The feng shui water element is special, in that it’s one of the foundations of feng shui.
The words “feng shui” translate to wind and water, representing how energy flows throughout your home and life.
The water element represents good fortune and abundance in all areas and how well it flows and circulates in your life.
When you think about how water flows, you can see how different environments affect how easily it flows, or how fast and/or slow it flows.
A river might flow gently or it might crash against large rocks or obstacles.
Water can be dammed up so that it doesn’t flow at all.
Or it can become a crashing wave or waterfall. Thinking about these scenarios illustrates how abundant energy can flow in your life.
While it might seem like a giant waterfall of money would be a good idea, you can also see how destructive that energy can be over time.
Instead, you want a river that flows easily – not too fast, and not too slow.
Not super destructive like a waterfall, but free-flowing and connected to a well or lake that accumulates and grows.
When you add the feng shui water element to your home, you increase the flow of energy and good fortune.
You can add the water element by adding actual water, like aquariums or fountains.
You can also increase the water element by adding more watery colors to your home, like hues of black and blue.
Free-flowing wavy lines, soft edges, and curves also all represent the water element.
Of course, too much water can wash or drain energy away, and stop it from accumulating.
That’s why it’s important to have balance and work with the elements.
You can easily adjust how the feng shui water element flows and accumulates in your life!
Feng Shui Water Element Colors
Black
Dark shades of black and grey represent the water element.
Also dark colors in any color family, like deep burgundy, deep purple, deep blue, deep green – all of the darker shades are mixed with black so they represent the water element.
The color black represents power, protection, elegance, and sophistication.
Blue
Everything from light, pale blue to deep, dark navy also represents the water element.
Think about all of the colors of the ocean, from the lightest color of the sea to the deep depths of the ocean, and those are the water element colors.
The color blue represents authority, importance, loyalty, and calm, still energy.
Feng Shui Water Element Shapes
Water element shapes represent flow. They are:
- Wavy lines
- Waterfall, downward slopes
- Curves
Water Element Items
- Water fountains
- Aquariums
- Pools
- Water element crystals
- Mirrors (reflective surfaces)
- Glass
- Images or Artwork featuring water
- Artwork in dark blue or black colors
- Artwork with lots of wavy lines and free-flowing shapes
- Prints or textures with flowy lines
- Home decor items with curves and rounded edges
Water Element Artwork
- Art in black, dark grey, or other deep colorways
- Art depicting water
- Art with free-flowing lines and shapes
Feng Shui Water Element and the Bagua Map
The area of the bagua represented by the water element is the feng shui career area.
This area relates to all aspects of your career and life path.
Adding water to your career area increases energy flow, good fortune, and an accumulating abundance of opportunities.
This energy is even more pronounced if your front door also falls in your home’s career area.
The water element also represents how Chi (life-force energy) flows throughout your home, where it accumulates or gets stuck, and where it drains away.
This affects all areas of the bagua, so be mindful about energy drains or leaking water anywhere in your home.
Feng Shui Water Element and the Element Cycle
In the element cycle, the water element feeds the wood element.
You can add water element items to the wood areas of the bagua to feed and nourish them!
The wood areas of the bagua are: the feng shui family and legacy area, and the feng shui wealth area.
As well, the feng shui water element is fed by the metal element.
You can add metal element items to your home’s career area to feed and nourish it and create more flow.
The Water Element and the Destructive Cycle
In the destructive element cycle, water destroys/extinguishes the fire element.
Adding the water element to the fire area of the bagua will reduce or extinguish it.
The fire element area of the bagua is the feng shui fame and reputation area.
Adding water here will slow things down and stop the energy from moving too quickly.
In addition, the feng shui earth element destroys the water element.
The earth element absorbs the water element, stopping flow.
Adding earth to the water areas of the bagua can absorb some of the energy and slow down the flow of energy.
The earth areas of the bagua are: the health area, the love and relationships area, and the knowledge and wisdom area.
Feng Shui Water Element Personality
When it comes to the five elements, every individual person also has traits related to the five elements!
Depending on what school of feng shui you practice, you can also have a personal element associated with your birthday and personal direction.
In Western feng shui, however, the water element is generally expressed by personality traits or what you are currently drawn to in your life.
This can shift over time, depending on how energy is flowing and expressed throughout your home and life.
Water element personality traits are:
- Deep thinking
- Emotional
- Introspective
- Sensitive
- Free-flowing
- Intuitive
- Communicative
- Empathetic
- Can be too sensitive or too emotional
- Can take things too personally
You can balance the water element personality by adding more earth element items to your home and participating in more earth element activities, like:
- Grounding/Earthing
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Gardening
- Wearing earthy colors and fabrics
- Working with your hands
The Feng Shui Water Element in the Bedroom
In feng shui, your bedroom should be a place of rest, relaxation, and romance. It should be peaceful and quiet, without too much stimulation.
Because the bedroom also represents your relationship with your romantic partner, having a water feature in your bedroom can “put out the flame” of your relationship, so to speak.
The flow of water can also be too much active energy, causing sleep disturbances.
You can use watery colors in your bedroom, like blues and blacks, but be careful about using too much!
Add some touches of pink or red, or some other fire element items in your room to balance the watery colors and keep the passion alive.
The Feng Shui Water Element and Your Career
Because your career area is activated by the water element, you can use water features here to help you further your job or life path!
One way to do this is to have a water feature in your career area (make sure the water flows into your space and not away from it.)
You can also add a picture of flowing water here to help attract new opportunities and an increase in job-related income!
If you have a specific career intention you’d like to activate and draw into your life, you can even write it on a slip of paper and place it under the fountain or tape it to the back of the picture/artwork to magnetize it to you!
Feng Shui Water Element Q & A
Where should a water feature be in feng shui?
Water features are best in the following areas to create flow and attract new opportunities:
Your entryway / near your front door
Your career area
Your wealth area
Outside near your front door, in your front yard, or on your porch (with the water flowing towards your home)
What is the water element direction?
While western feng shui does not deal with directions, if you study other schools of feng shui, the water element directions are north, east, and southeast.
Now that you know everything you need to know about the feng shui water element, you might also want to know:
- How to use the feng shui fire element in your home
- How to use feng shui water element crystals to create balance and flow
- How to balance and use the feng shui earth element
