MyLittleMonkeyWrench
11-10-2004, 08:20 PM
Basic Principles
The following Feng Shui principles will enhance, energize and change your life. If you’re ready and willing, Feng Shui will catapult you right into your dreams and desires.
When you Feng Shui your home or work place, you’re telling the Universe (or God, Buddha, Allah or whatever greater power you feel connected to) exactly what you want in your life. You are making a very powerful statement, indeed.
Prepare yourself: Whenever we say the words “I am,” we are making a statement about who we are at that precise moment.
When you make statements such as “I am broke” or “I am tired” or “I am sick and tired,” you are – in effect – telling the universe about your current condition. When you say you’re sick and tired, guess what? You’ll literally become sick and tired!
You’ve heard statements like “what you think about, you bring about,” and “what you do comes back to you.” These statements are true.
We say these words and we understand them, although most of us don’t actually practice the concepts. A large part of the success of Feng Shui comes from your intention and your consistent attention. Positive energy does, in fact, attract positive energy.
Instead of being negative, say affirmations such as, “I am blessed” or “I am healthy” or “I am wealthy” or “I am happily married” or simply, “I am happy.”
These kinds of statements empower you to be something other than who you are at the moment. The power of intention and the power of faith can motivate you to your greatest potential.
If you’re ready to let go of your old negative beliefs, Feng Shui will create a method for that to happen. It will provide a way to overcome the blockage that’s keeping more positive things from happening.
Don’t allow yourself to spend any time thinking about what you don’t want to happen. Remember: Positive energy is attracted to positive energy.
For example, if you dwell on heartache and poverty, you’ll experience heartache and poverty. Spend your time being grateful, and in no time, money, gifts and treasures of all kinds will come from the most unexpected places.
Preparing Your Floor Plan:
Before you can begin to Feng Shui your environment, you need to apply what’s called that Bagua (pronounced bog wa) Map. The Bagua hails from the I Ching, or Book of Changes, a thousands-year-old book of wisdom and divination.
The Bagua represents the eight building blocks of life – health, love, wealth, career, wisdom, reputation, children and helpful people plus the center area of chi (pronounced chee). You need to apply the Bagua Map to your home and/or each room or office you plan to Feng Shui.
First, you need to look at the basic structure of your home.
There are four basic house shapes – square, rectangle, L-shaped and U-shaped. In Western Feg Shui, the goal is to turn the dwelling into a square or rectangle.
On a large sheet of paper, draw a sketch of the home you wish to Feng Shui. Include any areas that just out, such as a garage, a breakfast nook or a greenhouse. Make note of any areas that cut into what would make a perfect square or rectangle, such as an alcove or nook.
Note where each room is when you make your drawing. All areas under a common roof are considered part of the house. And note where the front door is located.
If you live in a U-shaped or L-shaped home, you will need to make some adjustments.
L-shaped and U-shaped homes:
If you live in an L-shaped or U-shaped home, chances are, you’re not fully experiencing some area of your life. The goal of Feng Shui is to restore balance and harmony, and one of the ways you can do this is by completing the square. The Bagua Map on page 21 will show you how the missing areas in your home compare to the missing opportunities in your life.
U-shaped homes are missing an area in the front of the house of the back that corresponds to the Fame and Reputation or Career Areas.
To overcome the missing areas, you can build an arbor in the space, landscape with large potted trees or add a sculpture or windchimes. This will help symbolically “fill in” the missing area.
Completing the square: In order to complete your square, you’ll fill in any area missing from your L-shaped or U-shaped drawing with dotted lines so you create a complete square. If you already have a rectangle or square home, you don’t need to do anything to complete your drawing.
Once your house sketch is in the form of a square or rectangle, divide it into nine parts. Split the length into thirds, then split the width into thirds.
That is all that is required in sketching your own plan. Now you’re ready to begin the process of Feng Shui’ing your home or work space.
The Nine Bagua Areas are:
Career: This area obviously refers to your job, but it can also mean the passage of life.
Wisdom & Knowledge: This area represents learning, knowledge or study.
Health & Family: This area represents physical and emotional health. It also represents your ancestors, current family, friends and co-workers.
Wealth: This area represents money and anything else that makes you feel “wealthy” or blessed.
Fame & Reputation: This area represents how the world sees you.
Love & Marriage: This area represents personal relationships, such as those between husband and wife, business partners and good friends.
Children & Creativity: This area represents children, current projects or anything creative.
Helpful People: This area represents relationships with people other than you intimate family and friends, such as a stranger who touched your life a mentor at work, your priest, rabbi (or other spiritural guide)
Center or Chi: This area harmonizes all the areas together. It represents health and longevity and is the center of the Bagua. It should be as uncluttered as possible.
You determine the Bagua of the home by the location of the front door. Apply your map with ths Wisdom and Knowledge, Career and Helpful People Areas placed along the wall that contains your front door. The other six areas will follow from there.
Here is a step-by-step guide to applying the Bagua Map to your home, room, office or property:
Step 1: Make a plan of your house or room. Finish off any missing areas to form a square. Write in the names of the rooms on your plan.
Step 2: Divide your floor plan into nine equal squares. Your front door or entrance must be on the baseline on the Bagua map.
Step 3: Either stand or imagine yourself at your open front door. Fill in all areas of your home with the areas represented by the Bagua.
Step 4: Now you know which rooms in your home relate to the various Feng Shui areas. If, for example, your bathroom is in the Wealth Area, you could be flushing your money down the toilet, so to speak! (Keeping the lids eliminates that problem.) You need to take steps to improve this area.
If you have two or more floors, the areas and rooms on each story correspond to each other.
If, for example, your kitchen is in the far left corner downstairs and there is a bedroom above, both rooms are in your Wealth Areas.
Placing Your Feng Shui Objects
As you follow the Bagua set-up of your rooms you should acknowledge each room with some type of symbolic representation.
As you place your representational object in your room (or office or garden), place it with conscious intention. Be clear of mind and state aloud what this object represents to you.
