feng shui tips

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

jade	22 May 2002
i thought it would be great if we all posted just a thought or two regarding some feng shui tips. little things that people can do to enhance their homes/office/gardens etc to the energy of feng shui without having to read a big book on it. so here goes.......i'll start......... leave your toilet seat down so that your good chi doesn't go down the toilet. fountains bring in good chi (or flow) your relationship corner is the far left corner that you see when you come thru your front door........keep it healthy! add a healthy plant or silk plant that is dusted and cared for, a fountain perhaps.... in light, jade

Diana	22 May 2002
Better not have any mirrors in the bedroom, but if it is necessary, put them behind the door of the cupboard. Definitely not in front of the bed where you can see it. Hang some crystals on the windows - make sure they're clean and that they don't get chipped. Very important: get rid of all the unnecessary items in the house. Empty those drawers and cupboards. Let your house breath! Entrance hall: don't clutter it with all sorts of things. It's where one enters, and should be pretty and tidy. Don't stack things behind the doors just because you don't see them.

Butterfly	22 May 2002
Nothing will work if your house is full of clutter (even organised clutter). All energy will stagnate, nothing new will come into the house, and it will sabotage other feng shui. Tie three chinese coins to the back of your front door with red thread/ribbon. This will bring prosperity.

destinyawaitsme	22 May 2002
I had a question! I always heard about not having a mirror in your bedroom. But I live in a furnished apartment and the mirror is mounted on the wall right across from my bed....is there something I can do to balance this out since I can't take it down??

jade	22 May 2002
no you can't balance that you have to take it down! or cover it!!! in light, jade chi loves curves......dislikes straight lines and points. (shars)

Butterfly	22 May 2002
Yep, you definitely have to cover it. It not only affects your sleep, because "someone is watching you" or can mean that there will be a third person in the relationship if the bed is reflected. It would be easy to cover it- material, scarves, a screen, large plant, etc. But it's a good idea to cover it!

destinyawaitsme	22 May 2002
that's so weird...I love my new place, but I've never been able to sleep well! I usually hit the bed and I'm out...but ever since I've been here I roll around and flip over...it takes me an hour to get to sleep. But I don't know what to do with it...it's bolted on the wall above my dresser...so it's like a vanity. hmmm...i'll brainstorm about it.

jade	23 May 2002
get a really pretty piece of material and cover it! :) also, a crystal hung in the window of your bedroom with help with chi. (hung in any window will help with postive chi) in light, jade

amyel	23 May 2002
...and a cappy at that, "prosperity" tips in FS interest me. From my fav FS book: "Ten Minute Feng Shui" by Skye Alexander come this little gems: 1. Feel like money is exiting faster then it is coming in? Tie a red ribbon or string around all your drains. 2. Turn on your stove at least 10 minutes a day to increase prosperity. 3. Tape three coins (any will do) on the bottomn of a plant pot in your kitchen. Thsi will also help increase prosperity. 4. Place a clear container near your front door. Drop a penny in it each time you leave. This encourages positive chi on many levels. (Warning: this is a hard habit to get into!!!! Trust me. LOL)

Rhiannon	24 May 2002
I'm still working on my clutter issue. I've told my hubby that I'm planning on clearing out the house and I think he may argue with me. He's a pack-rat. Probably the thing that has made the most sense to me so far is not having your front door blocked. I have a bunch of shoes and jackets behind my front door and sometimes you can't open it all the way. You feel cramped and crowded. I'd hate for my visitors to feel that way upon entering my home! I'm going to devise a plan for that. I can see how dropping the coin in the container would help with prosperity. It makes you think about your money. I can even see how tying the coins on the back of your door would do the same thing. What I'm not sure about is the turning the stove on thing, or the tying the ribbons around drains thing. How is that going to help? Rhiannon :)

raeanne	24 May 2002
Hi all, OK, I admit that this is a subject that I know nothing about. Well, I’ve read just bits and pieces but that’s all. Anyway, I can see that some of the concepts make a lot of sense but some of them just sound too much like old superstitions. It sounds like “take a piece of pink yarn and tie it in three knots around the lamp post, hop on one foot around the lamp post and spit to the north three times for health and wisdom” kind of thing. Is feng shui open to “use what feels right to you” or is it rigid with “it has to be this way and no options”?

