Clear Englebert is an internationally acclaimed feng shui consultant and teacher. His previous best selling books are Bedroom Feng Shui, Feng Shui for Hawaii, Feng Shui for Hawaii Gardens, and most recently Feng Shui for Retail Stores. He lives in Kona, Hawaii and his website is fungshway.com.

Feng Shui Demystified Revised Edition

By Clear Englebert

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2009 Clear Englebert
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4401-9804-5

Contents

Preface………………………………………………..viiiIntroduction……………………………………………ixChapter 1: The Exterior………………………………….1Front Door……………………………………………..6Foreboding Objects………………………………………8Lay of the Land…………………………………………10Chapter 2: Chi Flow……………………………………..12Loss of Chi…………………………………………….13Clutter………………………………………………..15Empowered Positions……………………………………..19Poison Arrows…………………………………………..24Attracting Chi………………………………………….28Chapter 3: Introduction to the Bagua………………………34Chart of Bagua Areas…………………………………….38Elemental Cycles………………………………………..40Chapter 4: The Bagua in Place…………………………….43Applying the Bagua………………………………………46Individual Bagua Areas…………………………………..49Bathroom Location……………………………………….58Chapter 5: Extensions and Missing Areas……………………62Bringing Back a Missing Area……………………………..64Windowboxes…………………………………………….65Chapter 6: Architectural Features…………………………68Doors………………………………………………….68Windows………………………………………………..71Poles………………………………………………….72Fireplaces……………………………………………..73Split-Level Houses………………………………………74Kitchens……………………………………………….74Home Offices……………………………………………76Bedrooms……………………………………………….76Ceiling………………………………………………..78Roof…………………………………………………..78High-rise Apartments and Condos…………………………..79Air Circulation…………………………………………79Chapter 7: Furniture and Household Objects…………………80Beds…………………………………………………..80Glass Tabletops…………………………………………81Altars…………………………………………………82Clocks…………………………………………………83Mirrors………………………………………………..83Symbolism………………………………………………85Living Room Furnishings………………………………….86Chapter 8: Other Considerations…………………………..87Yin/Yang……………………………………………….87Lot Shape………………………………………………89Repairs and Renovations………………………………….91Details………………………………………………..93Guests…………………………………………………94Cars…………………………………………………..95Other Vehicles………………………………………….97EMFs…………………………………………………..97Pregnancy………………………………………………98Ashes………………………………………………….99The Number Four…………………………………………99Organizing……………………………………………..99Vibrational Cleansing……………………………………100Used Objects……………………………………………102Non-Feng Shui Techniques…………………………………102Chapter 9: Moving……………………………………….104Locating a New Home……………………………………..104Checklist for Moving…………………………………….106Chapter 10: Gardening……………………………………110Landscaping…………………………………………….110Pruning………………………………………………..111The Five Elements……………………………………….112The Bagua Outside……………………………………….113Houseplants…………………………………………….114Thorny Plants…………………………………………..114Chapter 11: Retail Stores………………………………..116The Front………………………………………………116Physical Layout…………………………………………117Business Hours………………………………………….118Websites……………………………………………….119Chapter 12: Offices……………………………………..120Waiting Rooms…………………………………………..121Chapter 13: Recommended Reading…………………………..122Related Topics………………………………………….126Glossary……………………………………………….128Acknowledgments…………………………………………133Sources………………………………………………..134Index………………………………………………….135About the Author………………………………………..139

Chapter One

The Exterior

Approach

The physical environment around a dwelling can have a great impact on the residents. The outside is where energy (chi) finds you first. Put yourself in the position of a first-time visitor.

