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FENG SHUI AND YOUR HOME

ENTRANCES, PATHS & FRONT DOORS

ENTRANCES

Front gardens can get filled up with an accumulation of stagnant energy unless we are careful.  Make sure that trees do not block the pathway of energy.  A convex mirror on the front door or a polished door knob will disperse its energy.

PATHS

These should gently meander through the garden to enable us to unwind at the end of a long day, or to welcome us back from a trip.  Straight paths from the street to the front door carry chi too quickly. Ideally there should be a space in front of the entrance to allow the chi to gather.

FRONT DOORS

These should be well-maintained and clean.  A tub of plants on either side is welcoming but they should not restrict the space.  House numbers should be visible by day and night and doorbells should be in working order to maintain harmonious relationships with callers.

POSITIONING YOURSELF IN YOUR HOME FROM YOUR NUMBERS

First work out your number from the chart, then take a look at the chart for best and worst directions.

TRANSFER THE COMPASS READING TO THE PAKUA

EDGES, CORNERS, BEAMS &  SLANTING WALLS

EDGES

Wherever the chi flow in a room is disrupted, difficulties occur.  When you walk down a windy street you know  that the gusts are always worse at the corners of buildings where the wind whips up into a spiral.

Where work has been done structurally on a house, there are often supporting pillars left with open edges, which are not conducive to the free flow of chi because they are usually square and have four corners which point knife-like into the room.

If there are edges we should aim to soften them.  Plants are one solution and fabrics are another.  Wherever possible make columns rounded.

CORNERS

The corners of rooms are often dark, so it is a good idea to place something colourful there, like a vase of silk flowers, for example. Or you could use something that moves like a lava lamp or a water feature.  Putting plants in dark corners where stagnant chi accumulates will help the chi to move.  Also you could use uplighters or round tables for dark corners. Try not to use spikey plants as they send ?arrows? to the people in the room and affect the chi.

Alcoves either side of a fireplace are fine provided that the shelves are not packed tight and some chi is allowed to flow.

Similarly with bookshelves; some space should be left for the chi to flow.

SLANTING WALLS

Attic rooms with sloping walls are becoming more common with loft conversions being popular.  Sleeping or working under a slope depresses personal chi and these areas do nothing to aid the regenerative process of sleep, or our creative processes during the day.  Sloping ceilings also create a visual imbalance.

Mirrors and lights may help create the illusion of lifting the slope and paint can achieve the same effect.  Such rooms would be far better used as play or hobby rooms or activities of a temporary nature.  Another solution is to fill in the sloping area to form cupboards underneath to bring the rest of the room into a symmetrical shape.

BEAMS

Beams are not recommended in feng shui because they can be oppressive when positioned over a bed, stove or desk and suppress the chi of the people living beneath them.  It is wise to paint the beams a light colour rather than the usual dark or black, and to use uplighting to light the area, not placing a desk or bed directly underneath the beams.

It is said that a beam running along the length of the bed can cause a rift between the couple that share it.  When over a desk, that the creative force of the person is hindered when working there.

DOORS & WINDOWS

Open doors allow us access to a room or to the outside world.  Closed doors shut off a room or our entire home.  If either of these functions is impeded then the chi flow around the house will suffer.  Doors which squeak, stick, have broken latches or handles, should be repaired.

DOORS

Doors represent our freedom and our access to the outside world.  They are also a barrier, acting as protection, supplying support and comfort.  Both windows and doors play an important part in feng shui.

WINDOWS

Ideally all windows should open fully and outwards.

Feng shui says that the window should be as tall as the tallest person in the house and that everyone should have a view of the sky through the seasons or they will lose their connection with the natural world.

If you keep your curtains closed during the day the chances are that you will feel depressed and vulnerable.  The aim is to see out as much as possible.

Too many windows can create excessive yang energy as they blast the house with chi, while too few windows are yin.

Too many windows in a dining room are considered to be inauspicious since the aim is to gather as much chi as possible around the dining table, the food prepared and our friends and family.

MATERIALS

Our choice of materials for fabrics and soft furnishings, furniture, decorating materials and cleaning and washing agents can play a part in our health and well-being.

WOOD

Wood plays a crucial role in most houses.  Highly polished woods conduct the chi quickly but stripped pine seems to absorb it.  Wood is seen to be yang chi.

BAMBOO, WICKER & RATTAN

These fall into the wood element category but are seen as yin chi and therefore slow down the flow of energy.

FABRICS

If made from natural fibres they belong to the wood element , provided they are not stain-treated with chemicals which will absorb static electricity.

PLASTICS

Plastics and other man-made materials generally fall into the element of fire as they have been produced using heat processes.

METAL

Metal objects speed up chi flow

GLASS

Glass is classified in the metals category and shares its qualities.  However, glass has depth and light reflecting qualities which suggests patterns that flow like water.  Sand is used to make glass which suggests earth.

CLAY AND CERAMICS

Fall into the earth element category.  They can be yin or yang depending upon whether the surfaces are shiny or matt.  Glazed surfaces such as china and vases are more yang and they conduct chi quickly.

STONE & MARBLE

Stone floors fall into the earth element category.  They tend to be yin in chi energy as their surfaces are non-reflective.

Marble, on the other hand, is yang because it is smooth, hard and polished.  The marble patterns also suggest the flow of the water element.

MIRRORS

Mirrors are considered to be the aspirin of feng shui and they have many curative uses in balancing, diverting or altering the chi of an area in the home.  They should always reflect something pleasant, such as an attractive view or a landscape, which will bring the vibrant energy of the garden or scene into the home.  Always be aware of what a mirror is reflecting into the home.

Mirrors are useful in small areas to enlarge the size of that area.  Feng shui tells us not to hang them opposite a door or a window since they merely reflect the chi back at itself and do not allow it to flow around the home.  Mirrors opposite each other create restlessness and are not recommended.  Other reflective objects such as highly polished furniture can be used in the same way, as can metal pots, glass bowls and shiny surfaces.

Use mirrors in dark corners and at bends in passages and corridors to allow the chi to circulate.

LIGHTING

Life on earth depends directly or indirectly on the sun. Our bodies are attuned to its cycles and in every culture and daily rhythms of light and dark are built into the mythology.  In China, the yin-yang or T?ai Chi symbol reflects the daily and annual cycles of the sun ? white yang side depicting daytime, the dark yin side representing night-time.

In feng shui the amount of light coming into our homes needs to be balanced ? balancing natural daylight in daylight hours, and artificial light in hours of darkness.

CLUTTER

Clutter is a state of mind.  It can be the things we haven?t done which prey on our minds, like unreturned telephone calls and appointments not made, or the ideas and perceptions that we hoard which prevent us from doing the things that we really want to do.

Clutter represents stagnant energy and it is important to do a clearing out ? not all in one go ? but one room at a time.

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