FENG SHUI and KITCHEN LOCATION

In Feng Shui your kitchen is one of the three most important areas, together with the main door and bedroom. 

The kitchen represents the health and wellbeing of the entire family yet it is best placed in an inauspicious sector based on Eight Mansions for the Home.  This also benefits the residents if it represents one of their inauspicious sectors based on Personal Eight Mansions.  Calculate your personal Gua number.

Why an inauspicious sector, shouldn't it be an auspicious sector when it is so important?

Because of its nature and use having the kitchen in an inauspicious sector will help suppress the negative energies created by an inauspicious sector.  If you have the choice and are able, positioning it in the Jue Ming (Total Loss) location will cushion you from the effects of this negative area.

It is also important to ensure that there is not too much Yang energy outside your kitchen.  Health and wellbeing for residents is supported by the mountain (sitting) star in Flying Stars Feng Shui and it is Yin (like a still unmoving mountain is Yin) and so if you have activity outside your kitchen window or Yang elements it will neutralise the benefit of a positive location inside.  These can be, but are certainly not limited to, a busy road, a well-used playground or school, an electricity pylon or a river.

Then moving on to the stove, or cooker.  Should this also be in an inauspicious sector within the kitchen?

The stove should be in an auspicious part of the kitchen, because it is this that provides the food for the family and ultimately affects their health.  In addition, the 'fire mouth' or point at which the heat is activated (in the picture right this is signified by the knobs) they should face a good direction.  It is beneficial if this represents the Sheng Qi (Good Fortune) direction of the breadwinner of the home.  When there are two of equal status then you can make the decision which direction you want to use.  This is especially important when two people belong to opposing groups - West or East Group.

When you have calculated your Gua number you can find your group based on your Gua number, together with your good and bad directions.

We have looked at two different Feng Shui methods here, Eight Mansions (Home and Personal) and Flying Stars.  A consultant will likely use these, as well as other Feng Shui methods when conducting an audit.  The Four Pillars Chart for each resident (also known as BaZi) will highlight many aspects of your life including health and wellbeing.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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FENG SHUI INSIDE

"An Englishman's home is his castle"

HENRY VIII and SIR EDWARD COKE

While we may not all live in castles with a moat and drawbridge the one thing we desire when we close our door is to feel safe, comfortable and 'at home.'

The main door, the Qi mouth of our home, will beckon in either Sheng Qi (prosperous Qi) or Sha Qi (killing Qi) when it is opened.  What is outside your main door?  What is the quality of Qi coming into your home?

A positive flow of Qi is essential for harmony in the home.  Is your hall, kitchen, bedroom and home office or study benefitting from Sheng Qi?

After the main door these are the most important areas to focus on.  Does the layout of your home allow a meandering flow of energy to make its way into these vital locations?

They all benefit from being in a good location to suit the occupants.  They all benefit from having natural light*. 

The hall is the first port of call for any Qi entering your home.  If it has a space to gather before it begins its journey through the rest of your property it becomes slow and meandering rather than fast moving.  Harmonious flow both downstairs and upstairs brings peace and comfort. 

As important as the kitchen is, it is better in a negative area based on the natal chart of your home rather than a positive area.  However it should also have no harmful features pointing at it from the outside.  One of its main purposes is to care for the wellbeing of the residents.  Place the cooker in an auspicious direction and location within the room and at the same time see whether it is well supported from the outside.  The kitchen is a Yin area with essential Yang elements to benefit the health of the family.  Having a negative feature pointing directly into the kitchen, such as a single tall tree or a lamppost will potentially have an adverse effect on the health of the residents.

 *The bedroom, a Yin location, should be light but not too bright otherwise it becomes Yang and not conducive to restful sleep.  This is another area concerned with health and wellbeing.  It is also a sanctuary where the body is rejuvenated through the night.  What is outside your bedroom window?  Like the kitchen it should not have any negative features.

More and more people are working for themselves, or working from home for a company or corporation.  So having a home office in a good location based on the natal chart of the home and the individual using the room is essential.  Unlike the kitchen and bedroom this is a Yang area concerned with opportunities in career and the flow of wealth.   

Positive Qi flow when directed in the right way can ensure your home really is your castle.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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Visit http://www.abundance-chi.com to discover more about the joy of Feng Shui.

FENG SHUI and EIGHT MANSIONS-East Group

“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking”

Buddhist Saying

Personal Eight Mansions is well-known in Feng Shui.  Your date of birth identifies your Gua number which in turn identifies your four good and four bad locations. 

Knowing the Eight Mansions of your home, which takes into consideration the distribution of energy throughout the building will determine whether you and your home are meant for one another. 