Your house (or apartment) number should be very clearly visible. If it is appropriate, also have your name visible on the outside. An address number will benefit from having each digit slightly higher than the digit to its left. We read from left to right, so as we’re reading our gaze is rising-our energy is also going up. It is especially important to have the address numbers slanted upward if the land behind the home slopes down. If you actually need a “No Trespassing” sign, use one that starts out saying “Private Property.” That way “no” isn’t the first word that’s read. Brilliant red attracts chi energy more than any other color. Red objects (such as red flowering plants or plants in red glazed pots) near the street on each side of your driveway or walkway act as a stop sign to chi. “Stop, chi energy! Come in here!” Maximize the effect by repeating it near your front door. Realistic artificial plants can be used, but they must be replaced when they fade. Faded artificial plants do not attract chi energy and, in a sense, they repel it. A large object, such as a tree or electric pole, that is in a direct line between the street and your front door, represents an obstacle. I’m a great lover of trees but this is not the right place for one. If the obstruction is not removable, there are three symbolic solutions: A small bagua mirror can be hung above your front door. This kind of mirror has an eight-sided frame with the different I Ching trigrams on each side. There is always a little hanging device on one side. Pay attention to that and keep that side up. It is considered to be powerful and is primarily for exterior use. Bagua mirrors are usually quite inexpensive and are available in any major Chinatown. Most, however, are cheaply made and can start to look faded and tacky after a while. That, in addition to the fact that they look a bit too hocus pocus for some tastes, may cause you to choose an alternative. Any mirror or very shiny, reflective, object (such as a brass doorknocker) will do. It is important that you feel comfortable with feng shui “cures” that you use. It is, after all, your home! Another symbolic solution is to change the purpose of the “obstacle.” It can become a “holder of an affirmation.” To do that, you just put a real physical affirmation up in the tree. It could be a recovery coin that had a positive saying on it, or a small rock that had “love” or “peace” carved on it, or just a piece of metal foil that you emboss with words such as “look up, be well.” You could also plant a row of evergreen shrubs between the door and the “obstacle” to symbolize a buffer. If the pathway leading to your front door from the street or sidewalk is a very direct line, it needs to be tempered a bit. It’s best if the chi meanders up to your front door instead of charging right in. One way to do this is by placing flowerpots (or other interesting outside ornaments) on the sides of the steps or pathway. Having the pots in a staggered pattern (not directly across from each other as in a formal arrangement) forces the visual energy to zigzag and therefore slow down. If the pots are themselves interesting or whimsical and each one is different, the solution will be even more effective. If you have a choice about where to locate the path to the front door, put it to the right of the front door (as you are standing at the street, looking toward your house.) A convex curve is the beginning of an angle pointing at you. It’s not horribly bad, but being on the concave side of a curved road is always much better. Houses on the concave side are more protected than those on the convex side. See Fig. 1. Think of a sharp, curved knife, like a machete or scimitar. The convex side is sharp and dangerous. When cars move along the road, their lights shine onto the houses on the convex side, not the concave side. Their lights are an uninvited intrusion. Homes at the very end of a cul-de-sac or T-intersection (see Fig. 2) also have this problem. It’s time to plant a big fat hedge or put up a solid fence. If this isn’t immediately feasible, then place a bagua mirror (see Glossary) outside your house facing the headlights. A convex mirror is an excellent alternative to a bagua mirror in this circumstance. You are basically saying “no” to that energy and sending it back. When two driveways are directly opposite each other, they are in competition for luring chi energy. The larger one wins. If you cannot increase the size of your driveway, make it more noticeable. Use plants or ornamentation to make your driveway entrance stunning. Heads should turn toward your driveway. Use bright or noticeable sculpture, pottery, or plants (but not spiky-leaf plants). Lovely pavement on the driveway surface could remedy this situation very well. Even an arresting mailbox would work. Where the driveway meets the road it should be fairly level so energy rolls in evenly. If the driveway slopes down steeply toward the house, put plants along the driveway that have white flowers or leaves to lift the energy. Red flowers or leaves would also work. If the driveway slopes steeply uphill where it meets the road, energy coming to the house will roll back to the road before reaching the house. Put something reflective near the base of the driveway (where it meets the road). The reflective part should shine up the driveway, symbolically reflecting the energy back up your driveway. A small mirror or reflector will work, as will a silver garden gazing ball. The ball reflects in all directions and because some of it reflects up the driveway, it’s fine. C-shaped driveways are not recommended because they are seen to have a strong cutting energy, portending divorce. See Fig. 3. Changing the driveway is ideal, but seldom feasible. Put a small crystal between the driveway and the house, or put a tiny mirror on the outside wall of the house down close to the ground, facing the driveway, and reflecting its energy away from your home. Full circle driveways are not a problem. It is best if the garage is not more prominent than the front door. If the garage is more prominent, it sends the energetic message that at least one of the people who lives there will be away from home a lot-life in the fast lane. Visually erase the garage by painting the garage doors and the trim around them the same color as the outside walls. Also work to make your front door area more noticeable. You can formalize it with matching planters on each side of the door, distinctive lighting, bright paint, windchimes, or whatever makes it stand out without looking outlandish. If there are stairs going up to your front door they need to have risers as well as treads. See Fig. 4. Stairs going up to back doors and side doors don’t have to have risers. It’s good for interior stairs to have risers, but it’s not vital. Risers are the vertical parts of stairs that connect the treads. When you walk upstairs they are the part that your toes are pointing towards. They are rarely a structural necessity but energetically they are vital. If you can see right through the stairs, the chi energy is doing exactly what your eyes are doing. It is slipping through the open spaces and moving on. It is not rising up to your living space where it needs to go. One woman could not add risers because she was a renter. Instead she stapled beautiful red oilcloth where the risers would have been. It was stunning and quickly effective. There are certain kinds of cement stairs that resist any kind of riser addition. This is one of the very few instances where feng shui says, “You might want to move!” You are missing a huge percent of the chi energy that would otherwise be coming to you in your daily life. Moving is often not an option and if that’s the case, do everything in your power to bring the visual energy continuously up the stairs. Matching red pots with matching plants on each side of each stair or a vine (live or artificial) trailing up along the banister railing are two possible solutions. An exterior fountain or windchime near the door would be good. Also do everything you can to visually emphasize your front door. You probably can’t overdo it because the situation is somewhat dire and calls for a “say something” front door. Just be sure not to over-clutter the area. If a condominium or apartment building has no risers on its stairs, but has an elevator, the stairs are not a big issue. The problem is when stairs with no risers are the only way to get to your front door.