If you’re looking to strengthen your marriage, for example, you can place a statue of two doves in your Love and Marriage Area, which is the back right section of your home or room. As you place the statue you’ll say out loud, “These two doves symbolize that my marriage to_______is fulfilling, nurturing, supportive and loving.”
That is what I mean by placing your object with conscious intention. You must clearly state what it is you want out of the relationship.
If you’re looking for a new career, place a wonderful letter of reference your boss wrote, for example, in your Career Area. As you place it say, “I have endless choices and I am uniquely qualified for the job.”
Acknowledge each separate Bagua areas in your home. Use as many Feng Shui enhancements as you want.
In your Wealth Area, you might want to hang a round clear crystal on a red cord (to bounce positive energy all around the room). The red cord strongly represents wealth. On a table place a bowl filled with coins. Add a few red candles here and there and perhaps a framed photo of yourself looking prosperous (maybe on your last trip to Las Vegas.)
In the Love and Marriage corner of your bedroom, place your wedding picture, some flowering plants, a book of love poems, anything that represents romance.
One Room At A Time
It’s important not to overwhelm yourself in the process of creating a positive Feng Shui environment. If you bring about change gradually you have a much better chance of success – and an easier time of ensuring that success. Once you’ve reached that goals you set in one or two areas, you can begin enhancing other areas of your life that need a boost.
Your Property
When you’re enhancing a specific room or your whole property, divide it into nine sections. When you face your property from the street, the Wealth Area of the lot is the far left corner, the Career Area of the lot would be front and center of your property.
Decorating In The Feng Shui Manner
Let’s start with color: What colors you choose to use in your home and office will have a deep and powerful impact on you. Surrounding yourself with a wide variety of colors is a good way to balance the Chi – or energy – in your home.
You can make positive changes by using certain colors in your décor. Each of the nine Bagua areas (including the center which represents the Chi) has a specific color that relates to it.
For example, your Wealth Area colors are red, blue and purple. Consider painting your rear left room a vibrant shade of blue. If that room is a bedroom, you might want to use a deep rich purple bedspread or comforter.
If your kitchen is in the center of your house, or in the Chi area, paint it a vibrant, sunny yellow and accessorize with muted earth tones.
Enhance your marriage or love life by placing pink, red or white flowers in the rear right corner of your bedroom. Even better, place a picture of you and your mate in a pink frame and place white or red candles in the area.
The possibilities of how to incorporate Feng Shui colors into décor are limited only by your imagination.
One thing to keep in mind is that color associations vary by culture and society.
Red, for example, is associated with danger in the United States. In China, though, it is the color of celebration. We in the West consider black the color of mourning; in the East, it’s used to represent the flow of prosperity.
Here is a list of each Bagua Area and its corresponding color:
Area Color
Career Black, Blue & Brown
Wisdom Black, Blue & Green
Health & Family Blue & Green
Wealth Blue, Red & Purple
Reputation & Fame Red
Love & Marriage Red, Pink & White
Creativity & Children White & Pastels
Helpful People White, Gray & Black
Center or Chi Yellow & Earth Tones
Meaning Of Colors:
Color: Meaning:
Red Attraction, Warmth, Strength
(Note: Red also represents energy. Too much can “flare up” an argument; use it sparingly.)
Green Health, Potential
Purple Spiritual guidance
Yellow Energy, Life
Black Mood, Perception
(Note: too much black can be draining; use it sparingly.)
Pink Love, Romance
25 Love and Marriage Boosters
The Love and Marriage Areas are located in the far right rear corner of your lot, home and rooms.
In this room or space, place objects in pairs in order to represent you desire to have a loving and supportive relationship. Don’t place three objects here – it could say you’re interested in having three people in your marriage! The colors are red, pink and white.
Suggestions:
1. Remove or cover large mirrors in the bedroom if you don’t sleep well or if you argue there.
2. Place a pair of objects – such as two swans or two cranes, animals that mate for life – in the far right rear corner of the bedroom. These objects represent a successful partnership.
3. Place the bed where you have the biggest and best view of the room when you’re in bed. It is best for your relationship if the bed is not in a direct line with the door.
4. Treat yourself to fresh flowers and replace them often. Flowers say romance, and you want that romantic energy around you when you’re attracting a mate and then forever afterward.
5. Your bed should be accessible from at least two sides if you want to attract a partner.
6. Use fabrics that are soft to the touch. Add mood lighting to set up a more romantic and sensual atmosphere.
7. Remove any object in the bedroom that remind you of your work. If you have to keep your computer or workbench here, disguise it with screens or curtains.
8. Remove any morose or scary artwork from the bedroom. Here you want to create a safe, peaceful and fantasy-like setting. Bedrooms are for sleeping and making love. Scary or violent objects such as swords or guns encourage fighting and war-like dreams.
9. Remove pictures of your family or kids from the master bedroom. Otherwise, you may feel as if you’re being watched while you and your mate are making love.
10. Paint or wallpaper one or more of the walls in the bedroom a soft, romantic color such as beige, pink or peach to encourage warm and loving feelings.
11. Remove any and all items from under the bed. Clutter here can lead to squabbling and disagreements with your partner.
12. Place two red candles in the far right corner of your bedroom. Light them every night for a few minutes to ignite the spark of romance.
13. Use beads or fabric as an alternative to doors. They enhance your sense of sight as well as your sense of touch. And they’ll give you a feeling of romance.
14. Include the romance colors in your bedroom – shades of red, pink and white. But it’s best not to use a red bedspread because red can ignite anger as well as passion. Remember; A little red goes a long way.
15. Move any exercise equipment out of your bedroom. The equipment could make you feel that you constantly have to work at having a good relationship.
16. Make the first impression upon entering your home a warm, welcoming one. Place a welcoming object, such as a large vase and flowers or a welcome sign, in the far right-hand corner of whatever room you enter from the street.
17. Plant two of something – such as two fruit trees – in the right hand corner of your backyard. This will symbolize a fruitful love and marriage.
18. If planting two fruit-bearing trees isn’t possible, you can place a table with two chairs or a gazebo in the area. You and your mate can enjoy romantic dinners by candlelight or moonlight. Fresh flowers in a couple of pots can also be placed in this area.
