Is the outside of your home dirty, or dilapidated? Is the paint
peeling? How do you feel when you approach your driveway? Optimistic
and energized? Or a bit defeated, and perhaps even ashamed at the shape
of your house?
If the latter describes your feelings about your
home, it's a great time to plan outdoor home improvement projects, with
spring right around the corner. You can improve your fortune by
changing the color of your home.
Some people who have
implemented the five-element color cycle on their homes exterior began
experiencing improved health, greater energy, and even more visitors.
The owners of homes who employ these five important colors on their
house's exterior often report that their houses became local landmarks
and focal points within their communities.
What is the Five-Element Color Cycle?The five-element color cycle corresponds to the colors which represent the five elements. They are:
Red --> Fire
Yellow --> Earth
White --> Metal
Black --> Water
Green --> Wood
The Destructive and Creative CyclesYou
can employ the colors in a “creative” or “destructive” sequence. In
spite of its name, the destructive sequence is quite effective in
balancing the chi of a space; it merely refers to the elements'
destructive effects on each other, just another aspect of how the
Universe recycles everything in an endless loop.
In the creative
cycle, one element feeds another -- fire produces earth, earth creates
metal, metal produces water (through condensation), water feeds wood
(plants), and, of course, wood feeds fire.
The destructive cycle
is just as important. Wood disrupts earth (as in, trees growing from
the land), earth obstructs water, (an island separating a body of
water), water puts out fire, fire melts metal, metal destroys wood
(such as an ax used to chop down a tree).
Using the Five-Elemental Cycle for Better Feng ShuiOnce
you understand how these colors interact, you can use them on your
home's exterior to create a perfect balance in the space. Use the five
elements beginning from the ground (your driveway or lower level trim)
and work your way up. You can use either order: the destructive or
creative cycle.
You may start with a driveway the color of
earth, for instance, beige gravel. Since earth creates metal, you can
paint the main walls of your house white. Window shutters or trim might
be gray or black, since metal creates water. Finally, a deep green roof
will complement this decor perfectly and take its nourishment from the
water (trim).
Don't Neglect Your IntuitionSince your
house's main walls are the part people will notice first, you may wish
to start with your color choice for the walls (selecting from one of
the 5 elements) and then build the rest of your colors around that.
Make sure the walls either feed (creative cycle) or destroy
(destructive cycle) the shutters or trim, and, working the opposite
way, the roof, and that the rest of your color choices correspond in
order.
Once you understand the five-elemental cycle, you can use
it in Feng Shui decorating in a number of ways to improve the chi of
your home and the health and fortune of its residents.