A new year sets the stage to start things afresh and with a clean slate. We wish for luck and positivity in the ensuing year that will help us prosper. While there are many beliefs that vow to bring success, traditional practices, like Feng Shui, can also help usher in prosperity into our lives.
Chinese culture introduced us to the world of Feng Shui, a practice that believes in balancing energies to bring luck, wealth and ensure good health.
According to Chinese astrology, 2022 will be the Year of the Water Tiger — a creature that signifies ambition, competitive spirit, impulsiveness and communication.
Here is what you need to know about Feng Shui, its five elements and lucky colours according to Chinese astrology for the Year of the Tiger. Welcome home positive energy and dispel negative ones as you embark upon a brand new journey, with hope and confidence in 2022.
National Geographic explains Feng Shui as an “ancient Chinese art of arranging buildings, objects and space in an environment to achieve harmony and balance in a way that will bring peace and prosperity.”
Rooted deep in the Taoist concept of chi, which is formed by the confluence of two opposing yet complementary forces yin — the feminine energy associated with nighttime, coolness and quiet — and yang — the masculine energy associated with the sun, sociability and heat.
Chi is nothing but the life force present in each entity, and Feng Shui aims at striking a balance between yin and yang energies. This can be done through organising furniture/decor items and constructing structures that enhance the flow of positive chi and keep away negative chi and bad luck.
Maintaining a positive chi not only ensures good fortune but also keeps diseases at bay and enhances interpersonal equations.
Feng Shui has five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each element represents certain traits. Wood stands for creativity and growth; fire represents leadership and boldness; earth is symbolic of strength and stability; metal denotes focus and order; water signifies emotion and inspiration.
Striving to maintain a balance between these five components leads to positive chi and balances the natural flow of energy. Using colours that correspond to these five elements is one of the easiest ways to incorporate Feng Shui into your life.
The Year of the Water Tiger helps decide the lucky colours for 2022.
Cerulean blue, fiery red, mint green and imperial yellow are the lucky colours for 2022. These colours are derived from the four elements of Feng Shui — wood (primary element of the tiger), water (element of the year 2022), fire, earth and the Yang polarity.
They are also known as fortifying colours, as they improve the luck of those who wear them as a lucky charm or as clothing. One can also include these colours in their home.
Cerulean blue: The shade represents appeasement, liberty and serenity. This colour will enhance one’s luck in job interviews, communication and negotiations. Excessive usage of this colour activates the water element and can also lead to despair, sluggishness and frigidness.
Mint green: This colour activates the wood element and represents healing, growth and inventiveness. Mint green will prove lucky for those who are looking forward to adapting to a new job/place or are embarking on a new journey. However, using the colour too much might lead to defeat and feelings of jealousy.
Fiery red: Symbolic of movement, vitality, passion and love, fiery red activates the element fire and is lucky for those who are entering a romantic relationship or are welcoming a baby. Although a favourable colour to improve your love life, usage of this shade in excess might give rise to rage.
Imperial yellow: The colour stands for foreknowledge, wisdom and organisation. Imperial yellow will prove lucky when it comes to purchasing property and transferring valuable goods, but excessive use of this shade can also give rise to vanity and adultery.
These fortifying colours for the Year of the Water Tiger 2022 apply to all the 12 Chinese zodiac signs — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Know your Chinese zodiac sign here.
Now that you know about colours that activate the four elements, let’s talk about the fifth element — metal.
Here’s where balancing colours come into play. To protect you from the negative effects of the four fortifying colours, you have the balancing and protective colours of white and golden, which activate the metal element.
(Main and featured image: Efe Kurnaz/Unsplash)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India.
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