Feng Shui Tips for a Happy Home

by Katherine Ashby

A house is like a second skin. It’s supposed to provide safety and protection from the outside world, but if the building is out of balance energetically, it can have unfavorable side effects on the residents. Changing the environmental energy, or feng shui, of the house has the potential to make life easier.

Feng shui is like acupuncture for a building; it gets things flowing again. A property is analyzed according to the five elements of Chinese Traditional Medicine: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. Each element corresponds to different life situations, organs of the body, emotions, directions, individual family members, etc. The list is seemingly endless.

Before calling a feng shui professional, here are six things anyone can do to have a more carefree life:

Repair things that don’t work properly. Squeaky doors, leaky faucets and stuck windows may seem like small annoyances, but they are subtle energy drains that can suck the momentum out of work and personal projects. Specific benefits depend on the location of the work done. Repairs in the northwest help business owners or the father; in the west, children benefit the most.

Replace burned out light bulbs, inside and out. Lights correspond to the fire element. Each room of the house affects different organs of the body and different life situations. With a diminished fire element in a south room, for example, the heart, blood flow, eyes, middle daughter and future wealth can suffer; in the southeast, it’s the hips, oldest daughter and investments.

Clear the excess clutter. Clutter represents the earth element and stillness. Empty space is water and movement. There should be a balance of empty and filled-up space in each room. Earth corresponds to the mother and youngest son, marriage and the abdomen. Water is the middle son, sex organs and career. It’s obvious to see how much there is to gain by clearing clutter from around the house because it affects so many people and situations.

Make sure the plants on the property, inside and out, are healthy. Plants are considered wood, the element that gives people the “get up and go” energy to get out of bed in the morning. If family members feel sluggish and grumpy all the time, any of the plants ,but especially those in the east, might be a contributing factor. Dead or dying plants create a yin, or declining ,condition. When dead plants are removed or replaced, family harmony is restored and there are fewer arguments. A teenage son may suddenly be much more pleasant to be around. Remove any strong odors, or “killing breath”, from within or around the building. Musty smells, especially in the heart of a building, can affect the central meridian of the body, which is responsible for calming the body, heart and mind. The center of the home affects everybody that lives there, so the whole family can suffer when the decaying odor of permanently dirty clothes leaks out into the hall from a closet, for example.

Make sure all doors can open and close 100 percent as they are meant to. Unblock them if necessary. All doors correspond to the water element and affect money flow. The main door warrants special attention. If it cannot be seen from the street, a coat of bright paint, trimmed back foliage, and more lighting may help. If hinges squeak or is the lock is hard to operate—WD-40 to the rescue.

Some of these things may take a little effort, expense or outside help, but the rewards can be exponential. Feng shui masters say homes and office buildings contribute to about 33 percent of our luck, so just fixing these six items has the potential to make life easier for residents and workers.

For more information about Feng Shui Houston, call 713-688-098 or visit FengShuiHouston.com.