HowTo:Feng Shui Your Computer
The science of Feng Shui has long been a favoured methodology within the business sector, but over the last ten years has come to be accepted as fundamental to the smooth running of the IT industry. The ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment has crucial practical applications for the home PC user also.
In this easy-to-use guide you will find practical tips and guidance to help you get all the benefits this respected branch of computer science has to offer. So let's begin...
Know your Yin from your Yang
When venturing into the world of home PC Feng Shui, its important to grasp the basics first. Essentially there are two main kinds of chi. Chi is also known as life force, energy or binary. The table below describes the two primary chi types in play; Yin and Yang. Since these energies are present in all computers, take time to study the table below carefully before advancing with your project.
| Yin | Yang | Yin | Yang | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | South | Winter | Summer | |
| Heaven | Earth | Spirit | Matter | |
| Female | Male | Microsoft | FOSS | |
| Octal | Hexadecimal | Night | Day | |
| Backspace | Delete | Wet | Wild | |
| RAM | ROM | Fast | Furious | |
| Intel | AMD | Miranda | qip | |
| ATI | nVidia | Firefox | Opera | |
| Inner | Outer | Little-endian | Big-endian | |
| HTML | XHTML | Receptive | Creative | |
| Soft | Hard | HD-DVD | Blu-Ray | |
| Java | C# | Lingering | Hasty | |
| Lowercase | Uppercase | Windows | Linux |
Getting Started
There are two main approaches to the field of Computer Feng Shui:
- Optimising an existing computer
- Building your computer from scratch
Those who already own an existing PC, or those just starting out in Feng Shui may feel more comfortable starting small by optimising the computer they already have. This allows you to make changes and adjustments as you learn and according to your budget.
However advanced practitioners may at some stage feel ready to take on a slightly bigger project; building a Feng Shui compatible computer themselves from scratch.
This guide mainly focuses on helping the Feng Shui beginner grasp the basic principles and learn how they can apply these practically in their home or office PCs.
Please note, this guide is not designed for Macs, as they are already compliant with current Feng Shui protocols.
Enhancing an Existing Computer
Many Chinese Feng Shui products are available on the market today to help the everyday PC user encourage harmonious energy flow in their computer.
- Bells - A beautiful sounding bell with quality resonance helps soothe the sickness chi. It can also help to clear up muddied thinking. It is the most effective of the various types of metal chi. It is said that when a bell chimes, it opens a line of communication to heaven, and is therefore good fortune. A bell on the CD tray of your system unit will help announce the arrival of new data chi.
- Wind Chimes - are best used outdoors where the wind can play their music. My favorite wind chimes are of the pentatonic variety. The resonance is beautiful. I have found that installing a miniature set of wind chimes on the outside of any and all fans in the case will help to counteract any negative earth chi and offer powerful assistance to metal chi. Please note that for the wind chimes to be an effective metal cure, they should be made of metal rather than wood.
- Mobiles - are wonderful objects to bring more yang chi to any environment, be it the garden, a shaded path, or a spare corner of your motherboard. They are also useful to help soften sharp corners in a room. Hanging plants are also good for this, too, although these should be draped from expansion slots only.
- Plants - are used to bring forth wood chi in areas of study and creativity. Live plants are best because they give off good chi along with oxygen. If you have a CRT monitor, this provides ample space for a ficus or three. You will need to create an opening in the top of the monitor. Be sure to allow for proper drainage too.
- Light - is the most natural form of fire chi. Light brings yang chi into the space. If the light is too strong and there is glare then it will interfere with concentration. If the light is too little then it will be difficult to use good judgment and difficult to focus on studies. Full spectrum lighting is good in these low light areas. I prefer to point the light at a wall and let it reflect back to the point of use rather than have the light shine directly onto the person. Up-lighting is good to help lift the chi in dense or dark areas. Installation of small LED lights inside the system unit casing is a very popular form of bringing more light into ones computer, however traditional lighting methods are just as effective. A well placed candle or animal-fat lamp will draw essential yang chi into your computer.
- Large Objects - are used to create indoor "mountains". Big CPU chips, heat sinks, hard drives, book shelves, and even heavy tables are welcome homes for the mountain dragons to rest upon. If you have a good mountain dragon in your CPU tower it is good to place your solid, strong hard drive(s) on that side for better disk health. Boulders or large rocks make good miniature mountains also as they are very powerful landscaping objects. If your case doesn't have enough room to accommodate a boulder, simply place the rock on top of the system unit as a handy resting place for beneficial mountain dragons.
