Feng Shui Tips for a Better Life: Wealth, Family, Career, Love, Creativity, Health

by David Daniel Kennedy

Overview

Correct the imbalances in your life, attract sources of positive energy, and fulfill your deepest desires. With more than 200 simple feng shui techniques for enhancing your office and home, David Daniel Kennedy shows you how to tailor the spaces around you to promote satisfaction and prosperity. You’ll learn how to create arrangements that target specific aspects of your life, such as love, health, creativity, and career. Discover how this ancient Chinese art can help you achieve your goals and bring lasting peace. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580170383
Publisher:	Storey Books
Publication date:	01/08/1998
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	4.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Author David Kennedy is a disciple of Feng Shui Master Professor Lin Yun and the President of the International Institute for Grandmaster Lin Yun Studies. Over 20,000 copies of David's popular Storey book Feng Shui Tips for a Better Life have been sold. David is on the Board of Advisors of Feng Shui Guild in Boulder, Colorado, and resides in Berkeley, California.

Read an Excerpt

Wealth
The wealth area of life is highly important to almost everyone and a prime area for Feng Shui cures. True wealth is the energetic experience of abundance. Wealth enables and strengthens many other areas of life. It allows us to help others, as well as deservedly enjoying the better things in life. The Wealth Gua of the Ba-Gua relates specifically to money, but also refers to prosperity and abundance in all areas of life.
Wealth Gua of the Ba-Gua
Method I: Increase Flowing Water in Your Life
Water is a universal symbol of wealth and prosperity. The image of a rich harvest from the sea or living near a fruitful river has always meant being blessed with wealth of the natural world. Water's meaning is strongly connected to the Chinese culture and the art of Feng Shui. According to Professor Lin Yun's energy theory, water's influence can be divided into two energy states: moving water (flowing, active, and circulating) and still water (contained bodies of water). Both are connected to wealth energy, although in different ways.
Moving Water. In its mobile or active state, water represents the flow of money as well as having connections to many people, all of whom may help you. Therefore, having flowing water in your space helps you have a strongly circulating cash flow and a healthy network of helpful contacts and associates.
Still Water. Stored water, such as ponds, lakes, or swimming pools on your property represents stored, accumulated wealth. If these still bodies of water are clear, they symbolize a clear, calm state of mind and a clean financial picture; if cloudy or turbulent, they create mental turmoil and a less healthy financial picture.
Of the two types of water, moving water is the more powerful prosperity generator, because moving money carries with it the dynamic energy for creating additional wealth. Applying a still water cure to your environment however, such as a swimming pool in the back yard, can also be a powerful wealth cure.
Attract wealth with a fountain in front of your house.
Placing a fountain in front of your home is an excellent way to attract flowing money energy and help conduct it into your home. This fountain can be located anywhere in your front yard or closer to the front door. Since moving water near the main entrance to the home is positive for wealth, this is a particularly good place to locate your exterior fountain, as long as it doesn't block the path into the house. When doing this cure, visualize that wealth is now flowing into your life.
Fountain Notes
When placing an exterior fountain in front of the house, it is important that the flow of water, if not flowing straight up, be toward the front door, not away from the house. The latter direction could cause wealth to leave the household. It is not necessary to keep your fountain running all the time in order for it to be an effective Feng Shui cure. But keep it in good working condition at all times so as not to symbolize a stoppage of money flow to you. If you have an existing fountain in disrepair, fixing it at once would be a priority for your wealth situation.
Generate money with a fountain in the wealth area.
By applying the Ba-Gua (see chapter 1) to your home floor plan, you'll be able to determine the Wealth Guas of your environment, located in the far left corner of your office, house, and bedroom. Since the chi that circulates in your Wealth Guas is a major contributor to your personal wealth situation, placing moving water in one or more of your Wealth Guas is an easy and powerful wealth cure. When you put this cure in place, reinforce it by visualizing that wealth is now flowing to you abundantly.
Although larger is generally better, fountains of any size can be effective, according to your spatial and aesthetic requirements. Fountains can be obtained at nurseries, landscaping outlets, and other stores. You can also easily and inexpensively create your own fountain with a ceramic container, some smooth rocks, and a small aquarium water pump.
Stimulate wealth chi by adding an aquarium.