19. If you are single, make a list of what qualities your ideal mate should have. Is he or she funny, gentle, romantic, financially independent? Is he or she artistic or creative? Does he or she want children? Decide what you want, and make your list.
20. If you’re single, buy yourself a gift that symbolizes a future relationship. Place it in a prominent place in your home and every time you pass it, visualize yourself meeting your perfect mate.
21. Place two red hearts in one of your Love and Marriage Areas. This will enhance your present relationship or it could help you to find a new and exciting one.
22. If your bathtub is in the far right corner of your bathroom, use waterproof items to represent you and your mate. You can use matching bathrobes or two rubber ducks.
23. The kitchen is the heart and soul of a family. To represent a happy relationship in your kitchen, place paired items, such as two red canisters, a vase on the table with two red or pink flowers in it, matching salt and pepper shakers or two flowering plants in red or pink.
24. If you’re single, set your dining room table for two. Light two candles. Visualize your mate sitting across the table from you as the two of you enjoy your meal.
25. Place your couch in a location so the back of the sofa is not facing the door. You’ll feel more comfortable if you don’t need to look over your shoulder to see what’s going on behind you. This will enhance your feeling of security which is very important if you want security in a relationship.
25 Health Boosters
The Health Area is located in the left-handed middle section of your property when you’re standing at your front door. It is located in the center, left-hand side of your home and the center, left-hand side of each room.
It you’ve having health problems, pay close attention to the Health Areas in each room. Is this where you keep your cat’s litter box? If so, move it. If the area is missing, be sure to “fill in in.”
Also, look to see what’s being stored in the Health Area of your yard. Is there clutter? Are you storing trash there? Is the vegetation growing out of control? If so, clear up that area pronto – then watch your health improve.
Here are 25 health booster suggestions:
1. Offer to lend a hand cleaning your neighbor’s yard. It will improve your view and both of your lives.
2. Fix any leaky faucets, inside and outside.
3. Put down the toilet lid before you flush the toilet and keep it down when the toilet is not is use.
4. Put healthy plants in as many rooms as possible since they generate positive energy. Silk flowers are okay, but dried flowers are the least desirable since they have no energy left. After all, they’re dead.
5. Get a pet if you can. They have stimulating life-force energy. They are great companions who love you unconditionally, generating positive energy.
6. Plug all drains in the house when they’re not being used.
7. Move furniture such as beds, desks and couches from under any overhead beams. Otherwise, it can feel as if something is “hanging over you.”
8. Turn off your electric blanket before you fall asleep. Otherwise, the electricity will disrupt your energy flow.
9. Burn incense or use essential oils or aromatherapy candles. Smells can have a healing effect on you.
10. Keep the entryway into your home clutter-free. It should not be an obstacle course.
11. Buy yourself a gift that represents good health, such as a well-tended houseplant. Place it in a prominent position and when you see it. Visualize optimum health.
12. Wear green often since it is the color of health.
13. Place a birdbath or feeder in your yard to attract wildlife.
14. If you have to sit with you back to the door, place something at the entryway that will alert you to approaching visitors, such as a large cow bell hanging on the doorknob. You’ll feel more secure when you’re not startled by someone entering the room.
15. If you have an unpleasant view from any of your windows, place a mirror on the opposite wall to send the image back outside.
16. Place a round, clear crystal in any window that receives sunlight. The crystal will create vibrant rainbows all over the room and give you a healthy dose of color therapy.
17. If where you live is small and the space feels cramped, you can create the impression of space by adding mirrors.
18. Clear away any clutter in the front, side and backyard. Pay close attention to what is stored on the left side of your house.
19. Place the bed where you have the widest view of the room when you’re sitting or lying on the bed. (However it should not be in direct line with the door.) This will give you a more commanding position in the room and you’ll feel more secure.
20. Clean out your closets and remove the things you no longer wear or use. Donate them to someone who will. You’ll feel great for doing it and you’ll clear your mind.
21. Wear pink to melt away anger. Wear green to promote healthy feelings. Green also restores and soothes your soul. Wear yellow to brighten and stimulate your mind. Wear blue to promote calmness and tranquility.
22. Bathrooms can drain your health and your finances, so figuratively “dam” the water by using earth tone colors on the walls and on the floor.
23. Staircases that are in a direct line with the door tend to affect your health, wealth or relationships. If your front door opens to a set of stairs, place a round crystal on an 18-inch red cord halfway between the door and the stairs. If hanging a crystal is not appealing to you, you can place a large statue, a large vase or a plant somewhere close to the base of the stairs.
24. Are you not sleeping well? Can you see your bed from the hallway before you even get to your bedroom door? If so, try moving the bed to the other side of the room, out of the direct line of energy entering the room. You’ll sleep better and you will also feel safer and more protected from negative energy.
25. In your Health Areas, place items that represent long life, such as a statue of a crane or elephant (or any animal or plant that lives a long time).
25 Wealth Boosters
The Wealth Area is located in the left rear corner of your lot, the left rear corner of your home and the left rear corner of each room. In this area, you want to create a flow, so place three similar objects together – paintings, bowls, boxes, whatever says “money to you."
Decorate these areas in colors that represent wealth – red, blue purple, gold or any color that says wealthy to you. Plant flowers in these colors in the Wealth Area of your garden. Your goal is to create a prosperous environment inside and out. Then you’ll be able to carry this prosperous energy with you wherever you go.
25 Wealth Boosters
1. Add flowering plants in groups of threes along the walkway to your front door. If they’re red, all the better.
2. Make sure your address is clearly visible from the street at night as well as during the day.
3. Clear away any clutter and trim overgrown plants in all yard areas.
4. If you have to cut down any trees or vegetation or if you lose any to storms or disease, replace them with plants of equal or greater beauty and value.
5. Plug all drains in the house when you’re not using them. A rubber stopper works great. Your intent is to stop your money from going down the drain.
6. Get in the habit of keeping the toilet lid down when it’s not in use. This will help prevent you from “throwing money down the toilet,” so to speak.
7. Keep live plants in the left hand corner of as many rooms as possible. It’s even better if their leaves look like round coins.
