Bagua: the essence of feng shui

Simply put, feng shui is the ancient Chinese wisdom of how the placement of objects in your home affects the flow of energy, positive or negative. One way that a feng shui master analyses the energy of a space is via the bagua. This octagon-shaped sort of map of a room or house determines the eight directions and their numerical and directional significance in harnessing the right feng shui. This bagua not only defines the numbers for each direction but also indicates the location of each element found on earth. When the correlation between directions, numbers and human needs becomes coherent, the desired energy level can be achieved easily. Besides knowing the location and significance of each element—water, wood, fire, earth, and metal—it is also important to know how to increase or decrease the presence of an element in a particular space.

The constructive and destructive cycle

In feng shui, there are two main ways in which the five elements interact: the constructive cycle and the destructive cycle. In order to strengthen or enhance the energy of an element in a space, you can create a constructive cycle: water in the north [supports] wood in the east and southeast [supports] fire in the south [supports] earth in the northeast and southwest [supports] metal in the west and northwest [supports] water in the north. For example, because water supports wood, you could strengthen wood energy in a space by including more water-related things, like aquariums or the colour deep blue.

The destructive cycle is used to weaken or subdue an element in your home or office. This is what it looks like: water [weakens] fire [weakens] metal [weakens] wood [weakens] earth [weakens] water. Once we learn the importance of these cycles, it becomes easier to design a space in a constructive way.

Understanding and enhancing the bagua’s wealth direction

According to feng shui, the southeast area of a home or office is linked to wealth and prosperity. It is also where the element of wood, which signifies abundance, makes its home in the bagua. So this direction needs to be looked after consciously; start with making sure this area is clutter-free. Here are a few tips on how you can nurture and enhance this space to foster the right wealth-attracting energy.

• A popular, traditional feng shui idol that is used to attract wealth is the golden Laughing Buddha idol. Although it is often exchanged as a gift on auspicious occasions, the Laughing Buddha with golden ingots is famously known to nurture the energy of prosperity. Place the idol on top of desks or shelves in your home or office.
• Plants are also a great way of improving the wood energy in your home or office. You can place pots of vibrant plants, like bamboo and lady palm, in a southeast courtyard or room. However, avoid placing milk-oozing plants like cactus and bonsai, and large-sized trees like peepal or banyan in a southeast location. Additionally, don’t place any plant in the southeast area of a bedroom because plants emit negative energy at night. Scientifically it has been proven that they release carbon dioxide in the air at night due to reverse photosynthesis.
• Although wooden objects, like furniture, are ideal to boost up the energy in the southeast area, avoid decorating with old and used wooden things. Many retailers sell rotting wooden furniture as “antique” pieces. These are often also aesthetically displeasing. Make sure you get fresh and tastefully designed objects for the southeast space of your home or office.
• Wooden wind chimes are also ideal décor accents that can uplift the energy in southeast-facing verandas, balconies or porches. It lends a vibrant touch to the energy of the space.
• The three-legged frog, with money in its mouth, is another feng shui cure that is known to attract wealth and prosperity. Traditionally, it is either placed in the southeast area of a room or at the front entrance of a home or office. However, make sure that the frog faces the inside, rather than facing the door. A golden or multicoloured frog is better to bring in wealth.
• Painting a southeast area in wood element colours, like green and brown, can also increase the level of energy in that space.
• Because the metal element weakens the wood element, avoid placing metallic things in the southeast area in your home or office.
• Feng shui believes that the environment which we live in plays an important role in our life. Therefore creating a positive environment is necessary to attract wealth. You can decorate a southeast corner or room with images that symbolise wealth and prosperity. For example, use photographs of family picnics and outings, luxury yachts or cars, waterfront villas and mansions, and other images of a lavish lifestyle.
• Another great décor item to attract wealth is the feng shui money boat or ship, filled with coins and gold ingots. These ships are easily available in stores that sell feng shui objects. They can be used to decorate or accent office or study desktops or tabletops.
• If you use a chest or box to store money, jewellery, or financial documents, then you could line its insides with mirrors. In feng shui it is believed that doing this creates a feeling of abundance because, as the saying goes, money attracts money.

