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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FENG SHUI and MING TANG (INDOORS)

The 'Ming Tang' is also known as the 'Bright Hall' in Feng Shui but what exactly is it and what is it for?......Once the Qi has slowed and gathered at a suitable point the Sheng Qi (Growth Qi) can enter a property through the front door...if the conditions are right. 

Having established the quality of Qi outside your building, or prospective building, the next step is to ensure it is welcomed into the property.  The main door is known as the Qi Mouth and it is through this the external Qi enters. 

Instead of standing inside looking out, its time to stand outside looking in.  What can you see directly in front of you?  Is there a spacious lobby?  Is there a wide or narrow hall?  Is it straight or curved?  Is there a door directly opposite the main door?  Where does it lead?  Can you see the back door from the front door?  Is there a staircase upright or pillar directly in front of the door?  How far from the door is it?  Is there a beam located directly inside the main door?  What is on the next floor directly above the main door?

And then there is the inevitable question - is the hallway or porch cluttered with shoes, coats, umbrellas, shopping bags?

Looking at these one by one:  Having a clear spacious lobby immediately inside the door allows Qi to accumulate inside the property before beginning its flow.  This will be negated if there is clutter here, it will become Sha Qi rather than Sheng Qi.

A narrow hall is excessively Yin especially if it is long and straight, and if it is also naturally dark it will constrict the Qi and turn it to a negative form.  A wide and bright hall will help positive Qi flow.

It is better not to have a door directly opposite the main door to prevent Qi from heading that way and missing other parts of the property.  Depending on where the door leads all your Qi may reside in the cloakroom, in the kitchen (a Yin area) or it may head straight out of the back door.

Having the upright of a staircase, or a pillar, directly in front of the main door will block the free-flow of Qi however if it is sufficiently distant to allow the Qi to gather inside the main door this is no longer an issue.  The stair treads directly in front of the main door can create conflict from fast moving Qi descending the stairs and colliding with slow moving Qi entering. 

A beam, outside or inside the main door will press down on the Qi turning it to Sha Qi.  Outside it will press down on the Qi entering, inside it will squeeze the Qi back out of the door.

Having a toilet directly above the main door will turn any positive Qi negative as it enters the property.

Clutter will block the flow of Qi wherever it is located and the hallway is often a magnet for clutter.  It may be convenient but it will negatively affect the flow of Qi.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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FENG SHUI and the MING TANG

The 'Ming Tang' is also known as the 'Bright Hall' in Feng Shui but what exactly is it and what is it for?

One of the fundamental objectives of a Feng Shui consultation is to establish the quality of Qi in the external environment.  By observing and analysing mountains and water; buildings and roads; positive and negative structures in and around a property a consultant can determine the quality of Qi in the area.  By understanding whether the neighbourhood is too windy and exposed to the elements or subject to a gentle flow of energy the next step is to find out how best to take full advantage of any auspicious Qi flow.

If the environment is too windy it will prevent Qi from gathering.  When writing the 'Book of Burial' Guo Po (AD276-324) described Qi as 'being scattered by the wind and gathering at the boundaries of water.'  Qi cannot be created or destroyed but it can be aggressive or harmonious.   Knowing which is an important part of external Feng Shui analysis.

Assuming for now the Qi is good how can you as a property owner or business occupier benefit from its positive effects? 

The next step is to know what to do with it and how to harness its qualities.

This is where the Ming Tang comes in.  Ming Tang is an open space, directly in front of your main door and it allows Qi to accumulate before entering your property. 

The open space can be part of your property, a large front garden for example, or it can be an open area directly outside your property such as a village green, a sports field, or a communal garden without any tall trees or other obstructions directly facing your main door.  In a working environment it can be a clear open space to the front of an office building or shop, without any negative structures in the immediate vicinity.  These structures can be things such as the edge of a neighbouring building or a manmade statue directly blocking the front entrance.

Open spaces unsuitable to be called a Ming Tang would be places like derelict areas of land or large car parks with vehicles coming and going all day, every day.   These are not conducive to accumulating auspicious Qi. 

Once the Qi has slowed and gathered at a suitable point the Sheng Qi (Growth Qi) can enter a property through the front door...if the conditions are right.  More on that next time.

To the fulfillment of your dreams

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

We love your questions and feedback.  Help yourself and others at the same time.

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

Feng Shui Home - Staircase Decor and Colour

In the modern practice of symbolic Feng Shui decor and colour are used extensively.  While traditional Feng Shui does not encompass these aspects of the practice, the way we decorate our homes and the colours we use are a reflection of our personalities and their effects will have an energetic influence on us and the way we live.  We will either feel good about it or uncomfortable with our choice.

The staircase is a carrier of the Qi that enters your home.  When it is auspicious you want to maximise this and enhance the quality of Qi moving up the stairs.  If there is nothing to slow it down such as when your staircase directly faces the front door,  it will move too quickly carrying Sha Qi to your upper floors.  The route upstairs is usually into your inner sanctuary; your bedroom, one of the most important rooms in Feng Shui terms.  As the room you go to, to refresh your mind, body and spirit having auspicious and meandering Qi entering will make you feel safe and secure, relaxed and ready to refresh your senses.  This is why it is better if your bedroom door does not directly face the top of the stairs, especially when you have a straight staircase.

How you feel about the route this energetic journey takes and the quality of Qi will be determined by the staircase, its location in relation to your main door, and your attitude towards it.  Displaying photographs of your loved ones, your family or your friends on the walls will give you a sense of belonging and love every time you use the staircase.

Objects, paintings, pictures and lights placed at the bottom and along the walls up the staircase will all help slow down the movement of Qi.

To carry Sheng Qi to the upper floors the use of lights and colour on the walls, such as peach, pink or yellow will create a sense of warmth and a welcoming backdrop for family photographs.

Good lighting is essential on your staircase, especially if it is in a dark location or it is narrower than normal.  A wide comfortable staircase is more auspicious for you and your family and also for the Qi.  If you feel constricted when climbing the stairs, so will the energy.  Mirrors, lights, wall covering and colour, pictures of wide open spaces will all help open up a narrow space.  

Colour will play its part in bringing balance.  Earth colours will help create stability on your staircase, useful if you have an overly wide set of stairs.  The paler fire colours of pink and peach will bring warmth to a dark staircase.  Green will give a sense of the natural world and of growth, particularly important if you have a young family.  White or off-white will open up a restricted space but will benefit from lighting to ground and control this most yang of colours.

To the fulfillment of your dreams  

           

LynC

www.abundance-chi.com

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