Feng Shui Dictionary. Lillian Too
hidden away. As well as sweeping away bad luck, they can also sweep away good luck. Brooms are particularly bad fortune if left in the dining room, as they symbolize your rice bowl and livelihood being swept away. Brooms have another use in Feng Shui. They can be an effective tool to ward off burglars and intruders from the house when placed upside down against the wall and facing the front door, but outside the home rather than in. Leave a broom outside only at night; put it away during the day.
Buddha Statues
Holy objects must have good Feng Shui. Paintings and statues of Buddhas should be regarded as holy objects. Do not place them below, facing, or near bathrooms. The best place for displaying your antique Buddha statue is the northwest of your entrance hall or living room.
See also Altar.
Buildings
In modern Feng Shui, these simulate mountains. In old days, Form School Feng Shui examined surrounding hills and mountains to determine the quality of the Feng Shui terrain. Today, the practice of Feng Shui has shifted to big cities, where buildings form the landscape and surroundings for homes and offices. Because Feng Shui is symbolic, buildings are now analyzed in the way that surrounding hills used to be.
Bulbs
Usually considered to be good fortune flowers; they represent hidden gold. These are regarded as lucky flowers and indeed symbolize the blossoming of hidden talents and abilities when they bloom. The Chinese are fond of growing bulbs around the lunar New Year, especially the narcissus, because of their association with the advent of spring.
Business Feng Shui
This focuses on creating wealth and prosperity luck. In the West business Feng Shui is becoming increasingly important as more career professionals and entrepreneurs recognize the potency and effectiveness of Feng Shui in enhancing turnover and improving bottom lines. Retail businesses can benefit enormously from simple Feng Shui enhancers.
Cactus
Cacti and any other types of prickly plants create tiny slivers of poisonous energy which can cause bad luck, illness, and misfortune. They should not be placed in the home and are better outside, where they take on a protective role. Their thorns then counter any Shar Chi heading in your direction. Inside, rather than counter Shar Chi, they create harmful killing breath.
Cannon
To be used as a last resort to counter big poison arrows. Cannons are very effective in deflecting killing breath and pointed, hostile objects aimed at your front door. The negative force sent out can be very potent. Antique cannons that have been to war are the most powerful of all.
Career Luck
Can be energized with Feng Shui. Good career luck manifests itself in increased opportunities. It does not suggest instant success. When using Feng Shui to activate luck at work be prepared for an increasing workload and responsibilities as well as more opportunities for advancement. Activate the north part of your home, office, or personal space. Since the north is of the water element, a good way to energize this corner is to place an aquarium of energetic fish there, such as guppies. Their vigorous swimming will create the precious Yang energy needed to give your career a boost. Advanced practitioners can use the Feng Shui formula to activate professional career luck. It is also a good idea to make yourself an auspicious work desk whose dimensions have been measured with a Feng Shui ruler.
Cash Register
In retail businesses registers can be energized with coins and bamboo. Increase sales by taping three old Chinese coins tied with red thread, Yang side up, onto the side of your cash register. The Yang side has four Chinese words, the Yin side has two. Important files can also be treated in the same way to enhance Feng Shui at work. Alternatively, hang hollow bamboo stems above the cash register, also tied with red thread. The bamboo ensures that you will stay in business for a long time. Let the stems hang perpendicular with their tops tilted slightly toward each other.
Ceilings
Should neither be too low, nor have hostile designs. A ceiling lower than 8 feet (2.5m) suggests you will be weighed down with problems; it should clear the tallest person in the house by at least 4 feet (1.2m). Avoid corner angles or threatening, ornate designs. Beams should be avoided unless they are an integral part of the entire ceiling and especially if they stand alone. Paint your ceiling white or in a bright color, and never black or blue, both of which are very inauspicious.
Chandeliers
Create excellent Feng Shui if placed just inside or outside the home. They encourage good Chi to enter the house and they work just as well inside or outside the home. They are especially good when placed in the southwest, where the combination of fire (lights) and earth (crystal) brings wonderful romance and love luck to the members of the household. Try to activate the southwest of the whole house with a chandelier, rather than the southwest of a single room. The effect will be more powerful and will benefit the entire family.
Chen Trigram
This trigram symbolizes the dragon, thus a strong Yang line pushes upward below two broken Yin lines, which give way. Chen represents Spring, thunder, growth, and the eldest son, and is placed east on the Pa Kua.
Chi
The dragon’s cosmic breath and the key to good Feng Shui, it brings good fortune. The concept of Chi is central to the understanding and practice of Feng Shui. Chi is the word used to describe an intrinsic force or energy that is invisible to the eye but can nevertheless be felt and is very potent.
Chi Kung
A form of martial training that allows you to “feel your Chi,” its slow exercise movements are believed to enable practitioners effectively to move Chi energy within them. Such exercise is believed to help overcome serious illnesses.
Chien Trigram
The ultimate Yang trigram that signifies the patriarch. The first trigram in the I Ching. Made up of three unbroken lines, Chien is placed in the northwest quadrant of the Yang Pa Kua. Since this trigram symbolizes the patriarch the northwest is said to be the corner of any home that governs the luck of the male paternal.
Childlessness
Can sometimes be helped using Feng Shui. If you are having problems conceiving, suggest the man changes his sleeping location or direction. Use his Nien Yen direction, which will be based upon his personal Kua number.
Children
The manifestations of good descendants’ luck. Children represent the next generation and this is one of the eight aspirations addressed by Feng Shui practice. The west side of the house is the place to energize for ensuring descendants’ luck but the children of the house, especially the sons, should sleep in the east part of the house in rooms located in their personal auspicious locations, based on Compass Feng Shui.
Clothes
Affect the type of energies you attract. Clothes have a bearing on your luck. Wearing torn clothes is very inauspicious. It attracts poverty energy, which often translates into the most severe kind of ill-fortune. Wearing unflattering clothes has the same effect; as well as making you feel bad about yourself, it depletes your Yang energy and causes you to feel lethargic.
Coins
One of the more potent of symbolic Feng Shui tools. They represent wealth and are superb for activating Feng Shui for wealth. Authentic old Chinese coins can be used as Feng Shui coins. The square hole in the middle has Feng Shui meaning. The circle and square together represent heaven and earth. Three coins should be tied together with red string and hung on the inside of your front door to symbolize the money already inside your house. See also Cash Register.
Color
Amplifies the elements. Good color combinations bring good luck. Color therapy in Feng Shui is directly related to the concept of the five elements, each of which stands for a certain color or colors. These are summarized as: