Important feng shui dont's

There are some things which you should always try to avoid doing when looking for a feng shui balanced environment since they could be disastrous to such purpose. We intend to help you achieving a proper feng shui balance by detailing some of the most important feng shui donts through the next lines.

First of all, you should avoid living or working in an environment containing too much yin energy. Among the places which contain more yin energy we can find cemeteries, hospitals and churches. Also, you should avoid attracting to much yin into your space by opening the windows and doors regularly and allowing sun light enter.

You should also avoid living in a house that is much bigger or smaller than the neighboring ones. This could bring you misunderstandings and problems with your neighbors. Your house should never be placed facing the end of a road, or hallway in case of an office. Your house or offices entrance door should be clear and free of obstacles; there shouldnt be trees or any structure right in front of it.

You should never place furniture in such a way that there is not much space between them; there should always be space for chi to flow within any space. Besides, you should always avoid placing beds, chairs, sofas or desks right across main doors or with the back towards them. You and your guests should never be with your back right across the entrance door.

It is also important that you don't place too much of an element in the wrong area. If, according to the bagua map, a house area should contain water or metal to be in balance, you should avoid placing to much fire, earth or wood in them. It is also important to avoid dark corners; if you find a dark corner within your house or office, you should make it clearer by illuminating it or by placing a plant at it. Dark places and spots always attract yin energy and obstruct chi from flowing freely and properly, therefore you should always attract light and yang energy to every corner of your house and office.

First of all, you should avoid living or working in an environment containing too much yin energy. Among the places which contain more yin energy we can find cemeteries, hospitals and churches. Also, you should avoid attracting to much yin into your space by opening the windows and doors regularly and allowing sun light enter.

You should also avoid living in a house that is much bigger or smaller than the neighboring ones. This could bring you misunderstandings and problems with your neighbors. Your house should never be placed facing the end of a road, or hallway in case of an office. Your house or offices entrance door should be clear and free of obstacles; there shouldnt be trees or any structure right in front of it.

You should never place furniture in such a way that there is not much space between them; there should always be space for chi to flow within any space. Besides, you should always avoid placing beds, chairs, sofas or desks right across main doors or with the back towards them. You and your guests should never be with your back right across the entrance door.

It is also important that you don't place too much of an element in the wrong area. If, according to the bagua map, a house area should contain water or metal to be in balance, you should avoid placing to much fire, earth or wood in them. It is also important to avoid dark corners; if you find a dark corner within your house or office, you should make it clearer by illuminating it or by placing a plant at it. Dark places and spots always attract yin energy and obstruct chi from flowing freely and properly, therefore you should always attract light and yang energy to every corner of your house and office.

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.fengshuicrazy.com. Please visit his website and learn all the feng shui tips you'll ever need!

The Ten Most Important Feng Shui Design Tips

If you wish to learn how to manage interior design according to feng shui design guidelines, there are some major tips you must know. We wish to help you achieve a balanced and harmonic feng shui design for any environment you wish it to be. Read the next paragraphs and learn the feng shui design most important tips.

1. Feng shui design should always be done having the people who will be in it in mind. People's comfort must be a priority, and all you do must be done thinking of that.

2. You should be guided by the bagua map and the areas it indicates within that space in order to distribute objects and furniture in it.

3. Make use of the main feng shui elements. An interior design uses furniture and objects which may contain the different elements. These elements should always be in harmonic quantities and according to the bagua map indications.

4. You should choose colors according to what they symbolize and represent. Different colors represent different elements and have different symbolisms.

5. Good feng shui design does not allow dark spots in it since that doesn't allow chi flowing properly.

6. You should choose carefully the shapes of the objects and furniture; different shapes provide different feelings as well as tend to balance in different ways.

7. Couches and chairs should always be placed in a way that allows those who sit on them to easily look at the door.

8. According to feng shui design guidelines beds should not be right across the door and ideally should have a wall at one side as protection.

9. Mirrors should be placed strategically, thought according to the light amount wished as well as which objects you wish it to reflect.

10. Correct feng shui design would allow people to feel good and comfortable in that interior without really noticing it has been carefully thought of. It should be natural and balanced, providing comfort to those occupying it.

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.fengshuicrazy.com. Please visit his website and learn all the feng shui tips you'll ever need!

Feng Shui Tips for Love

First of all, if you?re very keen on augmenting your love life with a good dose of Love Feng Shui, the best thing you can do is to tap your Yan Nian, or Relationship location! Sleep with your head pointed towards this direction, or if you can relocate your bedroom to your Yan Nan area, all the better. Make use of our free, no-nonsense Gua Calculator to ascertain your Yan Nian direction.

