20 Secret Ways to Improve Your Feng Shui. Chris Shaul and Sophia Tang Shaul of 168 Feng Shui Advisors

Transcription

1 20 Secret Ways to Improve Your Feng Shui By Chris Shaul and Sophia Tang Shaul of 168 Feng Shui Advisors

2 20 Secret Ways to Improve Your Feng Shui By Chris Shaul and Sophia Tang Shaul of 168 Feng Shui Advisors Published by: 168 Feng Shui Advisors P.O. Box Burbank, CA Feng Shui Advisors All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. First Edition November 2002 Revised March 2007

3 This book may contain material that is copyrighted by the American Feng Shui Institute. It is used with their permission. Disclaimer This book presents information and techniques that have been in use throughout the Orient for many years. The information offered is to the author s best knowledge and experiences and makes no claims for absolute effectiveness. It can be beneficial or harmful, depending upon one s stage of development. Readers should use their own discretion and liability. The adoption and application of the material offered in this book is solely the reader s own responsibility. The authors and publisher of this book are not responsible or liable in any manner for loss or damage of properties or bodily injuries that may occur through following the instructions in this book.

4 20 Secret Ways to Improve Your Feng Shui On the following pages are 20 simple Feng Shui suggestions that can improve the overall environment around you and also perhaps improve the overall prosperity and well being of those in the environment. The goal of this ebook is to introduce basic Feng Shui concepts while showing that Feng Shui is not that complicated. Feng Shui is comprised of four aspects: Environment, Building, Time and People. By improving the environment and building aspects around you can realize greater happiness, improved well-being, and better relationships. When you place yourself in a better environment, the environment supports your ability to prosper! We hope that you enjoy not only reading this ebook, but that you also find enjoyment in the actual implementation of these changes to your environment. This is not the end all either. Included in this ebook are references to other resources that can assist you in furthering your knowledge and also help you to begin to expand your abilities to Feng Shui a place. Let s get started! Feng Shui Advisors Page 1

5 Find ways of adding beauty to your home or workplace. First and foremost, Feng Shui is creating beauty and harmony in your environment. Hang a beautiful picture; add flowers in your living room. Keep things fresh and welcoming. Often we are asked how to help a house sell. Well if the owner can create a beautiful and inviting home, the house will sell faster. People often enter homes that have had Feng Shui applied and feel very comfortable, but without being able to pin down why they feel this way. A coat of fresh paint or adding new carpeting are ways that you can improve the Feng Shui. However, start with simply cleaning up. Adding a simple change to an environment can enhance the rest of the environment. Just like the choice of a frame can really enhance a picture, by choosing your design aspects carefully, you can add to the look of your interior. This crosses over into interior design. A good book to read on the essentials of Interior Design is the Home Decorators Bible ebook. This ebook is available at this website: ( Good interior design is also good Feng Shui! Remember that Feng Shui is natural! Feng Shui Advisors Page 2

6 Remove sha from your environment. Sha means, Negative influence. If something is unpleasing to the senses then it is a sha and should be minimized. The goal of a Feng Shui practitioner is to remove sha in the environment. Sha can affect any of the five senses; sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Sha can also be a feeling. The sense of something uncomfortable to you can be a sha. If something in your home feels wrong, Pet smells are an example of smell sha. Noise from the outside can be sound sha. Perhaps sealing the windows better can reduce some of this noise sha. Cleaning the carpeting can reduce smell sha from pets. A Feng Shui master s job is to remove sha. This includes environmental sha as well as sha qi (unbalanced energy within the building). Qi simply means unseen energy or forces. It is also spelled Chi. Understanding sha qi takes education and practice, but you can certainly fix environmental sha. Use your common sense! Start practicing the skill of removing sha from your environment. If you see something that is uncomfortable in the environment, such as a broken faucet, or an overflowing trash can, take care of it immediately. What you will find is that you soon feel a lot better about your environment. Chinese Calligraphy for Qi Feng Shui Advisors Page 3

