In the many schools of Feng Shui we are working with both energy and balance. With energy, we may want to slow it down, make it move faster, or activate it. Sometimes we need to balance the energy. There are several tools we have to balance it.

This moon/sun wall hanging has strong yin/yang qualities.

This moon/sun wall hanging has strong yin/yang qualities.

The Five Elements

Within the Eastern traditions there is the awareness and use of the Five Elements. They are: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The order I just listed is known as the “Productive Cycle” or sometimes called the “Parent/Child Cycle.” The first one gives birth to the following, as in wood gives birth to fire.

When there is too little an amount of one of the elements, an environment may feel stuck. If there is too much of an element we may feel overwhelmed or weighted down.

Yin/Yang

Another way we create balance is through the understanding and correct use of the Yin and Yang qualities. Yin is a more feminine, intuitive, soft, nurturing aspect. Yang is more linear, often aggressive, active and outwardly powerful energy.

When one of my clients sent me this picture of a wall hanging and asked where to place it, I immediately focused on the Yin/Yang perspective of the wall hanging. The moon is “Yin” by nature and the sun is “Yang.”

Since this wall hanging is a combination of both, it is best placed in a location where both qualities exist. That would be the mainline of the house – not on the left or right sides, but down the middle.

If the item is to be placed outside, we don’t have to worry about the Yin/Yang interior qualities. It can be placed almost anyplace outside. Yet, the feeling I got when I saw the photo was to have it seen in the backyard directly opposite the middle part of the house on a wall or fence.

What a magnificent item to view when gazing out the French doors from a bedroom or the sliding glass doors of a family room!