Feng Shui Myths – Feng Shui DIY

Do You Know Doormats and Rugs Could Bring Bad Feng Shui?

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Doormat and rug are commonly used in interior design. They serve both functional and aesthetically purposes. A good looking doormat or rug could help to keep your house clean and make it beautiful.

Yet, do you know doormat and rug could also bring bad effects in Feng Shui?

The effects of mats and rugs mainly come from the shape and colour. We shall examine these two factors one by one, but before that, let’s know a little more about Flying Star Feng Shui.

The Bad Feng Shui Flying Stars

Some shapes and colours could contribute to bad Feng Shui that could affect health. It is all related to the Five Elements (WuXing) attribute of the Flying Stars.

According to traditional Feng Shui theories, there are some bad Flying Stars that could affect people if they are located in some critical locations in a house, e.g. the main entrance, kitchen, toilet and bedroom.

These bad Flying Stars belong to the Earth element. If there is any stuff belonging to the Earth element that is co-located with these Flying Stars, the power of these bad boys could be magnified.

In addition, stuff of the Fire element could also have similar effect, since the Fire element generates Earth element.

Another element that may be bad in this context is Wood. If you have some basic ideas about the Five Elements theory, you may wonder why, as the Wood element depletes Earth.

Yes, in a sense Wood depletes Earth. Trees consume the nutrients in soil. However, wood could also penetrate into soil, which is seen as the Wood element adversely affecting Earth.

When doing Feng Shui, if we want to restrict the power of the Earth element, it is prudent to avoid the Wood element. Although Wood could overcome Earth, the vigorous battle between the two elements may cause undesirable effects. It is just like pouring water onto fire, the water may put out fire, but rapid release of smoke and steam, which are also harmful, may be resulted.

Shapes and Feng Shui

So, what are the shapes that could magnify the bad effects of the bad Flying Stars? The earthy shapes do, like square and rectangle.

Another shape that could add to the bad effects of the negative Flying Stars is triangle, which belong to the Fire element.

Since Wood could interact with Earth in an undesirable way, the long and narrow rectangular shape is not preferred too.

On the other hand, circle and shapes with curves and round corners are relatively safe.

Colours and Feng Shui

Similarly, colours of the Wood, Earth or Fire element could also build up the power of the bad Flying Stars. These colours are green (Wood), yellow and brown (Earth) and red, orange and purple (Fire).

On the other hand, white, grey, black, silver and gold are more preferred colours in respect of mats and rugs at home.

A Real Case

I have a friend who moved to a new apartment in 2012. He placed a lime-coloured rug in the living room. He chose this colour because it’s so refreshing.

Not long after he moved into his new home, his wife had started to develop eczema. Medical treatment was applied. At my advice he also removed the rug. The symptoms had finally improved.

The Take Away

I must stress that the above recommendations about shapes and colours could be considered together with an analysis of the natal Flying Star chart of the house. If a red rectangular rug is placed in the living room but there is no bad Flying Star in this location, bad effects may not be observed.

Yet, since most people do not have the ability to analyse Feng Shui by themselves, it is advisable to avoid the non-preferred shapes and colours.

In the case when you cannot completely avoid it, for example, the use of a rectangular rug under a rectangular tea table (it would be strange to use a circular rug here), at least stay away from the colours belonging to the Wood, Earth and Fire elements.

That’s all for this Patreon-only Feng Shui newsletter. See you next time, until then, stay health and happy!

Why Roads Could be Bad Feng Shui? The Myths Debunked (2)

Explaining the bad effects of roads in Feng Shui with a real case. Avoid residences with busy roads nearby!

We examined the nature of roads in Feng Shui in the last article. This time, let’s go into details of the bad effects of roads.

Pollution is Bad Feng Shui

The busier a road, the greater the noise that it brings. We all know that roads are sources of noise pollution. Roads with busy traffic are especially annoying.

