Applying Feng Shui to Your Home part 2: Architecture
In feng shui, the shape and orientation of your building help
determine the flow of energy within it. The exterior characteristics, including
its orientation on the compass, attract and focus the flow of fortuitous and
unfortunate energies. The interior architecture can trap good energies inside
or allow it to run out, or be used to route unfortunate energies around important
living areas and encourage it to leave quickly.
Since most of us do not have the option of building a home with
our own floor plan, feng shui masters can examine the architecture, both interior
and exterior, of a home and prescribe cures to help alleviate the
effects of a poor orientation or floor plan and enhance the effects of good
energy flows.
Evaluating the Exterior
The suitability of a building as a residence is determined by
three principles:
Stability
In order to provide a good home, a building should be stable.
Buildings that are stable appear well-balanced with no part of the structure
being significantly larger than the rest. Buildings on pillars are less
stable.
Balance
A building is said to be balanced if it has a symmetrical shape. Asymmetrical
buildings are less balanced and can encourage instability in the energies
that flow through them.
Smoothness
A smooth building is a more beneficial dwelling place. Buildings are smooth
if they have no protruding edges, or sharp points.
Appearances also can make a difference. If a building resembles a fortified
fortress, its energies are far different than a home that presents a welcoming
and open face. Buildings that appear to be on fire, slashed or otherwise
damaged also are considered unfortunate.
The Interior Architecture
The floor plan of your home regulates and controls the flow of energy. Feng
shui practitioners favor homes that encourage an open flow of nourishing energies
inside the house and curb and discourage the formation and flow of negative
energies. For instance, if your front door and back door are directly opposite
each other in the floor plan, good fortune will come in the front and slip immediately
out the back. The solution to this is to trap the good energies by erecting
a barrier of some sort between the front and back doors. It can be as simple
as placing a screen so that it disrupts the flow and encourages it to remain
in the house.
Some other floor plan suggestions are:
The home should not have any long, maze-like hallways, dark corners or steep
stairways. To prevent bad energies from developing, bring light into dark
corners.
If bedrooms have large floor-to-ceiling windows, be certain to provide draperies
that can be drawn while sleeping, or protect sleepers from maleficent outside
forces with a screen of some sort.
Use rounded and smooth edges wherever possible to encourage the flow and
development of positive energies.
Avoid using rough decorative features inside to prevent the development of
negative energies. Rough stone walls, knotty unfinished wood paneling and
oversized fireplaces all can promote negative energies. Counteract them with
flowing water in the room or by screening the fireplace.