If you sleep with your spouse or partner, both your Yan Nian can still be used to strengthen love bonds, as well as harmony and devotion! The best arrangement to suit both your needs is to sleep in a bedroom located in the male?s Yan Nian corner and sleeping with both your heads pointing towards the female?s Yan Nian direction.

You can further up your Love luck by decorating your Yan Nian location with some Romance-rich items. This will give you a further dose of auspicious luck!

Let?s make use of Flying Stars, or Xuan Kong Feng Shui to further up the love factor. This year, 2006, sees the Academic and Love star #4 Green alighting the Northwest location. This auspicious star is of the element Wood, thus you can make use of the Water element to strengthen its prospects. Place a fish tank, aquarium or desktop fountain in this location for the best prospects!

The rose quartz crystal is very special in terms of Romance and Love Feng Shui. This pink-hued crystal can strengthen your confidence, stimulate love potential and best of all, it?s also a great Qi cleanser! Cut crystals have the ability to break up and disperse negative Qi, or energy, to allow the entrance of fresher, more positive Qi to meander about you. A rose crystal bracelet is charming and feminine, and keeping the crystal close to yourself at all times is for the best enhancement.

Do you feel like you constantly butt heads with your significant other? Examine your home or office, and pay close attention to the Central location. For year 2006, this area houses the malignant #3 Jade star, which is known as the Argument Star. Try to lessen your activities in this area, and since the #3 Jade?s element is Wood, you can weaken the quibbles and bickering with a red carpet, a red lampshade or even incense burners ? the smoke wafting from burners represents the Fire element.

The phoenix and dragon together are strong symbols of strong love, fidelity and high romance. Place figurines of the dragon-phoenix couple at home or in the office for a good dose of love luck enhancement. The dragon-phoenix image is incidentally a potent symbol for weddings ? those who are keen for wedded bliss should make use of these lovely animals in areas where they spend most of their time.

Your bed should under no circumstances be located underneath an overhead beam! This is very inauspicious, since you?re directing Shar Qi, or poison arrow directly on yourself. Remove the beam, relocate or hang a bamboo flute or wind chime under the beam to weaken negativities.

Do you like these Tips? Dragon-Gate.com sends monthly Feng Shui Tips newsletters to its members. To read past Feng Shui Tips, click here.

Corey Tsang is the resident Feng Shui expert of Dragon-Gate.com, and is well-known for his bi-monthly newsletters on Feng Shui Tips and Feng Shui Alerts of the Month. For more information, please contact Mr Tsang at corey@dragon-gate.com or visit our website at Dragon-Gate.com.

Feng Shui & Symbology

Symbology is very special to my heart. In fact, one of the more precious gifts I received is from my husband. It is a piece of artwork depicting in white jade, the Chinese dragon and phoenix. This hangs proudly in my office and for me, represents what I try to achieve daily for myself and others ? the balancing of yin and yang.

The Orient has always had a particular penchant for looking at objects and interpreting their hidden meaning. This is revealed by the prolific use of symbols and that these symbols are like a secondary language, rich in nuances that penetrate all communication.

Not all Westerners are aware that in Chinese, each written character represents an entire word which is in deep contrast to our alphabetical text - where a sequence of individual letters signifies a word. This means that more or less every word in the Chinese language is represented by a different symbol so it is not unrealistic to consider that whenever pen is put to paper or in carvings it can also have some mysterious, abstract or obscure meaning.

Symbols are generally categorised as either auspicious or inauspicious and can be viewed as conveying the unseen messages of good or bad luck. All Oriental artworks are viewed as symbols, and their characteristic themes ? water, clouds, flowers, trees, animals, rocks even colours ? portend not only themselves, but also something beyond themselves ? there is meaning far beyond the visual experience. There is virtually nothing in all of nature or any artefact that is not seen as being imbued with particular significance.

I simply love the meaning of things!!! On my first journey to Singapore back in 1986 I purchased a silk painting and it?s always been dear to my heart and this painting still hangs in a special place within my home. I was told that this beautiful piece of art depicts the story of the Eight Fairies or as I first came to know them - the Eight Good People of the world. Now these Fairies or immortals are on a special journey travelling the world dispensing good fortune to everyone they meet and each one of these ?good people? has a special object that they always carry with them. These items still carry auspicious meanings as they have done over the ages and generally, they can be hung anywhere in the home. They have also come to play a symbolic part in Feng Shui.

There is much controversy as to exactly when the eight immortals came to be however most stories and artworks can be dated back to the Song, Yuan and Han dynasties. I have listed the items carried by the ?eight immortals? and I hope that you will be able to put at least one of them to good use for yourself in your own home or place of business.