Looking at an example of a person with Gua number 1; your personal east group locations and directions and how you can live in a home inauspicious for you based on its sitting direction.

Gua number 1 auspicious directions are southeast, east, south and north; the inauspicious directions are west, northeast, northwest and southwest.  Looking at the worst scenario of your house you would be living in a Kun House (facing northeast/sitting southwest.)  In effect your house is sitting in your total loss location.  Before you run away screaming let’s take a more in-depth look at the situation.

Remembering that location is more important than direction, the first thing to do is consider the internal layout of your home.  Can you arrange it such that you --- a) Have your living area in the southeast (your best direction); b) Have your bedroom in the east (your health direction); c) Place your kitchen in the southwest (your total loss direction)?

This allows you the luxury of choosing which of your four auspicious directions you face when sitting, playing and sleeping, which will in turn bring harmony and positive energy into your life.  Having your kitchen in the southwest will press down on your bad luck (total loss) associated with the southwest.  It is important to remember to have the stove facing one of your auspicious directions, depending on the aspiration important to you at this particular time in your life.  If bad health is an issue for you then having the stove facing* your tien yi (doctor from heaven) or nien yen (longevity) directions will benefit you.  *The facing direction of the stove means the direction the knobs are pointing.)

Another thing to consider is the direction your living room door (unless you have an open plan layout in which case it will mean the direction the entire space is facing), and your bedroom door, face.  It is beneficial if they face one of your auspicious directions.  This is inviting positive Qi into the space each time the door is opened and closed.

So although you may live in a house that is not in harmony with you and your personal directions you can see it is still possible to arrange the internal space such that it beneficial for you.

Looking briefly at Chinese Astrology, if you are born in the year of the Sheep (SW1) or the year of the Monkey (SW3) you will gain some benefit from the Southwest regardless of your Kua number.  Just be aware of the annual afflictions for each year and take suitable measures to avoid misfortune when it comes calling, in your animal location.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

We hope enjoy our blogs and leave any comments below or email: crystal@abundance-chi.com visit: www.abundance-chi.com LynC

FENG SHUI and EIGHT MANSIONS

“Use awareness to make changes”

Are you and your home in harmony? 

Personal Eight Mansions is well-known in Feng Shui.  Your date of birth identifies your Kua number which in turn identifies your four good and four bad locations.  This gives you a head start when it comes to knowing which direction to sit or sleep.  Or which direction to face when you are working/playing/studying.

However this is only half of the picture.

To look at the bigger picture, knowing the Eight Mansions or the Natal Chart of your home, which takes into consideration the distribution of energy throughout the building will determine whether you and your home are meant for one another.  The Eight Mansions of your home is based on its facing and sitting direction. The facing direction of your home is the direction of maximum yang energy.  This is often, but not exclusively, the place where the main door is located and it is important to determine the facing direction before beginning.  The sitting direction is exactly opposite and benefits from more yin than yang energy.  The yang of movement, of positive chi, is best entering your home from the front and the yin of stillness, is best at the back of your home providing quiet, stability and support.

Ideally your front door will be located in the sheng chi (overall good fortune) location of your home.  Depending on the stage you are at in your life, your bedroom will be best located in your tien yi (health) or your nien yen (relationships) location.

Your kitchen, the third most important sector of your home, is different.  While it is a vital part of the overall picture in ensuring the health and wellbeing of your family, it is best located in one of your four bad locations.  In effect, it is best being in a location where it can press down and suppress the bad chi of a location.  The kitchen itself however, and in particular the stove, can be designed to bring good luck to the family.  The stove (the knobs) are most auspicious when facing the best direction of the breadwinner of the house.

So how do you deal with a less than auspicious layout?  Where do you sit?  Which direction do you face?

Location is more important than direction.  If you can sit, or work, or sleep, in one of your four good locations you then also have the option to face one of your four good directions thereby increasing the auspicious chi you are exposed to.  If you have to sit, work or sleep in one of your four bad locations you then only have the option to face one of your good directions within that location.  

It is never going to be possible to have the perfect configuration (unless you are building your own home and you have more control over the finished product) so the answer is to benefit as much as possible from what you can do and then get on with your life.  Being aware of Eight Mansions for the home, and knowing your good and bad directions based on your Kua number will definitely give you an advantage if you are house-hunting.  Taking along a standard western compass to determine the facing and sitting directions of a property, will definitely help you in your house search.  It will also allow you to find out whether the location of the master bedroom and the kitchen will benefit or restrict you.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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FENG SHUI and Rooms

The rooms and their placement in the overall layout of your home will play a large part in determining the quality of the Chi Energy created.