Front Door

The front door is referred to as “the mouth of chi.” The door that the architect intended to be the main entrance (where guests are usually received) is considered to be the front door for feng shui purposes. It doesn’t matter whether or not another (side) door is used more frequently. If the front door has been completely blocked or nailed shut, then the secondary door becomes the new mouth of chi. In this instance, there are likely to be confused energies in the house. It would be best to go ahead and do whatever major remodeling it takes to totally erase the old front door and visually establish the new one. Other things to consider about the front door are:

It should be the largest outside door-larger than any back or side doors. If there is also a screen (or storm) door, its hinges should be on the same side of the doorframe as those of the main door. This applies for any outside door. If this just isn’t possible, hang a very small clear crystal up high in the space between the door and the screen door. The crystal symbolically disperses any confused energy between the two doors. Retractable screen doors on a spring are a nice idea, but the effect is usually a bit jarring. Door hinges should not squeak, and the door should open and close easily without catching or scraping on anything. This applies to any and every door. Front doors should open inward, inviting the chi energy inside. If they open outward, it can be seen as repelling the chi. Don’t worry if a screen door opens outward; they usually have to. No cobwebs. I think the reason is obvious. Use your formal front door occasionally, even if it’s not your main entrance. A single front door is best for most homes. Only very large homes should have a double front door, otherwise you may be asking for more than you can handle.

One of the fundamental aspects of a front door is that when it is closed, you should be able to have privacy. This also allows you to temper the chi flow. If the majority of the front door is clear glass, or if the areas immediately beside the front door are clear glass, chi can come and go any time, all the time-and it will! If someone standing outside your front door can see a lot of what is directly inside the door, you need some sheer curtains, either on the door or on the side windows next to it. On side windows, you may also use tall plants to provide privacy. Either option will still allow plenty of light to enter, which was undoubtedly the architect’s intention.

If you’re bold enough to paint your front door red, you’re doing yourself a gigantic favor. If you can’t bring yourself to paint it brilliant red, use whatever shade of red appeals to you. Only the outside of the door should be red. White or a dark color is more appropriate for that area inside the home.

I consulted for some folks with a bright yellow front door. They asked me if they should change the color to red. I told them that I had a hard time saying that, since yellow is my favorite color and the door was about as noticeable as it could be, but that technically, yes, red is the best color for a front door. They painted the door red and told me that within hours, thousands of dollars started pouring their way unexpectedly. There’s nothing like red! However it can be difficult to get a saturated red color, without visible brushstrokes. Using a brown primer will make it so that fewer red coats are needed. An example of a deep rich red is “Fabulous Red” from Valspar-it’s verging on an oxblood red.

