Drawbacks to Owning a House at the Top of a ‘T’
Question: We are considering buying a house on a street with another street ending into our house, meaning our house would be at the crossing portion of a T.
Is this good feng shui?
JENNIFER WEBB
Via e-mail
Answer: Unfortunately, this is classically bad feng shui. Being at the end of a T-shaped street channels negative chi (energy) directly and rapidly toward your home.
More practically, it can also mean that the headlights of oncoming cars shine directly into your front windows.
If you still decide to buy, plant shrubs or build a low retaining wall to protect your home from this harsh force.
If you aren’t able to do either of these things, place a small mirror on the front of your home to deflect those noxious forces.
And buy blackout shades to keep the lights from disturbing your evenings.
Deer Furnishings May Be Too Dear to Part With
Q: Please don’t think this question is a joke. I’d like to know if there are any negative (or positive, for that matter) feng shui associations with a mounted deer head I have in my living room.
I also have a mirror that includes some deer horns (sort of a hat rack) and a lamp made out of four mounted deer legs (I know that sounds strange, but it looks better than it sounds). My ex-husband was a hunter, as you might guess. I’ve always enjoyed these rustic elements in my decor, but I wouldn’t want to bring any negative energy from dead animals into my home. THERESA
Via e-mail
A: It sounds as if your husband was certainly thrifty about using a dead deer. He also displayed a lot of creativity in turning animal parts into home furnishings.
And I think it’s significant that you’ve enjoyed keeping these rustic touches in your home, especially considering that they are reminders of your ex-husband.
The quick answer would be yes, dead animals bring negative energy. But for the reasons I stated above, I’m reluctant to advise that you dispose of this magnificent animal.
Here’s what I suggest. Take stock of your life over the time you’ve shared space with the dead deer. Have either positive and negative life experiences weighed heavily in those years? If the deer’s presence coincided with your divorce and other major setbacks, get rid of it. Give it back to your ex-husband. If your sense is that the animal has been a fairly benign or positive influence, keep it.
But to be safe, create a balance with several life-affirming elements. I’d suggest several live plants, plenty of good light, touches of bright red symbolizing life and happiness, and possibly a pet or two (live ones) for good measure.
Mark Off Working and Sleeping Areas
Q: In a recent article, you suggest that using the bedroom as a combination working and sleeping place could interfere with each activity.
I live in a studio apartment. I sleep in an alcove, and work in the main space. What do you suggest for those of us who do not have another room to set up as a work space or bedroom?
L. TRAVELD
Via e-mail
A: Sleeping calls for a restful atmosphere and a relatively low level of chi. Work, on the other hand, is best done in an area that stimulates the mind and energizes both personal and ambient chi.
To achieve this balance when you’re living in a studio, just make sure that you delineate each area clearly.
If possible, use a curtain or folding screen to create a division between the two zones. If you have permission to change the wall color in your apartment, paint the alcove a muted shade and the living space a brighter, more lively version of the same color.
Area rugs are another good way to mark off separate territory. Put a large one under the bed or in your main space, whichever seems more practical.
Between a Waist-High Rock and a Hard Place
Q: Last year we had our home remodeled. We had a feng shui master come out before and after. Since our front yard slopes slightly, he suggested we have three waist-high rocks placed in a certain area of the yard. We placed three rocks that are barely knee high. Does the size of the rocks really need to be waist-high? They are expensive and need to be delivered because of the size and weight. I think it had something to do with relationships with people but I cannot remember.
LINDA
Via e-mail
A: An ideal feng shui home site would be about halfway up a hill with a protective slope in the rear and a wide flat area in front of the house.
Ideally, there would also be a river farther down the slope and you’d enjoy a magnificent view and cool breezes. But how many of us are so fortunate?
Most of us manage with less than ideal conditions by making moderate feng shui adjustments as we go along. My first suggestion is to stop having boulders delivered to your yard and move the ones you already have to the back, where they will act as symbolic backing and protection.
The slight slope you describe in the front can allow chi to fall away, taking prosperity and opportunity with it. Try one of these methods to symbolically raise the slope and counteract its negative effect:
* Install attractive landscape lighting and direct one of the brighter lights up to the roof line.
* Plant a tree that reaches the roof line.
* Hang wind chimes at the edge of the yard where it begins to slope.
Be wary of accepting feng shui advice that you don’t understand or find difficult to follow.
Bed Placement: Don’t Lose Sleep Over It
Q: I have applied various feng shui techniques to my house. One problem seems unsolvable--the bedroom. To attract a positive, loving relationship into my life, I need to align the bed in the right direction. One aspect of feng shui says not to place the bed facing doors, another states not to place it under a window. Finally, another suggestion says to face the southwest.
My room has doors on three sides and a window on the other. To face southwest, I must place the bed facing the common entry door. What can be done other than moving?
A: Don’t move! Your dilemma illustrates a very common problem in feng shui today. There is plenty of advice out there, but a lot of it is contradictory and so confusing it seems impossible to follow.
The various “aspects” of feng shui you refer to may have something to do with the different schools of feng shui that I wrote about in an earlier column.
But there’s also a lot of bad advice floating around. Make sure the foot of your bed doesn’t point directly out the door and otherwise don’t worry about the position of the bed. Enhance the southwest corner of your bedroom with yellows or earth tones representing the southwest (the relationship area) and place objects in this corner in two’s (symbolizing pairs).
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).
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.