If you’re looking to brighten your home this year but don’t want to renovate or make any drastic enhancements, fengshui might be the answer.
This ancient Chinese traditional practice, also called Chinese geomancy, involves creating a space that’s harmonious with the environment. Meaning literally wind (feng) and water (shui) in Mandarin, the art often uses tools such as almanacs and complex compasses to determine the placement and arrangement of buildings and objects.
We asked Master Mark Tan, CEO of Way Fengshui Group, and Master Alvin Sai, Singapore’s Leading Metaphysicist and founder of MZ玄 Fengshui Mastery, for their ideas to bring more wealth, joy and positive vibes into your home using fengshui.
Q: Can you suggest some ways to ward off negative energy in our home?
Master Mark: Ensure that your home is free of broken objects, as they contribute negative energy and may even block positive energy from entering into the space. Also, keep your home well-lit and airy to bring positive energy into your life. Avoid clutter, especially at the main door. Keep your home free of unpleasant odours, so remember to clear your trash often, use bins with lids, store regularly worn shoes in closed shoe cabinets, cover the toilet lids and scent the bathrooms.
Master Alvin: You can also try these tips to cleanse your home of negative energy:
- Use white sage to smoke your house. Start on the left side of the main door and walk clockwise while holding the sage. You should end on the right side of the main door. Leave any residual white sage smoke to circulate around the living room, to clear out any negative energy there.
- Burn and smoke agarwood incense in areas where you feel uneasy. Use it the same way you would white sage. Agarwood incense, a medication used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, also calms the mind.
Q: How can we introduce more positive energy into our home?
Master Alvin: Anyone may benefit from these tips:
- Open the windows to let fresh air into the house.
- Don’t block the entrance of your home, as this blocks the flow of qi (energy).
- Keep your place clean and tidy.
- Place your bed in a position that taps into positive energies (as advised by a fengshui master).
- Use the right colours (as advised by a fengshui master) to boost prosperous energies.
- Place plants and flowers at the academic or wealth positions of the house to create a cycle of productivity.
Here are more quick tips to refresh your home without doing major renovations.
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Q: Do you have any ideas to create a “wealth corner”?
Master Mark: You can determine the wealth positions in your home, based on your Chinese Zodiac sign:
Rat, Monkey, Dog
Wealth position: Chen bearing, Southeast 120º
Ox, Rabbit, Pig
Wealth position: Wei bearing, Southwest 210º
Tiger, Dragon, Horse
Wealth position: Xu bearing, Northwest 300º
Snake, Goat, Rooster
Wealth position: Chou bearing, Northeast 30º
Consider placing objects that can store money, like a piggy bank, wallet and safety deposit boxes in those positions. Place some money into containers daily to improve your wealth luck.
When creating your wealth corner, it’s also important to ensure that it’s free of clutter, broken items, electronic devices and sharp objects, so as not to disrupt the flow of positive energy in your home. If necessary, try to repair or dispose of any broken items.
Q: What colours are considered lucky to have in our home this year?
Master Mark: In fengshui, colour is often used to adjust a home’s energy and bring harmony to its occupants. In 2023, it’s recommended to use fire, metal and water to achieve balance for the year. Thus, these elements’ corresponding colours – red, orange, white, gold, blue and black – are considered auspicious for the year and can be incorporated into your home’s decoration scheme.
Q: What can we do to make our home more harmonious for our family?
Master Alvin: The living room is where family members gather to communicate and socialise. To make it more harmonious, the lighting should be soft, as harsh and bright light may create impulsiveness and frustration. Also avoid stimulating colours like red and orange, which may irritate family members and create arguments, and dull colours, as they may sap vitality from the family. Use soothing colours instead.
Get more tips on how to design your home to create a sense of wellness.
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Q: How can clutter negatively affect the energy in our home?
Master Mark: Clutter stagnates the natural flow of energy, which increases stress, lowers efficiency levels, and may even lead to depression. Although decluttering is not really considered a fengshui practice, it plays a crucial role in creating the needed space for new positive energy to flow and accumulate in, allowing you to be motivated and make progress in your life.
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