everything that exists consists of the chi energy, also known as the life force. The chi is composed of two opposite properties, the yin (female) and the yang (male). Since yin and yang are opposite (polar) properties, neither can exist separately.
Polarity of Chi Energy
Chi energy encompasses eight elements that make up the universe. These include the lake, mountain, water, fire, thunder, heaven, earth, and wind. A combination of three of these elements is known as a trigram. Trigrams represent the specific energy pattern of the three elements. The arrangement of these energies affects the chi found within the environment. It also has an effect on the person(s) living within the environment. All eight trigrams of feng shui have one goal: to bring the individual into harmony with the universe.
The Bagua and Polarity
The bagua is formed by arranging these eight trigrams into the balanced and harmonic form. Every trigram has a polar opposite partner that balances the component and helps contribute to universal harmony. For instance, water is balanced by fire, mountain by earth, heaven by wind and thunder by lake. The bagua is arranged in a circular pattern with the element of fire on top. The elements go clockwise and follow as earth, lake, heaven, water, mountain, thunder and wind. The yin-yang symbol is also called the Taiji. The yin yang is located in the center of the trigrams to balance out the universe with its constant polarity. Therefore, the yin yang represents the unifying universal force. This polarity is the very essence of feng shui.
Feng Shui Polarity for Practical Purposes
Feng shui is about balancing the elements inside and outside of your home. Many people turn to feng shui principles to sell their homes by turning the negative polarity into a positive polarity. According to the feng shui principle, certain colors and specific elements must be used properly in each life sector of your home in order to create a balanced and harmonious life. Many of the world's leading designers and architects use feng shui to enhance their creations and bring abundance to their clients. The design philosophy behind feng shui is used to bring beauty to a home, while restoring and maintaining harmony to the lives of those living within the home.
Clutter Creates Imbalance
Clutter is one of the most common things that creates an imbalance in the polarity of feng shui. Clutter comes in many forms such as dirty laundry, dishes in a sink, stacks of old newspapers, and even something as simple as dust and dirt. These things block the normal flow of chi energy and when blocked, chi energy becomes stagnant. It's easy to visualize this process as water flowing through your home and attempting to move past a mountain of dirty clothes. The water is dammed up and can't move past the mountain and therefore becomes stagnant just as unmoving water in nature grows stagnant. This creates an imbalance between the yin and yang energies of chi. This is why the first thing a feng shui practitioner will suggest is that you declutter your home and repair all broken appliances and equipment.
Making Feng Shui Polarity Work for You
The example of how clutter can create stagnant chi demonstrates how you can make the theory of chi polarity work for you. If you follow feng shui principles and maintain a balance between the yin and yang energies of your home, then you can be ensured that the positive chi will flow freely throughout your home and into each facet of your life. This is why many people view feng shui as magic when, in truth, it's simply a matter of balancing polar opposites in order to create harmony.