Feng shui is not a magic potion for money

It is critical to understand that consulting a feng shui master or designing your space according to feng shui principles is not going to shower money in your life. All feng shui does is align your space with the positive vibrations of the five essential elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal. This, in turn, creates an atmosphere of positivity that is able to support your efforts and, perhaps, lead to multiple blessings in your life. Feng shui simply purifies the environment of your home or office and helps to generate constructive ideas for a life filled with good health, harmony, and wealth.

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A child’s room should be internally and externally aligned so that it is always filled with a healthy ambiance. Inculcating Feng shui to set up your child’s room helps to promote sound sleep and increase their overall health. As parents, you have to initiate measures to ensure positive Feng shui and teach your children how to maintain their rooms so that they can enjoy the benefits of perpetual good energy. Here, I share a few Feng shui fundamentals that can be easily applied to your child’s room.

Have a systematic layout

As per the first fundamental law of Feng shui, your child’s room should be vibrant with no clutter inside or outside. Use boxes, stylish bags and storage devices to keep the room orderly.

A person’s room is a reflection of their mindset; clutter causes lethargy and pessimistic thoughts. Therefore, you should ensure that the bed sheet, pillows, show pieces, books, shoes and other belongings are always in their respective and predetermined places. Remember, a systematic approach brings with it an orderly lifestyle; it encourages positive thinking and a creative mindset. A well-arranged room causes energy to flow. In addition, for practical reasons, if the room is systematically arranged, you save time locating objects, making life hassle-free. Encouraging your children to maintain an organised bedroom helps them to be organised in other aspects of their life.

Cleanliness is of the utmost importance

There should be no dust, waste-paper, cracked glasses, broken toys or food stuff in the room. Disarray generates chaotic energy and tends to make a room claustrophobic. Make it a point to keep the room dust-free, as dust creates sluggish energy. Rearrange things, wipe the floor, clean the bed, study table, chairs and other items to get energy free-flowing. If you can, create free space around the bed, chair, study-table and corner lamps to allow the energy to move around the room.

Face the north for a good career

As per Feng shui fundamentals, the north is the direction to enable good career prospects. Therefore, if possible, place your child’s study-table in such a way that he faces the north while studying. Facing north while making career decisions or when planning for the future increases the likelihood of making better career choices. At the same time, you should ensure that no ‘fire elements’ like red bulbs, candle-stands, gadgets and magazines are placed to the north of your child’s room or even in the north of other areas of your house, since this impedes career prospects.

Feng shui for the bed

Your child’s bed should be aligned so that his head points towards the west. If that is not possible, then the east is the second best option. There should be no open cabinets or cupboards in the room. Every storage unit should be shut and things should be properly placed in their storage space. The bed sheet should be in soothing colours like pink, purple, light orange, light blue and preferably with nursery prints. Avoid bed-sheets with prints like snakes and ladders, ludo and other games, jungle prints, horrifying designs and shades like black and dark brown. As children grow up, their choices will change too, but encourage them to use bed linen that has calming prints as this promotes good Feng shui and has a relaxing effect.

Promote proper air circulation

Fresh air in the room rejuvenates the life energy, called Yang-Chi in Feng shui. Opening all the doors and windows of the room is very good for circulating affirmative vibrations. If your apartment has a balcony, use it to place plants with aesthetically pleasing seasonal or perennial flowers. The blossoming flowers help to enliven your child’s frame of mind.

To reduce mustiness in the room and to enable your child to be mentally alert, use rose, lavender, sandalwood, jasmine, lemongrass or eucalyptus scented fresheners, because they boost mood and memory.

