Feng Shui Tips and Cures: The following are a number of basic Feng Shui tips and cures. This is just some free advice and the information has been kept simple to enable a novice to read and understand.

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I first came across Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway) back in the early 90's whilst living in London. I lived in a two bedroom end of terrace house and had contacted a Feng Shui practioner to have a look at my home. The charge was £500 and on walking into my home the first words were "too much clutter!" I pointed out that this was not clutter but treasured possessions, of both great centimental and financial value, her response was: "too much clutter!" I thought I've just paid £500 for someone to come in and insult my home. However, I decided to go along with the advice provided, and since then have never looked back. Indeed I went on to study this Chinese Science in some depth, eventually studying the subject to Advanced Level under the tutorage of Dr. Paul Derby - designer for the Big Brother sets on T.V.

I realise that not everyone has been as fortunate by having a consultant visit their home, or indeed been taught by Dr. Paul Derby. So I have decided to provide those interested in the subject with some basic but practical tips on how they can enhance their lives through this ancient art.

A Little Knowledge is Dangerous: Well you have heard the saying, believe it! If you decide to enlist the help of a Feng Shui Practioner, please do check their credentials - I have come accross so many people claiming to be experts within this field and usually after a short discussion they manage to demonstrate to me just how much they don't know. If you are looking for books on the subject I would always recommend Lillian Too, she has written a number of books on the topic and as far as I am concerned is trully one of the great masters on the subject. I visited a person's house who had purchased (an over-priced) three legged toad. This is an object believed to bring money and prosperity into the home. Unfortunately she had been told by the 'experts' in the shop that it should face the front door - which is fine if you want your money to go out the door, but I prefer mine to come inside the home. The three legged toad should always face inwards from the front door carrying a coin in its mouth, you can take the coin out at night, but remember to replace the coin during the day light hours. Needless to say the shop is no longer in operation due to financial difficulties, perhaps they were using their own unique style of Feng Shui.

(The three legged money toad, always have him facing into the house from the front door.)

Dried Flowers and Pot Purri: This is a major NO! Whilst these often beautiful dried flower arrangements can be pleasing to the eye - they are never the less dead! The same goes for Pot Purri. These send out an energy called Shar Chi (Killing Breath) In terms of Feng Shui it would be the equivalent of having a dead animal or person lying in your home, gathering dust. You should get rid of them as quickly as possible and replace them with fresh flowers - if you are unable to do this then artificial flowers, especially silk, are more acceptable - but never dried, or should I say dead flowers!

Clean Tools: If you are using aspects of the Form School such as the three legged toad, etc. Make sure that they are always clean and free from dirt and dust, and that they are epecially placed or facing the correct direction! In addition to this when they have worked, ensure that you give them acknowledgement and appropriate thanks.

Glass Diningroom Tables: Whilst some glass diningroom tables can be attractive ! They are classed as bad fung shui, since guests can see their legs and this will make them want to use them and walk away from your table, in addition they make a jarring noise with cuttlery, which may get on your nerves.

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Bats are good!:

In Feng Shui bats are a good omen. To have one in the home provides protection on many levels as well as encouraging good fortune. Of course idealy the bats should be ornamental, since real bats can be a little messy! A brass bat can be hung any where in the home, it does not need to be in a specific area, although if you do have a problem area then this would be the place to hang one. I personally have one hanging in my Healing Sanctuary, since there are open beams in the ceiling, which we all know is not good Feng Shui, since these push down the enery and inhabitants of the home will be prone to headaches as well as a number of other problems.

Allow the Chi to Flow through your home: Chi is the life force of all things.  This life force also enters your home through your doors and windows, this is usually a good thing, unless it is Shar Chi (Killing Breath), this would come from poison arrows directed at your home. Good facilitors of Chi are crystals that can be hung in windows to catch the light and send rainbow patterns into your rooms. If you can immagine Chi as being like smoke look around your house and rooms, in terms of furniture placement. The Chi should be able to swirl around your house and rooms, with little or no barriers. Chi is also known as the Dragon's Breath. In terms of Feng Shui Dragons are not scary or unlucky creatures, indeed they are one of the celestial animals, along with the Tiger, Turtle and Pheonix. The Dragons' Breath should be encouraged into your home. To ensure that the Dragons' Breath that enters your home is positive Chi, you can have an ornament of a Dragon placed on a window, facing outwards - this provides protection for the house. Remember any ornaments should be of natural materials, such as pottery, wood, or metal. Try to avoid the fake materials such as resins, since these are less effective.