Aquariums and fishbowls are other prime wealth cures for both home and office environments. You may have noticed the large, beautiful aquariums located in many Chinese restaurants and banks. They're not there by accident: Such strong wealth generators are placed to create powerful wealth chi for the owners of these businesses. Aquariums add wealth energy and the fertility-giving dimension of living fish to the power of moving water, resulting in an abundantly symbolic and effective wealth cure. Prime locations to place an aquarium are: near the entrance or in the entryway, in the Career Gua of the house, and in the Wealth Gua of the house. As always, remember to visualize prosperity and abundance in your life to make this cure more effective.
Add power to your aquariums with auspicious numbers and colors.
Professor Lin's teachings contain further ways to enhance the wealth-creating power of your aquariums using color and number symbology. A powerful number of fish to have is nine, or a multiple of nine (18, 27, etc.). Nine is a very powerful number, representing culmination and completion. The color aspect of your fish can be enhanced by using eight red fish (not orange) and one black one for each set of nine. Red and black are powerful Feng Shui colors; red signifies power, healing and wealth, while black represents money, authority, and wisdom. As you perform this cure, visualize that the energy of the aquarium is enhancing your wealth. As you visualize enhanced wealth, see in detail the ways you will use and enjoy the funds that come your way.
Replace any fish that don't survive as soon as possible, keeping the number to a multiple of nine. Feng Shui lore says that if one of your fish dies, it has absorbed negative chi or bad luck meant for the owner of the aquarium {m} a very good reason to replace them immediately.
Supercharge your aquarium with gold coins.
Sprinkle nine gold coins on the gravel bed of your aquarium, visualizing that your wealth is continuously increasing and is like the ocean itself. Use real or fake gold coins for this cure; the best number of coins to use is a multiple of nine. Twenty-seven is a particularly powerful number, as it contains three sets of nines. When placing these coins, visualize your personal "gold" and wealth building daily.
Increase abundance with an image of "fishermen bringing in full nets."
The ocean is a universal representation of prosperity. Since ancient times, a bountiful harvest from the sea meant that society would experience plenty in the months ahead. A great way to tap into this symbolic energy is to place a photo or painting of fishermen hauling in full nets from the sea near your entrance, or in any Wealth Gua in your home. The appropriate fisherman image for your home may require searching to find, but is well worth the time and energy as you enjoy your increased prosperity. For greatest effect with this cure, visualize enjoying a very abundant life.
Enhance your flow of money with a picture of a waterfall.
Place a large photo or poster of a vigorous waterfall near the entrance of the house. When you hang this picture in place, visualize abundant money pouring continuously and easily into your life, like endlessly flowing water.
Stimulate the motion of prosperity with a fish mobile.
Mobiles bring circulating, flowing energy into your home. To combine the mobile's energy with "fish power," add a fish mobile to your home, either near the entrance (inside or outside) or in the Wealth Gua of your house. Hang your mobile from a red ribbon (cut to a multiple of 9{in} long). When you place this cure, visualize increased prosperity in your life.
Stop wealth outflow by stopping the leaking water.
Water problems can lead to the loss of wealth. Any leaking, dripping, or seeping water in your environment can represent hemorrhaging in your home or business financial picture. The cure to perform is very simple: Stop up all your leaks, while visualizing that your expenditures are now under control and not leaking out in known or unknown ways.
Ideally, this cure includes any and all household leaks: faucets, sinks, pipes, appliances, roof, basement, and outdoor fixtures. Generally the closer the leak is to you, the more impact it it have. (See The Theory of Relative Positioning, page {00})
Business and Leaking Water
This cure bears consideration if your business is experiencing a mysterious "leakage" of funds. Hunt down any leaks ruthlessly and apply all measures necessary to see them fully fixed. A leak near the entrance, in a wealth Gua, or in the center of an office or home can be especially harmful to your wealth.
Method II: Enhance Your Wealth Guas
The Wealth Gua of the Ba-Gua relates to money, but can also refer to prosperity and abundance in all areas of life.
Awaken your wealth with a wind chime.
Place a nice sounding metal wind chime (preferably brass) in the wealth corner of your home. Wind chimes are noted for their activating, generating, and protective qualities. Chimes can also be used to symbolically call forth a message, such as a request for additional funds. The chi in your Wealth Gua can be "awakened" and enlivened by using a wind chime as a cure. Chimes are most effective if hung with a 9{in} red cord or ribbon.
When you hang your wind chime, visualize that "wealth forces," both known and unknown, are now awakening and working on your behalf. You can further activate this cure by ringing your wealth chime at regular intervals or whenever you choose.
Wind Chimes