Another by-product of vehicular traffic is exhaust gas. Needless to say, the exhaust is bad to health.

According to Feng Shui theories, noise and air pollution are “Sha”, i.e. bad Feng Shui. The presence of noise and bad air could cause bad Feng Shui that affects health. If the source of pollution is located in a direction where the bad flying stars are located, the consequences would be even worse.

A Real Case

I have came across a real case, in which a young guy lived in a housing estate in Hong Kong. There was a busy highway outside his building. This highway was very close to this gentleman’s home, just outside the windows of the living room, and this was where the bad Flying Stars located. He had absolutely no problem with making money after he moved into this home, but his health got worse over time. Two years later, he was diagnosed with cancer.

I think it could be fairly say that, even if the highway did not cause any Feng Shui problem, the noise and waste gas emitted by the vehicles had adversely affected the health of the occupants in this building. From Feng Shui point of view, the power of bad flying stars could add to the adverse effects and may contributed to the health problems faced by the occupants, if any.

Now you know, roads are usually not good for health from Feng Shui point of view. If possible, choose a residence that is not close to any busy roads.

Can Roads Bring Good Feng Shui? The Myth Debunked (1)

Some say roads mean water and bring wealth in Feng Shui? Is it true? Let me tell you.

Many people, particularly Chinese, consider roads as good things in Feng Shui. Most of them think that roads could bring money, so it is good to have roads near home. Is it true? Let’s find out.

So why do modern people think that roads mean water? I guess the analogy comes from the fact that there are vehicles running on the road, just like boats moving in the water.

This is an unfortunate mistake. The power of water does not come from its ability to move objects. It’s the energy in the water that matters. Roads do not have the same energy, that’s why ancient Feng Shui masters did not regard roads the same as water.

Road Means Water?

In ancient times there was no motor vehicle. Transportation was done either by boat in the seas, rivers or canals or by vehicles drawn by horses. However, ancient Feng Shui books only mentioned the “real” water as a symbol of wealth. The Feng Shui measures implemented by the masters in the past were most related to “real” water, not vehicles or roads.

Water Means Money?

Even for water, it does not mean wealth all the time. In most occasions, water is related to money. However, Water is also a source of power, if it is used improperly, it would bring bad luck instead of fortune.

We have seen many real cases recorded in Feng Shui books written in hundreds or even thousands of years ago, in which bad happenings were brought by water found in the wrong place and in the wrong form.

I hope this article helps to explain why roads should not be considered as water in Feng Shui. In the next article, we shall discuss what roads actually mean in Feng Shui. In fact, roads could be quite bad in Feng Shui. Wonder how and why? I’ll explain in the next article!

Feng Shui Tips – Sharp Edges and Corners

There are many little tweaks that you can apply to your home to make it better. Today I am going to introduce a simple yet important thing, i.e. to avoid sharp edges and corners.

Sharp Corners are Bad Sha

In traditional Feng Shui theories, Sha is how we call bad energy. A very common Sha in modern buildings is sharp edges and corners.

Sharp edges and corners of building — Sharp corner is Feng Shui Sha

In Hong Kong, the city where I live, architects used to avoid sharp corners on the external walls of buildings. The reason was that round corners look better. Besides, pointing a sharp corner to your neighbour was not a friendly act.

Unfortunately, this is a tradition that is no longer appreciated by modern building designers. Sharp corners do not look good, and they cause bad energy. If you can see a big sharp corner of another building right outside your window, chances are that corner is causing negative effect on the health of your family members.

Sharp Edges are Bad Too

Similarly, sharp edges outside and inside your house are also not good. It is quite common to find beams with sharp edges on the ceiling soffit. This is bad if found in bedroom. Even worse if the beam is located right above your head. Health problem of is prone to be caused.

The Remedies Remedies

So what can you do if you find sharp edges or corners?

Try to cover them up. You may build a false ceiling to hide sharp beams. For sharp corners outside your window, it make good use of window curtains.

