Feng Shui can enhance your love or married life. If your love life is inactive, you will see a change in your luck when this part of the house is activated. If you feel that your marriage needs reviving, this is a sure corner to work on and activate immediately. The section that rules marriage and romance is the Southwest corner of your home. You can also activate the southwest corner in each room, placing fresh flowers there. If you cannot place fresh flowers weekly in the home, artificial or silk flowers will do). You will find that fresh flowers provide much better energy. Never, never use dried flowers or have dying flowers or plants around. Dead or dying flowers have a very negative influence wherever they are placed. Cacti, or thorny or prickly plants, can cause arguments among family members. Luxuriant green plants with large leaves placed around the house bring good energy, but be careful about placing too much green in this corner. This corner is of the earth element, and plants (considered to be wood) are not an inherently beneficial element.

Placing a pair of crystal swans or mandarin ducks or a pair of anything in this section will activate love or romance. Crystal is the primary element for the southwest section, so anything made with crystal would be better. Bathrooms should never be located in this section of the house. A bathroom here is a sure sign of problems in a marriage. If a bathroom is located in this section and you have other bathrooms in the house, use the others and try not to use this one. Place a mirror on the door and keep the door closed at all times with the toilet seat down.

If you find that you have been happy in your marriage until you move to a new location, the feng shui at your new location is probably not as good as your previous one.

Mirrors should never be placed in the bedroom by the side of the bed, at the foot of the bed or over the bed. Having a mirror reflecting the bed is a sure indicator of problems between couples. Mirrors should be placed in the dressing room or bathrooms, not in the bedroom.

Water is detrimental to the marriage corner. As the element for the marriage section is earth, water is the worst element to be placed here. Having water on the right hand side of your front door as you look out is another sign for problems in the marriage. The left side of the door is sometimes lucky for water at the side of your front door, but only if your front door faces north, east or southeast. East is of the wood element and water is beneficial to wood. North is the direction of the water element, so placement in this section is fortunate. Water placed on the west section of the house is very unlucky.

It is very important to place things in your home so that you have a happy home life. One time, I was consulting with a couple that were going through a divorce. The husband had asked for the divorce. While he was gone on a week’s business trip, she called me to do the Feng Shui. In the marriage corner, this section had a large square beam. We covered the post with a picture of a couple walking in a green field. Some homes have this section missing from the house, as sometimes happen in houses with unusual shapes. Their bedroom had a lot of clutter that we cleaned out. The bathroom door from the bedroom was always left opened. We closed the bathroom door and put the toilet led down.

When the husband returned, he told my client that he had changed his mind and did not want the divorce. That was four years ago and they are very happy to this day. So you see how powerful Feng Shui is, and how quickly it can work.

Want to learn more about Feng Shui? http://www.myfengshuilife.com

Your bedroom has an effect on the way you sleep, and this is a very important factor in staying healthy, happy and accumulating wealth. There isn’t just one element to consider when planning your life with abundance; you need to take everything into account, including the way you revitalize yourself. Your bed should be comfortable, and the energy should flow smoothly throughout the room. You should not have anything under the bed, so that energy can circulate properly.

The bedroom should be painted a soft color that suits your energy so you will rest peacefully. A bedroom should never be painted red. Red is an energizing color and you will not get the proper rest if you sleep in a red room. Fresh air should always be circulating through your bedroom and also through the rest of the house. If you live in an apartment building as I do, and do not have much circulation flowing throughout, get a small floor Vornado fan and place it near a window. I recommend

the Vornado fan because it is the only one I have found that is quiet and doesn’t blow too hard. It is the quietest fan I have found on the market. Most fans, even on the lowest speed, tend to move too fast. Ceiling fans turned low are also a good way to circulate energy. Ceiling fans should not be placed directly over your bed. Your bedroom should never have a mirror that faces the bed, as it interferes with restful sleep. Mirrors should not be placed behind your bed, at your feet or by the side of the bed. It is an old Chinese belief that your spirit leaves the body and rises as you begin to sleep, but becomes frightened when it sees itself in a mirror. It then rushes back inside the body with the result that you never get a good night’s sleep.

