| Feng Shui makes its way into college dorms |
|
ERIN RAINS, a senior at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., is up for anything that can make dorm dwelling a little easier.
"Getting everything you need into such a small space, that's the challenge," says Rains, who is open to a little chi.
It's the solution that college student Katherine Olaksen is hawking in "Dorm Room Feng Shui," a handbook on bringing positive energy (that's the "chi") into dorm-room living.
When students descend on college campuses, many will be faced with trying to fit their microwave, stereo equipment, computers, refrigerators, hampers and bins of clothes, shoes and, oh, let's not forget a roommate or two into a cell-like space that will be home sweet home for the next year.
Trying to squeeze your whole life into a roughly 12-by-15-foot box is a dilemma that Olaksen knows well. A senior at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, Olaksen says she has learned how to make the most of a cramped space while inviting some good vibes into her life.
"I've really tried to incorporate some principles of feng shui into my dorm rooms," says Olaksen, who wrote the book with the help of her aunt Elizabeth MacCrellish and feng shui expert Margaret Donahue. "Everybody is looking for ways to improve their life, their space, especially in college when you're in such a small space."
In her book, published by Storey Publishing, Olaksen boils feng shui down to its essentials. Think of it as Chi 101.
"Chi" (pronounced "chEE") starts with guas (pronounced "gwas"). According to the ancient Chinese design principles of feng shui, a room is divided into nine areas, or "guas."
Each gua represents a different area of life, such as prosperity, relationships, learning and so on. Each gua also has its own corresponding colors, shapes, textures and objects. Manipulating the various design elements within each gua is said to draw positive energy, or "chi," into that area of your life.
So, for example, in feng shui, the upper-left-hand corner of a room is the prosperity gua. In this space, Olaksen suggests using purples, greens and blacks — royal colors. This is the corner of the room where you might want to keep coins or other valuables.
The gua smack in the middle of a room is called the center. This gua is all about getting in touch with the real you.
It's the spot where you may want to meditate or do yoga. Earthy shades of brown and yellow go well here. So would a solid, square-shaped throw rug that anchors you to the earth.
Meanwhile, the lower-left corner of a room represents travel and helpful people. This is the area where your inner guide and guardian angel hang out. Angels, Buddhas, wind chimes and pictures of mentors or role models belong here; so do maps and pictures of places you want to visit. White is a good color to honor this sacred space.
Other guas: fame, relationships, family, knowledge, career, creativity and children.
As Olaksen points out, feng shui is clearly more than paint chips, fabric swatches and furniture. The aim is to help achieve dreams and build the life you want — stuff that a college education is supposed to be all about (in between the partying, studying and road trips).
The whole idea of feng shui dorm living makes sense to feng shui and clutter experts.
"It's about balancing your whole life," says Debra Michie, a Raleigh feng shui expert who is familiar with Olaksen's book. "College is an opportunity to look at yourself and who you want to be and which one of these areas you want to develop."
Whether or not you buy the whole chi/feng shui theory, one principle that most college students can adhere to is simplicity, Michie says. Less is more, and never more so than in a dorm room. In feng shui, the trick is using the right stuff in a chi way.
Start by clearing out the clutter. (Good energy can't get in when dirty clothes and empty pizza boxes cover the place.)
Kelly Basham, of Raleigh, is a junior at Vanderbilt University. While she may not be down with chi, Basham certainly understands the importance of a neat dorm room.
Coordinating who brings what with her roommates helps keep clutter to a minimum, she says. So does making use of the storage space under her bed.
And pushing their room's "hideous, dark, dreary" window curtains aside to hang sheer ones improved their space immensely. "That let more light in, good light. That helps a lot," Basham says. Light and good storage — more elements of feng shui emerge.
Another element: a good old-fashioned scrub-down. One must rid the place of cobwebs, stale air and leftover germs.
Olaksen advocates a thorough vacuuming, spritzing down desks and bookshelves, burning a little incense or getting an inexpensive plant or fresh flowers. Michie calls it "space clearing."
"Your great-grandmother did space clearing," she says. "She called it 'spring cleaning.'"
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| This article is brought to you by |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
