Education is a process of constant change. Open space gives way to fixed desks and closed doors. Individual prescriptions overtake tracking and mainstreaming. It should come as no surprise that Feng Shui for education has found a place in the classroom as well.
Feng Shui has normally been found in home decorating. It uses some fixed principles to unit various aspects of a room or building. The idea is to make the environment as healthy and supportive as possible.
When the concept of cubicles became a tired joke, Feng Shui was often used to soften and enhance the way vast open offices were designed. And while the use of this Eastern art has ebbed and flowed, you will find it still very much in evidence. The practice is certainly not considered unusual any longer.
Putting it to use in education seems like a logical step from the business and domestic areas where it has already been accepted. Whether it should be seen as supportive or simply excellent decorating is not important. That it does seem to contribute to the sense of rightness is what most users find of interest.
A person who practices this Eastern skill is trained to view areas in quadrants. They are shown how to maximize the flow of energy through these quadrants. They are taught to avoid certain negatively perceived angles and structures. When avoidance is not possible then other means, like mirrors or fabric, are used to soften the impact of the negatives.
Should a classroom seem intimidating or claustrophobic, the a practitioner would attempt to change the energy flow to remove those feelings. Maybe a mirror would be placed to reflect the bad feelings out the entrance.
In the East, this art pervades all aspects of life from the design of a textbook to the way a piece of clothing is sewn together. In the West, it more often is used in isolation. Still it is likely that a room that makes you feel particularly comfortable would be following the basic rules of Feng Shui even if not intentionally.
In the East it is bound up in ritual and ceremony. But here, there are books that give the basics in a quite straightforward list of things to do and things to avoid. Much the way meditation has been packaged for the western mind, this skill has been put into steps rather than a ceremony.
Whether this translation from the mysterious and ceremonial to the step-by-step DIY method will work in education remains to be seen. It certainly should not hurt to have a classroom arranged so that a sense of well-being was felt the moment you walked in. It would be hard to find a reason not to use such a tool.
So, using Feng Shui for education might be seen as a normal step. After being used in our homes and offices, the classroom would seem to be an obvious leap. It would certainly beat the sense of dread or worse yet, boredom that many classrooms currently arouse.
Find out more about chinese feng shui and feng shui living at the author’s website www.101fengshuitips.com . Copyright 2010 101FengShuiTips.com . This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.
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