Feng shui purposefully arranges your environment in a harmonious manner, allowing positive energy, or qi, to flow into your life. Asian businessmen have used workplace feng shui for centuries, and it has steadily gained popularity in the West. In this overview of the age-old art, I will show you how to use feng shui in your workplace.

Wood
Creative and innovative, wood’s energy movement is expansive and symbolizes growth. It is represented by trees, plants, columns, and wooden furniture and accessories. Green represents wood.

Fire
Energetic and enthusiastic, with an upward energy movement, fire is represented by triangles or pointy-shaped objects, sun symbols, candles, lights, fireplaces, and itself. Red is the color of fire.

Earth
Providing stability, earth symbolizes permanence and the nurturing environment with a horizontal energy movement. It is represented by clay, brick, terracotta, ceramic objects, tiles, flat and square shapes, and the soil you might find in a potted plant. Yellow is associated with earth.

Metal
Symbolizing the harvest, business, and success, metal, with its compressing movement of energy, conveys strength. Metal is represented by round or mounded objects such as domes, clocks, or coins. Metal’s colors are white, grey, and silver.

Water
Indicating travel, communication, and learning, water also relates to artistic expression. Water has a downward movement of energy. It is represented by glass, mirrors, fountains, ponds, and fish tanks. Water colors are blue and black.

There are five elements or types of energy, according to feng shui. Each has a unique way of making energy move. The placement of these elements in relation to one another is key, shown below in productive and destructive cycles.

Productive cycle
Wood produces fire
Fire produces earth
Earth produces metal
Metal produces water
Water produces wood

Destructive cycle
Wood destroys earth
Earth destroys water
Water destroys fire
Fire destroys metal
Metal destroys wood

Mindfully arrange your environment with this basic understanding of what each element means and how it works.

Another important component of feng shui is understanding the ba gua, or the feng shui map. The ba gua diagram has eight areas that correspond to different aspects of your life. The ba gua is traditionally an octagon, shown on the next page in a square for simplicity.

To use the ba gua, imagine it as a transparency to layer over your space. Align the bottom of the ba gua to the wall where your door is. The door to your office should be in the knowledge-and-wisdom, career, or travel-and-helpful-people area. Stretch the ba gua to cover the entire area of your office. Wealth and prosperity should always be in the far left corner, while love and relationships are in the far right corner.



Wealth & Prosperity
This area has more meaning than just financial wealth. Would you like an abundance of more than just money? For example, clients, friends, fun, or love. Incorporate elements that represent wealth and prosperity to you. The best color is purple. Other good color choices are red and green. Elements for abundance are wood and water.

Fame & Reputattattation
Enhancing this area can improve how people perceive you. Add elements to this area that represent something that makes you proud and with which you want to be associated. Awards and diplomas are good examples. Red is a great choice for this area. The best element to improve fame and reputation is fire.

Love & Relatationships
In business, this area can also be for relationships with clients, your boss, or your colleagues. Pairs of things are good in this area. Colors for this area are red, pink, and white. Good elements to enhance this area are earth and fire.

Children & Creativity
This area is all about creativity and birthing. It can be the birth of a great project or idea. Develop this area with metal and earth. Most favorable color choices are metals and white.

Spiritual Health & Well-Being
This is the center of the ba gua and represents you. Not officially part of the ba gua, this is the most important area because it touches all other aspects. If this aspect is off, it can throw off all other elements of your life. In this area, balance is paramount. Along with balancing this area in your office with earth and fire, look to balance yourself with self-awareness. The best color is yellow, with brown, orange, and earth tones being favorable as well.

Family & Health
This area represents new beginnings and life. If you want to improve relationships with your family, wood is the element of choice. Display family photos in wooden frames. Ideal colors for family and health are green and blue.

Knowledge & Wisdom
This area holds the qi of inner wisdom and self-cultivation. The knowledge- and-wisdom area represents your desire to know more and to be more. Earth is the element of choice. Blue, green, and black will boost your self-cultivation and inner wisdom.

Career
Create positive qi in this area with the flow of life that keeps your career moving. Adorn this area with the water element. Colors for prosperity in your career are black and blue.

Helpful People & Travel
This part of the ba gua represents the energy that brings helpful people into your life or guides you to helpful people. Placing metal and water elements in this area can spruce up or aid in travel schedules or plans and help you connect with people who can make things happen. Favorable colors are silver and grey.


Simple changes and de-cluttering can greatly improve your qi or positive-energy flow. Start with the following.

Desk location: This is very important. If you make one feng shui change, desk position is the one. While at your desk, you should always have a good view of the door and have your back to a wall. Having a clear view of the door lends a sense of security and enables you to concentrate. A wall behind you signifies support. Having your back to a door or a window or facing a window can damage your qi.

Important financial decisions are made at your desk, and a great deal of time is spent there. If your desk’s energy flow is blocked, it could deprive you of vital energy in your business.