8. Place a fish tank or bowl in the left rear corner of your living room. As you feed your fish, see your finances grow.
9. Move your furniture around. It’s fun to have something new to come home to. You’ll also change the flow of energy which is a good thing to do every so often.
10. Clean out the garage and have a garage sale at the same time. You’ll make some money and also improve your ability to think and plan more clearly.
11. Keep your stove and its burners clean and in good working condition. The Chinese have always believed that the stove has a direct connection to your wealth.
12. If possible, place lights along your walkway. You’ll be lighting the pathway to your future wealth and prosperity.
13. When arranging furniture, remember less is always best. Too much furniture can make you feel cramped and can restrict the flow of your opportunities.
14. Outside waterfalls are especially helpful in creating cash flow. They’re even more helpful when placed in the far left rear corner of your backyard. It’s even better yet if the water is collected in a pond that has eight gold fish and one black fish. In Feng Shui, eight is the number of prosperity. The one black fish attracts and absorbs all the negative or undesirable energy on your property.
15. Use earth-tone colors on the walls and floors in rooms that have large amounts of water, such as the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room. This will symbolically dam the water so you can hold on to your money longer.
16. Make sure all doors open fully. If they don’t, it could limit your opportunities and affect your ability to make a good and comfortable living.
17. Does the rear left-hand corner of your backyard slope down and away from the house? To counterbalance this, place a light fixture that shines up the hill at your house and turn it on for a couple hours every day. You will be symbolically “shoring up” the wealth corner of your property.
18. Hang or place a mirror on your stove. That way, you’ll see twice as many burners as you had before. This doubling of the burners increases your opportunities for prosperity.
19. Place a windmill or weathervane in the far left corner of the backyard. The movement stimulates energy and attracts wealth. A whirligig or anything that spins will also do the trick.
20. Place three similar objects together in the far left corner of the living room or bedroom. These objects should be in the preferred colors of wealth: gold, purple, red, blue and green (or any color that says wealth to you).
21. Hang a round, clear crystal on an 18-inch red cord in the left rear corner of the living room. The red in the cord is the energy activator while the crystal swirls the energy and gives it a real money-making boost. If you hang it close to a window, you’ll get a healthy dose of rainbow therapy for free!
22. Keep the kitchen cupboards well-stock with food. When your cupboards are filled with food, you’ll feel more abundant.
23. Keep your valuables, such as a coin collection, piggy bank, safe or jewelry, in the left rear corner of your bedroom. This amplifies or draws more wealth to you.
24. Place items in your front yard and backyard that create motion or have eye-catching appeal such as gazing balls, pinwheels, hand painted garden stakes or figurines. The brighter the colors, the better.
25. In the left corner of each room, place together three plants that have round leaves (round leaves look like coins), If they flower red or purple, that’s even better. African violets work well here if you get early morning or late afternoon sun. To keep them flowering all year ‘round, you mustfertilize them with violet food each time you water.
The Top 25 Career Boosters
The Career Area of your home is located front and center if you’re standing on the street looking at your house. Your property and each room also has a Career Area.
The colors for the Career Area are black and blue, which represent deep, flowing water.
The Feng Shui belief is that life’s opportunities flow in through the front door, so be sure to keep that area as uncluttered as possible.
If you’re looking for a new job or want to feel better about the job you have, this is the area to activate. Some tips are repeated because they apply to more than one area of your life.
Here are some suggestions to improve or enhance your career:
1. Hang windchimes outside your front door to bring in more opportunities or a promotion.
2. Hang a brightly colored flag, windsock or banner in your front yard.
3. Place a birdbath or feeder in the yard to attract wildlife. It will increase the amount of energy around your home.
4. Write down what you would most like to do if you no longer had to work for a living. Place your list in several locations so you’ll see it often. Visualize what you would be doing if you weren’t working. But remember to always be grateful for what you have.
5. Make sure your house numbers are clearly visible from the street during the day and well-lit at night, if possible.
6. Clear out any clutter or plant debris that is in your yard, especially the front yard. Clutter blocks the flow of energy and limits the opportunities.
7. Put a colorful and inviting welcome mat at the front door.
8. Place a water fountain, pond or bubbler close to the front door. Then watch the money flow in like water!
9. Spring houseclean, even if it’s the middle of winter. There’s no time like the present to get rid of the junk and clutter that limits your choices.
10. Clean out your closets and drawers. Give away, sell or throw away anything you no longer use or no longer like.
11. Again, have a garage sale and clean out the clutter at the same time. Make room for new things and new beginnings.
12. Place a heavy object, such as a large plant or statue, at the base of your entranceway or front walkway. This will slow down or block any escaping energy that is flowing down the stairs.
13. Make sure that all your doors open fully and that there is noting blocking their path. If your doors are locked, your opportunities will be limited.
14. Again, when placing furniture in each room, remember less is always best. Too much furniture makes you feel cramped and restricts the flow of energy.
15. Try and keep the bare walls in your home to a minimum. Naked walls make you feel as if you have very few or no choices.
16. Make sure all clocks in your home are in working order. If not, fix them or throw them away. Otherwise, you could feel that you never have enough time or that time is standing still.
17. Make sure to have lots of bright colors wherever you’re working. Color stimulates and rejuvenates your mental abilities.
18. Playing calming music like ocean waves, forest sounds or rain falling soothes a stressful working or home environment.
19. If possible, light the walkway to your front door at night. This will “light the way” to your door.
20. Hang a round blue or clear crystal on an 18-inch red cord above your desk or wherever you sit to work. This will lift your energy upward and invigorate the mental process. A round four-inch mirror will work if you don’t have a crystal.
21. Paint your mailbox with a fun colorful, eyecatching design, especially if your business is home-based. This will encourage more business through the mail.
22. Do something that lifts your spirit, such as placing wonderful smelling flowers at your desk. They’ll give you a fresher and rosier outlook on life.
23. Add mirrors to increase the size of a small room. You’ll create a feeling of more space and endless opportunities.
24. If possible, place your desk so you can see the best overall view of the room and the door. If you can place your desk in the far left corner, all the better.
