Tragedy in Home Leaves Negative Energy

Question: I hope you can help me. I found a beautiful home in a probate sale but found out that the man who lived in the home was shot to death by his wife, who then shot herself in the same room (the bedroom).

I am worried that the violence that took place could leave negative energy.

Is this a valid concern as far as the principles of feng shui are involved?

GABRIELLA KLEINMAN

Via e-mail

Answer: I don’t usually give hard and fast answers to feng shui questions because most situations in life are not that simple. But in this case, the answer is easy: Don’t do it.

This house, where so much tragedy has occurred, is permanently scarred. Even if you hired the most learned feng shui master on the globe to perform cleansing and purifying rituals, you’d still have a house with a tremendous amount of negative energy.

From a practical standpoint, it’s interesting to note that California real estate law requires sellers to make it known if a natural death has occurred in a residence for three years after the event. But there is no time limit on a seller’s obligation to disclose a violent or notorious death having occurred on a property.

Many people who’ve never heard of feng shui would avoid houses with sinister or unfortunate histories.

So you see, buying this house might very well be an unwise real estate investment in addition to a serious feng shui blunder. I hope you will soon find a home brimming over with positive chi (energy).

Sloped Ceiling Can Create Negative Chi

Q: I recently heard that a sloped ceiling above a bed might be unfavorable to fertility. Our bedroom has such a ceiling, sloping upward from the headboard of our bed. The bed is placed properly as far as I can tell and faces northeast.

Could you please either confirm or dispel this rumor?

W.H.

Via e-mail

A: It’s true that sloping ceilings are not particularly good feng shui in any room of the house. A sloped ceiling can be oppressive (ever notice how it makes you want to duck your head?) and a source of negative (sha) chi.

This sha chi may result in marital or health problems and could very well contribute to infertility. I suggest you suspend a crystal from the ceiling above your bed, making sure it’s hung high enough along the slope so that no one gets whacked by it.

The crystal will neutralize the negative and oppressive quality of the ceiling by drawing positive--and possibly even fertility enhancing--chi to your sleeping area.

One further note. You mention that your bed faces northeast and seems to be well-placed. You may be right, but before you concern yourself with the compass direction, take care that your bed is not in the “death position.”

From earliest times, the dead were carried feet first from their beds to their burial sites, making this foot-door arrangement a classic feng shui taboo.

If the design of your bedroom leaves little choice in this matter, put a low chest, a plant, a folding screen or anything else you can come up with between the bed and the door.

If there’s not enough room, suspend another crystal from the ceiling area between the foot of the bed and the door.

Balancing Benefits of Pets, Fountains

Q: I know fountains are great for prosperity and that ideally they should be running all the time. But we have pets--a rabbit and cat who are both very precious and very curious. I don’t want them drinking out of the fountains or potentially knocking them over with an electrical pump running. So I turn them off when we’re not home. Is that bad feng shui?

DINA TAKOURIS

Via e-mail

A: I sympathize with your plight. Sometimes the combination of owning pets and managing other aspects of life can be complicated.

But as many of us know, besides the enriching companionship they provide, animals are full of life-enhancing chi. Living with these furry friends is definitely worth the trouble. Your instincts are absolutely correct in turning off the fountains to avoid messy--or more serious--mishaps when you’re away.

However, you’re also correct in your suspicion that water standing still in the fountains is bad feng shui.

In feng shui, water flow symbolizes cash flow and standing water has great potential to stagnate your chances for prosperity. I suggest that you place the fountains in closed-off rooms while you’re gone. If this is impossible, try putting a plastic cover (something like a barbecue cover), over them so the water can flow but little paws can’t cause mischief.

Crystal Can Counter Toilet Positioning

Q: I read that a toilet in the southwestern corner of a home risks flushing away your wedded happiness. Can you recommend a cost-effective way to change the energy when your toilet is positioned in the southwest corner of your home?

A: There really is no good place to locate toilets in a house. If it’s in the southwest part of the house, it can put your relationships in jeopardy; if it’s in the southeast, there go your prospects for great wealth and so on.

The best and quickest remedy for the toilet dilemma is to put a crystal or mirror over the toilet tank so chi will be strengthened.

If you’re having acute problems in your marriage, take stronger measures. Purchase a small feng shui mirror and affix it to the front base of your toilet. The mirror should be standing up, facing you and perpendicular to the floor.

These small octagonal mirrors are usually available in Chinatown and at most New Age shops. You can also find them on many feng shui Web sites.

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 but cannot be answered individually.