Find Your Feng Shui Five Element Personality
Which one are you: Go-getter, Visionary, Foundation, Closer, or Sage?
Practitioners of feng shui will talk about each of the five elements as having a signature of chi. Characteristics of energy that are aligned with the natural representations of wood, fire, earth, metal, water. This five element energy system is based on an ancient Taoist cosmological belief that everything is connected on a fundamental level. Each element is connected on an energetic level to senses, emotions, moods, ways of being, even objects, and colours.
Your personal chi and the five elements
Much emphasis is placed on the five elements and how they are represented in a space or environment, but did you know that they can also be used to describe personalities and human behavior? Personal chi is that which flows through an individual. It is expressed as both a physical quality, as well as in mental states, such as thoughts and emotions. How you walk, talk, and express yourself in the big, wide world is influenced by your life force (chi). Situations, experiences, events, and environments can shift an individual’s elemental chi.
A simple way of reading your chi
Using the five elements to examine your personal chi is a way to gain awareness and acceptance of who we are. It is a way to describe our energy at this moment in time. You can think of it as an ancient personality test. It gives us insight into our behavior: how we approach tasks, how we interact with others, and how we feel in certain environments. There are complex methods for analyzing a person’s elemental chi, such as Chinese astrological techniques of the Nine Star Ki and Bazi (the Four Pillars astrology). In this article, we will be looking at personal chi, and the five elements, in a broader and more immediate way.
Wood, fire, earth, metal or water: what element best describes you?
Do a quick mental checklist using the lists below. Ask yourself which element feels the most aligned with your energy at this time in your life? And yes, it is okay to choose more than one, if that best describes you. This exercise is meant to give you a little glimpse, and some insight, into the practice of feng shui energy readings (this is by no means a complete analysis).
WOOD
The Go-getter: You are the wood element which represents growth, vitality, and action. You are always moving upward and onward, like a tree or grass that is continually growing and expanding.
Supportive wood colours: greens, teals, also dark blues and blacks. Check out my article: Simple ways to decorate with the wood element.
FIRE
The Visionary: You are the fire element which represents transformation and brilliance. This energy is about burning and consuming to make new again: transforming and inspiring. You are like a warm, summer day.
Supportive fire colours: reds, oranges, and hot pinks, also greens. Check out my article: Simple ways to decorate with the fire element.
EARTH
The Foundation: You are the earth element which represents stability and firmness; you are constant and still. Grounding and reliable, earth is the foundation and bedrock. You are the mountain that will not be moved, but also nurturing and receptive like freshly tilled soil.
Supportive earth colours: Yellows and reds, also earth tones. Check out my article: Simple ways to decorate with the earth element.
METAL
The Closer: You are the metal element which represents contraction and completion. Sometimes viewed as cold, but also unwavering and stead-fast. Like a sword, that cuts through discord and chaos. Your energy moves inward, and is quiet and rational.
Supportive metal colours: whites and light greys, also yellows. Check out my article: Simple ways to decorate with the metal element.
WATER
The Sage: You are the water element which represents wisdom and introspection. Cool and cautious. You move through life like water, formless but yielding to your surroundings. You literally go with the flow. Water energy is also introspective, wise, and thoughtful.
Supportive water colours: dark blues and blacks, also whites and greys. Check out my article: Simple ways to decorate with the water element.
So, what does this all mean?
Looking at your personality from a feng shui, and five elements, perspective provides insight that goes beyond the tangible and mundane. It is like a cosmological, and metaphysical personality test that gives us a lens, through which we can understand our personal chi. Our energy shifts, alters, and expands depending on the what, where, and when of our lives. You can use this insight when creating a supportive environment and home. This will give you a deeper understanding of how colour, space, and function can support your energy.
The next step: Understanding what to do when you have a chi imbalance. Can you have too much of one element? Learn how the five elements work together to create harmony and balance. More to come on this…