Colors in Feng Shui

Colors are vibrations or frequencies. They stimulate different moods, different emotions, and different organic functions in your total sense of being. In feng shui colors and directions in space are expressions of basic energy, of yin and yang, and of the five elements (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal).

The directions in space with their corresponding colors have two different scales. The first, which is the older and more basic, puts Water and black in the north; Wood and green in the east; Fire and red in the south; Earth and yellow in the middle; Metal and white in the west. The second, more elaborate scale, puts Water and white in the north; Earth and white in the northeast; Wood and light green in the east; Wood and dark green in the southeast; Fire and purple in the south; Earth and yellow in the middle; Earth and black in the southwest; Metal and red in the west; Metal and white in the northwest. While both of these compass and color scales are used, the earlier method is the one that is most commonly known and used by Chinese feng shui experts.

When boiled down to yin and yang, the yin directions and colors are north (black) and west (white), and the yang directions are east (green) and south (red). The middle (yellow) is where yin and yang come into mutual balance. Yin and yang describe movement; yang rises, and yin falls. In terms of seasons, yin is fall and winter, and yang is spring and summer. In terms of the day yin is afternoon to midnight, and yang is morning to noon. In terms space yin is west and north, and yang is east and south. In terms of your home yin is the bedroom and bathroom, and yang is the livingroom, dining room, and kitchen. The front of the house is yang, and the back of the house is yin. The brighter areas are yang and the darker areas are yin. There are numerous ways of seeing this.

In terms of color, the deepe shades of any color are yin, and the brighter shades are yang. Yang shades are generally not recommended for yin room functions. One would not ordinarly paint a bedroom bright red, or a kitchen dark blue, for example. A red kitchen would be fine. But a navy blue bedroom wouldn't. Too much yin can drain your energy. Deep red would work well in a bedroom, however, if you wanted to use red.

Yin and yang shades of colors can also be used to complement your personal type. Some people are more yang, and others are more yin. Yin and yang have nothing to do with gender or sexuality. They are basic qualities of energy. Both yin and yang men, and yin and yang women exist in nature. Your yin or yang type can be read in your face. While there are many rules to face reading, a basic indication of a yang type is if the eyes are relatively close together and/or deep set. If, on the other hand, the eyes are relatively wide apart and tend to stand out, the person is yin. You would complement the yang person with yin color tones, and the yin person with yang color tones. This can be done in the person's space and/or in their choice of colors to wear.

Choosing colors in a home when applying the principles of feng shui is done from two perspectives: from what your Chinese astrological chart shows about you, and from the relations that the different areas of your house have to the compass orientation of the front door. For example, the front door either faces north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, or northwest. The interior space of the house is then viewed nine areas, and each of these nine areas is then judged against the direction in space faced by the front door to determine what colors go where.

Based on the year, month, day, and hour of your birth your Chinese astrological chart gives you a complete palate of colors that can support your health, career and financial interests, and relationships. Based on the compass reading of your house different areas in the house will agree with different colors and disagree with others, and may ask for combinations of colors to be used to bring up the elements that you want to emphasize for your personal and family needs, such as health, career and finacial interests, relationships, and so on. The process is fairly complex.

If you choose to paint your home all white, the classical feng shui formulas for using colors can be used to appoint works of art and furnishings; colors are then used as highlights.

Colors as recommended in Chinese astrology, face reading, and in the feng shui compass methods may or may not always be your favorite. But, going with your favorite color may not always be the best idea. In Chinese medicine the person is sometimes asked what their favorite color is, as having a favorite color may be an indication of an energetic imbalance and tendency to illness. For example if you favor black the Chinese doctor would look to see if you are developing health issues involving kidney, bladder function, nerves, brain, and/or bones.

Chinese astrology when done correctly yields a golden piece of information in feng shui. It is your Vital Element, the element that you need for your life, the key to your total well-being. You may or may not like the color of the vital element, but it is the most essential piece of information that should be used in feng shui. When the vital element is used correctly it makes your space support your life. Your vital element points out your best direction in space, the direction in which to orient your bed, for example, and the color that supports your health.

T. Raphael Simons is an internationally known author, practitioner and teacher in the field of Chinese astrology and feng shui. Raphael’s books on feng shui, Feng Shui Step by Step, Feng Shui Strategies for Business Success, and The Feng Shui of Love were originally published by Crown and Random House, and have been translated into twelve languages. Having gathered a vast store of information and knowledge, and having been consulting, teaching, lecturing and writing in feng shui since 1988, Raphael originally studied Chinese astrology and feng shui with the Taiwanese feng shui master Terry Lee.

Raphael is available for personal consultations in Chinese astrology and feng shui. To find out more visit www.trs-fengshui.com.

Raphael’s book Feng Shui Step by Step is reprinted and available at Amazon.com and at www.createspace.com/3472024.