Above a Chinese Dragon

House Protection: Feng Shui is also very useful for House Protection, whether this be from poison arrows creating Shar Chi from other buildings or objects directly facing your front door, or from those negative energies that can sometimes be sent to you from others. If you wish to deter would be burglers, then a cacti plant in the window is very off putting. However, be aware that these plants can also send into the property their own poison arrows, so have them in the window, but behind a curtain so that it cannot be seen from the inside. Other useful deterents is one of the Chinese Gods Kuan Kung; he will protect the home by slicing any negativity ariving at your door (this is from the Form School).

Below is an ornament of Kuan Kung

One of the best protectors is Quan Yin (Kuan Yin), she is the Goddess of Compassion and Mercy, and answers the prayers of women and children - she is the equivalent of the Buddhist Maddona. Quan Yin is also believed to be the Lord Buddha presenting himself in his female form, based on the premise that there is balance in all things, and in all people - feminine and masculine or Yin and Yang. Quan Yin should face the door, since it is believed that any negativity who sees her will automatically be changed into positive energy.

Above is the Goddess Quan Yin or Kuan Yin, she is the Goddess of Compassion and Mercy and is probably equivalent to the Buddhist Maddona. In this picture she is riding the water dragon and in her hand is a bottle of healing essence. I have a statue of her by my front door, as well as an altar to her in my living room, and just for to ensure her blessings I have a large statue of her in my Healing Sanctury. where offerings are made to her on a daily basis.

Another good protection from energies that are left behind after those unwanted guests is to have a bowl of Rock or Sea Salt by the front door, this absorbs the negativity - make sure you change this on a regular basis.

There is another excellent protective deterent, from poison arrows, this is a Bagua Mirror - these should be positioned outside and above the door, again I have seen them indoors - which is another big NO! These are quite potent and should only be kept outside the property! I even advise shops to cover the mirror, whilst they are hanging on display - due to their potency.

Below is a Bagua Mirror - these should always be placed outside above the door

The Dreaded Bathrooms and Toilets: Ever heard the saying "money down the pan" well this is the case in relation to toilets and Feng Shui. Years ago we did not have this problem since our toilets were ususally outside. However, these days most homes have at least one toilet, recently built properties often having a, en-suite, family bathroom, etc. In these cases I would recommend that a five bar, hollow metal wind chime be hung in the bathroom or toilet - it can be hung any where in the room, but the nearer to the pan the better. Another cure can be the introduction of stones or pebbles in the room (you can get scented ones now - better than deaded pot purri), if you have ever watched a flowing river, the water is slowed down by rocks and pebbles, in terms of Feng Shui water represents money, so in practice you are slowing down the money from leaving your home - or going down the toilet! Of course the really important thing in relation to Feng Shui and Toilets or Bathrooms is to keep the seat and the lid of the pan down and the door closed. This seems to be problamatic for some people, especially where there are male partners or children involved. The trick here is to train them to put the lid down - this is easy when you know how. What I tend to do is to wait until they have used the toilet, then immediately go in after. If the lid is up - slam it down as hard as you can, then quietly walk out of the toilet and close the door behind, eventually even the more persistent of offenders will get the message. I also do this when visitors come to my house - I ask them nicely, once, to remember to put the lid and seat down and if they don't I then train them, you will be surprised at how effective this strategy can be!

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Doubling Abundance: An easy way to double your abundance is to have a large mirror in your dining room or dining area. Make sure the mirror reflects everything on the table, so when food is out it will be doubled. At times when people are not eating place a bowl of fruit on the table, ensuring it is reflected in the mirror. If you don't eat fruit, then fresh flowers also does the trick. A word of warning though, never leave bills, or work on the table - since this too will be doubled.