7 Clear the clutter. We almost hesitate to mention this as one of the 20 simple tips, because this is so cliché in the Feng Shui world, yet it still holds true. A Feng Shui master s job is to reduce sha in the environment. If you can reduce the sha at your desk, in your room, or elsewhere in your home, you will feel better and have a sense of accomplishment. This is similar to removing sha from your environment, but it is also about getting organized. Saving time by simply being organized can help you feel more in control. There are a lot of books on organization. Take the time to read more about this simple, but important concept. There is a good book on creating a clutter free environment, Declutter your home fast ( ) You should check it out. Walking into an uncluttered environment is much more welcoming than walking into a mess. Busy environments are not relaxing environments, so in your bedroom you should not have a lot of bright colors and a lot of things. Keep it simple and plain. A bedroom is a place to relax and reenergize. Look at this picture and then go back to the picture of the roses. Notice the different feeling you get Feng Shui Advisors Page 4

8 Make sure that your environment is balanced. Feng Shui is balance. If it is too hot, open the windows or turn on the air conditioning. If it is too cold, turn on a heater. If it is too dark, turn on a lamp, if it is too bright reduce the lighting. If you can learn this simple concept, and develop an eye and sense for spotting imbalance, you are on your way to Feng Shui expert! Feng Shui is based on Yin and Yang. This symbol for balance is the basis for understanding Feng Shui. Be sure to read to learn more Feng Shui Advisors Page 5

9 Understand that authentic, traditional Chinese Feng Shui is not based on mysticism, religion, or superstitious beliefs. Feng Shui is squarely rooted in common sense, good architectural principles, good design principles, and a sensible approach to one s environment. Unfortunately many books and websites are based on other things that are not Feng Shui, but are actually new age concepts or mysticism. This is not to say that they do not work, but they are not really under the category of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is a practical application of creating supportive environments in which people can prosperously live and work. So many so-called cures are nothing more than ways to make money for people. Traditional Feng Shui only utilizes the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, or water. By adding objects of these elements, it is possible to balance the qi of a home. You can learn more the five elements in the Principles of Feng Shui ( Master Larry Sang. Besides the five elements, environmental changes can be recommended. Changes such as adding light to a room, or cleaning the carpet of pet smells are a couple of examples of environmental suggestions. As mentioned earlier the job of the Feng Shui practitioner is to remove sha or negative influences from the environment. Selling cures are not in this job description. Some people could argue that these cures are symbolic and change the way people feel about their home. A good clean and pleasant home will do a lot more than a gold gilded charm. Crystals are another often used cure. Before 20 years ago, crystals were not a part of Feng Shui. Traditional Chinese Feng Shui uses common sense. It is an approach to improving your environment and balancing the qi such that people can enjoy more healthy and prosperous lives Feng Shui Advisors Page 6

10 Align yourself with your good directions and avoid the bad directions. Aligning yourself to your favorable directions can result in a better sleep and a more productive work environment. You can read more about your best and worst directions at: Remember that it is your back that needs to be supported by the good directions and you should face your opposing directions. Just like a general who is supported by his army, you want to have the support behind you Feng Shui Advisors Page 7

11 Avoid aligning yourself directly in front of a corner or sharp angle. If you have a desk that has a corner pointing at it, move it so that you are not in direct alignment with the point of the corner. Avoiding angle sha can improve your relationships and health. In Feng Shui, square and rectangular shapes are preferred. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, people relate better to these shapes in a living environment. 45-degree angles for hallways or rooms, throw off one s sense of orientation. Further, strange angles create a sha that directs qi in sharp flows. Where possible, square off the environment. Even in cul-desac houses where the yard is triangular in shape, the yard can be squared off with hedges. This can help both money and people depending upon the circumstances Feng Shui Advisors Page 8

12 Avoid sleeping under or sitting beneath beams. Position yourself so that you are not sleeping directly under the beam or so that you are sitting between the beams. You do not want to have this pressure of qi directed down at you. How do you correct for beams in your home? The simple thing is to try not to sit directly below a beam. While this can be difficult, often you can cover the beams with a decorative fabric draped from the beams. This can reduce the strength of the qi. Ideally a false ceiling is best Feng Shui Advisors Page 9