Try to avoid sleeping in a room with sharp corners and beams. If it is unavoidable, at least do not allow your bed to be faced by them.

Hope the above tips help! Like our Facebook page to receive more Feng Shui Tips.

Feng Shui Myths (3): Bad Marriage, Bad Relationship

Over the years, I have heard so many rumours about how bad Feng Shui at home could cause bad relationship. These rumours sound very reliable because they are usually supported by Feng Shui theories that seem to be correct. In this article, I am going to explain whether these rumours are correct or not.

Feng Shui Myth 1: Wall Cracks = Bad Marriage?

A very commonly heard Feng Shui myth is that if you found cracks on the walls of your house, your marriage would be bad. The advocates of this theory suggest that since cracks mean breakage and separation, more cracks at home means higher chance of divorce.

This is absolutely wrong.

If you know a little bit of home decoration, you would know that the plastering on wall is prone to cracks due to natural shrinkage. And if your house is more than 10 years old, most probably there would be one or two cracks on the wall, not to mention those on the ceiling and floor. Basically, it is impossible to find a house without any cracks.

So cracks by themselves would not cause bad marriage. But if the cracks are the result of defects in the building structure, say ground settlement, the defect itself may cause Feng Shui problems. And certainly, even if you don’t believe in Feng Shui, you would not want to live in a house with structural problems, right?

Feng Shui Myth 2: Bad Kitchen Design Brings Two Wives?

Traditionally we believe the Feng Shui of the kitchen affects the housewife of a family. This is why many Feng Shui myths related to bad marriage concern the kitchen design.

A very common Feng Shui rumour is that if there are two stoves the husband may have an affair with someone else, because the stove means the housewife, and if there are two stoves there would be two housewives in this family, meaning that the husband would fall in love with someone else.

A similar rumour is that if there are mirrors in the kitchen, when the housewife works in the kitchen the mirror would produce a duplicated image of the housewife. There would, again, mean that there are more than one housewives in this family.

You may also have heard of that if there are two refrigerators in a kitchen, the chance of the husband having an affair would be high. Basically, all these rumours are supported by a fundamental belief, that there should be only one kitchen and everything in the kitchen should be the only set in that kitchen. Following this principle, you may even say that there should not be two ovens or wash basins in a kitchen.

These are all nonsense.

Firstly, it is not uncommon to have two housewives in a house. If there are three generations living in the same house, it is just normal to have two or three housewives under the same roof! And you can tell by common sense that, unless you live alone there are usually more than one stoves in your kitchen! Don’t believe in these bullshxt theories!

Feng Shui Myth 3: Ivy Causes Bad Marriage

Some people believe that ivy, or hedera, hedera helix, etc., planted inside a house may cause bad marriage. The idea behind may be that ivy is a climbing plant that is attached to a base structure, so it carries the meaning of having a third person clinging to a family member’s marriage. And the stems of ivy is not straight but curved, so it may mean hiccups in a marriage.

Again, this myth is totally wrong. In contrast, ivy is a good Feng Shui plant that may bring wealth if used properly. While analogy is widely used in Feng Shui, it does not mean that you can arbitrarily make a conclusion simply because the shape of something looks like something else.

To conclude, Feng Shui has an effect on relationship and marriage but it is not the only factor. The key to a successful marriage is the efforts that the couple made to maintain a good relationship. If the love is real, it is unlikely that a plant or two stoves at home could cause any damage.

Feng Shui Myths (2): Water Fountain, Wealth Fog and the like

In the last article in this Feng Shui Myths series, we have discussed the use of lucky color to boost luck. This time, we shall examine another popular topic in Feng Shui, i.e. the use of Feng Shui products. Do you really believe that these stuff could bring better energy?

