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No THE FENG SHUI TEST 40

How feng shui is my workplace?

WHAT IT’S ABOUTAccording to Confucius in the Book of Rites, inner harmony is the key to happiness. And it lies buried in the interaction between ourselves and our environment. At the heart of the matter is the idea that the inside and the outside are connected. Those who are helpless, unsuccessful or unhappy should not brood over things in despera-tion; they should take a careful look at their environment, as the outside helps us draw conclusions about the inside. This may sound like esoteric mumbo-jumbo, yet each one of us knows that when we’re in a good phase, we feel better, work more effectively and communicate more clearly. In negative phases, tensions arise, we are tired and we are drawn magnetically to conflicts. Feng shui, the ancient Chinese teaching of harmony in work and life, says that

these are not phases, they are zones – physical fields in which our life energy or qi flows, or not. What’s more, our environment reveals which areas of our life we direct our attention to. A brief example: everything on the right side of your desk symbolises the future – things that you are looking forward to or that you are afraid of. On the left is the past, accumulated issues that you are having difficulty letting go of or incidents that you like thinking about. Right?

THE TEST An accurate feng shui analysis is as complex as nuclear physics. But the underlying rule is so obvious that it’s surprising we break it so often: there is no blanket solution. Change the things that bother you. If you feel good sitting under a motorway bridge, stay there.

GOOD TO KNOW

Your desk is a reflection of your mind. Tidy up before you make decisions. Repair things that are broken.

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1131. Is your desk tidy? yes (1) no (0)

2. Do you sit with your back to a door? yes (0) no (1)

3. Do you sit with your back to a wall? yes (1) no (0)

4. Do you sit in such a way that you can let your gaze wander (across the room or through the window)? yes (1) no (0)

5. Do you sit in a draught between the door and the window? yes (0) no (1)

6. Is your workplace under a sloping roof? yes (0) no (1)

7. Do you have plants in your room? yes (1) no (0)

8. Can you see many cables around you? yes (0) no (1)

9. Do you have a well-organised computer desktop and email box? yes (1) no (0)

10. Does the building you work in have a harmonious relationship to the neighbouring yes (1) no (0) building?

Add up the points (next to the answers).

> 8 points: Your workplace is harmonious. At least according to feng shui criteria.

4–8 points: There is upwards potential. Ask yourself: What does the disharmony say about this stage in your life?

< 4 points: Your workplace is in a sha qi zone. No wonder you feel tired and sad there. The first feng shui measure is to tidy up.

Quick check: do you have a harmonious workplace?

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