Outside the room

Besides the room, the passage should also be free from clutter. There should be no obstacles in the way from the room to the lobby. There should be pleasing sceneries on the walls, preferably those of smiling children, playgrounds, or eminent personalities. Having pictures of famous personalities near the entrance and on the adjoining walls always bodes well and they become role models for the child to emulate. Avoid the use of pictures that could have negative connotations, like wild animals, war scenes, weeping faces and abstract paintings in this area.

Colours play a significant role

Paint you child’s room in vibrant colours and as per his choice. If you notice that your child prefers very dull colours and is more inclined towards black, gently guide him to choose bright colours. Off-white brings calmness, blue increases career prospects, purple balances energy and green encourages positive thinking. Red, maroon and orange may make him excessively hot-tempered; so if he is very keen on any of these colours, use it only on the wall in the south direction. If you want to use colours to balance the entire room with positive Feng shui, then use red on the southern wall, green on the east, blue on the north and light grey or golden or silver on the western wall. The northern wall of the room should not be painted with red colour, as this increases the fire element.

Study table

A properly placed and organised study table boosts your child’s academic progress. As mentioned previously, the study table should be clutter-free. There shouldn’t be any broken pens, unsharpened pencils, unusable books, old magazines, used rough-papers, garments, utensils and unhealthy literature on the study table. If they are there, get rid of them and clean the table.

Once the table is clean, place books that are currently in use upon the table and inside the drawers. Keeping heaps of old literature, toys, pictures and video games tends to hinder the free flow of positive Feng shui in and around the study area, while a dormant space may bring stagnation in your child’s life. Placing a symbol of the ‘Education tower’ or a miniature crystal globe on the study table helps to increase your child’s focus and fills the room with calming vibrations.

At the outset, it is you as a parent who will have to kick-start the process of boosting Feng shui in your child’s room. But once he sees the effects that a positive environment brings, he will enjoy maintaining it himself.

This was first published in the December 2014 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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Remove clutter from your bedroom

Your bedroom should be a calm place where you can unwind. Clutter congests the energy of the area and a messy bedroom does not help to create a romantic atmosphere. If you want to get married or attract the right partner, prepare by getting rid of unnecessary items in your bedroom. At a symbolic level, this is indicative of you making space in your life for your partner. If you are already married, you and your partner should make sure that the space that you exclusively share [the bedroom] is neat and organised. This ensures order in your relationship as well.

Bed feng shui

Ensure that there is equal space between the bed and the walls on both sides of the bed. This allows the chi to circulate in the area. Avoid placing the bed in the corner of the room adjoining the walls. Beds with storage drawers underneath them are bad feng shui as they do not allow the chi to flow. Avoid having a single night stand; have two night stands and place them on either side of the bed as this helps to ground and balance the energy.

Colours of love

Pink is the colour of romance in feng shui. However that doesn’t mean that you need to drown your home in shades of pink. While painting the walls with pink does increase the love energy, if it’s not your colour, you can use it in lesser amounts like for accent pieces, carpets or cushions. Yellow, purple, red and white will also work to boost the chi of the place.

Avoid dark-coloured furniture and linen in the bedroom. Excess black, brown and other dull shades bring negativity to the room, hence they should be avoided.

Light the spark

A well-lit room exudes positive energy. Create ample lighting with a mix of yellow and white light. Light is the physical manifestation of the sun and its energy, so you need to maintain a balance with the lighting in your home. A room that is too dark can be depressing, but avoid having excessively lit bedroom as too much brightness will impede your relaxation.

Love stone

A rose quartz is a pink-coloured natural stone [also called the love stone] and is thought to augment the effects of love energy. It is used in feng shui to find and keep a partner. The energy of a rose quartz is said to heal one’s heart from pain.

Hang them near the windows, on the night stand or on the entrance door of the bedroom. To keep your relationship strong, use a glass bowl with two rose quartz balls touching each other.

Wearing a pendant, a ring or a bracelet made with rose quartz will make your partner more desirable to you and vice versa.

Flowers

In feng shui it is not the rose that is the symbol of romance, but the peony. It is used to keep infidelity away. To keep your marriage strong, place a picture of peonies on the wall just in front of your bed. Red flowers also revitalise your love energy.