25. A blue or black rug at your front door will symbolically allow opportunities to flow in like water.
The following Feng Shui principles will enhance, energize and change your life. If you’re ready and willing, Feng Shui will catapult you right into your dreams and desires.
When you Feng Shui your home or work place, you’re telling the Universe (or God, Buddha, Allah or whatever greater power you feel connected to) exactly what you want in your life. You are making a very powerful statement, indeed.
Prepare yourself: Whenever we say the words “I am,” we are making a statement about who we are at that precise moment.
When you make statements such as “I am broke” or “I am tired” or “I am sick and tired,” you are – in effect – telling the universe about your current condition. When you say you’re sick and tired, guess what? You’ll literally become sick and tired!
You’ve heard statements like “what you think about, you bring about,” and “what you do comes back to you.” These statements are true.
We say these words and we understand them, although most of us don’t actually practice the concepts. A large part of the success of Feng Shui comes from your intention and your consistent attention. Positive energy does, in fact, attract positive energy.
Instead of being negative, say affirmations such as, “I am blessed” or “I am healthy” or “I am wealthy” or “I am happily married” or simply, “I am happy.”
These kinds of statements empower you to be something other than who you are at the moment. The power of intention and the power of faith can motivate you to your greatest potential.
If you’re ready to let go of your old negative beliefs, Feng Shui will create a method for that to happen. It will provide a way to overcome the blockage that’s keeping more positive things from happening.
Don’t allow yourself to spend any time thinking about what you don’t want to happen. Remember: Positive energy is attracted to positive energy.
For example, if you dwell on heartache and poverty, you’ll experience heartache and poverty. Spend your time being grateful, and in no time, money, gifts and treasures of all kinds will come from the most unexpected places.
Preparing Your Floor Plan:
Before you can begin to Feng Shui your environment, you need to apply what’s called that Bagua (pronounced bog wa) Map. The Bagua hails from the I Ching, or Book of Changes, a thousands-year-old book of wisdom and divination.
The Bagua represents the eight building blocks of life – health, love, wealth, career, wisdom, reputation, children and helpful people plus the center area of chi (pronounced chee). You need to apply the Bagua Map to your home and/or each room or office you plan to Feng Shui.
First, you need to look at the basic structure of your home.
There are four basic house shapes – square, rectangle, L-shaped and U-shaped. In Western Feg Shui, the goal is to turn the dwelling into a square or rectangle.
On a large sheet of paper, draw a sketch of the home you wish to Feng Shui. Include any areas that just out, such as a garage, a breakfast nook or a greenhouse. Make note of any areas that cut into what would make a perfect square or rectangle, such as an alcove or nook.
Note where each room is when you make your drawing. All areas under a common roof are considered part of the house. And note where the front door is located.
If you live in a U-shaped or L-shaped home, you will need to make some adjustments.
L-shaped and U-shaped homes:
If you live in an L-shaped or U-shaped home, chances are, you’re not fully experiencing some area of your life. The goal of Feng Shui is to restore balance and harmony, and one of the ways you can do this is by completing the square. The Bagua Map on page 21 will show you how the missing areas in your home compare to the missing opportunities in your life.
U-shaped homes are missing an area in the front of the house of the back that corresponds to the Fame and Reputation or Career Areas.
To overcome the missing areas, you can build an arbor in the space, landscape with large potted trees or add a sculpture or windchimes. This will help symbolically “fill in” the missing area.
Completing the square: In order to complete your square, you’ll fill in any area missing from your L-shaped or U-shaped drawing with dotted lines so you create a complete square. If you already have a rectangle or square home, you don’t need to do anything to complete your drawing.
Once your house sketch is in the form of a square or rectangle, divide it into nine parts. Split the length into thirds, then split the width into thirds.
That is all that is required in sketching your own plan. Now you’re ready to begin the process of Feng Shui’ing your home or work space.
The Nine Bagua Areas are:
Career: This area obviously refers to your job, but it can also mean the passage of life.
Wisdom & Knowledge: This area represents learning, knowledge or study.
Health & Family: This area represents physical and emotional health. It also represents your ancestors, current family, friends and co-workers.
Wealth: This area represents money and anything else that makes you feel “wealthy” or blessed.
Fame & Reputation: This area represents how the world sees you.
Love & Marriage: This area represents personal relationships, such as those between husband and wife, business partners and good friends.
Children & Creativity: This area represents children, current projects or anything creative.
Helpful People: This area represents relationships with people other than you intimate family and friends, such as a stranger who touched your life a mentor at work, your priest, rabbi (or other spiritural guide)
Center or Chi: This area harmonizes all the areas together. It represents health and longevity and is the center of the Bagua. It should be as uncluttered as possible.
You determine the Bagua of the home by the location of the front door. Apply your map with ths Wisdom and Knowledge, Career and Helpful People Areas placed along the wall that contains your front door. The other six areas will follow from there.
Here is a step-by-step guide to applying the Bagua Map to your home, room, office or property:
Step 1: Make a plan of your house or room. Finish off any missing areas to form a square. Write in the names of the rooms on your plan.
Step 2: Divide your floor plan into nine equal squares. Your front door or entrance must be on the baseline on the Bagua map.
Step 3: Either stand or imagine yourself at your open front door. Fill in all areas of your home with the areas represented by the Bagua.
Step 4: Now you know which rooms in your home relate to the various Feng Shui areas. If, for example, your bathroom is in the Wealth Area, you could be flushing your money down the toilet, so to speak! (Keeping the lids eliminates that problem.) You need to take steps to improve this area.
If you have two or more floors, the areas and rooms on each story correspond to each other.
If, for example, your kitchen is in the far left corner downstairs and there is a bedroom above, both rooms are in your Wealth Areas.
Placing Your Feng Shui Objects
As you follow the Bagua set-up of your rooms you should acknowledge each room with some type of symbolic representation.
As you place your representational object in your room (or office or garden), place it with conscious intention. Be clear of mind and state aloud what this object represents to you.
If you’re looking to strengthen your marriage, for example, you can place a statue of two doves in your Love and Marriage Area, which is the back right section of your home or room. As you place the statue you’ll say out loud, “These two doves symbolize that my marriage to_______is fulfilling, nurturing, supportive and loving.”
