Library of Congress
Library - Use closed bookcases to keep the negative energy caused by the edges of the shelves from being directed at anyone in the room. Don't use glass shelves in the North area. Don't place wooden shelves in SW and NE areas, or in the center of a room. Place inspirational literature, biographies about successful people, and personal growth and self-help books in the North area of a room or your home, which represents business and career success. Put reference and motivational books, cards and posters in the NE area, which represents wisdom. Put college handbooks from a school of choice in the NE area to ensure academic success. Keep literature about starting or developing new ventures, businesses or beginnings in the East, which represents spring and new growth. Put books about building wealth, making investments and increasing your assets in the SE, which represents wealth, material growth and fortune. Store gifts, books, pictures and other items about and from celebrities in the South, which represents fame and fortune. Keep literature about international relations, trade, travel, leadership, organization and planning in the NW.
Place your library or study in the NE of your home, the area that governs knowledge, wisdom, self-improvement and enlightenment. If you are fortunate enough to have walls with shelves, arrange your books according to the subject. Encourage your children to study in the library. Put an aquarium or fish tank in your library. Use your library for enriching, cultural activities such as listening to music, meditation, reading or practicing an instrument. Store your books with their spines flush with the edges of the bookshelf in order to eliminate sha energy. A better solution is to use cabinets that have doors on them. Display fresh or silk peonies in your library, but not elsewhere in the house if you are a married couple.
Lions - Position Chinese lions correctly. The male with the ball under his paw should be on the left side as you face out of the building. The female with her lion cub under her paw should be on the right. The male lion represents the domain of the world at large; the female lion represents offspring and home. Place lions in pairs outside your home for protection. They should flank the door and face away from the building. Choose pairs that are in proportion to the size of the building they grace. Use lions with great caution, as they will cause harm to the persons or businesses that they face. Safer substitutes include a pair of unicorns, elephants, horses or fu dogs, which resemble the Pekinese dogs favored by emporers and represent good fortune. Use doorknockers with lion heads if the lion is part of your family's seal or coat of arms. These offer protection to your household. Don't place lions anywhere but on the ground. They are animals of the earth and are not meant to be on roofs, gateposts or pedestals. A good rule is to never place a lion's image higher than a lion would naturally climb.
Love - Place hearts in the SW to enhance love, romance and relationships. Add a gold, red or pink crystal heart to your romance corner. Place heart-shaped candles and accessories crafted in earth materials, such as stone, tile, terra cotta and clay in the SW to activate love, romance, relationships and marriage. Use yellow, pink, red and white objects. Hang a crystal chandelier in the SW area of your home, especially if this area contains your living room, to attract love. Create a romance corner in the SW area of your bedroom. Include pictures or figures of happy couples and surround them with hearts, flowers, doves and lovebirds. Collect heart-shaped containers made of terra cotta, china and porcelain, or take stones from the beach that are shaped like hearts. Place them in groups of two in your romance corner. Keep a representation of a bat in a SW area to encourage marital contentment. In China, bats symbolize happiness, good fortune, long life and protection.
Pets - Keep a bird or fish as a pet; both represent wealth. Don't keep the ashes of a pet (or a person) inside your home or on your property. This represents death. Match the color of your pet to the color of the season you were born. Keep a red bird or fish if you were born in the summer. Select a green one if you were born in spring. White pets are for those born in the autumn and black for winter. Keep your pets in the rear of the house. Reserve the front for visitors and positive chi to enter your home.
Plants - Use a jade plant in the wood areas of East and South. It makes a welcome addition to the interior or exterior of a home or business, as jade symbolizes wealth and good fortune. Don't keep plants in your home that have sharp, spikey leaves, thorns, barbs or needles such as cacti. All of those are a source of tiny "poison" arrows directed at the occupants of a room. Don't place spikey or thorny plants close to your front entrance or flanking the path leading up to your house. Put these "hostile" plants on the perimeter of your property, some distance away from your house, to create a natural deterrent from intruders. Do plant roses. Although they have thorns, they also have a pleasant scent that neutralizes the sha energy.
Snakes - Don't keep a snake as a pet or bring an image of a snake into your home. In feng shui, the snake is considered a noxious, treacherous and wicked creature. Don't injure, harm or kill a snake that takes up residence in or around your house or property. Do keep a shed snakeskin. This is believed to bring you riches.
Toads - Place a statue of a three-legged toad on the floor inside your house, facing into the room as if just entering. You can also put it in a cabinet, under chairs and furniture, or diagonally across from your front entrance. This toad symbolizes that money is on its way to you and is considered lucky. Don't put a toad statue directly facing your front door or on an altar; this means that your money is on its way out your door. Keep a coin in the mouth of a toad statue. Don't place toad statues in a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen. They are thought to bring bad luck and negative energy when located in those rooms.
Turtles - Keep a live turtle, especially if it is black, in North areas. Turtles are symbols of longevity, good luck, strength, fortune and endurance. As one of the celestial animals, they are believed to possess great protective powers. Save a turtle by purchasing it from a market where it is being sold as food. This is especially of merit because the turtle is considered sacred in China. Place crystal turtles facing North. Metal turtles should face West, wooden turtles should face East or SE. Turtles made of earth materials should face SW or NE. Use turtles, which represent long life, to rid your home of illness.
Wolves - Don't place a statue of a wolf inside your home. The wolf symbolizes cruelty, greed, mistrust and fear. Do place a statue of a wolf as a guardian outside your home, perhaps in the garage.
Turtles - Keep a live turtle, especially if it is black, in North areas. Turtles are symbols of longevity, good luck, strength, fortune and endurance. As one of the celestial animals, they are believed to possess great protective powers. Save a turtle by purchasing it from a market where it is being sold as food. This is especially of merit because the turtle is considered sacred in China. Place crystal turtles facing North. Metal turtles should face West, wooden turtles should face East or SE. Turtles made of earth materials should face SW or NE. Use turtles, which represent long life, to rid your home of illness.
Wolves - Don't place a statue of a wolf inside your home. The wolf symbolizes cruelty, greed, mistrust and fear. Do place a statue of a wolf as a guardian outside your home, perhaps in the garage.
Zodiac - Use the animals of the Chinese zodiac as decoration in your home.
Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tide and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then, for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
My sincere gratitude to Angi Ma Wong for his enlightening feng shui. xo
Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tide and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then, for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
My sincere gratitude to Angi Ma Wong for his enlightening feng shui. xo