The Chinese also believe that a white coverlet is unhealthy because it is the color of the shroud that covers the dead. It is also considered unhealthy for your feet to face the door, because that is how they remove dead bodies from a room. There is a saying in Feng Shui that when you sleep with your feet facing the door you will never stay at home. You will find that you will want to be on the go all the time and never feel relaxed when you are home. You will be on the go constantly. Ceiling beams in a bedroom are quite unhealthy as they disturb the flow of ch’i. They should be avoided in all the rooms but especially the bedroom. Have them covered if they are open. They block the flow for energy to circulate. They also cause financial problems. Wall beams in corners of the room have the same effect. Green plants placed by the side of the wall beams help deflect some of the negative energy, as will a wind chime hung from the ceiling in front of the beam.

Your bed is one of the most important things you have and should be replaced every time you move. It should also be replaced under the following conditions for the fresh energy a new mattress brings:

If you have had your bed for a long period of time, perhaps five years or more, you should replace it.

If you have a bed where other people slept before you.

If you or your partner have been seriously ill,your bed should be replaced with a new one.

Visit http://www.myfengshuilife.com for more great Feng Shui tips and information.

Every day we are influenced by what is around us… the words that are said, the smells we smell, the sights we take in. The goal of feng shui is to promote beauty, harmony, and aspiration, the raising of our sights toward lofty, noble, and worthwhile goals.

The poet Maya Angelou said that we must be careful about the words we speak because the words will “hang on the walls.” Of course, she is talking about what we do in the figurative sense. However it is also true of what we hang on our walls in the literal sense. That’s why it is important that we surround ourselves with uplifting sights.

Feng shui encourages the application of beautiful, sustaining images. Pictures and artwork of depressing subjects, violence, or pictures whose presence makes us sad or unhappy are not suitable or appropriate for the walls of our home. Instead, only those images that are inspiring, uplifting, and beautiful should be placed on the walls.

Fortunately, you can practice symbolic feng shui by the selection of certain images, such as people, happy occasions, beauty, wealth, or power. Particular pictures in feng shui have special meanings and can be used wherever you desire more interest. For instance, a poster or painting of a water fall is an excellent way to boost career feng shui — and income!

When you are looking to improve your feng shui, consider simply looking around. Then, see if the images you are looking at are saying what you want them to. If not, consider replacing those images with pictures that make a positive, uplifting statement. Check the tips below for more ideas of positive feng shui images.

1. Use beautiful water images for career or wealth help.
When placed in the north sector of the home, living room, or office, these images can provide an immediate boost to the career. To boost career chi in the bedroom (or anywhere!) consider adding an image of a tortoise.

Images of waterfalls and lakes are also appropriate for the southeast wealth sector. For more career or wealth help, consider adding a picture of a ship sailing INTO your home or office. Ships are especially auspicious harbingers of coming wealth. Do consider adding a ship picture in the southwest, where it will help with relationships AND wealth because water is beneficial in the SW until 2023.

2. Gain recognition, friends, and beneficial relationships with images of happy people.
Looking for more friends or a more active social life? Maybe even FAME? Pictures of happy occasions and happy people are EXCELLENT ways to bring more people into your life, as well as happier relationships, and greater social recognition. Pictures such as the ones below are excellent for enhancing your social status, both personally and professionally.

These can be hung in the south or southwest corners. Other good choices for the south and southwest are horses and birds. Horses hung in the southwest sector can offer a good chance of travel, so be prepared if you hang a picture of a horse here!

3. Receive help from mentors and influential people with images in the NW.
To receive help from those in the position to offer you advancement in your career, studies, or life in general, you need to enhance your “Power People” sector. This is the NW corner of your home, living room, or office.

