Symbols Are Vital in Stained-Glass Door That Faces South
Question: We are getting ready to design a front door for our new home. The house faces south (the fire direction), but my husband wants to put stained glass in the top two-thirds (glass representing water) of a mahogany door.
Are there any stained-glass images or colors you’d recommend? We are thinking of a rising sun image, or a path leading to symbolic happiness using blues and yellows. Any suggestions?
ELLEN FIX, via e-mail
Answer: You are correct that glass symbolizes water and that in selecting stained glass you will be using this water image in an area that is represented by fire.
This combination potentially “douses” your chances for fame, fortune, festivity and other happy qualities of life governed by the south and its element of fire.
For this reason I suggest that you especially avoid using blues and yellows in the stained-glass pattern you choose. Blue would be a strong reinforcement of water and thus increase the chance of your “extinguishing” the fire that brings south’s many blessings.
Your idea of a rising sun image, however, is much better because the fiery sun is a good symbol for a south-facing door.
Another, even better, plan might be to incorporate the inspiring and triumphant image of the mythical phoenix rising from its own ashes to re-create itself after destruction by fire. The bird should be red and you should use various shades of red, pink, orange and strong yellows.
Real Estate Industry Is Learning the Basics
Q: My neighbor and I were talking about your feng shui column. She says she hates your column because feng shui is a bunch of crap and she’d rather read about more important subjects in the Real Estate section.
I told her that I don’t care about feng shui one way or the other, but think the column would be an OK thing if feng shui actually plays a part in the real estate business. Does it? Do you have any statistics on this?
R.H. KOONCE, via e-mail
A: I wish I did have statistics on the number of people in the United States who are serious enough about feng shui to have it affect their decisions about buying and selling homes. If I can track some down, I’ll include the information in a future column.
In the meantime, I can tell you that feng shui exerts enough influence on property values to affect the way people buy homes and the way in which real estate professionals do their jobs.
These days, most agents go out of their way to learn at least something about feng shui because they know it is important to many of their potential clients. Realtors who are unfamiliar with feng shui basics can lose business and never even know it because clients who are concerned about good feng shui and are shown homes with bad feng shui often walk away without trying to explain their concerns.
In areas with largely Asian populations, being feng shui-literate has always been an absolute essential for successful agents.
But since about 1992, when interest in feng shui began to cross ethnic and cultural lines and gradually became hip and trendy, architects, interior designers, developers and an even larger percentage of real estate agents have paid attention to basic feng shui principles.
It’s interesting to note that some developers, such as Ryland Homes, Shea Homes and Kaufman & Broad, began designing homes that responded to Asian buyers’ preferences even before the popularity of feng shui washed over Los Angeles.
And the popularity is by no means confined to Los Angeles. Feng shui workshops and seminars fill quickly in nearly every city where classes are offered.
And many of those students are professionals in the real estate industry who understand that they can boost their bottom line by raising their feng shui IQ.
Many house hunters have also discovered that choosing a home with good feng shui pays off when they go to sell it because the house will appeal to a broader variety of potential buyers.
This principle remains true, of course, no matter what they believe about feng shui--even if they think it’s a bunch of hooey.
Maybe readers, either home buyers or Realtors, have more anecdotal or statistical evidence on the role of feng shui, If so, please send it along.
Van Gogh Print Will Have Positive Effect
Q: I have a replica of a painting by Van Gogh, who committed suicide and died broke. Are his paintings good feng shui to have in the house?
LISA, via e-mail
A: Vincent Van Gogh did suffer from depression, live in poverty and die by his own hand before he was recognized as a major artistic talent.
That said, there is no way in the world that hanging the paintings of Van Gogh could be considered to bring about bad feng shui.
He was a great artist and his paintings have been lifting and enriching people’s souls for more than a century. Hanging the Van Gogh replica in your home will help to create an environment of beauty and serenity. This in turn can have a powerfully positive effect on your life.
If you love the print, I recommend that you hang it where you can see it often and be moved by it. This will contribute to the good feng shui in your home.
Using Treadmill Matters More Than Its Position
Q: Where is the best place to put a treadmill or StairMaster in your house if you do not have a gym? No matter where we put our treadmill it seems as if we are blocking our chi. Thank you for your help.
MARTHA GRANIRER, via e-mail
A: When you live in a home with less square footage than a mansion, finding a good place to put exercise equipment can be a challenge. However, when it comes to home gyms, the really tough challenge is to make regular use of the equipment you own.
Ideally, choose an east wall or corner because east governs health. But my advice is to focus first on keeping it in a spot that is out of the way (as much as possible) as long as it is still in a spot that’s convenient for you to use regularly.
Good feng shui and well-being is at least as dependent upon the circulation of personal chi as it is upon ambient, or room, chi. Using a treadmill or StairMaster is a great way to get that personal chi going.
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Kirsten Lagatree is a Washington, D.C., writer whose books include “Feng Shui, Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life” (Villard, 1996) and “Feng Shui at Work, Arranging Your Work Space for Peak Performance and Maximum Profit” (Villard, 1998).
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Mail your questions on feng shui to Kirsten Lagatree, Real Estate section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax them to (213) 237-4712, or e-mail them to kfengshui@aol.com or Real.Estate@LATimes.com. All questions will be considered for use.
