Summer, the season for beachwear and flip flops, is over. It is time to refresh your energy and prepare for winter. Did you know that entering your home or business affects your attitude towards life? What you see when you walk in can influence how you feel about your private life, and what you see when you walk out shapes your attitude toward public life.
I like to take a photo in both directions, one facing in and one facing out. It’s amazing how a two-dimensional image will reveal something you didn’t notice while looking around in three-dimensional space. Ask questions! Is there a focal point? Do you catch the eye? Is it edifying?
The GPS told him that “you have reached your destination.” Does the image of your post confirm it? Are your house numbers legible? In feng shui we like to create the feeling of having arrived. Ideally, we encourage the notion of three gateways, either physically or symbolically. In my house I had two trees nodding to each other, thus forming a natural front door. He also had two planters on duty as sentries. And I always found it interesting that Islamic architecture adds extra space on top of an arch to make room for your aura or spirit, perhaps your higher self, to enter with you.
An entrance area should feel like a haven and haven with superior protection against inclement weather. Feng shui also recommends that each of the five elements be represented, and thanks to scientific research we know that human beings feel most content when all five senses are involved. Armed with the feng shui wisdom of the ancients and the science of the modern age, we can create a feng shui checklist for our home or business entrances.
• Shelter and shelter can be a porch, loggia, or just a roof or awning over the front door.
• A beautiful doormat invites you to clean the dirt and debris from the outside. It is a symbol of cleanliness when entering an interior space.
• A place to sit creates comfort and provides a feeling of support. It can be a bench or a rocking chair with a side table for your coffee or tea.
• In China, a pair of fu dogs or lions may flank the front door as protectors.
• Here we recommend planters with multicolored flowers to stand guard as sentinels.
• In Chinese tradition, feng shui practitioners prefer a water fountain somewhere near the entrance, as they equate flowing water with the entrance of money.
• Hearing enhancements may be the sounds of bubbling water, a wind chime, or a pleasant doorbell.
• Fragrant flowers like jasmine or honeysuckle add olfactory stimulation.
• A flag, windsock or banner will flutter in the breeze and catch your eye.
• Add lights for night safety, for example, solar accessories to illuminate your way.
All of our tips are aimed at creating positive qi in your environment. We want to avoid the negative, that is, sha qi. Walking around a property, we try to identify anything that could be threatening or irritating, something blocking your view, something pointing you, spiky or thorny plants in your path or near the door, dense vegetation that needs to be cleaned and pruned. Qi should feel free and calm as we go down a winding road.
Our connection with nature is deeply satisfying to our well-being and should be considered as the ultimate goal of feng shui.