13 Avoid strong drafts of qi. Again, qi is unseen energy or force. Air is a conductor of qi, as is water. Hence the name wind and water (Feng Shui). We want to avoid strong forces of qi. Strong air or water currents are not preferred. This includes sleeping directly in the line of a vent or strong airflow. It also means to avoid having a room at the end of a long hallway where the qi is directed straight at the room and is focused by the long hallway. Homes at the end of a street where the street comes straight at them are advised to plant shrubs and bushes to slow down this qi. We prefer that qi meanders softly. Thus if you have a doorway that opens to the stairs, you want to place a bush or shrub at the base of the stairs to avoid the strong rush of qi out the door. Plants are a great way of reducing the qi flow and making the environment look great Feng Shui Advisors Page 10

14 Fix anything around the house that is broken. Cracks in the driveway should be sealed. Similarly repair any cracks in stucco or cement. Broken eaves should be fixed. Things that are broken should be fixed. Fixing these things will not only improve the Feng Shui, but will also remove sha from visitors Feng Shui Advisors Page 11

15 Make any Feng Shui changes appear natural. Things such as wind chimes and bagua mirrors scream I ve been Feng Shui d. Use the five natural elements and beautiful environmental changes to improve the Feng Shui of a home or building. If it looks Feng Shui d it isn t good Feng Shui! Read more about the five elements at Often you will see million dollar homes with a small $5.00 bagua mirror above the entrance. It looks more like a wart on the home that something that will fix the Feng Shui. Traditional Chinese Feng Shui only uses the five natural elements or common sense changes to the environment. Cures, charms, and symbolic items do not have a place in authentic Feng Shui. A warm and pleasing environment will do more for you than many so called Feng Shui cures available on the market Feng Shui Advisors Page 12

16 Beware of what you read!! This cannot be emphasized enough. Before implementing any Feng Shui remedies, think about whether the Feng Shui remedy sounds logical and practical. If it does not, then question it. If it still does not make practical sense, then move on to the next thing. All things in Feng Shui have a common sense and logical answer. Some things may seem odd at first, but as you study more, you realize that there are common sense answers to why? Along the same lines, beware of what you see! A lot of TV shows are strictly for entertainment value. While you may think you are learning something, often the education is left on the cutting room floor. A good start for the beginner is to read The Principles of Feng Shui by Master Larry Sang. This is a book very grounded in sound Feng Shui theory. It is logical and sensible. Further it is a great reference book. Purchase it online now. ( ) Feng Shui Advisors Page 13

17 Get involved with Feng Shui. There are many groups on the Internet where you can discuss Feng Shui. In discussing Feng Shui, you can learn more as well as assist others. One such online discussion community is at the American Feng Shui Institute.. Take a look and dive into the conversation at Feng Shui Advisors Page 14

18 Add metal wherever the 5 Earth sha resides for that year. While this is a little technical for this book, it is a good general solution. By avoiding Earth sha qi, you can prevent accidents, money delays, and other obstacles. You only need to do this if these areas are a room where you spend a lot of time or in a direction where there is a commonly used entrance. For 2002, use metal in the East. For 2003, use metal in the Southeast. For 2004, we do not need to worry, but in 2005, use metal in the Northwest. Metal can be in the form of a metal statue, brass decorations, or stainless steel. Any metal that is beautiful and fits with your environment will do. Do not overdo it! Use what feels proportionally correct for the room you are remedying. You can read more about the 5 Earth sha and where it is each year with Master Larry Sang s annual Feng Shui and Astrology guide. This is available at online here. ( ) Feng Shui Advisors Page 15

19 Place water in auspicious directions. Water is associated with prosperity. Areas near water always fetch higher real estate values than those without water. Water relates to money in Feng Shui. Add water in the East and Southwest areas outside your home if possible. Use a fountain or a pond and make it look beautiful and inviting. Do not create a sha by letting the water stagnate. Ensure that the water is clean and circulating. From 2004 until 2023 avoid water in the Northeast. Placing water in these directions is not preferred! To find out more about favorable and unfavorable directions, please refer to Master Larry Sang s Feng Shui and Astrology ( )from the previous tip. This informative guide also gives dates for the year for planning your auspicious events Feng Shui Advisors Page 16