That is what I mean by placing your object with conscious intention. You must clearly state what it is you want out of the relationship.
If you’re looking for a new career, place a wonderful letter of reference your boss wrote, for example, in your Career Area. As you place it say, “I have endless choices and I am uniquely qualified for the job.”
Acknowledge each separate Bagua areas in your home. Use as many Feng Shui enhancements as you want.
In your Wealth Area, you might want to hang a round clear crystal on a red cord (to bounce positive energy all around the room). The red cord strongly represents wealth. On a table place a bowl filled with coins. Add a few red candles here and there and perhaps a framed photo of yourself looking prosperous (maybe on your last trip to Las Vegas.)
In the Love and Marriage corner of your bedroom, place your wedding picture, some flowering plants, a book of love poems, anything that represents romance.
One Room At A Time
It’s important not to overwhelm yourself in the process of creating a positive Feng Shui environment. If you bring about change gradually you have a much better chance of success – and an easier time of ensuring that success. Once you’ve reached that goals you set in one or two areas, you can begin enhancing other areas of your life that need a boost.
Your Property
When you’re enhancing a specific room or your whole property, divide it into nine sections. When you face your property from the street, the Wealth Area of the lot is the far left corner, the Career Area of the lot would be front and center of your property.
Decorating In The Feng Shui Manner
Let’s start with color: What colors you choose to use in your home and office will have a deep and powerful impact on you. Surrounding yourself with a wide variety of colors is a good way to balance the Chi – or energy – in your home.
You can make positive changes by using certain colors in your décor. Each of the nine Bagua areas (including the center which represents the Chi) has a specific color that relates to it.
For example, your Wealth Area colors are red, blue and purple. Consider painting your rear left room a vibrant shade of blue. If that room is a bedroom, you might want to use a deep rich purple bedspread or comforter.
If your kitchen is in the center of your house, or in the Chi area, paint it a vibrant, sunny yellow and accessorize with muted earth tones.
Enhance your marriage or love life by placing pink, red or white flowers in the rear right corner of your bedroom. Even better, place a picture of you and your mate in a pink frame and place white or red candles in the area.
The possibilities of how to incorporate Feng Shui colors into décor are limited only by your imagination.
One thing to keep in mind is that color associations vary by culture and society.
Red, for example, is associated with danger in the United States. In China, though, it is the color of celebration. We in the West consider black the color of mourning; in the East, it’s used to represent the flow of prosperity.
Here is a list of each Bagua Area and its corresponding color:
Area Color
Career Black, Blue & Brown
Wisdom Black, Blue & Green
Health & Family Blue & Green
Wealth Blue, Red & Purple
Reputation & Fame Red
Love & Marriage Red, Pink & White
Creativity & Children White & Pastels
Helpful People White, Gray & Black
Center or Chi Yellow & Earth Tones
Meaning Of Colors:
Color: Meaning:
Red Attraction, Warmth, Strength
(Note: Red also represents energy. Too much can “flare up” an argument; use it sparingly.)
Green Health, Potential
Purple Spiritual guidance
Yellow Energy, Life
Black Mood, Perception
(Note: too much black can be draining; use it sparingly.)
Pink Love, Romance
25 Love and Marriage Boosters
The Love and Marriage Areas are located in the far right rear corner of your lot, home and rooms.
In this room or space, place objects in pairs in order to represent you desire to have a loving and supportive relationship. Don’t place three objects here – it could say you’re interested in having three people in your marriage! The colors are red, pink and white.
Suggestions:
1. Remove or cover large mirrors in the bedroom if you don’t sleep well or if you argue there.
2. Place a pair of objects – such as two swans or two cranes, animals that mate for life – in the far right rear corner of the bedroom. These objects represent a successful partnership.
3. Place the bed where you have the biggest and best view of the room when you’re in bed. It is best for your relationship if the bed is not in a direct line with the door.
4. Treat yourself to fresh flowers and replace them often. Flowers say romance, and you want that romantic energy around you when you’re attracting a mate and then forever afterward.
5. Your bed should be accessible from at least two sides if you want to attract a partner.
6. Use fabrics that are soft to the touch. Add mood lighting to set up a more romantic and sensual atmosphere.
7. Remove any object in the bedroom that remind you of your work. If you have to keep your computer or workbench here, disguise it with screens or curtains.
8. Remove any morose or scary artwork from the bedroom. Here you want to create a safe, peaceful and fantasy-like setting. Bedrooms are for sleeping and making love. Scary or violent objects such as swords or guns encourage fighting and war-like dreams.
9. Remove pictures of your family or kids from the master bedroom. Otherwise, you may feel as if you’re being watched while you and your mate are making love.
10. Paint or wallpaper one or more of the walls in the bedroom a soft, romantic color such as beige, pink or peach to encourage warm and loving feelings.
11. Remove any and all items from under the bed. Clutter here can lead to squabbling and disagreements with your partner.
12. Place two red candles in the far right corner of your bedroom. Light them every night for a few minutes to ignite the spark of romance.
13. Use beads or fabric as an alternative to doors. They enhance your sense of sight as well as your sense of touch. And they’ll give you a feeling of romance.
14. Include the romance colors in your bedroom – shades of red, pink and white. But it’s best not to use a red bedspread because red can ignite anger as well as passion. Remember; A little red goes a long way.
15. Move any exercise equipment out of your bedroom. The equipment could make you feel that you constantly have to work at having a good relationship.
16. Make the first impression upon entering your home a warm, welcoming one. Place a welcoming object, such as a large vase and flowers or a welcome sign, in the far right-hand corner of whatever room you enter from the street.
17. Plant two of something – such as two fruit trees – in the right hand corner of your backyard. This will symbolize a fruitful love and marriage.
18. If planting two fruit-bearing trees isn’t possible, you can place a table with two chairs or a gazebo in the area. You and your mate can enjoy romantic dinners by candlelight or moonlight. Fresh flowers in a couple of pots can also be placed in this area.