Images of international scenes such as the Eiffel tower, the tower of London, the pyramids of Giza, and other scenes are excellent for receiving help from all corners of the globe. Likewise, images of metal structures, circular images, and golden or metallic colors are all excellent choices.

Maps, pictures of maps, globes, etc. are all beneficial for the NW sector of your home, office, or living room. Because this is the “heaven” location, this is also a wonderful location for pictures and images of religious figures or dieties, angels, or religious locations such as Jerusalem or Mecca. Grand people such as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, or world leaders are also wonderful choices for increasing Powerful People help.

Be sure to surround yourself with pictures of people or places that you aspire to and that inspire you. We must all have something that lifts us up and makes us want to achieve more and aim higher in our lives. Find a picture that symbolizes that FOR YOU.

4. Avoid depressing, negative, or violent images.
Do you have images in your home that remind you of something sad, mean, violent, or failure? If so, these images are constantly reinforcing these negative messages. Look around and if you have any pictures or elements like this, consider replacing them. Otherwise, these images will continue to imbue your home with negative energy. Yes, even if your picture is considered “fine art”, it is not worth sacrificing the energy of your home for this investment in negativity.

Windchimes are one of feng shui’s hardest working remedies. Their role is to bring aid in many forms – from lifting chi from a troubled area to suppressing energy in corners where there are negative stars to bringing you good news and help from influential people!

With all they can do, windchimes are a valuable source and important tool in your feng shui arsenal. In short, windchimes have two main roles: to cure or energize.

But to get the most out of windchimes, it’s important to note that there are several distinctions regarding windchimes, such as type, number of rods, and so on.

Knowing these distinctions will help you use windchimes effectively — and correctly – an important consideration if you are looking to achieve a specific result, such as greater recognition, more career help, or better health. Take a look at the information below to learn more about windchimes and how to use them effectively in feng shui.

Windchime Materials

Windchimes are made of a number of materials: ceramic, glass, metal, or wood. The type of material selected will depend on what you are trying to achieve and where you want to place the windchime.

Metal: Place in the west, NW, and north.

Wood/Bamboo: Place in the east, SE, and South

Ceramic/Glass: Place in the NE or SW

Hollow vs. Solid Rods

There is debate about rod types. Both solid rod and hollow rods work equally well. However, if you want to energize an area, such as your career sector in the north, you should always use hollow rods. That’s because hollow rods lift chi. Solid rods should be used when you are trying to press down chi, but hollow rods will also work just as well.

Rod Numbers Matter

As a general rule, the number of rods is relevant to where you are placing the windchime and what you intend to use it for. You should also observe number placement.

That is, the number of rods should be correct for the area where you are using it, such as using four rods in the SE because four is the number of the SE. The number of rods best for each area can be found below.

To energize an area using windchimes follow these recommendations:

North (career/Opportunities):

Single metal winchimes, bell, or six-rod metal hollow metal chimes.

NE, SW (relationships, personal growth, education): Ceramic or glass chimes. Use five, eight, or two rods.

East (family relationships, health): Bamboo or wooden chimes; three rods.

Southeast (wealth): Bamboo or wooden chimes; four rods. Or choose windchimes with fish or water themes.

South (recognition, fame): Bamboo, wooden, or metal chimes with three, four, or 9 rods (9 is best).

West (children, creativity): Metal chimes with seven or six rods.

To overcome an affliction such as a toilet or problem area, use these windchime guidelines

Wood chimes: place these in the NE or SW
Metal chimes: place a metal chime in the east or SE
Ceramic/glass: place in the north sector if there is an affliction

Some Windchime Do’s and Don’ts

–Don’t hang a windchime over a door so that either you or your door hit it

–Don’t hang windchimes in trees. The metal in the tree causes the elements to clash. Wood chimes are OK in trees.

–Don’t hang a windchime over where you sit, eat, work, or sleep so that you are directly under it.