Symbols of romance

To heighten your love chi, use a pair of Mandarin Ducks. These must be kept facing in the same direction and preferably near the head of the bed. Mandarin ducks mate for life, so they are used in feng shui to depict commitment.

Besides Mandarin ducks, showpieces of birds like swans, turtle-doves, love birds or eagles can be used since they too mate for life. Always keep these showpieces in pairs as this is symbolic of your devotion to you partner.

The endless knot is another feng shui cure that can be used near the bed. In Buddhism, the endless knot is one of the eight auspicious objects. This symbol implies there is no beginning and no end and it represents the harmonious flow of energy with no setbacks, misfortunes and accidents.

Heart shaped pillows, showpieces and flower vases are good for the flow of chi when used in the bedroom and surroundings.

Artwork

Decorate the bedroom, lobby and drawing room with photographs or paintings of dancers, musicians or couples. Avoid pictures of single people, desolate landscapes or any artwork that is melancholic.

The phoenix is the Chinese symbol of celebration; wearing an ornament with a phoenix or putting up a small painting of a phoenix increases chi. But if you use this type of painting, it should be red-oriented and hung on the southern wall.

Gifts

Never exchange gifts like scissors, blades, knives, tonics, kerchiefs or tragic novels as these are symbolic of negative energy.

Subtle feng shui

Attending marriage ceremonies, functions and festivals also increases love energy since they all symbolise happiness. The energy of these events then spreads into our lives.

One of the best feng shui cures to activate your love energy is the ‘Visualising Exercise’. In this exercise, visualise what you desire as if it is taking place genuinely. People may call it day-dreaming, but concentrating on a particular desire may also activate luck in that area of your life and often yields the desired results.

This was first published in the November 2014 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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In feng shui, there are many ways to gain love in your life. One of the most dynamic feng shui systems is the Flying Star feng shui. In this system, when certain stars are activated or used, they help in bringing romance to your life.

There are two kinds of romance stars in flying star feng shui— #1 white star and #4 green star. In my experience, I have found that the #1 white star is effective in finding long term love. It is also helpful in improving the sex life of couples as well as reigniting the spark in a marriage that’s dying; especially if the man is the non-performing member. The #4 green star is effective for short term romances or flings. The drawback of this star is that it could attract the wrong kind of romance and you could be involved in a scandalous affair. This star, if handled appropriately, can improve the sex life of couples; especially if the female is the non-performing member.

How to use these stars

In the year of the snake, i.e. from 4th February 2013 to 4th February 2014, the annual #1 white star is located in the north and the #4 green star is visiting southeast.

The first step before activating the stars for you, would be to check for sha qis in your area. Sha qis are negative energies in the environment such as electric post, a T-junction, sharp edges of a roof and stagnant water, to name a few.

If the north side of your house has any of these negative feng shui features, then avoid activating this room. If the southeast has any of the negative feng shui features also avoid activating the room as it will increase the chances of having a scandalous romance.

Activating the romance stars

The best way to activate any star is to use the room regularly. If possible, in the year 2013, use the north or the southeast room of your house as your bedroom.

If due to space constraints you are unable to do so, then there are other ways to activate the star, however, the rules are different for couples in a committed relationship and for those who are single.

For couples

For those in a steady, long term relationship, it is essential that your bedroom and your bed position is located in your home’s romance location and your auspicious romance direction, otherwise you are bound to have problems in your marital life.

Besides following auspicious directions and locations, you could place a medium sized glass bowl of water with a few petals, preferably red or pink, in the north or southeast room. You will have to change the water whenever the petals rot or the water becomes dirty. Dirty water generally indicates a problematic love life.

For singles

If you are looking for love, you will need to put active water in the north area or room of your house. Active water could mean a fountain, an artificial water fall or any form of bubbling water. Place a small fountain in the north side or north room of your house. When you find the suitable person, you have to stop the fountain and place a medium sized glass bowl filled with water and a few flower petals [preferably red or pink]. You will have to change the water whenever dry or dirty.

