In Feng Shui balancing the elements in your environment can help you to achieve balance in your life.   Contemplating what’s important and where you’re going is a good place to pause as the second month of the new year gets underway.  The act of mediating, of thinking deeply, is an expression of Water energy.   Water is one of the five elements of Feng Shui — Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood — that make up and express in the ch’i (life force or energy) of all things.  The five elements express in color, shape, objects and living things as well as ch’i qualities.   The ch’i quality of Water is restorative.

Like the other elements, Water expresses as itself – as ocean, river, lake and fountain,  coming out of your faucet,  under foot in puddles and overhead as rain.  It also expresses as color, mostly in tone:  dark colors are considered Water energy.  Black, deep blue, hunter green, dark brown or charcoal gray are all considered Water colors.

Some objects can also express as Water energy – the reflective nature of mirrors make them an excellent example of Water energy.   Unlike the other elements, however, instead of having a specific form like a pyramid representing Fire energy, Water energy is characterized as being asymmetrical, wavy, or taking the form of whatever it’s put in.  Anything that’s asymmetrical or wavy can be considered Water energy – asymmetrical glass bowls or vases, curvy lines in artwork, fabric curtains that “puddle” onto the floor.

When do you need Water energy in your life?  The quick answer is whenever you feel that you’ve lost the connection to your spirit, or inner life.   This is even expressed in our language.  For example, have you ever said that you’ve “hit a dry spell?” Usually this means that you’ve lost connection with whatever gives you that creative spark or that energy needed for work.  Sometimes a need for Water energy is expressed when you feel anxious, or can’t be alone.  There’s nothing like a trip to the ocean or a walk along a river to re-connect with Water energy.  Or if you’re yoga practitioner, a little flow movement is good Water energy.  But too much Water can be overwhelming and feel like life has no form or organization to it.  This is expressed in our everyday language when we feel “wishy washy” or “flooded” with deep emotion, like grief.

Like all the elements, Water energy is a fundamental part of our lives and it works for us best when we balance it with the other elements in our environments. Look around your home and see if you can identify the objects expressing as Water energy.