The best type of chimes for Feng Shui are of good quality, made of metal and have a clear, pleasant sound that you enjoy. The activating power of the sound lends effectiveness to this cure tool. Wood, tile, glass, or ceramic chimes are not as effective for cures. Avoid using broken or dilapidated chimes for cures. For greatest effectiveness, chimes should be hung using a red ribbon or cord, which has been cut to 9{in} in length or a multiple of nine inches. Because wind chimes work as cures even if no wind is reaching them, they can be effective whether placed outside or inside the home or office.
Magnify wealth with a mirror in the bedroom.
The bedroom is another powerful environment for enhancing your wealth energy. Place a mirror in the Wealth Gua of the room to enhance your wealth (from the doorway, wealth is in the back left corner). See money being drawn to you like a magnet through the power of the mirror. Visualize your life bcoming more enjoyable with your newly increased wealth.
Build on your money {m} keep it in a wealth gua.
A great symbolic way to align yourself to greater prosperity is to stash a bank savings book (from an active account) in the Wealth Gua of your home or bedroom tucked inside a red envelope. This cure will be empowered by visualizing the size of the book and the dollar amounts inside it growing steadily.
A variation of this cure is to keep actual gold pieces (nine is a good number) hidden in the Wealth Gua of your choice. As you place this cure, in your mind's eye see your pile of gold building. Another way to do this cure is to use nine brand new $1 bills or even 27 shiny new pennies as "seed money" stored in your wealth corner.
Stabilize your financial condition using stones.
If your money situation is chaotic or ungrounded, depth and peace can be created by putting a heavy object in the wealth corner of your home or yard. Heavy items, such as large stones or statues, added to the Wealth Gua will bring grounding and stabilizing forces into your money situation. A large potted plant can also create a grounding and balancing effect in this location. As you put this cure in place, it is helpful to visualize yourself experiencing greatly increased financial calmness. See a smooth, orderly condition, with plenty of actual income and your bills being paid on time.
Be sure to use a sense of balance when choosing the items for this cure. If your wealth life is in upheaval, it probably won't be highly effective to place a 1{in}-diameter pebble in the money corner. On the other hand, be sure not to put such a huge object in an inside wealth corner that it blocks or stagnates your wealth energy.
Note: When using stones and rocks as wealth cures, those with smooth edges are recommended over those with sharp, jagged edges, which can symbolically "cut" your money.
Mix and Match Cures to Maximize Your Wealth
The wealth corner cures given here can be combined for greater effect. Feel free to perform multiple cures using these ideas, visualizing what you want with each cure you do.
Method III: Protect and Strengthen the Stove and Cook
Feng Shui teaches that health and wealth are intimately connected. Indeed, health is said to be the foundation and springboard for wealth. Your stove is of major importance to your personal wealth scenario. The stove is the specific wealth generator of the home. Its condition, placement, and overall ambience are major contributing factors to the health of everyone in the household. (Note: The Feng Shui stove cures and principles apply to your life whether you cook most meals at home or typically eat out in restaurants.)
Protect and empower the cook with a mirror behind the stove.
An important guideline for wealth creation is to make sure the cook is "protected" while he or she stands at the stove. It is important for your wealth that the cook not be startled while cooking, even in a subtle way. If the cook does become startled, even unconsciously, the chi of the food will be upset, leading to health and wealth problems, unexpected accidents and possible illnesses in the home.
Most stoves, except those on kitchen "islands," are placed so that the cooks will have their backs to the kitchen door, not allowing them to see who is approaching.
A basic and powerful stove cure is to place a mirror on the wall behind your stove. This mirror enables cooks to see easily who is approaching from behind, creating a sense of safety and protection. This feeling translates into more wealth for you on many levels.
Mirror behind stove with optional mirror strip behind the burners.
For maximum results with this cure, visualize your increased wealth and prosperity.
The "mirror behind the stove" concept can also be used to perform a second wealth cure. This cure is done by making sure that the mirror behind the stove extends down far enough to reflect the burners. By reflecting your burners with the mirror, you symbolically double the number of burners, which generates more wealth. This doubling effect is a booster of money energy for the household. Visualize, when you place this mirror, that your wealth is being increased.
If you want to perform the "mirror doubling the burners" cure, but the construction of your stove prevents a mirror on the wall from extending down far enough to see the burners, you can custom cut a small rectangular mirror strip that fits directly above the burners and reflects them. (See above illustration.)
