Cubicles Feng Shui for Your Workspace
Who could use more energy at work, the kind that does not come out of a can? The Chinese have it down to an art. Feng Shui (pronounced ˈfəNG ˈSHwē,-SHwā/) was, in early times, used to locate places to inhabit that would be safe and prosperous. In recent days, Feng Shui has considered how the Earth’s energy affects buildings’ location, the arrangement of furniture, office cubicles, and the like to determine how these factors influence individuals who occupy that space.
Feng Shui Guide To Colour
1. Be Feng Shui Color Wise
Feng Shui is Chinese for “Wind-Water.” Using this method, some elements are said to increase the probability of achieving the qualities you desire. The five elements are as follows:
Fire – red to energize
Earth – tan or brown for stability
Metal – yellow to clarify
Water – black to visualize a goal
Wood – green to generate ideas
Fire can represent physical and mental energy. Use red or orange desktop items that are triangular or pyramidal. Among other things, Earth represents peaceful solutions and confidence. The color of your desk accessories should be terracotta and square-shaped.
Could you use the ability to have clearer communication and greater concentration while working in your cubicle? The metal element uses circular desk accessories that are shiny and reflective or the metals gold, copper, or silver.
Water communicates endurance and stamina and is represented by black or blue desk accessories and wavy-lined patterns. Last but certainly not least is the wood element, which represents being a pioneer.
Green would be the color of choice for desk accessories. Use tall, rectangular desk items to represent meeting a challenge.
2. Placements of the Feng Shui Way
Feng Shui uses a tool called ba-gua that assigns meaning to different areas in a room. First, choose a color theme for your cubicle based on the element to which you best identify. Below is what is considered to be the traditional ba-gua pyramid.
In this section, we will discuss how it relates to the placement of items on your desk.
About a dozen items one may have on his desk, a Computer, pens & pencils, desk lamp, telephone, etc. Starting with the Empowerment area, one should place items here that bolster confidence.
A red accessory (fire) or an item that will increase your focus, such as something shiny (metal), will do the trick. The Future area represents secret worries or a focal point that is crucial for your success.
To expel anxiety, a Winchester clock would be ideal for this area (water). A rock paperweight in your desk’s Relationships area is believed to help sustain long-term connections (earth).
The Descendants area represents our contributions to future successes. A tall cylinder filled with pencils and pens will support a decision to alter a relationship blocking growth (wood).
Items placed in the Compassion area of your desk display your ability and desire to empathize with co-workers.
Office Cubicles Placements
Place a box of tissues inside of a wavy patterned container (water) or fill a red bowl with paper clips (fire) to promote the sharing of confidence and ignite your ability to emphasize. The Self area is where you sit and would include objects that help accomplish your best work.
A notebook with a silver or a gold cover will help with inner resolve (metal), and mint or pine oil dropped on the desktop promotes acceptance of the change (wood).
Only three more areas to go to Wisdom, Community, and Health. The Wisdom area represents how you weave together formal and informal learning. Placing a book of quotes in this area will help to remind you to accept assistance from others.
It is wise to surround ourselves with items representing our past, present, and future support systems. The Community area is for people who have made a difference in our lives and reminds us of the importance of being a part of a whole.
A small recirculating fountain or a glass vase with water and a vine would be ideal for this area. The Health area in bu-gua helps us strive toward stimulation while working, yet relaxed while engaging in the task.
Let us strive to “address our ambitions without compromising mental and physical health.” (Wydra, 189). Items from the Earth element should be used in this area.
3. Could you Use a Little Direction
The direction of the items in an office will depend on the purpose of the office space. Is the main goal to increase creativity? Then the computer should be in the North or West area of your office.
If you are primarily using the computer to generate income, place it in the Southeast. In Feng Shui, water represents wealth.
In her article Feng Shui Dos & Taboos, Angi Ma Wong suggests having a water source in your offices, such as a tabletop fountain or an aquarium.
A picture on the wall of a water scene such as a lake or waterfall will also suffice. This should be placed in the North, East, or Southeast area of the office and set the wheels of success in motion.
Other items representing wealth are a painting or picture of a red or golden fish, personal vision boards, and spherical-shaped crystals or stones. These should be placed in the same area as the water source, i.e., the southeast corner.
4. The Light of Feng Shui
Consider brightening all the pathways that you can see from your desk. Generally, we all feel more open to collaborating with people that immediately acknowledge us. Hanging a wall covering with a bright yellow base provides a contrast that improves the chances of those entering your office catching your attention.
Another goal is to eliminate shadows on your dominant side while working. The Feng Shui way is to direct light to shine over your non-dominant hand. Do not depend solely on overhead lighting. An area would have to be empty to have a light source and not cast a shadow.
Place a lamp on your left side if you are right-handed and on your right side if you are left-handed.
5. Designing your Cubicle in the Feng Shui Way
When staring at a space, keep in mind that a workspace’s layout can affect energy’s natural flow. According to the Feng Shui Society, Feng Shui can increase creativity, positivity, and profitability.
One challenge with cubicles is that there is no depth view. Our eyes are not allowed to switch between close-ups and far away, which can weaken visual acuteness (Wydra, 199). The solution is to hang a picture with a vanishing point behind a computer.
6. Feng Shui Symbolisms
One should not have your back to the door. This placement is symbolic of making sure one is not turning his back on business that will come through the door.
Having a safe in one’s office is also symbolic—it symbolizes the “prosperity and financial security of a business” (Wong, 2000). Certain items also represent different qualities and skills.
The following chart details suggested items for your cubicle, what they represent, and the corresponding element (see the Be Feng Shui ColorWise section above):
Quality or Skill Item(s) Element.
Charisma
Bell, metronome, or other sound device Fire
Loyalty Heavy, non-shiny paperweight Earth
Security Earthen Pottery Earth
Negotiation Crystal, rock, or shell Earth
Ability to see through subterfuges (deceptions) Clary sage or eucalyptus-scented paper Metal
Empathy Water-themed desk calendar, Water
Continuously developing Rectangular framed artwork or mirror Wood
7. Timing – Switch it Up
But the way you apply Feng Shui and bu-gua may differ depending on where you are in your life. Initially, you may have focused on the water element to visualize a goal, but you may want to focus on the wood element to generate new ideas when you realize that goal.
As you see things and situations changing, your desktop and office design can adjust accordingly. So what are you waiting for?