Over 3,000 years ago in China the ancient art of Feng Shui was discovered, with the belief that the land is alive and filled with Chi, or energy. Feng Shui is an art that creates balance of the energies of in any given space in an effort to ensure good health and fortune. "Feng" means wind and "shui" means water, which in Chinese culture are associated with good health, therefore good feng shui will create good fortune, whereas bad feng shui will create misfortune.

It is possible to apply feng shui to your home as well as your garden. There are five basic elements in feng shui: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each element has a corresponding color assigned to it: wood is green and brown, fire is red, deep yellow, orange, purple and pink, earth is light yellow, sand and light brown, metal is white and gray and water is blue and black.

To begin applying feng shui to your home the first step is to clear out your clutter, get rid of everything that you are not "attached" to within your home. This is a time consuming process but can be theraputic as well. Clutter within your home is a low, stagnant and confusing energy that will continuously drain energy from you. Once you have cleared out most of your clutter with feng shui you will begin to enjoy a clear system, you will begin to experience higher energy levels and more clarity.

The next step is to have good quality light and air in your home. Open the windows often and add as much natural light into your home. Add a few air purifying plants to your home. Good air purifying plants include palms (Areca Palm, Lady Palm, Bamboo Palm and the Dwarf Date Palm are good choices), Rubber Plant, English Ivy and the Ficus.

There are many steps to take in traditional feng shui, however by starting with clean air, light and less clutter you have taken the first steps in living in balance with the energies of feng shui.