Fire element in Fengshui relates to the actual LIVING flame, such as the blazing sun and large bonfires (yang fire) and the more man-made type of smaller fire like gas fires, log burners, open hearth fires, candles, ovens and stoves. 

Fire is also associated with the small intestine (yang) and heart (yin) and the states of love or depression/numbness. Quite often if someone has blocked fire energy they have a tendency to feel numb and depressed in their spirit. It's actually a little bit more complex as each element shows us a different aspect of depression, and the elements all control/create each other as well, but the basics of fire energy is related to the condition of the heart and the mind. It is very important that someone with mental health issues has a balanced feng shui environment, since they are particularly vulnerable to the elements of water and fire. Even in our everyday language we refer to others as 'fiery' in their temperament if they are a lively personality.  Its as if we innately understand the importance of the natural elements in the world and how they affect our moods. 

Fire is expressed by the colours of red, purple and pink and some very bright oranges - from pale pinks and mauves (yin fire) to bolder pillar box reds and bright purples (yang fire).  Moroccan blue, which has a purplish tinge to it and is similar to the colour of a gas flame is also a yang fire colour. But baby blue is water element. 

Just as the flames of fire leap into pointed long triangular shapes, the diamond or triangular shapes in fabric patterns or objects express a fire element quality. Clearly, natural energy is the best and purest expression of chi, however, the feng shui interior design choices we make can still add important balancing elements into a space. This also applies to the feng shui of the garden design, in which we use orientations, zoning and shaped objects to create certain configurations of chi flow. 

The compass direction related to water is the South.  . This can be the Southerly part of your house or city, or of a country, but the more Southerly and warm the climate is, then the more it is associated with Fire element. Southern Spain is more fiery than Southern Greenland for example. 

Let's imagine you wear red all the time and live in a home that is predominantly painted with purples and red (unlikely, but I have seen a home with all purple walls!!)  and is South facing and you sleep in a South facing bedroom and you spend most of your day in the South facing study which is painted pink and has lots of candles in it,  you are likely going to start feeling pretty unbalanced and possibly even a little over excitable and stressed, as you are being overly stimulated by all this fire energy.  I paint an extreme picture of course, but you would be amazed how extreme some people can be in their colour of paints/wallpaper in a home and I actually know people who need fire energy who enjoy the 117 degrees of an Arizona summer, but their partner is having a melt down and far prefers colder climates otherwise he gets a bit irritable! Balance is key when two people living in the same home need different elements. 

Of course, not everyone is going to be this extreme but it does happen, and it can easily happen when there has been no consideration of the feng shui readings at a property. Many people move into a new home without considering a feng shui consultation, and paint throughout in the wrong colours just because it is a latest fad (like soft grey) or they just like the style of it (fair enough). While I LOVE supporting you to express your unique sense of style, I also believe it is best to work within the feng shui framework and guidance. 

It is a myth to that you need all five elements in every room. This is not how feng shui works. That being said, all the different elements interact with each other and if you also have too much wood, then you are strengthening the fire influence as wood supports fire. 

There are special form horoscope charts, such as Southern Fire chart or Follow Fire chart, which have really strong fire influence, meaning that you are a Fire Day Master or Fire Self Element born in a Fire month and a Fire year, for example, so you already have a lot of Fire energy in your blueprint. These types of charts can be a blessing or a bit of a disadvantage if you don't learn how to make the most of its unique power.  

Are you getting a fuller picture of how intricate and multi-layered this whole wisdom system is? Hard to do self-help feng shui without getting confused, right?! ;) 

I hope you have found this informative. In my next blog, in a week or so, I look at the Earth Element in Feng Shui and Chinese Medicine. 

In the meantime, do not hesitate to reach out if you have a feng shui consultation project to discuss. 

Kindest, Sarah x