It is essential to stop running the fountain once you find someone suitable, otherwise, you will keep on attracting other suitors which could create problems for you later on.

Using your home’s romance location

Every house has a romance location, the good news is that this year the romance location is effective. To know your house’s romance location [room] you have to know which direction your house or your apartment is facing. The house facing direction is generally the direction where the main road is located. For e.g. if you stand inside your house looking out and your main road is in the north [337.5 to 22.5 degrees] then you have a north facing house.

Below is a list of the romance locations for all the eight facing directions.

Ideally you should use this room as your bedroom. In case this is not possible, make sure you use the room frequently. If due to space constraints you are unable to use the room, then try to use your personal romance direction [refer table to the right].

A note for southeast facing houses—avoid using the southwest room as your bedroom, the 2013 annual stars in the southwest are inauspicious and you could suffer from ill health and obstacles.

Your personal romance direction

Every person is born with a personal romance direction. The personal romance direction differs from person to person. Unlike your house romance location which is confined to a specific room in your house. You can use your personal romance direction regularly—while sleeping, working, eating.

Quick steps to know your personal romance direction

To use your personal direction to your advantage, calculate your gua number first. Firstly note that the Chinese year begins on 4th/5th February on any given year. So, if you are born in January 1961, your year of birth will be taken as 1960. Then simply, add the last two digits of your birth year [reduce to a single digit] then subtract this sum from 10 if you’re a male [further reduce to a single digit] or add 5 if you’re a female [further reduce to a single digit], the final sum is your gua number.

Check the table given above to know your personal romance direction. E.g. if you are gua 4 your personal romance direction is east.

Once you know your personal romance direction, use it regularly to invite or maintain a happy relationship in your life. For e.g. if you are gua 1 you can use the south direction while sleeping [when you lie down on your bed, your head should be towards the south direction and your feet towards the north]; and working [when you sit down on your table you should face the south direction].

This was first published in the February 2013 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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Some of the commonest problems that I’m counselled for are employee retention; operational issues; PR [recognition] issues and office politics. A bazi [Chinese astrology] analysis could reveal the employees tenure with the firm. As a corporation this helps in saving time and resources being invested in the wrong person. As an employee you have the advantage of knowing whether the new job will be good for you and how long you will stay there.

Besides checking your or your employee’s bazi there are few basic feng shui tips that I have put forth here that could bring a better work culture and office environment.

External feng shui

Take a walk around your office property and make a note of all the locations where you see features like buildings, bridges, lamp posts, transformers, lakes, dead trees, barren building and pylons. A negative external feng shui feature [sha qi] will exert its influence on the whole building and certain people and it will be worse during certain months and years.

If there is a T-junction, V-junction or a dead-end directly opposite the main door and if it has heavy traffic then that is bad energy. A lamp/telephone post is considered bad if it is within your property and directly opposite the main door; a pylon—the location and proximity to your property makes it a source of negative energy. The location of the sha qi determines the issues you could be facing in your office or business. To know your gua number check the tables on the next page.

A sha qi in the north could affect the output of your marketing and exports department. It reduces the ability of a gua number 1 person to succeed and progress. A sha qi in the northeast will affect the administrative department. It will affect the performance of gua number 8 person. In the east; a sha qi will negatively affect the career progress of gua number 3 and the operations department.

A sha qi in the southeast will negatively affect gua number 4 and the research and development department. A sha qi, in the south, will hamper the organisation’s public image and good will. Gua number 9 will be negatively affected by it. A sha qi in the southwest will have a negative effect on the organisation’s assets and earnings. Gua number 2 may face obstacles in their career path. In the west a sha qi it will negatively impact your public relations and communication department. It could create problems for gua number 7. A sha qi in the northwest will affect the leadership [CEOs, senior management] of an organisation. Gua number 6 will not be able to perform well.