–DO hang the appropriate windchime for the direction your front door faces on either side of your front door if your door faces a parking lot, an oncoming road, or other obstacle, such as poison arrow, tree, etc.

–DO hang a windchime in an area where there are more than two doors in a straight line

–DO use a 5-rod hollow or solid chime for bathrooms in east, SE, NW, S, or west sectors

–DO use a hollow wood chime for bathrooms located in the center, SW, or NW sectors

–DO use pagoda-shaped chimes with hollow rods as energizers

–DO use six sets of six-rod hollow chimes to mark off a missing NW corner – helpful if you are looking to attract a man if you are single, gain more help from influential people, or help the patriarch of a household.

The front door plays a very special role in feng shui. Often described as the “mouth of chi,” the front door, is the entryway for energy into your home. Many people never use the actual front door, though, so they often ask if this affects their feng shui. The answer is yes. That’s because the front door is usually at the center of the home and faces the road — a symbol of water — which equates to wealth.

A key feature of the front door is that it normally is designed to face the view of a road, street, or other feature, such as a lake. Sometimes a house has a tremendous view of a valley or view of the city or lake at the back of the house.

In that case, the “facing direction” of a house is where the most “yang” energy exists. In these cases, it would be at the rear of the house because of these terrific views. Architecturally, some houses are very small at the front and large and expansive at the rear. This would make the “front” wherever the large, open, and expansive side or view is.

Again, this is uncommon, but it does affect what is considered the front or facing direction. So, look at your house to determine the most “yang side” when you are trying to determine where the front door is on your house. (For more information, see the Red Lotus Letter issue on Determining Your Facing Direction.)

Use the door intended by the architect

More common, is the broad expanse and open front of a house that is positioned facing the street. The door also normally faces the street. This is the most typical situation and it remains the standard arrangement for most houses — and it’s the door intended as the front door by the architect. It is also the place where a delivery person will go if they’ve never been to your house. Now that we have that established, let’s talk about why the “real” front door is so important.

The front door to the house is the doorway of energy. Because it faces the street (a conduit for water), this is an opportunity for wealth energy to enter the house. Therefore, every time you enter your home through the front door, you will be activating the entryway and creating an opportunity for wealth to enter your house.

The front door is also a location of opportunity…and we all know that opportunities often bring greater wealth (raises, increased salaries, windfalls) with them. Also, a house that never has the front door opened is a house that’s low in energy — and that impacts wealth. Because the street is usually in front of the house (which means “water” is at the front), opening the door allows water energy to enter in the front of the house — the ideal location for water in feng shui.

Enter through a side door and watch money slip from your hands

Many people frequently ask if they no longer use the front door and enter the house from the side, or a kitchen door, or a garage door, should they consider that as their “front door”? The answer: absolutely NOT. I will usually ask that person if they are experiencing financial difficulties. In fact, most all have severe financial problems. Use the front door if you would like those problems to lessen.

Enter through the laundry room, kitchen, etc. and see your finances suffer

If you enter the house through a laundry room, you are watching your money go down the drain symbolically, with bills larger than you expected. If you enter through the kitchen, you’ll literally “burn through the cash” with one expense cropping up after another — and it could cause you to gain weight if the kitchen is the first thing you see when you enter the house.

Still, knowing that the front door is so important to enter, many people still insist on using a back door or side door out of convenience. If you are entering through a garage or kitchen or other service room or porch, you are harming your opportunities for more money to come to you. In light of that, isn’t it a good idea to use the front door?

After all, we create beautiful entry areas and if they’re only used by solicitors, delivery people, or the occasional visitor, you’re wasting an opportunity to bring more energy — and more wealth — into your home. You might also find that opportunities suddenly appear when you begin using your front door. Why use your front door and beautiful foyer only for a delivery person, mailman, or visitors? After all, you are the most important person to enter your house. So treat yourself as good — or better — than anyone else by using the front door every day.