Correcting Wrong Feng Shui Advice

Feng Shui is an amazing science and the number of masters, disciples, practitioners are growing at an amazing rate. As it gets more commercialized, many of us encounter a lot of conflicting advice and the correct usage of items gets lost through marketing hype. We start seeing items being described as being able to increase wealth, health, prosperity, fame, and solving world hunger at the same time. There is NO item or remedy that will do this. Learn about the common "advice" given and how they are wrong. Many sources of Feng Shui will claim to be "authentic", but hopefully this article will allow you to see through them. You dedicate your resources to this beautiful art and you have every right to know when a source is pretending to be "traditional" for the sake of a sale.

WRONG: Southeast is your Wealth Corner to enhance
RIGHT: Find your Wealth/Success corner by getting your Kua number
Most people's personal Wealth/Success corner will differ, and don't allow broad generalizations to tell you what is right. We were all born unique, and real Feng Shui knows this. For those whose Kua number is 8 or females with a Kua of 5, Southeast is actually your Total Loss Direction (the most inauspicious direction). If we were to follow the numbers/ratio calculation, 1 out of 2 people will have Southeast as a bad direction (e.g. Mishaps, Five Ghosts, Six Killings, Total Loss) that should not be stimulated. Placing a windchime in the Southeast will actually do more harm than good for you. Yes, following the Later Heaven Sequence, Southeast can be considered to be a Wealth corner, but it's not meant for individuals or normal households.

WRONG: Enhance your way to wealth and happiness first
RIGHT: Identify and remedy the bad sources of Feng Shui first, then only enhance
Proper traditional Feng Shui Masters from Asia will agree on one thing: you work on defence and remedies for your life/home first, and then only think about enhancing. Though in this day age, it's perfectly fine to want to enhance, you should keep in mind the best way to start is by going for remedies that can play dual roles (protective and enhancing). Crystals are great enhancers and in small quantities will benefit the user. I've met a client who was a big fan of Feng Shui and crystals, through her passion she placed many crystals in her NorthWest sector of home and this triggered and amplified the Illness Star in her home bring about sickness to her whole family. Items like Kuan Kong, Chung Kwei, Fuk Luk Sau are great items for protection that will play a secondary role in bringing in benefits to your home.

WRONG: Red is the color of Wealth to always use
RIGHT: Red is to amplify and signifies the Fire element. Use in moderate amounts
Red is an amplifier and should be used in moderation as well as careful consideration. They are also great for enhancing or activating metallic items, but again, they are used in small quantities. I've had a client who was told red was wealth, and thus painted her entire home office red. Unfortunately, this was her Mishaps direction and for that year, the Conflict Star was in that section. By having too much red in one area, will upset the 5 Wu Xing Element cycle, and when there is no balance, there is bad Feng Shui. The only times a lot of red will do good is for the first few days of events that welcome a new beginning. This could come in the form of a store opening, Lunar New Year and marriages.

WRONG: No clutter and a super mess-free/clean home is good Feng Shui
RIGHT: Organized and well kept is good Feng Shui, but your home must have character.
While having a clean and clutter free home is good Feng Shui, don't overdo it. Yes, you want chi to be able to flow freely in your home. Yes, keeping things clean and in good order is good Feng Shui. But you SHOULD have some forms 'clutter' to make it your home. Many of us will have a dislike for many reasons, but part of it is because it's so sterile, clean and to a point 'faceless' that we cannot relate to it or see it as an inviting place. You want your home to be 'lived in' and yours. Many so called Feng Shui Masters will say to keep your home as clean as possible, but having your baby daughter's soft toys on the sofa and her bedroom lying about is actually very good Feng Shui. It's HER home and her place of comfort and happiness. Many will consider her toys as 'clutter', but it's actually nice to have them around. The house is happy and alive with good vibes from her and her items, and this will make the flowing chi around your house the same. Organized and well kept is good. Too clean is bad.

WRONG: Brand new and polished items are best
RIGHT: Earth buried items are more potent because they have more knowledge
In traditional Feng Shui in China, items that have 'matured' are considered to be much more potent compared to the 'shiny and new' items. This is why that many items have been purposely buried in earth/soil so that they are given time to mature and absorb the energies before serving the owner. This is why you will find many earth buried items (ranging from coins to brass figurines) to be a bit more pricier compared to newer versions. Many of us have seen the famous I Ching Coins or Imperial Coins which look new/nice and go for more affordable prices. But if you want them to have more effectiveness, go for earth buried versions of them.

Of course there are many more misconceptions, but this is a good start by identifying the biggest offenders. Though almost everyone is guilty to a certain extent of adding a marketing spin to their products and services, remember to always take it with a grain of salt. Behind each rule and application in Feng Shui, there is always a solid explanation behind it. Learn the logic behind it and empower yourself with this knowledge. Next time you read or hear a source saying they are offering "traditional" or "authentic" Feng Shui, you'll know better.