Kiama	24 May 2002
Make sure that the first noticeable thing your teenager sees when they got home from school is NOT the TV or fridge! Perhaps a bookshelf would be best... This way, they won't plonk themselves down to watch TV, and will actually do their homework instead! Also, cover any sharp pointy edges with thingg to soften them, eg- House plants. But don't let the houseplants get sick, cuz that sick energy will affect areas of your life... Kiama

jade	24 May 2002
well, feng shui actually works so that says something about it. it's not just a superstition.......... we used to have great feng shui in our home and then we got sick of living here.......i noticed that things has started really cluttering up and then as i was just reading my books getting ready for my new home, i realized all the things that has changed were affecting our chi and we had all felt it! turning on your stove................ your stove is one of the three most important aspects of your home regarding feng shui. your stove is seen as the point of where you prepare your meals...your meals are there because of prosperity...so this is where you prepare your prosperity. hence, turning on the source of your prosperity assists in pulling in more chi and prosperous energy. your drains and toilet is where the energy gets flushed away. by tieing a red ribbon (red is a power colour) on your drains, you are creating a barrier so that your good chi (positive energy) doesn't go down the drain. bottom line....no one has to believe in anything, but just because you don't believe doesn't mean it doesn't work! love jade

wavebreaker	24 May 2002
I think I read somewhere that wind chimes are used in feng shui as well, is this true? If so, what effect do they have and where would be a good place to put them?

Butterfly	24 May 2002
Raenne, There is a little bit of truth in what you say. There is a lot of hocus pocus in the way that feng shui has been taken up by the West. It is a very, very old tradition, only very recently (as in the last 50 years) been introduced to Western Society- therefore it's open to a lot of con still. A lot of the feng shui that the West hears about is only the very tip of the iceberg. There is a whole lot more to it, and anyone with a real interest should delve much more into it. There are a number of schools of feng shui, and the one you are most likely thinking about is form and shape, the one introduced to the West, the one that is the least sophisticated, the one least used by the Masters. but it is the most simple for a person to use as it addresses the "seen" influences. Much of it is pure commonsense, and can be felt and experienced no problem. A lot of it is really symbolic as Jade has pointed out. It's like comparing a tarot LWB to someone who has used it for many many years. The LWB is a great introduction, but it's only a beginning. And some LWB aren't that good. You need to shop around, study some more, experiment and play. Then you can decide if it works or not.

Butterfly	24 May 2002
Oh, and yes, Tarotlady. Windchimes can be an effective cure. They create movement where movement is needed, and also create blocks where energy is moving too fast. A great place is at the front door, as it marks entry into a new area of energy. It's also great if you need an area activated, but you need to be careful about it's placement. It can create too much movement, or have a detrimental effect.

jade	25 May 2002
although some feng shui-ers (is that a word?) say that chimes in the house is not good chi. so feel it for yourself and experiment with it. they say that the tubes need to be hallow, so the energy can go into them and back out again....and that ideally there should be 5 or 8 tubes. metal are good for your career. bamboo or other wooden wind chimes help your family life and prosperity. never place metal chimes in the east or southeast sectors of your home. this is because metal overpowers and destroys wood. :) jade

wavebreaker	25 May 2002
Well, I've got one very small one, it's a wooden disk with 5 (hollow) metal tubes hanging from it. I bought it as a souvenir in Indonesia. I put it up on the front door, in front of the window in the door, so you can see it from the inside and the outside. This had nothing to do with feng shui, I just thought the chime was very pretty and I like it at the front door. I like the sound of it whenever I open the door, it feels as if it's welcoming me back in or saying goodbye to me ;). I also have a bigger one, which I haven't found a good place for. Right now, it's in my study.

