Issue 13 - October 2003

Creating a harmonious office
Using feng shui can optimize your practice’s positive chi
By Tisa Bell, DC

Feng Shui balances the flow of life-force energy through your office like a good adjustment balances the flow of life force energy through a person. It is a 3,000-year-old Chinese art of placement for creating balance, harmony and prosperity in your environment.

The room a person enters first sets the stage for the entire experience within the building. Entrances work most harmoniously when the path leading to the entrance is clear; the newcomer can see a pleasant view inside prior to entering; the door opens fully and easily and the path upon entering is unobstructed and free of angles pointing toward the guest (such as corners).

Since humans have a desire to place themselves where they can see the entrances to the space they occupy, position furniture so the waiting patient, the busy CA and the adjusting doctor can see the entrances. Hang a large mirror to reflect the entryway if rearranging is not possible. Everyone in the office will feel more relaxed, safe and confident subconsciously.

People feel safe and comfortable in a room with an 8-10 foot ceiling. If yours are higher, add a wallpaper border, crown molding, boxed-in indirect lighting or shelving for plants at 8-10 feet all around your room to visually bring down the height of the ceiling. Use these same tools to create the illusion of a balanced ceiling height in a room where the ceiling is set at an angle, as this design also feels unsettling emotionally.

Optimizing your space
The first step to creating harmonious feng shui is to map out your office. Draw your building from above looking down, with the main front entrance at the bottom (or south). If the office is not square or rectagular, extend dotted lines out from the outer walls to “box in” the structure. Divide the entire building into nine equally sized squares with two horizontal and two vertical lines (like a tic-tac-toe board).

Each of those squares represents a different area:
• Wealth and prosperity — top left. Place anything that represents abundant prosperity to you here. Blues, purples and reds work especially well in this area.

• Fame and reputation — top middle. Place anything here that represents positive fame and good reputation. For colors, all shades of red work well here, as does anything representing the element of fire, such as all lighting including electric, oil, candles, sunlight and fireplaces; pets, wildlife, things made from animal such as fur, leather, bone, feathers, silk and wool; art that depicts people, animals, sunshine, light or fire; or shapes such as triangles, pyramids and cones.

• Love and marriage — top right. Place anything that represents true love and happy marriage to you here. The colors red, pink and white enhance this area. Pairs of anything you feel good about also enhance this area.

• Health and family — middle left. Place anything here that represents good health and happy family life.

All blues and greens work well here, as does anything representing the element of wood, such as: all wood (living and cut); all plants and flowers (including artificial); all floral prints and plant-based cloth such as rayon, linen, ramie and cotton; art depicting landscapes, plants and flowers; or the tree trunk shape found in columns, beams, pedestals, poles and stripes.

• Centering and balance — center. Place anything here that represents proper balance in your life. Yellows and earth tones enhance this area, as does anything representing the element of earth: adobe, brick, tile, ceramic or earthenware objects; art depicting earthy landscapes such as deserts; or shapes such as squares, rectangles and long flat surfaces.

• Creativity and children — middle right. Place anything that positively represents creativity, fertility and children here. White and all light pastel colors work well here, as does anything representing the element of metal.

Examples include all types of metal including stainless steel, copper, brass, iron, gold, and aluminum; all rocks and stones such as marble, granite, crystals and gemstones; art and sculpture made from metal and stone; and the circle, oval and arch shapes.

• Knowledge and self-cultivation — bottom left. Place anything here that represents (or aids you in) increasing knowledge and fostering the growth of self. Black and all shades of blue and green enhance this area.

• Career — bottom middle. Place anything here that positively represents your chosen career. Black and all very dark colors work well here, as does anything that represents the element of water: streams, pools, fountains, water coolers and sinks; reflective surfaces such as cut crystal, glass and mirrors; and flowing, freeform and asymmetrical shapes.

• Helpful people and travel — bottom right. Place anything here that represents service and desired travel destinations. White, black and all shades of gray enhance this area.

Enhancing the energy of ‘missing’ areas
The areas located partially or totally outside the actual structure can be devoid of chi energy. To balance the energy and maintain overall harmony, add this area to your building (either literally or symbolically). Decks, patios and arbors work if they are substantial.

You can also follow the lines out to locate a missing corner and place a large tree, fountain, lamppost, flagpole or sculpture there to balance it out. Outdoor wind chimes and decorative flags are also chi-enhancing additions. Utilize the colors, materials and shapes listed for that area.

If these remedies are not possible, balance a partially “missing” area by enhancing the portion that is inside your building. Hanging a large mirror on the indented wall or walls will create the impression of more depth and fill out a partially missing area.

If the area is totally outside the walls of your building and you are not able to add enhancements outside, map out all of your rooms and enhance the corresponding area in each room.

Further enhancement
When choosing items for enhancing areas of your office, stick with things that uplift your spirits and get rid of everything that drains your energy, is broken or generates unpleasant thoughts. Fluorescent lights put out an altered spectrum that depletes positive energy. Replace these with full spectrum bulbs.

Healthy plants and prisms/crystals hung in sunny windows, fresh cut flowers, water fountains, well kept aquariums and large clean mirrors always bring more positive energy into any area.

If closets, storage areas or a garage are on your map, make sure they are tidy. An energetically alive office cannot accommodate a mess! You may be the only one who sees the disorganized mess, but you are the one who’s being affected by its depleting energy.

The solution: Fix or dump everything that’s broken; give away everything you don’t use, need or like; and clean and organize everything else.

It is most important for people to like their working environment, so pick and choose enhancement items, colors and arrangements you feel good about. Assess your current favorite belongings for their enhancement value before shopping for new ones. You may find you have all the right things in all the wrong places.

Dr. Tisa Bell graduated from Logan College in 1983. She owns and operates a practice in Encinitas, Calif. She can be reached at Tisa@DrTisaBell.com.