The popularity of both Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra has increased massively in the last few years that now even interior designers and home decor brands consider these systems while creating their designs and catering to modern homeowners. Today, you are one search away from finding a wide selection of Vastu and Feng Shui home decor items. From animal sculptures and natural plants to crystals and stones, you can manipulate the vibes in your home with the selection and placement of specific objects according to these sciences.
With millions of followers and testimonies that boast of their power, the wisdom of these ancient systems, have become an ordinary part of many households. Both Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui provide guidance on how one can look at their home as an extension of their body, soul, and mind. And in this guide, we will compare some basic principles involved in both practices.
However, please note that one is not superior or better than another, and we do not recommend you to appropriate or mindlessly mix these two practices. Instead, in this blog, we will explore some of the similarities and differences between Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui with respect.
Origins in India & China
Vastu Shastra (literally means "science of architecture") was originated in India, while Feng Shui (which translates to “wind & water”) was developed in Ancient China. Both these large countries were homes to civilizations that were subjected to environmental calamities like floods and other natural disasters. So, it is likely that the major differences in these two systems arise due to their diverse geographical origins. As both countries have different natural and terrains patterns.
Like most ancient cultures that had their own practices for connecting man with the environment such as where to create your home in an advantageous way for higher longevity, abundance, and harmony – considering practical as well as spiritual reasons. Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra were also used for similar purposes which included the construction of venerated sacred sites like temples and palaces. The origins of Vastu Shastra can be found in several Hindu texts, including the Vedas, while Feng Shui’s foundations were rooted in Taoism. Both these sciences examine spaces and use different methods for connecting the cosmos with the humans that reside on the planet. They play with colors, patterns, and placement of different home decor items for correcting and improving these cosmic connections.
Qi and Prana
At its core of Feng Shui is the concept ruled by “qi”, which in Chinese culture, is described as a life energy force that animates and gives life to nature, humans, animals, space, and objects. Similarly, the study of Vastu Shastra places importance on the same idea of energy called “prana”. Both prana and qi are connected to the breath but are not defined as the same. Qi and prana are believed to enliven even non-living objects. All beings, spaces, and objects are interdependent and interconnected in these two practices. Therefore in both studies, our spaces are used for balancing and finding support in our lives.
So if ever you wondered how keeping an animal accent can change your mood or bring prosperity to your life, here is the explanation.
Connected to Nature & Its Elements (5 Elements)
Both Feng Shui and Vastu use the natural world for guidance to inform and connect our environments. Feng Shui uses Taoism’s five elements: earth, metal, wood, water, and fire. And Vastu Shastra takes its five elements from the Hindu Vedic system, which includes: water, earth, fire, air, and space. And the attributes of the five elements involved in these systems are not similar.
Mandala Principle & the Directions
Mandala is a Sanskrit word that translates to a “circle.” However, it can be best described as a geometric symbol with a circular center. In both Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra, their mandalas are formed with eight areas surrounding a center. In feng shui, the Bagua map can be described as its mandala. The word Bagua itself means “eight areas.” These mandalas radiate these eight main areas around its center. These eight areas are related to the cardinal (north, south, east, and west) and inter-cardinal directions (south-east, north-east, north-west, and south-west). And the system believes that each direction relates to its own five elements along with other meanings. For instance, in the Vastu Shastra system, the directions overlay with deities, planets, colors, and so forth. This is part of the reason why you will see people decorating specific directions and corners of their home with certain deities.
These mandalas can be overlaid on the floor plans for providing insight and instructions on how you can best organize and decorate your living spaces. Note that both Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra place importance on the mandala’s center. While the Vastu mandala is connected with space, the feng shui center affects the entire mandala. It’s worth noting that the mandalas of both these systems don’t have the same meaning or applications nor are they equivalent to one another.
Importance of Different Rooms
Both these ancient systems also look at the importance of different rooms in a home. And both give great significance to the bathroom, bedroom, and entrance. Keeping cleanliness and organization at their core, these systems are designed to help you lead a positive, healthy and auspicious life. All these spaces being an important part of your space make them important in your home and life; hence, should be decorated with thoughtful things and colors.
Hope via this blog, we were able to pique your interest in one of these systems. Dive deeper into the design details of these practices on the internet and use our home decor products for adding more harmony to your space. Both these systems offer great wisdom and knowledge that everyone can harness for reconnecting themselves to their spaces.
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