Rhiannon	25 May 2002
Ah! and suddenly it makes sense! Now I understand the stove and drain thing! Thanks, jade! It's not that I don't believe... I just have to have reasons for doing things. When someone tells me to dance around a lamp post 3 times and spit into the wind I want to know why and how it's going to help! LOL Some of the tips given on sites like World Of Feng Shui don't make alot of sense to me. And it's mostly because they are just telling you what to do instead of telling you why. I also thing that not everybody NEEDS all the tips. If mirrors are right for your house that doesn't mean they are right for someone else's.... am I making any sense at all here? Or am I just dancing and spitting? Rhiannon :) (who is going to buy more books on this very soon)

jade	25 May 2002
rhiannon, i completely agree with you! i won't do things unless i understand why and then i try them and if it works i do it and if it doesn't - i stop!!! tarotlady, i love your idea of a chime on your door....i was thinking the exact same thing this afternoon!!! isn't that funny? in f/s it says that you have to try it out and if you feel the energy isn't good then change it. years ago i have a chime that i had hanging so that if someone broke in they would hit into it with their shoulder (very narrow hall) and i would hear them!!! it may not have been great f/s but it was great protection energy for me!!! in light, jade *dancing and spitting into the wind and then wiping off her face LOL*

wavebreaker	25 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jade years ago i have a chime that i had hanging so that if someone broke in they would hit into it with their shoulder (very narrow hall) and i would hear them!!! it may not have been great f/s but it was great protection energy for me!!! Actually, that's what I thought about mine too! Because when you open the door, you hear the chime itself and you hear the metal tubes against the window. So I would definitely hear it when someone would come in!! ;)

jade	25 May 2002
i was thinking that i would do the same. :D my hubby works alot of nights. in light, jade

lunar_rabbit	28 May 2002
Destiny - I had a big wall sized mirror in one of my apartments. I hated it! What I ended up doing was treating it like a regular wall, and putting some tall bookshelves in front of it. Another thing I tried before the book shelves, was installing a couple of hooks on ceiling on both ends of the wall (if that makes sense). Then I strung up some inexpensive curtains across the whole mirror. I'm not sure if I was doing good feng shui, but I did it because it doubled the clutter!

lunar_rabbit	28 May 2002
Oops, forgot to ask... For those of you who practice feng shui in your own homes, what is your favorite book? Every time I go to that section at the bookstore, I get so overwhelmed and just leave empty handed.

amyel	28 May 2002
10 Minute Feng Shui Tricks by Skye Alexander, perfect for those who just don't have the time nor patience to read up on the whole thing!

raeanne	28 May 2002
Hi all, This has been an interesting thread for me to read! I am glad to hear so many positive comments about feng shui. Most of what I had heard was rather bazzar stuff and I wasn't sure if someone was pulling my leg or not. If I get some time, I might do some reading on it. What is interesting to me is that I recently set a new motto for myself: "Organize and simplify." I like this phrase a lot. Now, if I can only get it done! In the mean time, I think I will cover the mirror in my bedroom!

Rain	01 Jun 2002
Why isn't it good to have a mirror in your room?

Cat	02 Jun 2002
Because you wake up in the middle of the night and it's nearly but not quite pitch dark and you see these really ghostly, indistinct reflections, and they scare the pants off you? I don't know what the feng shui reason is, but in my case bedroom mirrors are a bad idea, because I regard my bedroom as me-space, where I don't want to have to think about my appearance, or be made self-conscious.

Moose	02 Jun 2002
Destiny, If it was my mirror I would buy some Contact paper, you know the kind with the adhesive back (that's easy to remove) and has a variety of prints. This paper has a lot of covering ideas/uses-therefore has some pretty nice prints and patterns. Cover the mirror with your favorite design and take electrical tape or color some masking tape and make a border so that your mirror looks like a scene you can meditate upon. You can also buy white Contact paper and make your own design. Egads! This reads like it was written by Martha Stewart. Blessings................Moose

floracove	03 Jun 2002
The reflection in the bed room mirror: if you can see the bed in the mirror it pulls in your good chi and reflects out bad chi, also dirupts the couple relationship. A mirror over the back of the stove is to double your prosperity(money) also if you have your back to a door while facing the stove, you should hang a wind chime between the stove & door, pulls in bad & sends out good chi. If you sleep in a king size bed the bottom mattress should be a whole mattress and not twin because it splits the couples chi. And you should not have flowers in the bedroom (real or pictures) unless there is someone sick in the room and they should be removed before they (the flowers) die. I can not remember why but you can find it in a book that talks of the flowers... If your front door faces a road you should hang a small mirror on it to direct the bad chi of the busy road away from your house. And any mirror that reflects the front door will throw your luck chi back outside and away from you and should be moved so as not to reflect the front door. There is so much... and when you get to reading about it it does make sense...

The feng shui tips thread was originally posted on 22 May 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.