19. If you are single, make a list of what qualities your ideal mate should have. Is he or she funny, gentle, romantic, financially independent? Is he or she artistic or creative? Does he or she want children? Decide what you want, and make your list.
20. If you’re single, buy yourself a gift that symbolizes a future relationship. Place it in a prominent place in your home and every time you pass it, visualize yourself meeting your perfect mate.
21. Place two red hearts in one of your Love and Marriage Areas. This will enhance your present relationship or it could help you to find a new and exciting one.
22. If your bathtub is in the far right corner of your bathroom, use waterproof items to represent you and your mate. You can use matching bathrobes or two rubber ducks.
23. The kitchen is the heart and soul of a family. To represent a happy relationship in your kitchen, place paired items, such as two red canisters, a vase on the table with two red or pink flowers in it, matching salt and pepper shakers or two flowering plants in red or pink.
24. If you’re single, set your dining room table for two. Light two candles. Visualize your mate sitting across the table from you as the two of you enjoy your meal.
25. Place your couch in a location so the back of the sofa is not facing the door. You’ll feel more comfortable if you don’t need to look over your shoulder to see what’s going on behind you. This will enhance your feeling of security which is very important if you want security in a relationship.
25 Health Boosters
The Health Area is located in the left-handed middle section of your property when you’re standing at your front door. It is located in the center, left-hand side of your home and the center, left-hand side of each room.
It you’ve having health problems, pay close attention to the Health Areas in each room. Is this where you keep your cat’s litter box? If so, move it. If the area is missing, be sure to “fill in in.”
Also, look to see what’s being stored in the Health Area of your yard. Is there clutter? Are you storing trash there? Is the vegetation growing out of control? If so, clear up that area pronto – then watch your health improve.
Here are 25 health booster suggestions:
1. Offer to lend a hand cleaning your neighbor’s yard. It will improve your view and both of your lives.
2. Fix any leaky faucets, inside and outside.
3. Put down the toilet lid before you flush the toilet and keep it down when the toilet is not is use.
4. Put healthy plants in as many rooms as possible since they generate positive energy. Silk flowers are okay, but dried flowers are the least desirable since they have no energy left. After all, they’re dead.
5. Get a pet if you can. They have stimulating life-force energy. They are great companions who love you unconditionally, generating positive energy.
6. Plug all drains in the house when they’re not being used.
7. Move furniture such as beds, desks and couches from under any overhead beams. Otherwise, it can feel as if something is “hanging over you.”
8. Turn off your electric blanket before you fall asleep. Otherwise, the electricity will disrupt your energy flow.
9. Burn incense or use essential oils or aromatherapy candles. Smells can have a healing effect on you.
10. Keep the entryway into your home clutter-free. It should not be an obstacle course.
11. Buy yourself a gift that represents good health, such as a well-tended houseplant. Place it in a prominent position and when you see it. Visualize optimum health.
12. Wear green often since it is the color of health.
13. Place a birdbath or feeder in your yard to attract wildlife.
14. If you have to sit with you back to the door, place something at the entryway that will alert you to approaching visitors, such as a large cow bell hanging on the doorknob. You’ll feel more secure when you’re not startled by someone entering the room.
15. If you have an unpleasant view from any of your windows, place a mirror on the opposite wall to send the image back outside.
16. Place a round, clear crystal in any window that receives sunlight. The crystal will create vibrant rainbows all over the room and give you a healthy dose of color therapy.
17. If where you live is small and the space feels cramped, you can create the impression of space by adding mirrors.
18. Clear away any clutter in the front, side and backyard. Pay close attention to what is stored on the left side of your house.
19. Place the bed where you have the widest view of the room when you’re sitting or lying on the bed. (However it should not be in direct line with the door.) This will give you a more commanding position in the room and you’ll feel more secure.
20. Clean out your closets and remove the things you no longer wear or use. Donate them to someone who will. You’ll feel great for doing it and you’ll clear your mind.
21. Wear pink to melt away anger. Wear green to promote healthy feelings. Green also restores and soothes your soul. Wear yellow to brighten and stimulate your mind. Wear blue to promote calmness and tranquility.
22. Bathrooms can drain your health and your finances, so figuratively “dam” the water by using earth tone colors on the walls and on the floor.
23. Staircases that are in a direct line with the door tend to affect your health, wealth or relationships. If your front door opens to a set of stairs, place a round crystal on an 18-inch red cord halfway between the door and the stairs. If hanging a crystal is not appealing to you, you can place a large statue, a large vase or a plant somewhere close to the base of the stairs.
24. Are you not sleeping well? Can you see your bed from the hallway before you even get to your bedroom door? If so, try moving the bed to the other side of the room, out of the direct line of energy entering the room. You’ll sleep better and you will also feel safer and more protected from negative energy.
25. In your Health Areas, place items that represent long life, such as a statue of a crane or elephant (or any animal or plant that lives a long time).
25 Wealth Boosters
The Wealth Area is located in the left rear corner of your lot, the left rear corner of your home and the left rear corner of each room. In this area, you want to create a flow, so place three similar objects together – paintings, bowls, boxes, whatever says “money to you."
Decorate these areas in colors that represent wealth – red, blue purple, gold or any color that says wealthy to you. Plant flowers in these colors in the Wealth Area of your garden. Your goal is to create a prosperous environment inside and out. Then you’ll be able to carry this prosperous energy with you wherever you go.
25 Wealth Boosters
1. Add flowering plants in groups of threes along the walkway to your front door. If they’re red, all the better.
2. Make sure your address is clearly visible from the street at night as well as during the day.
3. Clear away any clutter and trim overgrown plants in all yard areas.
4. If you have to cut down any trees or vegetation or if you lose any to storms or disease, replace them with plants of equal or greater beauty and value.
5. Plug all drains in the house when you’re not using them. A rubber stopper works great. Your intent is to stop your money from going down the drain.
6. Get in the habit of keeping the toilet lid down when it’s not in use. This will help prevent you from “throwing money down the toilet,” so to speak.
7. Keep live plants in the left hand corner of as many rooms as possible. It’s even better if their leaves look like round coins.
