The Chinese see all things as originating from one of five elemental groups: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, or Wood. The idea is to balance all the elements so that not too much or too little of one particular element is present in a space. Purposefully choosing items to fill the home that use the colors and materials most representative of the five elements helps us produce this balance. Objects other than those you can physically see represent the elements, too. Fragrances make a powerful elemental addition to a space.
Choosing an Element
The most basic feng shui tool is the bagua map. Generally, a bagua is used to determine which parts of a room or other space represent various aspirations. The map user chooses an aspiration he or she would like to enhance, uses the bagua to find the area in his or her space that represents that aspiration, and then adds that bagua section’s associated element in order to energize or activate the chi that affects that aspiration. Elements may be represented by something other than their literal physical material; these include color, shape, texture, sound, taste, and fragrance.
You don’t necessarily have to have a bagua to achieve elemental benefits, either. If you find yourself lacking in an area of life you can introduce an element (or something associated with that element such as a scent) to your room to create an environment more conducive to your life needs.
The elements represent and add the following attributes:
WATER – spirituality, reflection, meditation; YIN energy
WOOD – intuition, luck, confidence, and trust
FIRE – emotions, strength, assertiveness, dominance; pure YANG
EARTH – harmony, balance, and groundedness
METAL – mental activity, thought, and creativeness
Choosing a Fragrance
After we identify what we need and which element will help us achieve it we can use elemental aromatherapy, fragrances representing the five feng shui elements, to enhance the identified life area.
Add one or more of the five feng shui elements by using any of the following fragrances:
WATER – Fragrances connected to the Water element energize career and business chi and bring calmness. These scents often smell wet or ethereal and include salt water, bamboo, lotus, and seaweed, among others.
WOOD – Fragrances connected to the Wood element energize family chi and foundation luck and promote harmony. These scents often smell minty or resinous and include sandalwood, musk, ginseng, mint, cedar, and other woods.
FIRE – Fragrances connected to the Fire element energize fame and reputation chi and energize and invigorate. These scents often smell bitter or spicy and include amber, cinnamon, and pepper, among others.
EARTH – Fragrances connected to the Earth element energize romance and marriage chi and promote health. These scents usually smell sweet and earthy and include patchouli, mandarin and citrus, floral aromas, and vanilla, among others.
METAL – Fragrances connected to the Metal element energize creativity and descendants chi. Metal aromas often smell acrid, slippery, cool, and crisp and may include cool mints, snowy scents, and crisp floral fragrances, among others.