Don’t get scared or rush to move out if there is an external sha qi in your property. First check the proximity, if it’s far away it has little or no effect. You only have a problem if it is right next to your building. Here too, the location plays a big role. For e.g. a lamp post or a transformer is considered a fire element; therefore if it is located in northeast or southwest both are earth elements [fire produces earth].

According to the theory of wu xing [five elements interaction] the negative effect it exerts is reduced. Similarly a T-junction in a favourable star according to any san he or san yuan method; will bring in money and fame faster.

Internal feng shui

In office or business feng shui the most important factors are your main door; the location of your business in the whole building; your office and your desk.

Your business main door

This is the mouth of your business, your main door determines whether your business will generate money or not. Your main door should open into a wide open space, it should not be in a crammed up corner. Remember your main door is responsible for bringing in wealth; you don’t want wealth to be crammed up in a dark corner do you? The main door of your office or business should be well lit and shouldn’t have any sha qi directly opposite it. A sha qi directly opposite the main door will create obstacles, hindrances and obstruction to wealth.

Your main door shouldn’t be directly opposite a door or a window. This means the qi is not retained; your business could always be facing financial crunch as money is not being retained. If such is the case then close the other door or window. The area next to your door should be clean and spacious. There are many feng shui systems applied to get the perfect location and direction for the main door. In feng shui the location comes first and direction second.

Here are some tips on how you can use your personal direction for your main door; selecting the location of your door is an intricate system. Check the box on the previous page to know your favourable directions. Your main door should be facing one of these directions. By facing I mean when you stand inside looking out. For instance if you are gua number 9, your office main door should face east; southeast, north or south.

Your office and desk

This is where you spend maximum time in your office. To begin assessing the place, firstly sit on your chair and look up. Do you see an exposed ceiling beam
right above you? If yes, then you have to move your desk. The beam could be the reason you feel pressurised at work.

Is your office well lit or is it dark and dingy? A dark and dingy room is too yin and could make you lethargic and pessimistic. Adequate lighting is necessary to work smoothly.

Feng shui is about balance—extreme bright lighting means too much yang energy which could in turn make you a hyper person.

Look outside your office windows. Is it a beautiful view like a park or a lake? Or do you see a transformer or a pylon? In the latter case simply close your windows and put up some shades.

Placing your desk

Your desk should not be directly in line with your office door. If this is the case then move the desk. It is preferable to have a solid wall behind you when you sit on your desk. You should face one of your favourable directions while working.

E.g. If you are gua number 1 and are the decision maker in your firm then use the auspicious direction 1 given in the box i.e. southeast. However, the auspicious direction 1 is extreme yang energy and people using this could find themselves feeling restless. If you feel the same, then use the second auspicious direction.

Managing the external and internal qi at the workplace should help you with the keys to even more professional success and material prosperity.

This was first published in the December 2012 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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This is the underlying principle of the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui. “This ancient art of placement helps you arrange your home, office, indoor, and outdoor environments so that your life is harmonious and your dreams are realised to their fullest,” write Jayme Barrett, Mary Steenburgen and Jonn Coolidge in Feng Shui Your Life. Colours, lighting, arrangement…all matter.

Colours count

Feng Shui believes that colours influence the energy of a living space, and hence your state of mind, in a powerful way. For instance, if you live in a grey room, your mood probably matches the colour.

Feng Shui believes that everything in this world has yin [female] and yang [male] polarities.

Colours too are divided into yin and yang groups. Yin colours soothe and yang colours excite. Pink, green, blue, grey and black are yin colours. Red, purple, yellow, white and gold/orange are yang colours.

Feng Shui recommends

• Colour your bedroom pink to keep the romance alive. However, since pink is a yin colour, place objects of yang colour in the room.
• Don’t colour your bedroom or kitchen red; it leads to soaring tempers and conflicts in the family.
• Colour your kitchen white, beige or in earth colours to lose weight; yellow to promote amiable feelings; green to improve digestion.
• Use red and orange colours to stimulate and excite you.
• Use blue, green and lavender to calm you. Green and blue in particular are health-enhancing.
• Use red, purple and gold to attract good luck and prosperity.

