Indoor and outdoor water fountains are often used in feng shui as objects meant to attract positive energy. Associated with wisdom, wealth, tranquility, and prosperity, water is an important element of feng shui for your home.
Today, we’re giving you our guide to water fountain feng shui to help you balance the energy of your home and manifest your goals. The positive intentions of feng shui are executed through careful consideration and deliberate placement. Follow this guide to get started!
What Is Feng Shui?
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice where buildings, objects, and spaces are arranged in such a way as to balance energy and promote harmony. With roots in early Taoist beliefs, feng shui has become more popular in Western cultures over the centuries, as well.
The term “feng shui” actually means “the way of wind and water,” which is perfectly appropriate as we discuss water fountain feng shui today! Consulting the bagua, or energy map, feng shui is meant to increase positive chi (energy) by balancing the complementary forces found in the five major elements.
5 Elements of Feng Shui
The practice of feng shui divides the world up into five different elements. A balance of these elements creates positive energy to bring about abundance, good health, success, and more. The five elements of feng shui are:
- Earth
- Fire
- Water
- Metal
- Wood
Each element invokes a different energy, so choosing how to arrange your home or outdoor space according to the rules of feng shui will be personalized to the energy and goals you want to manifest.
How do these elements influence water fountain feng shui, you ask? While water fountains are obviously associated heavily with the element of water, the other elements come into effect with the materials with which it’s made. Is your fountain made of stone? This brings in the element of earth. Common water fountain ideas include using bamboo or other natural elements, which incorporate the wood element with your feng shui water fountain plan.
You can even get creative with ways to associate elements with your fountain. For example, if you feel you need more influence of the metal element for your water fountain feng shui, put a few coins in the basin. Just be sure not to interrupt the flow of water or the intake for your water feature pump.
Energy Flow of Water Fountain Feng Shui
When consulting the bagua for feng shui, water fountain energy flow is a crucial point to understand. Everything from the uninterrupted flow of water and where you can hear its sound to the placement and direction of your feature affects water fountain feng shui.
Continuous flow of water: The continuous flow of water is associated with wealth, abundance, and positive energy. One of the most important aspects of feng shui for water fountains is that they should always be running, so the water should not be still except during maintenance. It’s important to keep it flowing to keep that energy coming into your space.
Running water sounds: The sounds of running water in feng shui promote calm, tranquility, and peace. That said, water fountain sounds in the bedroom are associated with negative energies like sadness and worry, so be mindful of this when creating your feng shui water fountain plan.
Feng Shui Water Fountain Placement
Water fountain feng shui utilizes the bagua map to guide placement inside the home, but the principles of feng shui also apply to outdoor water feature installations. To help you determine where to put your water fountain, we’re looking at rules for each.
Indoor Water Fountain Feng Shui
There are some simple dos and don’ts of indoor water fountain feng shui. The biggest things to avoid include:
- Placing water fountains under stairs
- Having a fountain in the bedroom
- Pointing the flow of your fountain towards the outside
- Putting a water fountain in the south part of your home
Avoid fountains under the stairs: Fountains under stairs promote negative energy and misfortune to children in the home.
Avoid fountains in the bedroom: Bedroom fountains (or hearing the sounds of your fountain in the bedroom) may bring feelings of sorrow, stress, or anxiety into that space.
Both of these should be top priorities to avoid!
Avoid pointing flow of fountain towards the outside: Additionally, pointing the flow of your feature towards the outside disrupts indoor water fountain feng shui because it pushes the positive energy and wealth away from your home rather than inviting it in. Instead, try to put your fountain near the entrance of your home with the water flowing towards the inside to invite prosperity and good energy.
Avoid the south side of the home: Placement of an indoor fountain in the south point of your home is also discouraged. This point of the bagua is associated with fire. Water and fire are opposites, so a fountain placed in this area will have the positive effects negated.
Outdoor Water Fountain Feng Shui
While many of the common feng shui water fountain considerations are meant for indoor features, the principles of this practice should be carried over to outdoor fountains, as well.
For example, be mindful of the elements you’re choosing for your water fountain. Different types of water fountains will engage different elements in varying amounts. While fire and water features are mesmerizing, they don’t mix well with the rules of feng shui as the two energies counteract one another. Likewise, fountains bringing in elements of wood or metal may need to be balanced out with other elements for optimal energy flow.
Outdoor water fountain feng shui also dictates that the flow of water should be towards the inside of the house when possible. This also applies to other water installations like waterfall features. The flow of water aimed towards the interior of the home invites positive energy, wealth, and prosperity into the home from your outdoor space. Bonus points if you have a fountain just outside your front door, as this is the ideal point to welcome in this energy.
Not all outdoor water fountain feng shui is about placement or water flow, however. You should also ensure your fountain and the water is clean at all times. Cloudy or algae-filled water disrupts the flow of energy, or chi, and counteracts the positive feng shui water fountains bring. Keeping your backyard water fountain installation (or any backyard water feature) clear of debris is also essential to keep the flow of water unimpeded.
When it comes to water fountain feng shui, the rules for indoor and outdoor features are very similar. Be mindful of the materials you’re using, the placement of your fountain, and the flow of water to balance the energy of your home inside and out.
When you’re ready, our team of water feature installation professionals is ready to give you the fountain of your dreams!