20 Practice Self-Feng Shui. Often the environment is fine, but there is sha within us. Remove internal sha. Find ways to remove your own internal sha. Practice yoga, meditation, or chanting. Do not dwell on negative thoughts but focus on the positive. Let the universe take care of the rest. Practice breathing exercises. Enroll in a Tai Qi class. Find ways to remove the negative sha within and build the auspicious qi within your own body. Be giving and assist others. Give of your time. Although not Feng Shui, there is a wonderful that is sent daily called Insight of the Day. This contains positive reinforcements and can remind you to remove the sha each and every day. You can subscribe at Feng Shui Advisors Page 17

21 Understand and remember that Feng Shui is not an end all cure to life s woes. What Feng Shui can do is to place you in a supportive and balanced environment. This will help you rest and be more productive. The Chinese believe in 5 controlling influences on one s life. The first is destiny, the second is luck, the third is Feng Shui, the fourth is giving, and the last is hard work. If you study and work hard, are giving and have good Feng Shui, then you have done as much as you can towards improving yourself. Luck and Destiny are believed by some to be outside our control, although a strong spiritual practice or faith cannot hurt! If you think of the five controlling influences like a glass of water, you can fill the glass called destiny with your hard work, kindness, Feng Shui, and luck. The size of your glass is your destiny Feng Shui Advisors Page 18

22 Avoid strong colors, especially red and black. These are fire and water. They are the extreme opposites in Feng Shui. Red is often used for the fire element as a strong Feng Shui remedy. It is the most yang of the elemental colors. Improperly applied, it can result in financial delays, accidents, and other mishaps. We have had clients who have painted a wall of their home red and within a month had the house burn down. All of this is dependent upon the qi within your home. In certain areas of a home, the color red can generate money. In other areas, it can spell disaster. The color black relates to water. Water is a very powerful element as well. Although we said that water is associated with wealth, it can also strengthen arguments, disagreements, and even lawsuits. Black is a very yin color as well and can create feelings of oppression or even depression. Overdoing either of these two colors can have strong effects. It really takes a trained practitioner to discern the appropriate areas for these two strong colors. Use these colors as accents, not as primary colors. If you make a change, such as painting a room red and suddenly you are experiencing accidents, or money delays, consider changing back to a neutral color (white or light beige). In Feng Shui, it is often better to stick to simple and plain and then dress up areas with colored pillows, or other decorative accents. It is okay to make a home colorful and lively, just do not overdo it! Feng Shui Advisors Page 19

23 Understand that the front door does not determine the orientation of the home. This is a common misconception. The sitting and facing sides of the house determine the orientation. While typically the sitting is the rear of the home and the facing is the front, there are many exceptions and each house needs to be looked at individually. Sitting relates to the yin or private areas and Facing relates to the more active and public (or yang) areas of the home. This is a simple concept in theory and a difficult concept in practice. It is safe to say that generally most track homes are facing the street and sitting to the back yard. Apartments generally face to the living room/patio and sit to the hallway. These are only generalizations; your actual situation might be different. Also know that in Traditional Feng Shui, a practitioner uses a Luopan compass to determine the orientation of a building. Without the accurate orientation, the practitioner cannot properly map out the home. You can read more about this at: Feng Shui Advisors Page 20

24 Continue to study Feng Shui. Feng Shui is a lifelong study. Even world renowned Masters never stop studying. The study of Feng Shui is the study of the heavens, man, and earth. This in itself is an infinite study. One place to start is at the American Feng Shui Institute. Their online classes are an excellent way to learn from a distance or at your convenience. Find out more at: Feng Shui Advisors Page 21

25 Thank you for reading this ebook. If you found this information useful, be sure to check out our other books at We would also appreciate your feedback. We are constantly striving to make these ebooks better. Your input would help us. We appreciate compliments and suggestions. Please us at to send us a note about this Ebook. Very Important: Please help us to get your by putting Ebook Feedback in the subject. Thank you. To learn more, please also consider taking the online classes through the American Feng Shui Institute. The American Feng Shui Institute is the foremost learning institution in the world for learning the art and science of Traditional Chinese Feng Shui. Having taught classes continuously for more than 10 years, the Institute draws students from all over the world. You can learn more about the classes at Feng Shui Advisors Page 22