By Andrea Wilhelm

Ever notice that you sleep better facing a certain direction? Or that you do better work when you sit at a certain desk in a classroom? The key to understanding why this happens may be based on an art known as feng shui.

It seems to be a growing trend, as magazines and schools for it are popping up everywhere. You can even take online classes for it.

It’s mostly women doing it, according to Lorraine Wilcox, a spokesperson for the American Feng Shui Institute in Monterrey, California. They want to learn feng shui (FUNG SCHWAY) most often as a hobby, for self-help and to become instructors themselves, Wilcox says.
But it’s not a new fad. It was developed about 6,000 years ago in China. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feng Shui defines it as the study of the environment, places, people, time and how the energies of each interact. The ancient Chinese believed everyone and everything is interconnected in one big dance of energy. They called this energy qi (CHEE). Knowing how to employ positive qi and resolve negative qi is the essence of feng shui. Feng shui involves the study of how qi affects our health, wealth and relationships. It’s also the art and study of living in harmony with your living space. Feng shui literally translates to “wind/water,” the two natural elements that influence the focus of Earth qi, or energy, in a habitat, or on a site.

There are no prerequisites to practicing feng shui. However, the book recommends that you have an open mind and are willing to try alternative forms of thinking. Beliefs that correlate with feng shui include believing in a God and the idea of fate or destiny.

Feng shui is about living in harmony with your environment, which for most of us is a dorm room or apartment. Even in this limited space, there are ways to harness positive or negative qi.

Most of us spend time at our desks. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Feng Shui suggests the following guidelines for the placement of desks to get positive qi, or to help you feel more at ease while at work. First, the book suggests, avoid placing your desk on an angle or directly under a light because it may cause distractions. Also, you should have a clear view of anyone entering the room. And keep your desktop free of clutter. Qi will flow more smoothly that way.
The most favorable position for your desk is one where your back is facing a wall, but not a window. How close should your back be to the wall? Close enough so that if you lean back, you can touch it.

“You want to have more space in front of the desk than behind it, but in a dorm room, many times they are facing a wall,” says Marcia Roberts- Holman from Inner Harmony in Toledo. “Put up a mirror above your desk so you can see who’s coming in the door.”

As for the rest of your dorm room or apartment, here are some suggestions that will encourage positive qi.

* Balance furniture to promote a mixture of yin and yang: dark colors with light ones and angled corners with round.
* Arrange furniture evenly so it is proportionate to the room. Keep funiture accessible from both sides.
* Place sofas against walls.
* Keep all areas free of clutter.
* Distribute artwork evenly on the walls.

Another aspect of feng shui is the East/West System. It is used to determine how compatible you are with another person. The System is divided into many parts, but the two basic ones are the East Group and the West Group. For those belonging to the East Group, all four of its directions are favorable for them, while all the directions of the West Group are unfavorable. For those belonging to the West Group, all four of its directions are favorable for them, while all the directions in the East Group are unfavorable. People born in the same group are more compatible to each other than those belonging to opposing groups.

Basically, East Groups are compatible with other East Groups and West Groups are compatible with other West Groups. For example, Britney Spears (West Group) and Justin Timberlake (East Group) belong to opposing trigrams. So do Sarah Michelle Gellar (East Group) and Freddie Prinze Jr. (West Group). As you can see, neither of these couples is compatible. Got it now?

The East/West System also involves using colors to promote better health, wealth and relationships. By following the chart, you can determine what your favorable and unfavorable colors are.

For skeptics, Holman of Inner Harmony says that practicing feng shui can cause positive outcomes. “I have helped several business draw in more clients and in turn become more successful financially,” she says.

Cindy Meyers of Toledo agrees. She hired Holman to cleanse the energies from the previous owner of her house. During an hour-and-a-half consultation, Holman pointed out areas where Meyers could use improvement. Some of these included changing the seating arrangements and moving plants to different rooms of the house. Since her consultation, Meyers has noticed several positive changes. “My home feels better to me, and others have noticed as well. I sleep better at night, my money flow is well, and my relationships have improved,” she says. “I would recommend feng shui to anyone.”