feng shui and bamboo

The strength, resilience, and quick growth of bamboo have made it a symbol of success and luck for 3000 years in China. Being upright and straight make it a symbol for a healthful and vigorous old age, and of being respected for your disciplined and ethical character. Being hollow makes it a symbol for a virtuous person's body, which is devoid of the ego that clogs one's inner realm, and is therefore a receptive vessel for enlightening spiritual wisdom and the healing power of the soul to flow freely through it. The durability of bamboo makes it a symbol of longevity, and the way that growing bamboo stalks can bend over rather than break in the wind, makes them a symbol of flexibility and adaptation. The ease with which bamboo grows in such a variety of conditions and climates, and its ability to stay green and leafy all year round make it a symbol of fortitude. No wonder bamboo is so copiously represented in traditional Chinese poetry, art, and literature. Bamboo is very important in Feng Shui

Furthermore, as bamboo requires no fertilizer or pesticide, and grows to harvest size within 3-5 years, it has become the cornerstone of ecologically responsible construction and decor.

Bamboo is often used as a talisman to ward off malevolent spirits. It is used to neutralize the effects of "Sha Chi" (literally translated as "killing breath") and placed where an inauspicious feature creates harmful energy, such as an exposed overhead beam, or the path of a "poison arrow" caused by a sharp corner. Bamboo growing in a glass vase of water and rocks, and tied with a red ribbon is said to encompass all five elements, and is therefore a good agent for balancing any room or corner and for activating stagnant chi where ever it lies. Bamboo is considered an auspicious plant to have in an office as well, and encourages a more energetic approach to the day's tasks.

Traditionally, bamboo is considered luckiest when received as a gift. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it for your self. If you consider the bamboo to be a gift from you to the office or home, it still caries the extra power of that giving intention. Giving the bamboo as a gift to a loved one is especially auspicious. When given to a business or home, the blessing includes the ability to move with the times and grow quickly to prosperity.

Bamboo can also be used in other forms, for instance bamboo wind chimes and flutes are considered powerful aides in Fen Shui. Bamboo flutes are considered creators, and the sounds they emit carry the energy field of your desires like vehicles into the infinite. Bamboo flutes often come tied with red cording and tassels. Three crossed bamboo flutes represent protection, with the two angular flutes in an x configuration representing the radiation of peace and protection up into the universe, and the third flute crossing them horizontally, representing the protection of your desires. Some people use a Feng Shui cure with only two bamboo flutes, and involving a ritual. In any case, these bamboo flute "cures" are to create a force field of protection around your home or office. Bamboo flutes can also be used to add endurance, power, and strength to one of your Bagua zones or life stations.

The placement of live bamboo in landscaping is an important part of Feng Shui. If bamboo is planted at the back of the house, it represents solid support, which is especially helpful for business. If planted in the front of the house, the bamboo attracts a flow of positive Chi to the home. Planted in a clump on the left side of the house, bamboo represents the Dragon, which is especially auspicious. Grown anywhere else, bamboo symbolizes longevity and hood health. Whether you grow your bamboo out doors or indoors, choose a variety that is suited to the conditions of your climate, and to the light and space, or lack there of, in the room. Don't use artificially stunted bamboo for Feng Shui, and do not allow a thicket of bamboo to become overgrown. These are both inauspicious. Always trim and prune away old and dead growth to cultivate the Feng Shui. Some varieties require less maintenance, so ask before you chose one.

The number of stalks on a bamboo plant has significance as well. Even numbers are Yin, while odd numbers of stalks are Yang. Each number of stalks is thought to carry a specific blessing, although not everyone agrees on which number of stalks represents which blessing.

Lucky bamboo brings in success and luck to those who lovingly and considerately maintain it, and improves the atmosphere all around it. It is perfect for any spot where cash is stored and for places specified in the Bagua, like the east and south east of your home, which gets more nutritious light anyway.

Bamboo is sometimes referred to as possessing a serene and intelligent power, which can be experienced when the wind blows through a thicket of bamboo and hums a comforting sound that creates a transcendental atmosphere.