Foreboding Objects

Threatening objects or poison arrows that aim at or loom toward your dwelling should be repelled with mirrors. Bagua mirrors are great, but any mirror will do. The use of outside (repelling) mirrors is both symbolic and quite real. It is best if the mirror is aimed exactly at the offending object. Some examples of threatening objects are:

Large industrial smokestacks

Large broadcasting towers

Electrical transformers (fairly common)

A building with a turret with a sharp cone top

A cliff with large rocks that is close to and above your home

A next-door neighbor’s roof that is level with your window, with an excessive number of chimneys and vent fans

Oversized church steeples

A weedy, littered, vacant lot

A dead tree

A construction site

The ocean or any severe land drop-off right next door

A building with a large right angle pointed directly at your home. See Fig. 5. Google Earth is handy for checking whether or not a neighboring structure is “aimed” at you.

If the object that you’re repelling is quite large, a concave mirror will symbolically shrink it as well as repel it. A convex mirror is often best to repel the energy of a very busy road, like a freeway. When using a mirror outside to repel any form of harsh energy, try to locate the mirror near a door or window, as if it were guarding the opening. Doors and windows are the vulnerable areas of a home. (Thieves wouldn’t just smash a hole in your wall to get in. They would come in through a door or window.)

In addition to the outside mirror, you might consider putting these things inside the window:

A large plant coming up from below the window

A crystal, windchimes, mobile, or stained glass in that window

Sheer or lacy curtains

A shoji screen

Heavy drapes

Churches, especially those that are visually prominent with large steeples and crosses, are not considered to be good chi neighbors. Their exaggerated size, when viewed strictly as environmental landform, is often foreboding. Also, funerals are conducted there and many religious traditions believe that a person’s spirit can remain in close proximity to their body for several weeks after death. If you have a door opening directly toward a church or cemetery next door, put a mirror (preferably a bagua mirror) over the outside of that door, facing away from your home.

If you live right next to a cemetery, keep a small light on at all times in front of an image that you think of as sacred.

Also, any power pole that has the metal rod steps for the repair worker to go up and down is called a “centipede pole” and doesn’t bode well. The standard solution is to put a rooster statue or figurine somewhere on your property (inside or out), facing the pole. Chickens eat centipedes and roosters are considered to be the most powerful chickens.

Power lines that aren’t seen are ideal, but that’s not usually feasible, so the next consideration is the angle of the power line (or any line) where it enters the building. A very shallow angle is great, because it’s as if the line were a blow to the building and the blow just glances off. If the angle is close to a right angle (90 degrees) it’s as if the building received a direct hit. Symbolically reflect it back, but do so at a safe distance from the actual wire.

Lay of the Land

The most ancient type of feng shui is the Landform School, predating even the Compass School. The energy of the lay of the land surrounding your dwelling can have a significant impact on your life. Proper landform around a home symbolizes protection, support, and awareness. The energy outside your home is represented by four animals:

Green Dragon (masculine) on the right, if you are outside facing the front door White Tiger (feminine) on the left, if you are outside facing the front door Black Tortoise behind the house Red Phoenix (or Red Bird) in front of the house

The animals are considered archetypal and powerful. The shape and size of land features or other structures near your home is the energetic expression of these animals. The dragon and the tiger have potentially destructive energy. In the ideal situation they keep each other in check by being somewhat balanced. The dragon should technically be a bit higher than the tiger-3/5 for the dragon and 2/5 for the tiger. Large buildings or land features on either side of your home should seem balanced (when considering your house in the middle). If a large upward object on one side of your house is not balanced on the other side, then it’s your job to bring about symbolic visual balance. “Symbolic” is the key word, because it is rarely feasible to create actual physical balance. A common solution is an exterior light pole in the side yard that needs the addition. Light is one of the most powerful expressions of chi energy and can work wonders! If nothing else, use a sculpture of the appropriate animal outside the house on the appropriate side.

(Continues…)

Excerpted from Feng Shui Demystified Revised Editionby Clear Englebert Copyright © 2009 by Clear Englebert. Excerpted by permission.
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