Summer, the season for beachwear and flip flops, is over. It’s time to refresh your energy and prepare for winter. Did you know that the entrance to your home or business affects your attitude towards life? What you see on your way in can influence how you feel about your private life, and what you see on your way out shapes your attitude toward your 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 you in three-dimensional space. Ask questions! Is there a focal point? Catch the look? Is it uplifting?
The GPS told you that “you have arrived at your destination”. Does the image of your entry confirm this? Are your house numbers legible? In feng shui we like to create the feeling of having arrived. Ideally, we encourage the notion of three front doors, either physically or symbolically. In my house I had two trees that leaned towards each other, thus forming a natural front door. He also had two planters standing guard as sentinels. And I’ve always found it interesting that Islamic architecture adds extra space at the top of an arch to allow room for your aura or spirit, perhaps your higher self, to come in with you.
A driveway area should feel like shelter and shelter with superior protection from the weather. Feng shui also recommends that each of the five elements be represented, and from scientific research, we know that humans feel most fulfilled when all five senses are active. 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 entrances to the home or business.
• Shelter and shelter can be a porch, a loggia or simply a roof or awning over the front door.
• A beautiful doormat invites you to clean up dirt and debris from outside. It is a symbol of cleanliness when entering an interior space.
• A place to sit creates comfort and a feeling of support. This could be a bench or rocking chair with a side table for your coffee or tea.
• In China, a pair of fu dogs or lions may flank the front gate as protectors.
• Here we recommend pots with multicolored flowers to stand guard as sentinels.
• In the 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 can be the sounds of bubbling water, a wind chime, or a pleasant doorbell.
• Scented flowers like jasmine or honeysuckle add olfactory stimulation.
• A flag, windsock, or banner will wave in the breeze and catch the eye.
• Add lights for safety at night, such as solar devices to light your way.
All of our tips aim to create positive qi in your environment. We want to avoid negative qi, that is, the sha. When walking around a property, we try to identify anything that could be threatening or irritating, something blocking your view, something pointing at you, spiky or thorny plants in your path or near your door, dense vegetation that needs to be cleared and trimmed . Qi should feel free and easy as we go down a winding path.
Our connection with nature is deeply satisfying for our well-being and should be considered as the ultimate goal of feng shui.
