Despite our complex social hierarchies and exchanges, our advanced and adaptable technology, not to mention our most conscious thoughts telling us otherwise, human beings are animals. Yet our instincts are challenged by our societies and hidden by most facets of culture. 

Two practices in our modern world, one relatively new, and the other, ancient, seek to find a balance between the competing forces of our animal nature and modernity found in all of us. The most recent is biophilic design, which largely stems from the work of two men, German psychologist Erich Fromm and American biologist Edward Osborne Wilson. Wilson coined the term “biophilia,” referring to the pleasure humans feel when we “imitate nature with gardens.” From the 60s through the 80s, he and Fromm demonstrated that, despite our modern trappings, our bodies still respond positively to stimuli from the natural world. They emphasized that the insight can be vitally important to the way we design our living, recreational and work spaces.

Biophilic spaces contain elements of nature—either the genuine article or a representation. This can be as simple as walls painted prairie yellow or as complex as a building whose atrium has a fountain and living birch trees. Other examples of biophilic design elements include natural light, materials such as wood and stone, and organic patterns.

If biophilic design is the modern practice of putting humanity in touch with its natural self by altering the environment, then feng shui is the ancient precursor to the practice. 

Feng shui revolves around the study of how qi—the life force energy in all living things—is shaped and moved in its environment. The term “feng shui” translates to “wind-water.”

“Feng shui started as observations by the Chinese,” says Rochel Parker of Feng Shui Technology in Sandy Springs. “Through observation, it was determined that people on one side of a mountain did better than those on the other side, and they started investigating why.” Formulas were found etched in animal bones that have been carbon dated to over 5,000 years ago, says Parker. “And I use those formulas today.”

 

Parker stresses that feng shui is not a design philosophy, although it is often applied to the layout and functions of homes and workspaces. That is because, just like mountains and rivers, buildings move and collect qi, and how the qi is distributed can greatly affect people dwelling in those spaces. 

“When we’re happy, we emanate happy qi, and when we’re sad, we emanate sad qi. These things we need to be aware of because our environment collects qi just like a vessel contains water.” 

When it comes to the layout of a home, Parker stresses the importance of yin and yang. Yin qi is the energy of relaxation and contraction, while yang qi is energetic and vibrant. So bedrooms should be centered around yin and living rooms around yang. Shiny objects and items of entertainment and learning such as TVs, cellphones and books have no place in the bedroom, says Parker. 

Her observations extend beyond her clients’ houses to the surrounding neighborhood. Since feng shui deals with the flow of energy around geographical features, she finds it important to understand the environment around the house in addition to what’s inside. 

As old as it is, feng shui has had many practitioners and teachers and has spun out in many directions. Parker notes that Western feng shui is often based on intent. “It’s like putting Post-it notes of your goals around the house,” she says. But intent is not enough, she says; many Western practitioners misunderstand the role and importance of qi. 

“Feng shui is not a good luck charm,” says international feng shui consultant Will LeStrange, who advises clients on both feng shui and biophilic design. “It’s about realizing and releasing the potential of a space.” 

When he talks with his clients, LeStrange often replaces “qi” with another word—“affection.” “For all human beings, no matter the environment, there’s a feeling of affection,” he says, and he sees his job as designing and realigning a client’s space to focus the qi to cultivate that affection. “When you go into a space, you can just feel this sense of connectedness. You feel as if there’s a purpose being unfolded and that it’s aligned with the space.” 

To LeStrange, who is based in Atlanta and New York, feng shui feng shui and biophilic design work so well because they recognize our animal nature and seek to find harmony with it. When we’re stressed or perceive a threat, our autonomic nervous systems go on high alert, into fight-or-flight mode. Feng shui and biophilic design aim to ensure that nothing in the environment activates that response system. 

Sometimes this just calls for a simple change, such as aligning a study so that someone seated at the desk faces the door. That way, they can see the entrance and know nothing can sneak up on them.

To LeStrange, feng shui is a far more personal practice than biophilic design and requires more knowledge of one’s goals and lifestyle to execute correctly. When done right, the results when can be life-changing, he says. “I’m happy to say I’ve been part of bringing three wonderful humans into the world over the years just by using feng shui,” reports LeStrange. “Clients were having in-vitro fertilization and really struggling to get pregnant. They stopped that, and we did feng shui instead. And it worked.” 

While the thought of applying feng shui and biophilic design principles to one’s own home can sound daunting and perhaps expensive, one can begin to work with them without breaking the bank. For example, both consultants agree that clutter is antithetical to the goals of both practices.

“Clutter is like a blood clot. It stops chi from flowing through your home,” Parker explains. 

LeStrange and Parker also emphasize the value of live plants. “They generate positive qi,” explains Parker, who brings fresh flowers into every hotel she stays in.

“The simplest way of applying feng shui or biophilic design is this: If you see a plant you love, buy it, put it in a place it loves being, and care for it,” says LeStrange. “Now you’re a custodian of the plant, and there’s a relationship between you and it. And if you neglect the plant, you neglect parts of yourself.”

The modern practices of feng shui and biophilic design thrive on personal and subjective instincts as much as concrete facts. After all, we enjoy connecting with nature in numerous and diverse ways, yet the goal is consistent: to have a more focused, connected and peaceful existence. 

“By reconnecting us with nature, it is really reconnecting us with our nature as human beings,” says LeStrange. ❧

Will LeStrange: FengShuiServices.com

Rochel Parker: FengShuiTechnology.com

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