GEOMANCY Introductory feng shui

FENG SHUI: The bedroom

If you had to pick one room in your home to feng shui, you’d definitely want it to be your bedroom. Samantha Wong reveals why

Feng shui says that your bedroom is the space that symbolises you the most, which means the way it’s decorated has a direct impact on your wellbeing. Besides that, you spend many hours in this room, and when you’re asleep you’re in a passive state so you’re really affected by all the energies surrounding you. The bedroom should be a place of rest, relaxation and love-making – nothing else – so it’s essential that you get the sheng chi (beneficial energy) flowing.

First step to maximising your bedroom’s potential is to get your bed in the ‘command position.’ This means placing it so you can see the entry door (anyone coming in) when you are lying in bed. But don’t place your bed so that it directly faces the door, do this and you’ll be lying in the position of the dead – you’ll be ready ‘to go feet first.’

Your headboard represents stability and support in your life, so choose one that is solid, without any perforations, and place it against a solid wall. If possible, don’t place your bed under any low beams, soffits or

If the bedroom is big enough, leave a space on both sides of the bed. This means you’ve made room for your partner or future partner. Healing energy needs to flow all around you when you’re sleeping, so keep the space under your bed clutter-free too. Know that whatever you store under your bed may represent or create subconscious blockages in your life. Letters from an ex may keep you from moving forward. Shoes

sloped ceilings. or luggage can prevent you from getting a good night’s rest – you feel like you’re constantly in motion. If you must utilise the space under your bed for some kind of storage, stick to soft, sleep-related items like linens, blankets and pillows.

You need to limit the yang (male) energy and go big on nurturing ying (female) energy in your bedroom. Swap out tall, overpowering wardrobes, and choose nightstands and headboards that are discreet and

curved. You don’t want any sharp angular items in your bedroom.

Importantly too, the bedroom needs to be low-tech. Computers, phones, televisions and exercise equipment are all taboo – their

If you place a mirror in front of your bed you are inviting a third person into your relationship

energy is too yang, too strong. And somewhat surprisingly, it’s the same story with books. It’s OK to have one or two books on your nightstand but avoid having a full bookshelf in the bedroom. Books represent active energy – they will keep your mind overstimulated and can induce insomnia.

You’re seeking harmony and balance in your bedroom, so you’ll want to nourish all five senses. Burn essential oils to sweeten the air, play some soothing tunes, and layer soft and inviting fabrics. Treat yourself to breakfast in bed occasionally and always keep fresh water on your nightstand.

In terms of what you want to see, go with earthy tones. Avoid plain white walls because stark white brings in the metal element, which is too mentally stimulating for a bedroom. Go with off-white, cream and chocolate brown to promote peaceful vibes and sensuality.

How to boost your love life

Speaking of sensuality, getting the feng shui right in a bedroom can kickstart, boost or simply

Avoid peach tones in your bedroom – peach is promiscuous

bolster your love life. So, design your bedroom for two even if you’re not currently in a relationship. Present everything in pairs to symbolise union. That means two pillows, two nightstands, two lamps and, if space allows, two armchairs.

You need to avoid any reference to water in your bedroom. This means no plants or water features, no pictures of the ocean, no shells, no fish motifs. Why? Just as water puts out fire, it quenches the red-hot flames of passion.

Likewise, the artwork in your bedroom can have a big effect on your personal life. If you’re single and looking for love, avoid images of single people or objects. If you want to reignite the spark between yourself and your spouse, display photos of the kids elsewhere. Hang your artwork at eye level or higher to lift your lifeforce energy.

Skin tones are conducive to sleep but introducing too much peach into your colour scheme is a mistake. If you’re single, you’ll find yourself bouncing from partner to partner, and if you’re in a relationship, your eye will wander. Peach is promiscuous. Note too, that if you place a mirror in front of your bed you are inviting a third person into your relationship.

The best way to erotically charge your bedroom is to make sure the fire element is present in your decor. Place a red object on your nightstand and something copper on your partner’s. Hanging a ruby or garnet over both nightstands will ensure that your bedroom radiates sex-positive energy.

Rite of passage

Expedition ships cross the Drake Passage – the notoriously volatile stretch of water that separates Latin America and Antarctica – during the ‘summer season,’ from late October through to March. Come April, the ice freezes over and Antarctica is again cut off from the rest of the world. It’s a two-day transition from the nine-tofive grind of wi-fi and worries to a far simpler yet more powerful place.

Luxury adventure

A typical expedition team is made up of scientists, biologists, historians and adventurers. They nimbly switch between giving lectures on the wildlife, history and geology to navigating inflatable Zodiac boats between the icebergs and facing down snowstorms. Unlike most organised tours, tourists are made to feel as though they are explorers on a bone fide adventure.