For more information on remedies, don't forget to visit our website at: www.smilingbamboo.com! :)

Ken Toh is the co-founder of Smiling Bamboo (www.smilingbamboo.com) and strives to preserve the true traditions of Feng Shui amidst all the marketing hype of today. Having spent his life surrounded by Feng Shui and living in both Eastern/Western cultures has given him a firm understanding of bridging the gap of this beautiful science.

Office Feng Shui for the Individual

Just as we incorporate Feng Shui into our homes, having good Feng Shui in your office or workplace is equally as important: especially for those of us who spend quite a fair amount of time in it! As mentioned in the article title, the Feng Shui advice given will focus on you and not the business or company itself. Part of the challenge in making sure you have good office Feng Shui is that we may not always personalize our surroundings as easily as we do in our home. For example, it's much easier to shift our sleeping position in our bedroom as opposed to modifying your entire surroundings in your current workplace. Readers who have home offices will be smiling the most in this case.

Foundation and Support
A strong and solid foundation where your back faces is important. Having your back facing a wall, or some sort of large earth element behind you is optimal. The Feng Shui reason for this is if your back is exposed, you would be open to backstabbing and other dangers that could make you a victim of office politics. If your back faces a window or glass doors, try to put some blinds or even a poster of something symbolizing the strength of the Earth element (best imagery to have is that of a mountain). Having a weak foundation behind you will also result in a loss of credibility at your work place.

Promoting Harmony
Communication is a vital aspect of most offices, and many of us rely on it to get things done. Disharmony with your peers or management will always result in more difficulty, which is something we really should not be having if we want to stay productive! Misunderstandings, flared tempers under extreme duress or even a difference of personalities can make your workplace an unhappy environment in the long run. A small solution would be to have a glass sphere by your worktable to help absorb and cleanse ill intentions. However, the best way to ensure a productive environment where things work as they are supposed to, is to have a Tibetan Harmony Mandala near you. Everybody wins as your colleagues will be less difficult to work with.

Getting Things Done
It would be safe to say, that most of the jobs out there are at times stressful and we are faced with tasks we are not how to fulfill them. Though the success of this task will ultimately depend on the individual and situation, sometimes all you need would be a small push in your favor. This could come in the form of: a stroke of inspiration, a sudden windfall of aid or an external change that would be to your favor. Ji Gong, the Kind Mad Monk is the best enhancer to have for times like these. He is much loved for always humbly helping you by providing an alternate solution or a different perspective so that things can actually work out for you.

The Right Direction
Facing one of your auspicious directions can also help you out alot in your workplace. In general, the best direction to be facing is your Sheng Chi(Success) direction. Your auspicious directions (in this case, your Sheng Chi) would be determined by your Feng Shui Kua number. You can use a lunar compliant Kua Number Calculator to find our your Kua number and your respective auspicious/inauspicious directions. Suffice to say, try not to face your inauspicious directions.

Poison Arrows
Poison arrows are sources of shar chi (negative chi in Feng Shui) and usually caused by sharp objects pointed at you. This could come in the form: corner of a table, edge of a pillar, large sculptures where pointed or sharp tips point at you. You would have to put some effort into finding poison arrows if any and try to remedy them. The best way to nullify or protect yourself from this is to interrupt the path of which the poison arrow will strike you. The most common solution is to use plants or protective metal/earth element objects.

Career Advancement
You can also use Feng Shui to advance in your career and the practice of it is a very common sight in Asia. However, you might not be able to notice it at first glance as many of the solutions implemented have been skillfully merged with the surroundings of the individual. Have acknowledged the issues listed above would help you already, but a bit more implementation wouldn't hurt! A popular enhancer and usually well hidden in the drawers (not to mention used by those from entry levels all the way to top management) would be the famous Eight Immortals Amulet. Each of the Eight Immortals will provide you with their blessings. The blessings range from that of progress, to harmony, to longevity!

Conclusion
Well, this is just the start but would be an excellent list to keep in mind when using Feng Shui for your office or workplace. In our next article, we shall take a more advanced look into office Feng Shui and with discreet implementations to make sure you benefit the most from this knowledge. Be sure to check out our website at: www.smilingbamboo.com for more information on how to use Feng Shui to achieve your aspirations and to simply make everyday an easier day that will be to your favor.

Smiling Bamboo (www.smilingbamboo.com) strives to preserve the true traditions of Feng Shui amidst all the marketing hype of today. Its founders have spent most of their lives surrounded by Feng Shui and lived in both Eastern/Western cultures providing them with an understanding of bridging the gap of both worlds with this beautiful science. For more information: www.smilingbamboo.com