CLEANING & DECORATING

Q. "I have a lot of clutter. Can I still do feng shui, or do I have to clean up the whole house first?"

A. If your house is full of clutter you are living in the midst of a lot of very stale, stuck energy. Since feng shui works by shifting the energy of your home, it's going to take a lot more effort to get results if you don't deal with your clutter first.

Stop thinking of cleaning up your clutter as a tremendous chore, and start thinking of it as one of the most effective feng shui tactics available to you. Every magazine and piece of paper you recycle, every book you give to the library, every item of clothing you release to a new owner creates space in your life for new energy, joy, activities, and companionship to come in.

It can be very helpful, at the start of your clutter-clearing efforts, to spend some time thinking about what you are making room for. Write these goals in your feng shui journal and keep them in mind to inspire you as you clean up and clear out your house.

Don't try to clear out all of your clutter at once, since that's a good way to get overwhelmed and give up before any real progress is made. Think about what kind of energy shifts you would most like to experience in your life right now (see Principle 1 in the Fast Feng Shui book), then focus your clutter-clearing efforts on the "power spots" where new energy will have the most effect on you (Fast Feng Shui Principle 2).

(See also our Article series on Clutter.)

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Q. "My sister gave me an indoor water fountain for my birthday. Where should I put it?"

A. Water fountains are a very powerful feng shui enhancement because they bring the energy of moving water into your home. Moving water is associated with communication, social connections, and with an increased flow of prosperity into your life. Fountains can be placed by the front door, or in any area of the house that will be nourished by water energy. Kan (career), jen (family), and hsun (wealth) guas will all benefit from the addition of moving water. Fountains will weaken "metal" areas, and can put out "fire", so they are not recommended for dui (children and creativity), chien (helpful people and travel) and li (fame) guas, unless other adjustments are made to balance the elements.

See Principle 7 of the Fast Feng Shui book for more information on how to use water fountains and other feng shui cures to activate your power spots.

(See also Feng Shui tip 83: Activate Chi with Moving Water)

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Q. "I've decorated my house in a contemporary style. Do I have to hang wind chimes and red tassels all over the place?"

A. No. There are reasons why some traditional feng shui objects-such as faceted crystal balls, wind chimes, bamboo flutes, and red tassels-are effective feng shui cures, but that doesn't mean you have to use them in your home. The best approach, if you don't like the look of a traditional feng shui cure, is to understand why it is recommended, then look for something else you can use instead that will be a better match for your home décor and personal taste.

For example, faceted crystal balls-usually hung in a window or doorway or from the ceiling with red string-are very effective at interrupting a strong flow of chi and radiating that energy out in all directions. If you don't want to use a crystal ball, look for something else that will have the same effect. If your décor is traditional, perhaps you could replace a ceiling fixture with a small crystal chandelier. A kinetic metal sculpture might work for a contemporary home. If your décor is casual, consider a beaded curtain to slow down the flow of chi in a long hallway, or hang a piece of stained-glass art the back door window to keep chi from escaping out the rear of the house.

See Principle 3 in the Fast Feng Shui book for more ways to create a nourishing flow of chi in your home.

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Q. "I've heard that painting my front door red will bring good luck. Is this true?"

A. If you'd like to bring new energy to your home, painting your front door a different color can help. Red is often recommended because in feng shui the color red is associated with success and prosperity, but that may not be the most appropriate choice for everyone. Choose a color that you like, that will be appropriate to the rest of the house exterior, and that supports your goals.

• Black and dark blue are the colors associated with opportunities, social contacts, and career success.
• Green is associated with wood energy, which is uplifting in nature. Lighter shades of green are associated with new growth and new beginnings; darker shades of green are associated with the energy of mature trees and forests. Both green and purple are associated with "fortunate blessings" which include (but are not limited to) financial prosperity.
• Yellows and browns are associated with the stability of earth energy, but may not be the best choice for a front door, where you would like the chi to be more active.
• White is associated with metal and creativity, but it will show dirt more clearly, so be sure to keep it clean.

A few words of caution about red: In traditional Chinese feng shui, there are certain unlucky "star combinations" that can be activated by the color red. It's possible your house has one of these combinations at the front door. Also, each year (using the Chinese calendar), one of the eight directions or the center of the house will be an inauspicious place to use red. In order to find out if either of these situations is an issue for your home you will need to do a compass-method analysis of your home. Or, use the "try it and see" method: paint your front door red and see what happens. If your luck takes a big turn for the worse (illness, unexpected major expenses, loss of a contract or job, etc.), run back to the paint store and repaint the door another color.

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Q. "I live in a tiny apartment, and want to use feng shui. My bedroom has a lot of stuff in it, including a fish tank and a glass curio cabinet. How can I best arrange my space?"

A. Feng shui for a small space is usually a challenge, because of precisely the situation you are in: too much stuff in too small an area.

The first thing to do is to try to place your bed in the "command position," across from the door, but not directly in line with it. (See Quick Tip 28 in the Fast Feng Shui for details). If this is not possible, place a mirror so that you can see the doorway reflected in it when you are lying in bed. Try not to block too much of the floor space. If you have to twist sideways to get past a piece of furniture, you are blocking the chi.

Fish tanks are not recommended for the bedroom; too much yin water chi where you sleep can drain your energy; plus the pump is probably creating EMF fields that you don't want to sleep in. If you need to keep it there, move it away from the bed.

Look for ways to consolidate (place the stereo on top of the dresser, for example) to free up space. Look forward to moving into a larger apartment, and make that one of your intentions.

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Q. "Which direction is best for me to sleep in?"

A. The practice both these questions refer to -- defining auspicious and inauspicious directions based on the year of birth -- is one of several methods of traditional Chinese feng shui. While many follow this practice, others (including my teachers of both Chinese and contemporary western feng shui) believe that it is much less important than creating a good flow of beneficial chi through the home and removing or counteracting negative chi caused by poor design or other conditions.

In my experience, sleeping with your head in your most auspicious direction (for example) most often can not be achieved without creating an awkward arrangement within the bedroom. This may cause more problems than it solves. I suggest you educate yourself a little more about basic feng shui principles (both western and traditional) before making any changes to your home.

Please also remember that feng shui is a tool for helping us achieve greater success, prosperity, and self-actualization. It is rarely effective when applied as a quick cure-all in hopes that inner work and personal development will not be required.

My Fast Feng Shui book provides a clear and applicable understanding of the basic principles of Western feng shui, including and guidelines for creating a beneficial flow of chi through the home, how to activate your personal "power spots," and simple, effective methods for removing or couteracting negative energy. These are all factors that should be considered whether or not you decide to use your personal lucky directions as well.

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