8. Place a fish tank or bowl in the left rear corner of your living room. As you feed your fish, see your finances grow.
9. Move your furniture around. It’s fun to have something new to come home to. You’ll also change the flow of energy which is a good thing to do every so often.
10. Clean out the garage and have a garage sale at the same time. You’ll make some money and also improve your ability to think and plan more clearly.
11. Keep your stove and its burners clean and in good working condition. The Chinese have always believed that the stove has a direct connection to your wealth.
12. If possible, place lights along your walkway. You’ll be lighting the pathway to your future wealth and prosperity.
13. When arranging furniture, remember less is always best. Too much furniture can make you feel cramped and can restrict the flow of your opportunities.
14. Outside waterfalls are especially helpful in creating cash flow. They’re even more helpful when placed in the far left rear corner of your backyard. It’s even better yet if the water is collected in a pond that has eight gold fish and one black fish. In Feng Shui, eight is the number of prosperity. The one black fish attracts and absorbs all the negative or undesirable energy on your property.
15. Use earth-tone colors on the walls and floors in rooms that have large amounts of water, such as the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room. This will symbolically dam the water so you can hold on to your money longer.
16. Make sure all doors open fully. If they don’t, it could limit your opportunities and affect your ability to make a good and comfortable living.
17. Does the rear left-hand corner of your backyard slope down and away from the house? To counterbalance this, place a light fixture that shines up the hill at your house and turn it on for a couple hours every day. You will be symbolically “shoring up” the wealth corner of your property.
18. Hang or place a mirror on your stove. That way, you’ll see twice as many burners as you had before. This doubling of the burners increases your opportunities for prosperity.
19. Place a windmill or weathervane in the far left corner of the backyard. The movement stimulates energy and attracts wealth. A whirligig or anything that spins will also do the trick.
20. Place three similar objects together in the far left corner of the living room or bedroom. These objects should be in the preferred colors of wealth: gold, purple, red, blue and green (or any color that says wealth to you).
21. Hang a round, clear crystal on an 18-inch red cord in the left rear corner of the living room. The red in the cord is the energy activator while the crystal swirls the energy and gives it a real money-making boost. If you hang it close to a window, you’ll get a healthy dose of rainbow therapy for free!
22. Keep the kitchen cupboards well-stock with food. When your cupboards are filled with food, you’ll feel more abundant.
23. Keep your valuables, such as a coin collection, piggy bank, safe or jewelry, in the left rear corner of your bedroom. This amplifies or draws more wealth to you.
24. Place items in your front yard and backyard that create motion or have eye-catching appeal such as gazing balls, pinwheels, hand painted garden stakes or figurines. The brighter the colors, the better.
25. In the left corner of each room, place together three plants that have round leaves (round leaves look like coins), If they flower red or purple, that’s even better. African violets work well here if you get early morning or late afternoon sun. To keep them flowering all year ‘round, you mustfertilize them with violet food each time you water.
The Top 25 Career Boosters
The Career Area of your home is located front and center if you’re standing on the street looking at your house. Your property and each room also has a Career Area.
The colors for the Career Area are black and blue, which represent deep, flowing water.
The Feng Shui belief is that life’s opportunities flow in through the front door, so be sure to keep that area as uncluttered as possible.
If you’re looking for a new job or want to feel better about the job you have, this is the area to activate. Some tips are repeated because they apply to more than one area of your life.
Here are some suggestions to improve or enhance your career:
1. Hang windchimes outside your front door to bring in more opportunities or a promotion.
2. Hang a brightly colored flag, windsock or banner in your front yard.
3. Place a birdbath or feeder in the yard to attract wildlife. It will increase the amount of energy around your home.
4. Write down what you would most like to do if you no longer had to work for a living. Place your list in several locations so you’ll see it often. Visualize what you would be doing if you weren’t working. But remember to always be grateful for what you have.
5. Make sure your house numbers are clearly visible from the street during the day and well-lit at night, if possible.
6. Clear out any clutter or plant debris that is in your yard, especially the front yard. Clutter blocks the flow of energy and limits the opportunities.
7. Put a colorful and inviting welcome mat at the front door.
8. Place a water fountain, pond or bubbler close to the front door. Then watch the money flow in like water!
9. Spring houseclean, even if it’s the middle of winter. There’s no time like the present to get rid of the junk and clutter that limits your choices.
10. Clean out your closets and drawers. Give away, sell or throw away anything you no longer use or no longer like.
11. Again, have a garage sale and clean out the clutter at the same time. Make room for new things and new beginnings.
12. Place a heavy object, such as a large plant or statue, at the base of your entranceway or front walkway. This will slow down or block any escaping energy that is flowing down the stairs.
13. Make sure that all your doors open fully and that there is noting blocking their path. If your doors are locked, your opportunities will be limited.
14. Again, when placing furniture in each room, remember less is always best. Too much furniture makes you feel cramped and restricts the flow of energy.
15. Try and keep the bare walls in your home to a minimum. Naked walls make you feel as if you have very few or no choices.
16. Make sure all clocks in your home are in working order. If not, fix them or throw them away. Otherwise, you could feel that you never have enough time or that time is standing still.
17. Make sure to have lots of bright colors wherever you’re working. Color stimulates and rejuvenates your mental abilities.
18. Playing calming music like ocean waves, forest sounds or rain falling soothes a stressful working or home environment.
19. If possible, light the walkway to your front door at night. This will “light the way” to your door.
20. Hang a round blue or clear crystal on an 18-inch red cord above your desk or wherever you sit to work. This will lift your energy upward and invigorate the mental process. A round four-inch mirror will work if you don’t have a crystal.
21. Paint your mailbox with a fun colorful, eyecatching design, especially if your business is home-based. This will encourage more business through the mail.
22. Do something that lifts your spirit, such as placing wonderful smelling flowers at your desk. They’ll give you a fresher and rosier outlook on life.
23. Add mirrors to increase the size of a small room. You’ll create a feeling of more space and endless opportunities.
24. If possible, place your desk so you can see the best overall view of the room and the door. If you can place your desk in the far left corner, all the better.
25. A blue or black rug at your front door will symbolically allow opportunities to flow in like water.