Lighting is important

Feng Shui believes that light dispels the darkness of confusion and despair from your life, helping you see things clearly. A home as per Feng Shui should have no dimly lit areas.

Feng Shui recommends

• Install a time-activated lamp at your door, which comes on the minute you open the door. A home should be bright and well-lit when you come home. Entering a dark place makes you uneasy.
• Install lights in all the dark areas of your home.
• Use strategically-placed mirrors to dispel more light.
• Use window dressings of light colour and fabric to allow light to pass.

Placement pattern

Feng Shui believes wrong placement of objects obstructs the flow of good energy resulting in problems in almost all areas of life.

Feng Shui recommends

• Use minimum furniture.
• Keep doorways free of furniture. Doorways are gateways for opportunities, blocking them means blocking opportunities in your life.
• Place main pieces of furniture [like beds, cupboards and desks] facing the door and to one side of the room. This is the command position and it improves your prospects.
• Avoid placing chairs with their backs to the door.
• Ensure that the head of your bed is away from a window to avoid your personal energy from escaping.
• Place the kitchen stove in such a way that when you face it, your back shouldn’t face the kitchen door.
• Create conversation islands in your living room to help good energy circulate.

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Vaastu as practiced in China, Japan, Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia and many other Asian countries is known as Feng-Shui; the art of balancing energies through interior decoration. This wonderful science is gradually spreading to various parts of the globe including Europe, Canada, US, Australia and even Gulf countries.

Vaastu, in Sanskrit, means dwelling of humans and gods. Since the whole universe consists of five elements namely earth, water, fire, air and space, the tenants of Vaastu try to create balance between them.

All the guidelines of Vaastu/Feng-Shui and Pyramid Power are scientific, practical and supported by universal facts. The magnetic energy of the earth and solar energy are best tapped by adopting the basics of these sciences. Since sun is the major cosmic entity and we live on earth; which nourishes all beings like a mother, they are the treasure of all comforts and pleasure. The subtle energy in natural and built environment affect human beings have also been verified. Thus there is a great need for the architects and Vaastu experts to co-ordinate; since an architect can build an aesthetically posh house but can’t assure happy life to people living in that house, which Vaastu-science may be able to offer.

Kitchen: cooking with energy

Kitchen is the most important room in a house since it affects the health of the entire family.

According to Vaastu, the best place for a kitchen is the South-East corner, as South-East is supposed to be the place of fire God. From the practical and scientific point-of-view as well, it is considered to be the proper place for a kitchen as beneficial infra-red rays come from east and ultraviolet rays, which are harmful for germs like bacteria, virus etc., come from south. The other option especially for west or north facing houses recommended by Vaastu is the North-West area, being the air zone which is vital for burning activity. The other acceptable directions can be East and South Zone to prevent the smoke and cooking fumes from flowing into the living/working area and affecting the health of the inmates.

Direction for cooking

For good taste, as also for proper health of the family especially ladies, the cooking hobs should be ideally positioned in such a way that one is facing east while preparing food. In case of a kitchen placed in North-West corner of the house, one can also face west while cooking. Cooking while facing Northeast/North can result into heavy expenditure, difference of opinion, and mental unrest. In many situations cervical problems, pain in the shoulders have been cured simply by avoiding cooking facing South/Southwest. Another important advice to ensure good health especially to reduce backaches and pain in the legs is to avoid a door at the back while cooking or fix a convex mirror in front to reflect the door area.

Five elements in kitchen

The sink should be placed in the Northeast [water element] or North or East, the gas stove and other electric appliances are to be placed in the Southeast [fire element] or Northwest [Air zone].

Heavy and full height cabinets are to be built in the Southwest zone [earth element]. The Centre [space element], North and East of the kitchen should be kept open. The fridge and the storage cupboards are best arranged along the southern and western walls.

