How to Balance the Wood Element in Feng Shui

Feng shui is based on an ancient Taoist approach to enhancing your life's harmony by balancing the energy, or chi, of your home using natural elements. There are five elements of feng shui: Water, Earth, Fire, Wood, and Metal. Each piece has its unique strength and interacts with the others to create balance in different areas of your life.

In this article, you’ll discover how to balance the wood element of feng shui to bring more energy, wealth, and vitality to all areas of your home.

What wood represents in feng shui

Wood represents wealth, family, health, and prosperity. Incorporating the wood element in your home is essentially using the vitality of the outdoors to create more harmony and energy indoors. To balance the wood element throughout your home, use the colors, shapes, and materials associated with wood:

• Colors - Blue, green, brown
• Shapes - Tall columns, vertical stripes, long curtains
• Materials - wood, plant-based textiles, pictures of plants, real or fake plants
• Wood - furniture, flooring, bamboo, oak, etc

Feng shui practitioners incorporate wood into their homes to build more financial wealth and prosperity for their families. But wood also represents spiritual wealth and growth that breeds compassion and kindness. 

Place woods in their energetic centers

There are two popular methods of practicing feng shui. The first, the classical method, uses a traditional Bagua diagram and a compass to find your home's directional poles. The second, called Black Hat or Western Feng Shui uses a grid divided into nine sections. Western Feng Shui is easier to get started and is based on the traditional Bagua map.

Find your home’s energetic spaces by standing at the front door and envisioning the nine grid map. The top and middle left of the grid are the areas where you should enhance your home’s wood element. You can also use the grid in each room of your home and even at your desk to strengthen financial prosperity.

Enhance the wood element in your outdoor spaces

The wood element thrives on nature in and out of your home. For example, having a wooden deck with tall plants enhances this element. Uses wood element colors and textiles to improve the outdoor space further.

According to feng shui principles, kitchens should be bright with flowing energy. Keeping it clean is essential for that flow of energy. If your outdoor space is used as a kitchen, wipe down any surfaces to avoid accumulating dust. Use an Exterior Deep Cleaner for stuck-on dirt or green growth that’s deeply embedded in your exterior woods. 

Arrange wooden furniture for maximum flow of energy

After finding the energetic center of your spaces, arrange your furniture accordingly.

Wooden chairs and furniture should be arranged in a U shape to promote a steady chi (energy) and conversation flow. However, chairs should not directly face each other because they can trigger disagreements and an unbalance of energy.

Chairs should be placed against the wall and facing the door. If that isn’t possible, use a mirror that reflects the door.

Keep your woods looking vibrant and alive with a quality maintenance gel. Used in conjunction with a polishing cloth, you protect your wooden surfaces from accumulating grime and dust that diminishes their appearance in your home. For more ideas to keep your wood furniture vibrant and youthful-looking, read our post on How to Care for Your Wood Furniture.

Strengthen the woods in your home

Feng shui elements have productive and destructive cycles.

For example, wood’s productive cycle strengthens the fire element and is strengthened by the water element. Alternatively, wood is weakened by the metal element and weakens the earth element in its destructive cycle.

Sometimes you may find a corner of your home is not ideal for wood furniture placement. For these areas, try enhancing the energy by incorporating the water element. The water element naturally strengthens the wood element because it allows it to grow. Water represents wisdom, flow, and intuition. It also represents wealth, cash flow, and social connection.

A few ways to incorporate the water element include:

• Using the color black in decor, artwork, or by painting
• Placing mirrors to reflect windows
• Using images of water or wavy patterns

When it comes to creating harmony and balance in your home, what ultimately matters is how you feel inside. Feng shui is a system of balancing the natural elements to create peace and balance in your spirit. The wood elements are created to last for decades in your home if you treat them well. Invest in quality cleaning and wood care products from WOCA that enhance your wood’s energy and keep them beautiful for years to come.