The gourd:- This wonderful object can be placed around the knob of your bedroom door as it symbolises good health and longevity. It is one of the items carried by Li Tie-guai, one of the most recognisable of the eight immortals as he is lame. One of several legends has it that he would frequently leave his body to wander the land and heavens. On one particular day whilst his spirit was wandering around the mountains his body was found lifeless and he was subsequently pronounced dead. In keeping with the custom of the time he was cremated so, upon his souls return he could not find his own body and therefore he had no option but to take refuge in the first available body. This happened to be the body of a crippled beggar and so it was that Li Tie-guai continued his existence supporting himself on a crutch or staff and is therefore always depicted as a lame beggar. The gourd is said to contain the holy nectar of the Gods, therefore, it is a popular accessory of many Buddhist Deities. In art a gourd decorated with arabesques and roses signifies the wish that ?spring may last for ten thousand generations?. In other words ? this is a wish that your family lasts forever.

The Fan:- Fans first appeared in China during the 10th Century AD and these beautifully painted fans have been a specialty of the great Chinese artist ever since. One of the eight immortals, Zhong Li Quan, who is said to have lived during the Chou Dynasty around 112-249BC, is the chubby chief of the immortals and recognisable by the Fan which he uses to revive the dead. Many other Gods also use the fan to drive away evil and as a result, from a Feng Shui perspective it has been said that fans have the power to deflect negative ?chi? or energy that has been directed your way by a hostile source.

Lotus: As the symbol of purity modesty and love, the lotus enjoys a unique importance in Chinese folklore and it seems that this is largely due to the influence of Buddhism. The lotus comes out of the morass and yet is not itself tainted. It is inwardly empty, outwardly upright. It has no branches and smells sweet. There are two Chinese words for lotus: lian and he. Lian is to love, bind, connect uninterrupted as in marriage and also means modesty. A lotus bloom with a leaf and a bud means ?complete union? whilst a boy with a carp beside a lotus means abundance year in year out. He Xian-gu was the immortal carrying the lotus and was brought into the group by Lu Dong Bin after he rescued her from a demon by using his magic sword.

Castanets:- Cao Guo-jiu is the finest dressed of all the immortals. He is always depicted in court dress and is often seen holding an official sceptre or castanets. So, for those budding thespians ensure you have this deity around you to help you on your way.

Flute:- A patron saint of musicians, this happy immortal is always depicted carrying or playing the flute. It is said that Han Xiang-Zi could make flowers bloom at will and soothe wild animals with his music. He is said to be the great nephew of the statesman and philosopher Han Yu who lived AD 768 ? 824. There are many types of Chinese flutes, however; the vertical flute which has only five holes in the upper part and one in the lower section with only one end open is played mainly by women. In Feng Shui a pair of flutes is often used to divert the negative flow of energy.

Sword:- A demon slaying sword is the attribute of Lu Dong-bin (born around AD 755) another of the eight immortals. There are many legends regarding swords and their magical properties. In fact, it is said that an ordinary sword can be turned into one that will repel demons by going through a special ritual and then reforged. In Feng Shui terms there is the sword of coins. Coins are usually associated with prosperity, however, they were also used as protective charms. So it came to be that a cluster of coins were strung with red cording in the shape of swords. These were then worn around the neck to ward off ?sha chi? directed your way by a hostile source.

Bamboo cane: Zhang Guo-lao is the immortal that is always shown carrying a long bamboo cane, the so called ?Fish Drum?. Inside the cane are two rods fitted with hooks, and the whole piece can be used as a means of making various sounds and music. Legend has it that he flourished around the late 7th and early 8th centuries and is always accompanied by a donkey on whose back he would sit backwards and could cover a thousand miles a day.

Basket of flowers: Lan Cai-he is one of the eight immortals and is represented by a basket of fruit or flowers. A decorated basket of flowers represents riches and therefore the motif has been a popular one used during the New Year period.

There are many, many items in varying degrees of styles that can evoke a significant value for another person. So???. why not consider giving a gift for Christmas with substance, one that has an important meaning to someone you care about. Perhaps it will reflect the gift of wealth, good health and happiness or even???..love.

Juliana Abram is one of the leading Feng Shui consultants in Australia having been traditionally trained in Hong Kong by Chinese Feng Shui Master Raymond Lo.

Juliana specialises in ?Flying Star? Feng Shui and the Four Pillars of destiny.

Juliana runs her own Feng Shui consultancy see http://www.fengshuicentre.com.au and her own online Feng Shui store see http://www.fengshuishop.com.au