Mirror Notes
It is important that all mirrors used for Feng Shui (and ideally all mirrors in your home) be crystal clear, clean, and distortion-free. Mirrors represent the mind and influence our self-image, reflecting back to us who and what we are. Imperfections in your mirrors can cause problems in these important areas. The larger the mirror the better. Good shapes are octagonal, round, square, and rectangular. Mirrors should also be free of chips, cracks, smokiness, glazing, or etchings. It is recommended to avoid mirror arrangements that have multiple pieces, although a small beveled edge is generally acceptable. When hanging mirrors ensure that they are high enough so they don't "cut off the head" of any (adult) household occupants.
Protect the cook with a chime or crystal.
Another powerful cook protection cure is to hang a wind chime from the ceiling directly over where the cook stands at the stove. This cure helps keep unwelcome energy away from the cooking location and can also cause positive money energy to flow to you.
An alternate technique is to hang a crystal ball over the cook, rather than a chime (see box on page {00}). As you place your crystal, visualize expansiveness, brightness, and protection being added to your wealth picture.
Types of Crystals
The type of crystals for Feng Shui are specifically round (spherical), faceted, prismatic, leaded-glass crystal balls (not plain glass balls or mineral crystals from the earth). The spherical factor is important because they can handle energy coming from any direction. The facets allow the balls to refract light and emit rays, contributing to the light's expansive nature. The crystals come in 10- to 70-mm diameters. Larger crystals are more effective than smaller. Crystals 40 mm or larger are recommended for the cures in this book.
Faceted, leaded-glass crystal
Hanging Your Cures
Cures that are hung, including crystals, chimes, bells, mobiles, and others, are always hung using a red ribbon, string, or cord. The ribbon used is cut to a multiple of 9{in} or 9 cm (9, 18, 27, etc.) in length. This doesn't mean that the chime or crystal ball itself must hang down from the ceiling an exact multiple of 9{in}. You may hang it as far down as is aesthetically appropriate for you; it is the hanging medium itself that is to be cut to a multiple of 9. Extra ribbon can be tied at the top if you wish.
Up your wealth power by using all your stove burners.
If the stove is the home's wealth creating appliance, the burners themselves are its specific money generators. If you use some of your stove burners more heavily than others, your unused burners are "dormant," which can put a damper on your creation of money. Start using all your burners equally to ensure that your stove is providing you with maximum earning power. Visualize that maximum earning power is yours and increased wealth is coming your way.
Increase money energy by keeping the stove clean.
The cleanliness of the stove has a direct connection to your wealth situation. Keeping the stove clean ensures fresh wealth energy in your life. Food and cooking are intimately tied to your health and wealth. A dirty stove stagnates the flow of wealth and makes it harder to make and keep money. An unclean stove can contribute to financial entanglements and assorted money problems.
Move your stove out from the wall and give the entire stove a thorough cleaning from top to bottom, including behind and under the stove. You may be amazed at what you'll find {m} your wealth will improve and your entire house will feel cleaner and more comfortable. Keep the stove cleaner on a regular basis is a powerful Feng Shui practice. As you clean, be sure to visualize that you are now cleaning away any money problems and opening up the energy for more wealth to come to you.
Increase your money power by tuning up your stove.
A stove burner that doesn't work at all is an even greater impediment to your income. It is very important that all parts of your stove be in good working order, including all burners, lights, knobs, and switches. The money cure to perform here is to make your stove repairs as quickly as possible, and visualize smooth, unimpeded wealth being generated from now on.
Eliminate confusion and bad luck by adjusting "door-to-stove" pathways.
If your stove sits in a "pass-through" kitchen, with a pathway between two doors crossing in front of the stove, ill fortune can be close at hand. The pass-through situation strips healthy chi away from the stove and negatively affects many areas of life, including wealth, health, marriage, and family harmony. It is more favorable to have the stove in a more protected, but not cramped, location.
Cures for the "stove in the pathway" condition include placing a crystal, chime or bell in front of each doorway to disperse inflowing chi, hanging a wind chime over the cook's head, or you can use both cures. Use a red ribbon (9{in} or a multiple in length) to hang your cure. Powerfully visualize peace, wealth, and general good fortune as you perform this important cure.
Increase your wealth by removing obstructing hoods and ovens.
A hood or microwave oven at or below the cook's head level or an oven over the stovetop can substantially "compress" the chi around your stove, decreasing the vitality and strength of both the food and your wealth energy. This inauspicious condition can be improved by several methods:

