Feng Shui hasn’t really caught on in the Western world entirely, but whether you believe in it, or disregard it, it affects your daily life profoundly.
It isn’t difficult to search the internet and find a long list of articles outlining basic Feng Shui principles and they can be very helpful, but if you are new to the concept of Feng Shui, it really is key, that you start at the beginning, by looking at the entrance to your home and/or business.
First impressions really do count!
The first, most important area of Feng Shui is the entrance; whether this is to you your home, your business, or your private space, it is profoundly important, as it has the most impact upon your time within that space.
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The basic principle of Feng Shui is to create simple lines, reduce any clutter and ensure that all entrances have easy, straightforward access. It sounds obvious, but you do sometimes walk into a business reception and have to navigate your way around a table that blocks the main walkway or step over a line of trailing cables. These don’t only give the person entering the space for the first time, a subconsciously negative impression, they also affect those who have to walk this way on a daily basis. They are far more likely to begin their day with a negative impression or with blocked creativity.
What about my front door?
The same goes for your home, if you have a coat stand or ornament balanced near to your front door and have to always negotiate your way around it, then you will enter your space feeling tense. Guests will walk in feeling less comfortable and welcome, as they will be unable to relax.
It is key that when entering a building of any kind, a sense of well-being is created. If you only have a small narrow corridor to work with, this could be tricky, and so the fix would be to hang a mirror on one wall and have it diagonally set towards a picture or scene, opposite which is tranquil and aesthetic. If the end of the corridor could be brightened up with either a small table hosting some luscious plants or some softly patterned fabric which softens the overall feel of the area, then people will feel welcome and relaxed upon entering. On the contrary, a small narrow, dark or overly bright and undecorated space will cause most people to feel quite tense. Balance and simplicity are always key.
Entrances for flats and apartments.
Inner entrance areas can be tricky, a lot of our homes are built with no thought to Feng Shui and a lot more attention to making the best of the space available. A large open foyer may seem like a waste in an average-sized home or business, but the impact that this can have outweighs any disadvantage. If you are fortunate enough to have a wide entrance area, then decorating both sides with leafy plants and calming pictures will make a great impact upon all those who enter this space.
In terms of living in a building where your main entrance is shared with other parties, some nice touches can still be added. A healthy plant and a few nice pictures can still be brought into communal areas, other residents will usually appreciate improvements. It’s important to ensure that a big pile of junk mail doesn’t accumulate, or that people leave their belongings in places where others may trip over them. Most people will be amenable to changing bad habits if you tell them that small changes such as these will improve their financial prosperity and even their health in some cases!
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Great receptions and business entrances.
In business, the more spacious the reception seating area can be, the better, although large areas of the room which are barren and empty, can also make guests feel uncomfortable. The important points are; to avoid clutter at all times and ensure that each area of space is allocated a particular function, these basic principles will help to create a good balance. In a very large reception area, a side area for seating is an idea, a large and welcoming reception desk is always good too. To make this less imposing, choose curved areas, and avoid pointed furniture and stark contrasts.
Again, adding nice pictures, plants, and even water features can give a calming effect, and always ensure that, if somebody is waiting in your reception area for a while, that there is reading material available and freshwater so that they can feel comfortable and welcomed.
To increase prosperity consider placing jade/money plants in nicely lit, non-draughty areas. These are relatively easy to look after if they have consistent room temperature and are very fortuitous financially.
What to avoid
Some medical clinics make the mistake of using very stark, unforgiving lighting in their reception areas, clearly forgetting that many of their clientele are feeling vulnerable and would benefit from some relaxation. Instead, using a number of spot lamps, and some soft background music will immediately give comfort to visitors.
One of the worst choices for any entrance area is plastic seating and yellowed lighting. Unfortunately, many budget healthcare facilities do exactly this and cause their patients to feel more ill, stressed and tense by the minute. It’s amazing what difference a few cushions can make to remove the starkness of cheap plastic if a refurbishment is not practical. Some well-tended plants, which can help cleanse the air and soften the room, spider plants are ideal, as they require minimal maintenance and are known to improve air quality. Fluorescent tubes are still economical and popular; however, they have a negative impact on eyesight and overall physical energy and should always be avoided if a choice may be made.
Fixing any blocks in front of your building, to create beautiful flow…
Finally, an area of importance that is easily disregarded is the placement of the door itself. It can be difficult to have a lot of say in where your front door/business entrance is, and little that may be done to alter it, but there are more areas of control than you may think.
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In a domestic property, there is a lot of validity in the old tradition of keeping rosemary bushes either side of your front door, whether you have enough space to do so in the garden, in standing or hanging pots, this is said to protect your door from any negative energy. Rosemary is so easy to grow also; a cut of a green sprig will usually flourish and root very quickly in nutrient soil.
One of the most difficult situations for the opening of a property, is when it is opposed by something negative; whether that is a piece of wasteland, or car park, or a high rise which dwarfs the building in which you are situated, this can drain the energy and financial potential of your property quite profoundly. If there is front garden space, then the best option here is to ensure that the entrance gate, you and your front door are offset from one another. Indeed, if you can plant some shrubs which block any negative opposition, all the better.
Even worse than the above is facing crossroads, or lesser but still negative; facing another road. These will simply add insecurity and indecision into your life. The most basic fix, is to put one or two paqua mirrors outside your main windows and front door, to bounce the negative energy back out into the stratosphere, but the most useful one is to somehow change the entrance to your property so that you exit facing in a different direction, or have a buffer between your door and the subject of drain.
I have seen these situations cause businesses to fail, and major disruptions to occur, so I do deem it to be the single most important factor to consider when using Feng Shui or buying a home or business.
If you would like personalized advice on how to improve or choose good Feng Shui for your home or business, then please feel free to contact me for a consultation.
