If you’re familiar with Asian and Chinese culture, you know that many homes in that beautiful country have wind chimes hanging from someplace outside – the porch, a doorway, or a window. Some believe that these were brought to the U.S. as part of feng shui; wind chimes were actually used before this of course, but the questions still remain: When employing the art and science of feng shui, how do use feng shui wind chimes in your own home? How are they introduced, and where should they be kept? And are there places where they should not be used as well?
Remembering the Five Elements of Feng Shui
You are probably already familiar with the five elements, namely, wood, water, fire, earth and metal, that are the embodiment of feng shui. These elements are meant to balance one another and keep any one from overpowering a room or any particular area. Feng shui wind chimes are usually used as such an element in order to introduce either metal or wood to a room or to a home.
A room that is colored in earth tones, such as warm browns or tans, will need a metal element to balance it. If your living room is such a color, this is where the metal element needs to be. Having feng shui wind chimes that are made of metal outside your living room where they are visible to those inside, such as from a porch rafter, is helpful. This is especially true if you purchase feng shui wind chimes that have brightly colored artwork on them, such as beautiful yellow and orange flowers. Those bright colors will offset the warm earth tones of your living room and keep it from feeling overpowering.
If your kitchen is white, which typically resembles water and is a bright, clean color, it can sometimes feel a bit cold and sterile. Introducing the warmth of the wood element with wooden feng shui wind chimes can be done by having them right outside your kitchen, perhaps from a window or the back porch or balcony. Again, if the wood is a nice warm tone or has darker artwork and design to it, this can offset that cold white of the kitchen.
Where Not to Use Your Feng Shui Wind Chimes
As with everything else about feng shui, it’s not just a matter of what you use, but sometimes it’s just as important to leave things out. If your home is busy, noisy, and generally chaotic, then feng shui wind chimes may not be a welcome addition. Also, if you have neighbors that are in close proximity or live in an apartment that doesn’t allow these types of things, then you should also omit them.
Remember, feng shui is about peace and positive energy. You are not going to introduce any of those things into your home and your life by having something around you that is too much noise, that makes your neighbors irritated with you, or that gets you into trouble with your landlord.