Bragging rights

Travel to Antarctica still holds bragging rights, especially if you camp out on the ice or dare to do the Polar Plunge, stripping off and immersing yourself in the icy waters. The sun sets after 10pm during the summer, and this is the best time to hear the glaciers creak and moan. Every now and then a section will calve off into the sea, hitting the water with a loud smack and sending a tsunami across the bay.

Wildlife watching

It is over a century since the British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was caught in the pack ice, marking the beginning of one of the world’s most exciting adventure stories. Extending like a great white arm from the main body of the icy continent, the peninsula is still populated with penguins, whales and Weddell seals that appear to be smiling as they lounge on the ice flows. 

An expedition ship crossing the Drake Passage

Humpback whales slapping their flippers and flukes

Camping out on the ice

Rules and regulations

The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) oversees tourism in the region and among the stringent rules aimed at protecting the wildlife is the stipulation that visitors are not to get closer than 5 metres. Another IAATO regulation holds that no more than 100 people are allowed to land in the same space at any one time.

Snow bird spotting

A mere flick of their powerful fins and penguins shoot through the crystalclear waters at speeds of up to 22 miles per hour. But it’s when they move from the sea to the land, as they do every November for the start of the two-month breeding season, that they become adorable – and accidentally hilarious. Their rookeries are noisy and often smelly but always hugely entertaining.

Losing your perspective

Beyond the wildlife, the draw of Antarctica is the vast, icy landscape. The first thing to go is your sense of perspective. In the early summer, practically everything looks white. There are no trees or anything that might give you a sense of scale, making it difficult to judge distances. Only when you see an inflatable Zodiac beside an iceberg, do you realise just how huge these majestic blocks of ice really are.

A feeling for the ice

The more you look at the icebergs, the more you come to appreciate the range of colours, from white through to turquoise, deep blue and black. The black ice is the oldest – 50,000-yearold water that has been compressed over time so that all the air and impurities have been removed. This black ice looks like shards of glass.

Only 100 people can land in the same space at any one time

Adorable and accidentally hilarious penguins

Majestic blocks of ice in a vast, white landscape

The black ice is the oldest – 50,000-year-old compressed water

Stocking fillers

Fun and easy to make, delicious Xmas treats also make pretty and practical gifts

Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

• 300g plain flour* • 1tsp ground ginger • 1tsp ground cinnamon • 175g butter* • 100g golden syrup • 250g clear boiled fruit sweets

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sift the flour, ginger and cinnamon into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour to form crumbs. Add the golden syrup, using your hands to form a dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sort the sweets into individual colours, then crush them with a rolling pin. Roll out the dough to around 1cm thickness. Use the cutter of your choice to cut your cookie and then use a smaller cutter to remove a centre shape also. Transfer to a lined baking tray and use a skewer to make a hole at the top of each cookie. Fill the cut-out centres of the cookies with crushed sweets and then bake for around 15 minutes, until the sweets have melted and the biscuits are golden. Serve once the cookies have started to cool and the sweets have solidified again.

Cranberry and Orange Mince Pies

• 200g butter, cubed* • 400g plain flour* • 100g ground almonds • 100g golden caster sugar* • 1 orange, zest only* • 2tbsp milk/ orange juice* • 100g frozen cranberries • 400g jar mincemeat • Flaked almonds, a handful • 2tsp icing sugar*

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Whizz the butter, flour and almonds in a food processor. Pulse in the sugar and orange zest. Add the milk, whizzing to form a rough dough. Press together and shape into a smooth disc. Chill for 15 minutes. Roll out the dough to around 1cm thickness. Using an 8cm cutter, stamp out 24 circles and use to line the holes of 2 x 12-hole bun tins. Mix the cranberries and mincemeat together, then spoon into the cases. Scatter each pie with flaked almonds, and top with additional dough if desired. Bake the pies for 18-20 minutes until golden. Dust with icing sugar to serve. 

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Peppermint Creams

• 1 egg white* • 340g icing sugar* • ½tsp peppermint extract • 250g dark chocolate*

Whisk the egg white in a large bowl until fluffy but not stiff. Sift in the icing sugar and mix until combined into a dough. Knead in the peppermint exact. Take a small amount of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place onto two pre-lined baking trays and gently press into a circle, about 5mm thick. Repeat until you have used all the dough. Refrigerate for 2 hours or ideally overnight. To finish, break the chocolate up into a bowl and melt over a Bain Marie. Dip the peppermint creams in the chocolate, one at a time, and place back onto the lined trays. Return to the fridge for a few hours to set the chocolate.

FIND IT

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