LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Studious Feng Shui for Fall


The desk in this Moraga home shows the proper "commanding position."

For many of us, the beginning of school and the return of homework assignments reminds us of the importance of feng shui for the student study area or home office. Proper furniture placement, color choice and traffic flow are all factors conducive to fostering the creative, ponderous, and daily pursuit of knowledge, which should be fun, exciting and inspiring.

The Self-Knowledge and Self-Cultivation area of the Feng Shui Bagua map (see diagram, page D12) that correlates with skills, knowledge and studying is located from the front door in the near left area of a home - a very auspicious placement. But don't despair if your office is located in another area. Certain design principles can be used to make a room located elsewhere in the home reflective of good feng shui.

No matter where an office or study area is located, remember to create a quiet, soothing sanctuary away from heavy traffic flow and daily household commotion. If space is an issue, choose an area off to one corner in as secluded a spot as possible, in the quietest part of the space.

Placing a desk in the "commanding" position - diagonally facing the door, so you can see who enters the room, with your back facing a solid wall - makes a huge difference energetically for a more positive study or work outcome. This placement will help you feel more in control and confident of your abilities while enhancing comprehension and retention, and you will feel more inspired, organized, focused and happy. For some, this placement may not feel right, but from a feng shui perspective, if your back is to the door, you are not in control. Try placing your home office desk or your student's desk in the "commanding" position for one week and see how it feels. Does it make a difference to you or your student's ability to concentrate? You may be surprised that with the desk located in the coziest interior part of the room, you feel more in command and more comfortable, which is conducive to studying or working longer with greater energy. Give it a whirl!

Use soothing feng shui colors like light green, blue green, latte or light earthy browns for study areas and bedrooms. And place green bamboo in a red accented colored pot to attract growth, luck and abundance to your work. Avoid harsh, overly active - or yang - wall colors such as red, orange or bright yellow that might make it difficult to settle into a significant study or work session. White is also fine, but be sure to fill the walls with art that motivates and reflects the function of the room, or reminds you of the point behind it all. This can include personal photos or things of interest: If your teen loves sailing, then frame photos of athletes competing in the World Cup. Or include a framed photo of some of the great thinkers of our time, like Einstein, Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. Mountains are also symbolic of knowledge, so framing a favorite mountain range will also promote the positive intention of learning and gaining wisdom. The imagery we look at continuously has a profound influence on our minds.

Lighting should be abundant so that what we are working on or studying is illuminated properly and easy to read. Adjust the lighting so it matches the function of the room. Add a mixture of 100-watt table or floor lamps or a brightly lit whimsical overhead light.

If the study space is in a student's bedroom, it should be kept tidy so that clutter is not a distraction to staying on task. And unless a screen is used for homework it is wise to limit or ban the simultaneous use of any cell phones, iPads, or TVs during studying time.

By creating a fun, whimsical, warm and inviting place for yourself to work and your student to study, everyone should be off to a year of exciting and meaningful growth.