Using candles in Feng Shui decorating by Jennifer Hall

The basic belief behind Feng Shui is that there are five elements, some combinations of which create a productive cycle, and some a destructive cycle. When one of these five elements – water, wood, fire, earth, and metal, respectively for the productive cycle – are combined with an element adjacent to the main element, a productive cycle is perpetuated. The reason being that water sustains wood, wood feeds fire, ashes create earth, earth creates metal, and metal holds water. So if you have a room where wood is the main element, it would be good Feng Shui to add a water or fire element to the room, as water feeds wood and wood feeds fire. This is where candles would be a nice touch of good Feng Shui.

A look at the destructive cycle will show which elements do not work well together: water, fire, metal, wood, earth. And we can see that water puts our fire, fire melts metal, metal cuts wood, wood clogs earth, and earth muddies water. Although these elements are generally considered bad Feng Shui combinations, one can be used with an adjacent element in the destructive cycle to minimize an overpowering element. For instance, if a room has overpowering metal elements, maybe filled with modern metal furniture, you can minimize that with wood elements like some green leafy plants, or with fire elements such as red throw pillows, a fireplace, or even candles.

It is beneficial to bear in mind the productive and destructive cycles while decorating, but for optimum Feng Shui, a room would have an equal balance of all five elements – none being too overpowering. If this isn’t the case and there is not one overpowering element, then the productive cycle is a good place to start when decorating.

Now that we have a basic understanding of the elements, we can see how to best utilize candles in our decorating. In areas with predominately metal or water elements – rooms which would have a lot of blue or silver colors or metallic furnishings – a candle would help minimize the overpowering colors and add balance. If you want to start using Feng Shui in a room with no overpowering elements, you could bring in a candle and a complimentary element like a plant or a brown oval rug since that color and shape are associated with the earth element.

Candles can be an easy way to bring a natural element into your home and can be a good starting place for implementing Feng Shui design. Not to mention that scented candles are often great Feng Shui because of the mood-enhancing qualities certain scents have. Candles provide a simple start in creating a pleasant ambiance and good decorating style.

Jennifer Hall is a writer who provides information on shopping online for http://www.candles-4-u.com/candle_holders.htm http://www.candles-4-u.com/aromatherapy.htm and http://www.candles-4-u.com/soy_candles.htm When she’s not online, Jennifer’s spending time with her family, gardening, or playing the piano or accordion.

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One of my favorite quotes is a quote of a quote in Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, a writing he found on the bathtub of King Tchingthang, which Thoreau describes, ” ‘Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.’ I can understand that. Morning brings back the heroic ages.” I agree, to wake up early, enjoy the dawn, and have a productive morning is some of my finest time. And there are little things that bring the beauty and productivity into fruition, little things that I don’t take lightly - like the encompassing power os something as simple as a candle.

Having the perfect scent can completely vitalize my day, and studies have proven this. It is now known that certain scents physiologically help create moods, citrus scents rejuvenate and create energy, lavender scents are calming, and so forth. And then there’s the primordial magic of the flickering flame, and poetry in certain scent combinations. So what do I renew myself with? Thai Market.

The Thai Market candle from Illuminations completely invigorates my morning, probably due to the citrus element: lemongrass. The candle also contains the scents of sweet litchee, basil, aromatic cardamom, and creamy coconut milk. This combination is like a master recipe - a work of art. The soothing coconut balances with the crisp lemongrass and the other scents add a touch of enchantment. They conjure up Asian secrets and always leave me inspired. Citrus is also known to leave a clean feeling, partly because some citrus fruits like lemon are used as cleaning items. Not only does it smell clean, but also this candle inspires cleaning! The energy, the crisp cleanliness, perfect for tidying up in the morning.

When the work is done, it leaves me inspired, I’m more likely to play music or write or do something I really enjoy with this little touch. It’s these little things that can really enhance a day and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Your environment is important to your life, and a clean, aesthetically pleasing one will surely give you the happiness and energy to accomplish more than you normally would. So find a scent that really appeals to you, and if the scents of the Thai Market candle appeal to you, I’d highly recommend trying it out.