Colours

The best colours recommended in Vaastu for the kitchen are all shades of yellow, off-white or cream. Colours like blue and black should be totally avoided. The roof must always be painted white.

Vaastu for the bedroom

According to Vaastu, the bedroom should be as far away from North and East direction as possible. The closer you are to South and West, the more peace and comfort you will find. That is why Southwest or south area is best suited for a master bedroom.

Never place your head towards North while sleeping since like poles repel each other. It should be towards South, as it ensures good health and peaceful sleep [since our head being North pole is attracted by earth’s South pole]. Placing your head in east or west is also beneficial depending on the location of doors, window and toilets. Maximum furniture should be kept on the south and west side of the bedroom.

Preferably, there should not be any reflective surface in the bedroom to ensure harmonious family life and better health. In case, there is no other option but to have a mirror/TV/computer etc, place it in such a way that it does not reflect the bed or cover the mirror with a cloth before going to sleep.

Ideal colours for bedroom walls are off-white, light yellow, light green, or peach. Avoid dark and fluorescent shades.

Bathroom: cleanse and rejuvenate

The bathroom or toilet adjacent to the Southeast corner in the east direction is very useful as the morning sun rays coming from east falls on our body and kills the germs. It can also be constructed in the west or north of Northwest or in the south direction, leaving the Northeast and the Southwest corners. The seat should be preferably placed on North-South axis. Bathroom should not be placed in the Northeast or Southwest zone of the bedroom. The wash basin can be placed in the Northern or Eastern area. The geyser can be placed in the South-eastern, South or East or Northwest zone of the bathroom.

As per Mayamata, an ancient text, the bathroom should be beautiful, free from dirt, hair, and decorated with flowers, plants and fragrant substances. The colours should be light, refreshing such as light blue green, off-white etc. A lot of natural light, air and, ventilation are the basic requirement of this part of the house.

Drawing room/Living room

Keeping in view the utility of the living room, it will be preferable to locate the areas in Mid-east or Mid-west as the kitchen in Northwest or Southeast will be able to serve these rooms comfortably. For North/Northwest facing houses, it can be located in Northwest and Northeast also. For south facing houses, the living room can be located in the Southeast as well. In the living room, doors in the East and North are the first choice. It must not have any door on the Southwest side. Maximum furniture, showcases, heavy articles should be placed in the Southwest, south or west zone. The TV should either be in the Southeast zone or in the south or west. It should not be in the Northeast or Southwest corners. The furniture of the living room should be square or rectangular but not round, triangular, oval shapes or hexagonal. Portraits/statues of cruel animals, weeping and nude children/women, scenes from war should not be displayed as they create disharmony among family members.

Children’s / study room

Vaastu suggests some simple rules to be followed for the prosperity of your child. The placement direction recommended by Vaastu for the children’s room is North-East, North and East. While studying, the child should face east, north or west to get maximum benefit of solar and magnetic energy. It could increase memory, grasping power as well as concentration. Light facing in upward direction like bracket light or wall mounting light is recommended in the study room as it lifts the energy in the evening hours. The bed can be placed in Southwest, south or west corner. The main door/window to this room should not be exactly behind the student otherwise it will disturb concentration and can arouse a feeling of insecurity. If the children are small, keep the interiors bright and colourful.

Balconies

In India, balconies are usually provided at higher floors and are put to use for creating a garden area, sit-out or sometimes simply for drying clothes. As a general rule, the balconies provided in Northeast, North, East, West of Northwest and South of Southeast of the building will bring happiness, stability and good health whereas a structure in Southwest, East of Southeast and North of Northwest should be avoided.

Along with construction, the interior decor of the house, office, shop or factory is equally important. If the setting is done according to principles of Vaastu/Feng-Shui, the thoughts, speech and action are supported by nature and lead to health, wealth and happiness. In other words, it’s safe to say that Vaastu/Feng-Shui can change our destiny for the better.

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