In the practice of Feng Shui the following are preferred locations for your main rooms: 

• Your living room is considered the social area in your home and is best located near the front

This is your entertainment area and is the place where family and friends gather to socialise, making its location the public area of your home.  It is one of the areas that will benefit from lots of Yang energy to make it a lively, vibrant and welcoming room. 

Remember that balance is all important so some elements of Yin are required to avoid making it an unsettling place to spend time.  The occupants will create their own Yang energy which will contribute to the overall feel of the room.

• Your dining room is known as the heart of the home and benefits from being in or near the centre

The dining room is a family area and if it is in or near the centre of your home and is used often it has the effect of keeping the family united – as the saying goes “the family who eats together, stays together.”

If it is not possible to house your dining room in the centre it is better to have it towards the back of the home.  To the Chinese an abundance of food is wealth so keeping the table away from the front of the house will ensure the wealth is kept in the home.

Lifestyles today tend to prevent families from eating together on a regular basis however for the well-being of the family as a whole it is important to eat together at least once a week to maintain a happy and healthy family life.

• Your kitchen is best towards the back of your home

It also benefits the parents if it is located in one of their inauspicious locations based on their Kua number.  This is particularly important for the breadwinner of the family to ensure their good fortune is not lost.

Having the source of the energy from the cooker or stove coming from an auspicious direction for the breadwinner will invite positive Chi.

• Your master bedroom is best if it is not above the kitchen, the garage or a bathroom

Above the kitchen (and more particularly over a cooker or oven) this has the effect of ‘burning’ any good fortune; above a garage,  particularly one that is either rarely used or houses boxes and junk rather than the family car/s, signifies a lack of support for a sleeping couple;  above a bathroom sends negative energies to the bedroom.

It is also important to have more Yin than Yang in the bedroom to ensure you can rest.  Working, exercising or watching television in the bedroom before sleep creates too much Yang energy and as a result makes it difficult to rest and refresh the body, mind and spirit ready for another day.

Next time – S-Southwest

We hope enjoy our blogs and leave any comments below or email: crystal@abundance-chi.com visit: www.abundance-chi.com LynC

Feng Shui your KITCHEN

Having already delved into the Dining Room in this series, it makes sense to move onto to the placement and layout of your kitchen.

Whether you have a kitchen/diner or a separate kitchen and dining area the kitchen is best treated as an area in its own right.

It benefits from being deep within the house rather than at the front and it should be light, bright and airy during the day and have sufficient lighting to make it safe to use at night.

It is best kept clean and uncluttered with no small appliances or gadgets on display and certainly no knives out on display. 

If you know your Kua number* and are aware of your good and bad directions based on this number, then having the kitchen in an area of your home that represents a bad area for you has the positive effect of controlling the bad energy.

One exception to this is the Northwest.  If the kitchen is in this area it is known in Feng Shui as ‘Fire at Heaven’s Gate’ and can have the effect of bringing bad luck to the male head of the family.  If they are also the breadwinner it can cause loss of job, status and money which affects the luck of the whole family.   Fire destroys Metal in the Five Elements.

Another inauspicious place to have the kitchen is in the centre of the home.  This is called the heart of the home and is better if it houses the dining or family room.

The kitchen is not an area to enhance; it is a work area and should be treated as such.  Mirrors are not auspicious and this is particularly relevant if they reflect the cooker or stove.  This has the effect of doubling the Fire energy of the stove and increases the chance of a real fire erupting.

The kitchen is a place where Fire and Water co-exist and it is important that when designing the layout they are kept apart without being opposite one another.

If the stove or cooker faces the main door, a toilet door or a bedroom door it symbolises food flowing out of the house.  In Feng Shui food is considered one of the most important indications of abundance.  The stove should not be directly below a toilet on the upper floor.  It can also have inauspicious consequences for anyone sleeping directly above the kitchen stove.  If the stove shares a wall with a toilet on the other side this is also an extremely inauspicious configuration.

The Five Element Theory can be used in this room to positive effect when deciding on colour schemes however it is important to remember the elements already in the room and if for example you have a kitchen in the South, a Fire location, decorating in red will create an excess of Fire Energy.  In this situation exhausting the Fire element with Earth colours will create a more auspicious balance.

As you can see, there are a lot of taboos associated with this very important room and while it is not easy to change the location of your kitchen there are things that can be done to balance out the energies and create an auspicious room within your home. 

*Discover your Kua number at www.abundance-chi.com/

Next time – L-Love

We hope enjoy our blogs and leave any comments below or email: crystal@abundance-chi.com visit: www.abundance-chi-com LynC