- Mandarin Ducks - mate for life so it is said that having a pair of these ducks in your monitor casing will help attain marital bliss. I recommend, however, that you place them in the form of art, rather than the real thing. Live ducks in the screen could be a cause rather than a cure for marital strife!
- Laughing Buddha - If displayed with respect, a laughing Buddha brings joy, abundance and protection. He should be placed at a height off the floor of the case, directly facing the USB ports to welcome the incoming chi. If this isn't possible, position him on an expansion slot or fan diagonally opposite the entrance. He is never displayed in a monitor. Buddha images are available in many moods and positions to summon success, prosperity, serenity or happiness. You may even place him in the east of your office desk.
Example
To the left you will find an example system to contemplate. The huge quartz crystal facilitates over-clocking and vigor, while the fire coming out of the CPU fan helps to keep heat flowing. Buddha's candle and the CPU fire are bisected by a waterfall, which brings the cooling action without coming too near the fire. This, of course, also improves data flow through.
Mount Fuji invokes stability, and may soon become the roost of a powerful dragon. The happy ground dwelling tree helps to improve binary search patterns and provides much needed shade for data packets.
This system also includes a stylized yin-yang which brings balance to the spheres, and, of course, a monkey on the video card. No one invited the bird. We have been assured the monkey will be "Taking Care" of it shortly.
Building your PC from scratch
There is a lot to be said in support of building your computer yourself. Aside from being a fun and entertaining hobby for PC enthusiasts this is a great way to ensure that your computer has positive energy flows within. However there is a lot to consider when building your system unit yourself. Below is a list of essential hardware you will need for your project.
Hardware Required
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- PC Case
- Floppy Disk Drive
- Hard Drive
- Wind chimes
- CD-ROM Drive
- Processor
- Cooling Fans
- Laughing Buddha statue
- Motherboard
- Memory Modules
- Water Feature
- Power Supply
- Video Card
- Keyboard & Mouse
- Three Legged Money Frog
Tips
Never position your heat sinks and water-cooling next to each other. Water and fire are complete opposites. But if it can't be helped, place a small plant or pot of herbs in between to weaken the negative influence.
Software
So, you've modded out your system unit with all the waterfalls, Chinese coins and ducks you can find. Great job. But do you still get the sense that somehow, your computer's chi isn't quite flowing as well as it could be?
Perhaps you need to consider some software enhancements to help guide that pesky energy to more harmonious pathways.
Desktop Wallpaper
Cork flooring is more Yin in energy, enabling you to spend more time comfortably viewing your Desktop. Linoleum coverings and ceramic tiles are more Yang in nature and can create fast-moving chi. This may not be ideal if you want to spend a lot of time on your computer gazing aimlessly at the wallpaper as it may leave you feeling drained or tired. Wood surfaces are also suitable for the screensaver.
Recycle Bin
Stagnant chi can also take the form of smell. Bad, stale smells could be depleting your computer of vibrant healthy chi. Keep your Recycle Bin clean and out of sight. There are several simple programs available which will regularly empty your Recycle Bin automatically, as well as hiding it from the Desktop.
File Storage
Spring-clean your My Documents folder regularly. Every six months or so make your storage spaces organized, uncluttered and easily accessible. Also, fit folders and icons with rounded corners to ensure a smoother flow of chi energies. Try to avoid any sharp edges pointing at you while working on your documents. Favor smooth Bézier curves over straight lines or jagged polygons.
Renewing the Chi
Always open your system windows for at least 20 minutes a day. We do this because it allows fresh new chi to circulate in your operating system; if not, you would be working with stale chi every day. So open that window and never mind if dust comes in!
Screensavers
If you already have an aquarium, fishbowl or similar water feature screensaver, use it extensively. Since the north is ruled by the water element, a fish tank placed correctly can bring about greater fortune, as you will tap on the "Divine Water Dragon's Den". But if you tap wrongly, it can cause you to have lawsuits, bankruptcy, work pressure, troubles and problems. If you noticed any of these after approximately four months after setting the aquarium screensaver, set your screensaver wait time to slightly less.
Enjoy the harmony
Congratulations valued reader, your project is complete. Sit back and enjoy the pleasant security of knowing that your computer is now one with the universe.
