Feng Shui Tips for Your Home

In today’s busy world, it’s very easy to get stressed out. Moms especially can find it difficult to find the time and the place to relax. Working double days, with full-time work followed by full-time mom duty when you get home, can take its toll making it all the more necessary to have a haven to come home to.

But when you walk through that front door, all you see is the week’s newspapers strewn about, dishes piled up in the sink, a rug that needs vacuuming, a kitchen floor that needs mopping and one hungry family waiting for you to get dinner started. It’s enough to make you want to turn around and walk right out of your house to the nearest spa. Yet, what if your house were a place of serenity and tranquility?

Fen-WHAT?
Based on ancient Chinese beliefs, feng shui is the art of using different elements to rebalance the energy and improve the harmony in your environment. The main philosophy behind fengshui believes that your environment is sustained by an energy known as chi. When chi is able to flow freely, your space becomes more harmonious. But when this energy becomes trapped, it begins to stagnate or, if there is excess chi, the balance of your life is negatively impacted.

Changes to your environment are made according to nine traditional cures. These include: light, sound, life, movement, electricity, stability, symbolism, color, and transcendental solutions. By using feng shui to improve your space, it is believed that you will have increased good fortune as well as an increase in energy.

If you’re unsure about subscribing to a philosophy that you can’t even pronounce, don’t worry: many can’t agree on how to pronounce it in the first place. If you base your pronunciation on the Cantonese dialect of the rural people, then feng shui is pronounced as "fung shoy." However, if you prefer to go with the Mandarin dialect of the Chinese palaces, then you would say "foong shway."

Feng Shui in the Home
The east corner of your home represents your family, as well as health. To enhance these areas, consider using shades of blue and green throughout your home. Then follow some of these feng shui tips to make your home more loving, warm and cheerful.

  • Remember that first impressions are always important whether it is between people or with objects. So make the entrance to your home warm and inviting. It will help you and your guests feel relaxed when you enter your home.
  • Keep your shoes and slippers away from the main door to your home. This will allow chi to flow much more freely through your entranceway.
  • If you find your living quarters too cramped, then add some mirrors. Not only will this help to create the illusion of space, but it will also invite endless opportunities into your home.
  • Avoid having red sofas. Red is associated with fire and a red sofa encourages a lot of pressure at work as well as troubles and obstacles.
  • Changing the position of your furniture around periodically will help to promote the flow of energy in your home. It also makes it more refreshing to come home to.
  • But don’t forget: too much furniture can trap chi. So abide by the "less is best" philosophy. The same goes for the numerous possessions cluttering your garage and the drawers full of clothes that you don’t wear anymore. Regularly go through these items and get rid of what you don’t use anymore. However, don’t make things so sparse that you feel as though you have limited your options.
  • In your kitchen, avoid placing the stove opposite from the refrigerator, a washing machine, a wash basin or a toilet. These appliances belong to a different element than your stove and therefore will create disagreements within your family.

In the Bedroom
In feng shui decor, the southwest corner of your home is ruled by the feminine and is considered to be the Mother’s corner. Not surprisingly, it is ruled by the earth element. This is place you want to focus on to improve your relationships and romance. Within your bedroom, concentrate on the rear, far right corner.

  • Place a pair of objects, such as two cranes since they mate for life, in your southwest corner to help keep your current relationship strong.
  • Keep mirrors out of your bedroom! If you already have one, then cover it up. And no matter what, don’t position a mirror anywhere it can reflect your bed. This can create marital problems through a third party who interferes or leads to infidelities. The same goes for your television, so get rid of it.
  • Your bed should not be positioned inline with your door or under a window.
  • If you would like to keep your marital bliss going (or if you’re a single mom looking for someone new), then let your bed be accessible on three sides. Have that last side supported by a solid wall so that you can help yourself get a good night’s rest.
  • Regularly light two red candles that you have placed in your southwest corner or in the far right corner of your bedroom. Let the candles burn for a few minutes to help kindle your romantic fires.
  • Remove any objects from your bedroom that don’t have to do with romance. This includes exercise equipment, work-related items and even photos of your family and children. However, photos of you and your partner are more than acceptable.
  • Red, white and pink are the colors associated with love and relationships in feng shui. Since feng shui colors for rooms are important, use them to decorate your room and/or southwest corner. However, keep in mind that red is also the color of anger; you might want to use this color sparingly. In particular, try to avoid red bed sheets.

Children
When it comes to children, the area to focus on in your home is the west corner or the middle right section of each room. This area should receive your attention when you want to improve your relationship with your children or if you’re looking to have more kids. The west corner also pertains to creativity, so if you’re looking for some inspiration, this is the place to go to.

  • Since you’ve taken all your family and children’s photos out of your bedroom, you can find a new home for them in your west corner. This is the ideal spot for these photos.
  • The west corner is also the place to put artwork, items made by or for you, or to put up images of your goals.
  • If your child is having troubles with her studies, then make sure her desk is placed so that her back is against a wall. This will offer her support. You may also want to place a poster of mountains behind her for extra support.
  • Avoid placing the desk so that your child’s back is to a door. You should also steer clear of placing the desk in direct view of a window.
  • Keep images and objects of a sharp, piercing or hostile nature, including posters of guns, swords, and planes, away from the study area.
  • You can restore some calm in your home by keeping your children’s rooms tidy. As impossible as this may seem, try including your children in the regular cleaning of their room or establish a routine with them. Otherwise, you may find yourself getting stressed about trying to reduce your stress.
  • Keep your child’s bed raised up off the ground. This allows chi to flow more freely through your child’s bedroom and helps keep him healthy.
  • The colors for the west corner are metals, white and pastels so keep that in mind when you’re trying to decide what shade to paint your child’s room.

Work
Your work area is found in the north corner of your home or office. The colors that enhance this area are blue and black, the colors of water, which help to keep energy flowing in this area. Whether you are looking for a new career or looking to improve the one you currently have, use these tips to achieve your dream job.

  • If you are looking for new career opportunities, then hang some wind chimes outside your front door. Other ways to draw opportunities to your home is to draw attention to your house. Get yourself a colorful mailbox. Place a warm welcome mat outside your front door. Decorate your walkway leading up to your front door with nice plants. In the evening, make sure the walkway is lit so the path to your home can be found.
  • Get rid of any clutter both inside and outside your home. This increases the flow of energy and brings in more opportunities.
  • Use a blue or black rug just inside your front door. These represent water and will help the job opportunities to flow in.
  • Make sure all your doors are able to open all the way. Any obstructions to your doors may prevent an opportunity from finding you.
  • To help attract positive money, tie three Chinese coins to the back of your door. Use red ribbon cut in increments of 9 (i.e. 9", 18", and 27") to tie the coins together.
  • Liven up your current work space with lots of color. This will help to keep you stimulated and refresh your mind.
  • While it’s always nice to have plants in your office, avoid having cactus or any other plants with jagged leaves. The prickliness of the plant will force the chi that enters your office to be severe and sharp.
  • Help keep your staff healthy by hanging up a metal wind chime. Those with six or seven rods that are preferably one-foot long are best for keeping illnesses away.