Want to improve your love life? Need more money? Feng shui could help you achieve both.
“Money can’t buy you love, but feng shui can help you with both,” says Clear Englebert, author of “Feng Shui for Love & Money.” His new book offers practical feng shui tips to enhance your relationships and bank account.
What’s feng shui?
Feng shui is the Chinese philosophy of having harmony with your surroundings. The way things are placed or arranged in your home or office can affect the flow of energy in your life and eventually your health and well-being. For example, a door in your home that doesn’t open properly may prevent positive energy from entering the room. A window that’s stuck may prevent fresh opportunities into your life.
“Feng shui looks for symbolism in just about everything,” said Englebert, a feng shui teacher and consultant who has written five books on the subject.
Making simple changes can make all the difference. Englebert offers these simple solutions for better feng shui:
1. Reduce clutter
The word clutter comes from the old English word “clot,” which stops a flow. Having too much stuff sends the message: Don’t bring me anything; I have more than I can handle. “Clutter stops good things from happening,” Englebert said.
A cluttered room can cause stress and lead to illnesses. “I’ve seen people with heart disease who have massive piles of clutter in their home,” he said. “It expresses that they have a lack of circulation,” he said. He recommends creating a home or office that’s comfortable, balanced, and clean, but not overly sterile.
2. Create a ‘money corner’
Place a water feature – a fountain, picture of a waterfall, or a fish tank – in in the left corner of your living room and bedroom. This symbolizes a never-ending flow.
A fountain must always be turned on while you’re home. “If it’s not on, it says it’s dried up and broken,” he said. (You can, however, turn it off while you’re sleeping.) And a fountain shouldn’t have light under the water. Light under water is not natural since sunlight always shines from the top.
3. Create a ‘love corner’
A single flower in a vase, a photo of one hula dancer, or a painting of one coconut tree signals that you’re single and will stay single. Create a “love corner” in the right corner of your room to bring harmony in your relationships. Add something that represents a group of things – such as a bouquet of flowers, a halau of hula dancers, or a cluster of plants. Display a set of figurines rather than just one.
4. Use your front door
In Hawaii, people often enter their home from their back patio door. Englebert suggests using your front door. “Entering from the back door is like relegating yourself to backdoor status,” he said.
In your home, turn your bed or chair in your bedroom or living room in the direction that allows you to see the door. “Facing the direction where energy, or a person, enters helps reduce stress,” he said.
At work, if your back faces your co-workers or your office door, place a small mirror at the top corner of your computer monitor to alert yourself when someone’s approaching.
5. Smooth sharp edges
Coffee tables, nightstands, or dressers with sharp edges are like poison arrows. If they point toward you at night, they may cause violent dreams and stress that can lead to sickness. If you’re having trouble sleeping, move your furniture in another direction so the edges don’t point at you. Replace them with furniture with smooth edges.
Photos of book and author Clear Englebert courtesy Watermark Publishing.
