Green Chi Can Ward Off That Downward Spiral

Question: I was reading your column and was surprised to find out spiral staircases are unlucky. I have one in the northeast corner of my living room (directly in line with the front door) leading down to the den. Since I can’t get rid of it, what can I do to negate its bad feng shui?

DIANE MOONEY

Los Angeles

Answer: Spiral shapes of any kind suggest snakes and are considered dangerous because of that. In fact, the snake is one of the five evil creatures in Chinese lore (the others are centipede, lizard, scorpion and toad).

Because your spiral staircase is in line with the front door, you’ll want to do a couple of things to counteract the bad feng shui. But first deal with the spiral issue.

In the Chinese zodiac, snakes are compatible with roosters and oxen. It’s probably going to be easier to find a decorative rooster than an attractive ox, so I suggest you put rooster figurines near the top and bottom of the stairs. Placing a ficus tree at the top or bottom is also a good idea because the positive chi from this living plant will help counteract the negative energy.

Next, place some attractive item between the door and the stairs. Otherwise, it’s possible for the positive chi entering your home to be sucked into the spiral. A tall, healthy ficus might do nicely for providing the positive chi and for blocking the path between the door and the stairs.

Stick to One School and Seek Competent Advice

Q: I enjoy your column and I trust The Times will ignore all the naysayers. I have had my apartment looked at twice by feng shui consultants. The first consultant used the compass method. The second used the Black Hat school.

I had much better results and a better feeling from the Black Hat method. For example: The compass consultant suggested that the “cure” for my office was more metal element, i.e. no primary colors, so I painted the tan filing cabinets and a metal table white. The Black Hat person told me the energy was too “heavy,” that I needed more warmth--primary colors and lightness in the room. After I brought some colors in, my clients (I do bodywork) told me they like the feeling of the room much better.

Is it best to follow one school? Do both? What do you think? If other people have questions regarding which of the schools to follow, perhaps my question will be helpful.

KATHY GORDON

Santa Monica

A: I think many people have the same questions and confusion over the two methods of feng shui practiced in the United States today. Your question illustrates one of the biggest problems stemming from feng shui’s popularity: A lot of practitioners are taking money from people who are eager to improve their lives and are giving them bad advice in return.

The person who told you that your office needed more metal element and had you remove primary colors was probably speaking in error. A room with little or no color would have less positive energy and would most likely be cold and depressing. It’s not surprising that you and your clients felt better in the room after your second feng shui make-over from the Black Hat practitioner.

I subscribe to the compass method because it has evolved directly from feng shui’s earliest days, it makes more sense to me and I find its results to be more consistent.

But whichever school you feel more comfortable following, you must take care to find competent advice. It’s a good idea, in fact, to do everything you can on your own before paying an expert to come into your home.

It is necessary to follow one school or the other because there is no way to reconcile or combine them. Although both use the ba-gua, the octagonal chart showing the various aspects of life that feng shui can influence, they locate these power areas using completely different methods.

Black Hat uses the entrance of a building or room as a starting point, and the traditional compass school uses geographic points (north, south, etc.) as they would be found on an ordinary magnetic device. (Dig up your old Scout compass.)

8-Sided Ba-Gua Mirror Is Used Outside Only

Q: In your column, oftentimes a ba-gua mirror is referred to in correcting bad chi. Is a ba-gua mirror different from just an ornamental framed mirror? I may need a ba-gua mirror in my office because my back faces the door while I’m at my desk.

D. NAVEAU

Via e-mail

A: Yes, the two are very different. Ba-gua means eight-sided and ba-gua mirrors are always octagonal. They are for exterior use only and should never be hung inside your home or office. Generally, ba-gua mirrors are reserved for special problems and used as a last resort in cases of sha chi (poison arrows or killing energy).

Sitting at your desk with your back to the door is bad feng shui. But all you need is an ordinary (but nicely framed) mirror that is large enough to be practical and small enough to be relatively inconspicuous in your professional environment.

Kirsten Lagatree is a New York City-area 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 but cannot be answered individually.