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In this article, we will explain the golden section (ratio, mean), and describe its use in conjunction with feng shui to improve homes and apartments.

One of the most ardent fans of the golden ratio was Pythagoras – an ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and mystic, who lived in Greece in the VI century BC. Pythagoras was convinced that there is harmony in nature, which can be expressed through numbers and proportions. He was also convinced that these proportions can be used in home design and architecture. Using his theory of proportion, you can "move" the energy in the house from where it serves poorly to where it will start serving favorably.

Pythagoras declared certain proportional relationships, which he considered ideal. He called it the Golden mean/ratio/rectangle. This value is 1:1.618. This value is found everywhere in nature. One example can be a shell, where each part is identical to the other parts by form. Although these parts differ in size, they have the same proportions.

The golden ratio can also be found in the human body. The famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci – the Vitruvian Man - relates the proportions of the human body with various geometric figures, and is a good example of the described ratio.

The Golden section is a tool that is available to everyone, and that can be used in your home to improve its influence on those who live there. To define this number for any room, do as follows: measure the width of the room and multiply it by 1.618. Thus, you will get the desired length for this area. For example, if the width of the room is 20 feet, multiply 20 by 1.618 and you will get 32.36 feet for the desired length of this room. There’s no need to follow the resulting number to the inch – it will suffice if you follow it approximately.

The principle of the golden mean can be used in one-room studio apartments that consist of one large room with a kitchen, office, and bedroom, all in one room. Feng-shui of such apartments is usually very poor. However, if you own a studio apartment, do not despair! Just follow the basic principles of space organization, make the necessary adjustments, and you will be able to improve everything. The studio can be divided into several golden rectangles, so that each part is proportional.

If it’s a long and narrow space, you can use flowers and furniture as a room divider. If you don’t want to divide the room this way, you can use items that correspond to the golden proportion by their dimensions, such as mirrors, paintings, coffee tables, or aquariums. You can use the same rules for garden landscape design. The golden ratio and feng shui can help to improve any home, garden, office, as well as any other area.

There are easy available methods that can help you improve your premises, balance the five feng shui elements and get their energy to circulate the proper way. This could bring numerous benefits, including improved health, increased wealth, better relationships with your loved ones, and more.

Some of the tips that you could receive from a good feng shui consultation are affordable and easy to follow. Let’s discuss two such examples: increasing wealth and improving health the easy way with feng shui.

Wealth: One of the most sought after life improvements is financial stability. Our world is a highly competitive place to live in, where everyone seems to struggle for their slice of bread with some butter.

Feng shui has some truly fascinating suggestions to offer, which work similarly to those of the popular law of attraction (which, in fact, may be based on this Chinese science to a certain extent).

If you want to gain wealth, you need to create a “piece” of it in your own home. For this purpose, you may consider creating the so-called “wealth vessel”. This can be any vase (preferably made of metal or ceramics) that needs to be filled with specific “ingredients”. The ingredients include: Chinese coins, regular currency, semi-precious gems, and a gold ring. The vase needs to be placed in your bedroom, or any other place where it would not be seen by guests.

By locking the representation of wealth this way, you may see an actual improvement in your financial situation in the near future. Note that a professional feng shui consultation could give you more details on this matter.

Health: It’s obvious that a serious health issue will require anyone to visit their doctor and get the proper treatment. However, you can improve your health the natural way as well. Improving health with feng shui involves improving the energy circulation in your home, and especially certain parts thereof.

One of the most important areas to take care of is the kitchen. Improving the energy flows in the kitchen is easy – all you need to do is remove any clutter and clean it well.

Clutter, unused items, and dirty cupboards may not allow for the uninhibited flow of the subtle energies. What you need to do is clean everything you can clean in your kitchen. It may take a day, but the effects can be impressive. Clean your refrigerator and dispose of any old foodstuffs that may be inside. Clean the oven and the pots/pans that are inside. Clean the tables and cupboards. Finish by wiping the external surfaces in the kitchen and washing the floors with soap and water. You can get more tips and advice for this matter through a professional feng shui consultation.

The second important suggestion to consider for improving your health is introducing several special plants into your home, which are: Areca Palm, Lady Palm, Bamboo Palm, Rubber Plant, Dracaena Janet Craig, English Ivy, Dwarf Date Palm, Peace Lily, and Boston fern.

The kitchen
can often be referred to as the heart of a home, therefore having the perfect feng shui kitchen is a requirement for developing a well balanced and abundant life for your entire family. This area of a home represents every member of your family so it is critical to keep it pristine. According to basic feng shui principles, food is connected with wealth, so the place where food is prepared represents the origin of wealth and prosperity.

The stove would be the most important piece of appliance in the kitchen and its placement will largely determine how the flow of 'qi' or energy is in that room. In order for the 'qi' to flow freely, the stove must be positioned in a certain way. The best position for a stove is attached to an island within the middle of a kitchen so that the cook has the entire room including the entrance in plain sight. It's important for anyone doing the cooking to be able to see whoever comes through the door. If your stove is set up in a way that faces a wall as is the case with many stoves, especially in smaller kitchens, a very good remedy for not being able to see the kitchen should be to place a mirror behind the stove burners. This is not only effective in that it allows the cook to view the whole room, it also helps to create the illusion of doubling your wealth. The burners of a stove are believed to represent where the wealth actually comes into the home from. If a mirror is positioned correctly behind the burners, it is meant to double the total amount of wealth that enters.

There can also be many positions that aren't suitable for a stove. For instance, a stove shouldn't be placed in line with the kitchen door or stuck in between a corner of a room. You should also avoid putting it right by the window as it's believed that wealth will flow right out through the window. In an effort to save space, some stoves are designed having a microwave above it. This sort of placement is also very bad, because the microwave will actually oppress the movement of 'qi'.

Other important stove recommendations include keeping it clean, in proper working condition and making good use of it. Leaving the stove unused does not help the household become prosperous in any way. Use it regularly to cook nutritious food for the entire family and remember to use all of the burners for the most effective results. If any part of a stove needs fixing, have it fixed immediately so it doesn't negatively affect your finances. It's also vital that you know the stove symbolizes the fire element. Water is really detrimental to fire as it's supposed to put it out, however both the sink and the refrigerator represent water and they are all located in close proximity to each other. The most effective placement for all three is to have them form a triangle and something representing the wood element in between the stove and each water element appliance. Live plants are a great tool to utilize for this purpose.

Besides the stove, there are many other important feng shui kitchen tips. Keep the kitchen clean always, remember to clean out the cabinets and refrigerator regularly. Anything that's going to expire or that is spoiled must be thrown away so it won't have any negative effects on the 'qi' of a room. Broken appliances must also be removed for the same reason. Bad plumbing and other such problems needs to be fixed as soon as possible. Lastly sharp objects such as knives should not be out in the open, either keep them inside of a drawer or a knife rack. All of these simple techniques can make a huge difference in the kitchen.