Feng Shui and the Problem with Plastic

by Stephanie Roberts

Plastic is in many ways a wonderful substance. It's inexpensive, infinitely malleable, and can represent any of the element shapes or colors in virtually any way you might dream up. However, I don't recommend plastic as a feng shui accessory or remedy for your office (or anywhere in your home, for that matter) if there are other options available to you. That's because plastic is literally artificial, and adds no natural vitality whatsoever to your space. In fact, too many plastic surfaces in an environment create a feeling of "dead" chi.

My personal theory about why plastic is so lifeless is that it doesn't represent any of the five elements. There's no place for it in the natural order of the world. Although I greatly appreciate plastic's utility, I dislike it aesthetically and try to have as little of it as possible in my home.

Plastic's greatest advantage, of course, is that it is very affordable compared to better-quality office accessories made of wicker, wood, glass, or metal. Even if you wanted to replace your plastic letter tray with a nice wood or leather one, perhaps that kind of upgrade is not in your budget right now. That's okay. Just add getting rid of some of the plastic stuff and replacing it with more natural materials to your list of future upgrades to make as your financial situation improves.

Take a moment now to look around your office for things made of plastic that you could easily replace with something composed of more natural elements. For example:
· Replace the plastic pencil holder on your desk with a wood, ceramic, glass, or metal container.
· Replace a plastic wastebasket with a wicker or metal design
· Use a leather or fabric cover for your checkbook, instead of that flimsy plastic one your bank gave you
· Get rid of that plastic mat under your desk chair (unless you really need it); perhaps a small sisal rug would work as well?
· Use ceramic or metal planters to hide the plastic containers your office plants are growing in

When you minimize the plastic surfaces in your home office, and introduce more natural materials, I expect you'll discover you are more comfortable, relaxed, and productive in that space.

[adapted from Fast Feng Shui for Your Home Office, trade paperback now available at Amazon.com; ebook edition coming soon.]