• Place a mirror behind the stove to help expand the stove and compensate for the compressing energy. (See cure on page {00}.)


• Remove the offending unit, replacing it with another, higher fan if needed.


• If removal is not feasible, hang a crystal ball from a red ribbon within the hood where you can see it, but not hanging down too far. This cure can brighten the picture and nullify repressive energy nicely. Visualize when doing these cures that your wealth and income are increasing on a continuous basis.

Attract fresh, lively money chi with healthy plants in your kitchen.
The place for preparing the food should always be lively, vital, and full of energy. Bringing three healthy new plants into your kitchen will bring in fresh chi, which will enhance both your wealth and your health. Plants also symbolically "feed the fire" of the stove, increasing its strength and brightness. When performing this cure, mentally visualize your growing and glowing prosperity.
Promote health by keeping the kitchen bright and light.
An excellent way to brighten the money picture of your life is to increase the lighting level in your kitchen, an important wealth generating room. It is amazing how many kitchens are dark, depressing rooms, with dim or even fluorescent lighting. Food preparation and cooking in such an environment are detrimental to wealth creation and to your health. The solution is clear: Install bright and pleasant lighting in your kitchen.
To remedy this problem, you can either install a brighter main light in the kitchen, or add more lamps on your countertops. These lights do not need to be on every time you're in the kitchen to be effective cures, although they should be in good working order.
Let your ship finally come in with a boat-shaped bowl in your kitchen.
Another easy wealth cure for the kitchen is to add a boat-shaped bowl filled with fruit. Fill your boat with 18 or 27 pieces of tasty looking artificial fruit, or regularly put in fresh real fruit. This arrangement of fruit symbolizes plenty and abundance. Visualize a fruitful harvest of income ahead as you install this cure in your kitchen. See your life improving with your newfound wealth.
Method IV: Use "Money Colors" to Stimulate Wealth
Empower your life with a red front door.
The front door is one of the most important points in your home, for it symbolizes the entrance of energy. If this entrance is auspicious, it bodes well for your wealth and success. The color of your front door has a strong impact on your thoughts, attitudes, and personal energy. It can also contribute to your "luckiness" and overall money situation.
Red is the most auspicious (lucky, wealthy) and powerful all-purpose color in Feng Shui, and is used for a wide variety of cures. Combining these two factors (red and front door) creates a classic wealth cure and overall life improvement method: Paint your front door red, the brighter the better. During and after the painting of the door, visualize strongly that positive events and wealthy opportunities are increasingly coming your way. Also visualize that negative and unlucky monetary events and financial conditions have been reflected far away from you. (See page {00} for more front door cures.)
Decorate your life using wealth colors.
Wealth colors for walls include green, red, blue, and purple. These are powerful colors; use them with common sense and aesthetic judgment. Avoid making a bedroom too dark, which can be depressing. You can paint only one wall of a room a wealth color. Visualize that you are receiving and having more income and wealth when you do this cure.
Wear wealth colors for a prosperous future.
The colors of your wardrobe are another powerful area where you can perform Feng Shui wealth cures. Specific clothing colors you can use for adding wealth to your life are red, purple, green, and blue. Red carries with it wealth, power, luck, and healing energies. Purple is the strongest wealth color, representing royalty, and an "excess" of the luckiness and power of red. Green is a strong wealth color, symbolizing money, new beginnings, growth, and health. Blue stands for royalty, knowledge, and wealth.
When you wear wealth colors, be sure to visualize your goals and desires coming true in detail.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Welcome to Feng Shui

1 Basic Feng Shui Principles

2 Wealth

3 Love and Romance

4 Health and Vitality

5 Business and Career

6 Opportunities

7 Family and Children

8 Reputation and Fame

9 Helpful People and Friends

10 Knowledge and Self-Improvement

11 Special Situations

12 Enhancing Your Cures

Index

Editorial Reviews

A holder-friendly little book, “Feng Shui Dos & Taboos”… shows how we can improve out careers, relationships … and prosperity with feng shui.” Oakland Press

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