Most of the time when you seek help from a Feng Shui master, he would suggest that you place some Feng Shui accessories at home or in the workplace. There are a large variety of Feng Shui accessories used by Feng Shui practitioners, the most commonly used ones include water fountain (this one is extremely popular), water column, wealth ship, wealth fog, Ba Gua, Feng Shui coins and Wu Lou. Let me explain their effects.

Water Fountain / Water Column

These two are perhaps the most commonly used Feng Shui accessories. Whenever we talk about using Feng Shui to bring wealth, we inevitably talk about the use of a water feature.

The logic behind using water fountain / water column is that water represents wealth. So once we identified the direction where the”wealth star” locates, we should place a water feature there to enhance the power of the “wealth star”. Both water fountain and water column are features with running water, so they are considered bring a dynamic stream of wealth.

Is this true? Yes. Water features, if placed correctly, could bring better luck in wealth growth. According to the Five-element Theory, the “wealth star” has a “water” characteristic, so placing water in that star’s direction could strengthen the power of that star.

Continue reading “Feng Shui Myths (2): Water Fountain, Wealth Fog and the like”

Feng Shui Myths (1): Lucky Color of a Year?

Thank you for reading this article. You may have noticed that the topic begins with “Feng Shui Myths”. It is my new attempt to write a series of blog posts surrounding a common topic. I have chosen the “Feng Shui Myths” theme because I found that there are many commonly discussed Feng Shui ideas that people usually assume to be correct without trying to verify them. I want to use my blog as a platform to clarify these ideas. You will find that some of them are correct while some are actually wrong.

I will begin this series with a frequently asked question. Many, seriously many, people ask me what is the lucky color for a particular year. Their questions are not what is “my luck color” in this year. They simply ask for the lucky color of a particular year, a “universal Feng Shui color” that is lucky for everyone on earth. For example, many people think that the 2014 Feng Shui color is green. Do you know why?

Feng Shui Color for A Year

The common saying that the lucky color for a year is xxx originates from the Five-element Theory (五行理論 in Chinese) in Feng Shui (there are similar theories in other traditional theories of other societies such as India, the difference is just that the number of elements and the type of elements are different.). According to this theory, there are five elements in this universe. Everything belongs to anyone of the five elements. They are “Wood”, “Fire”, “Earth”, “Metal” and “Water”.

In Chinese, there is a system to represent a year. It comprises of two Chinese characters. For example, 2014 is the year of 甲午 (Jia Wu Year). The second character is directly related to the zodiac sign of the Year. 午 (Wu) is the Zodiac Horse. The first character of 2014, 甲 (Jia), belongs to the “Wood” element. This is why people say 2014 is a Year of the Wooden Horse.

(Image via Wikipedia, CC Licence)

According to the Five-element Theory, there are “Generating Interactions” among the five elements. Every element is generated by another element. For example, “Wood” is generated by “Water”. In this sense, “Water” is a good element for “Wood”. For a “Wood” year, “Water” is a lucky color.

Besides, the element of the year is also good in that year. Obviously, “Wood” is a good element for a “Wood” year.

Lucky Colors for 2014 Year of Horse

So, for 2014 Year of Wooden Horse, any color belonging to “Wood” or “Water” elements are lucky. Green color, in any intensity, belongs to “Wood”. This is the reason people say green is luck in 2014.

(Swedish Dala Horse, image via Wikipedia, CC Licence)

Why don’t we use “Water” colors? In fact you can, but it is most powerful to use the color of the same element as the year, so green is preferred to blue.

The Use of Lucky Colors

Usually when people ask me what is the lucky color for that year, I would say that the luck color of the year is less important. What really matters is your own personal color.

There are two reasons. Firstly, to match the lucky color of each year means that you need to repaint the walls of your flat, buy a new car and replace all shirts before a new year begins. It is impractical. Secondly, your personal lucky color is more powerful. It affects you for your entire life. What bother to use the yearly lucky color if you already have a powerful personal lucky color?

I have previously written a post about Feng Shui color. You only need to know your year of birth to find out your personal lucky color. Check it out!