Wood Element in Feng Shui Design
The wood element in feng shui practice symbolizes growth, vitality, and flexibility. Wood, along with metal, earth, fire, and water, comprise the five elements that are foundational in feng shui practice. Practitioners of feng shui design believe that each of these elements contains unique properties and characteristics. They use these properties to balance and strengthen the energies of each of the elements to create an overall harmonious atmosphere.
Wood is a foundational element in creating a dynamic and vibrant home atmosphere. Use objects and symbols of the wood element if there are areas of your life that feel stagnant and lifeless. But as always, make sure that you create a balance of the five elements, as too much wood energy can cause a chaotic environment.
About the Wood Element
Wood represents progress and expansion. Like all the elements, wood must have both yin and yang energy to be balanced. But the wood element is primarily associated with yang energy because it represents growth, resilience, and vitality. Yet, the wood elements also contain more gentle qualities like nurture and support that signify yin energy.
When you display symbols of the wood element, it is important to understand which symbols represent which type of energy in order to achieve the desired effect.
Wood Symbols That Represent Yang Energy
- Trees – Trees are a powerful symbol of wood energy that we associate with yang energy as they are strong, feature upward growth, and have expansive branches.
- Columns – Likewise, columns feature upward movement, which we associate with the wood element and yang energy.
- Bamboo – Bamboo represents fast growth and flexibility, both strong symbols of wood and yang energy.
Wood Symbols That Represent Yin Energy
- Roots – Roots grow downward and nourish the upward growth of the plant. These represent the quiet and nurturing aspect of wood energy.
- Leaves – Leaves are delicate and have a gentle waving motion. This gentle movement symbolizes the soft and flowing nature of yin energy.
- Floral Patterns – The delicate and soft beauty of floral patterns represents the soft and feminine side of yin energy.
The Wood Element and the Bagua Map
The bagua map is a tool that is useful for feng shui practitioners in determining the energy layout of a given space. Each area of the bagua is associated with an area of your life and with one of the five elements.
The areas of the bagua that are associated with the wood element are the family and health area and the wealth and prosperity area. Therefore, if you want to energize growth and vitality in these areas of your life, the wood element is particularly effective in these areas. Yet, it is important to balance the other elements in these sections so that you don’t get negative effects from too much of one energy type.
Qualities Associated With Wood Energy
We associated the wood element with a variety of positive qualities. These are some of the characteristics that you can engender in your life with wood energy.
- Growth – Wood energy promotes growth and expansion in all areas of your life, personal as well as professional.
- Vitality – We associated the wood element with health and wellness, so this is particularly good energy for overall vitality and positive energy.
- Flexibility – Incorporating the wood element into your space can help you be more open to new ideas and opportunities.
- Strength – Adding the wood element into your space can help strengthen and support your new endeavors by giving them a firm foundation.
- Creativity – Feng shui practice associates the wood element with creativity and innovation, making it a good element to add to a workroom and other creative spaces.
Colors and Shapes That Represent the Wood Element
- Colors – The colors that feng shui design uses to represent the wood element are all shades of brown and green.
- Shapes – Tall vertical shapes represent the wood element including things like columns, vertical stripes, and tall skinny objects like curtains.
The Wood Element in the Constructive Cycle
The five elements exist in relation to each other. The constructive cycle shows how each element strengthens another. In this cycle, the water element strengthens the wood energy just like water helps living plants grow. Thus, you can use symbols that represent water to strengthen wood energy in your space. Therefore, use symbols like aquariums, deep black and blue colors, wavy shapes, and mirrors if you want to strengthen the wood energy in a particular area.
In its own turn, the wood element helps to strengthen the fire element just as wood feeds fire. Therefore, if you are looking to strengthen fire energy, use symbols and colors that represent the wood element.
The Wood Element in the Destructive Cycle
Each of the five elements also serves to lessen the energy of the other elements in the cycle. In this relationship, we can use the metal element to weaken the wood element. It is helpful to use symbols that represent metal, like white and gray colors, metal objects, and sharp shapes, to lessen wood energy in your space.
You can also use wood symbols to weaken the earth element. This can be helpful if you are feeling stuck or lack mobility in your career or life goals.
An Excess of Wood Energy
It is vital to strike the right balance of energy in your space, or you can create negative effects. Here are the negative repercussions of too much wood energy.
- Overstimulation – We associate growth and upward energy with the wood element, so too much of this energy can leave us with an inability to rest and relax.
- Impatience and impulsiveness – Feng shui practice recognizes that wood energy is vital and stimulating. An excess of this energy can lead you to make poor choices and make decisions more difficult.
- Conflict and aggression – The yang energy in wood is strong and aggressive. When it is imbalanced, it can lead to arguments and tension between people and a hostile environment.
- Disorder – The rapid growth and expansion we connect with wood energy can lead to disorder and chaos when there is too much of it.
Wood Element in Home Design
For people seeking to add more wood energy into their homes, here are some easy ideas to implement.
Paint the Walls
Wood colors are earthy and soothing. Choose varied shades of green and brown to paint the walls. Go vibrant with emerald or teal, or choose calming tones like sage or tan. Add all-encompassing color, or just paint an accent wall. Either method will help to bring valuable wood energy into your personal space.
Add Plants and Flowers
There are many benefits to adding plants and flowers to your space, not least of which is great wood energy. Be sure to read the care requirements of particular plants and flowers and take note of the sunlight in your area, as thriving plants provide the best energy. Be sure to remove dead outcroppings and leaves, as these can negatively affect the energy in your home.
Vertical Shapes
Shapes that look like trees bring valuable wood energy into the home. Add square or circular columns or add tall vertical curtains. You can also add striped patterns on wallpaper and fabric as these represent the wood element.
Green and Brown Decor
Painting walls is a bigger color commitment than some people want. Instead, opt for green and brown decor items like furniture, throw pillows, coverlets, and rugs. These items will add wood energy and are easy to change if you need to transition to something else later.
Wall Art
Some people lack the green thumb or the commitment to keep real plants alive. Opt for botanical wall art if this is true for you. Remember that certain types of botanical wall art reflect certain wood energy. For example, tall trees with expansive leaves represent the aggressive yang energy of wood. Soft florals and root systems reflect the calmer and more nurturing yin energy of wood.