Moving Stagnent or Stale Energy: At least once a week have the stereo on full blast and listen to your favourite music. In addition to this go around your house, paying particular attention to corners and clap your hands, this is also a very effective way of moving stale or stagnent energy. Open the windows whilst doing this, to allow for the staleness to escape and new energised Chi to come in. Other tools that can be used for moving stagnent energy is singing bowls, ting-shaws or Tibetan Bells - seen below. If you choose to use the Tibetan Bells, make sure you hold them in the proper manner!

The Movement of Chi in a home: One of the greatest assets to promote chi within a home is the use of crystals, especially Austrian Crystals that can be hung in the window. As the light hits the crystal it throws out into the room positive Chi, which manifests in the colours of the rainbow.

When Crystals are tied with red cord, this gives them extra energy

Another good way of ensuring that thre is constant movement in the house, therefore stimulating Chi, is to keep animals or pets.  These can be in the way of fish, in my home I have a large bowl with two Golden Fan Tails (to represent money) and one Black Moore, to absorb any negativity. Remember the best place for this tool is in the South East Quarter, as this represents Fortunate Blessings - to most westerners this means money. Fish should be kept in odd numbers; 3 or 9.

To really ensure that the Chi is moving around your home, dogs or/and cats are wonderful creatures. I am lucky to have two little gremlims running around my house, or I should say my two gremlins have me running around after them!  My gremlins are really Oriental Cats, these were kept as temple cats in the Far East long ago.

 This is Rupert, he is an Oriental Havanah, and should come with a warning, since he manages to get into all kinds of trouble, he is not a people cat, so you are trully honoured if he decides to come and sit on you. However, on the other hand he sticks to me like super-glue, even accompanying me to the bathroom!

 This is Tanni, who should also come with a health warning, her hobbies and past times include using a floor rug as a skate board, sliding around the hall and the living room. Other interests are waiting until Rupert and myself have gone to sleep then jumping on top of us, which is always guaranteed to cause Mayhem with Rupert - these antics can go on for hours and usually start around 3.00 am.

The Use of Water Features in the Home: As I may have mentioned before in terms of Feng Shui water represents finances, this is why in may Feng Shui Practioners' homes you may see a variety of water features, or indeed something that represents the water element. Water Features can take the form of indoor fountains, fish tanks, blue or black wavy objects of art, pictures of water such as lakes, lochs, or even the sea.

There is one place that you never use a water feature in your home - the bedroom! This is because the bedroom should be a place of rest and regeneration. Having water features in it may result in sleepness nights and being a little bit dreamy or unrealistic during the day.

The best place for water features is at the entrance to your home, since it will stimulate and bring in possitive Chi. All other rooms can have water features. That being said, they should be placed in the North, North East or indeed the South East sectors of your home. The South East Sector represents Fortunate Blessings - in Western Society this tends to be money or wealth. The North Sector represents career or employment and the North East Sector represents wisdom or learning.

If you opt to have a fish tank ensure that the water is always clean and bright, if the purpose of the fish tank is purely for Feng Shui, then a rounded one is best. Ideally there should be 3 fish (2 gold 1 black), fish are always kept in odd numbers. If you have room for a larger tank then 9 fish are ideal (again ensure that one is black). I don't worry too much if one of my fishes dies - the belief here is that it has absorbed negative energy (Shar Chi), which other wise would have affected you. In these instances always replace the dead fish immediately disposing of it in dignified manner, since this has served you well and is also a sentinent being.

If you are positioning an external water feature, it should be to the left hand side as you look out of your front door (Form School). Avoid have water features at the left and right hand side of your front door since this signifies and will encourage 'Tears!' Also, very important; if the water feature is in the form of a water fall, make sure it flows towards your house. Water represents money, so you would want the money to flow into your house as opposed to away from your house!

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Clearing out that Clutter: I have to be careful here, since I am very guilty of this, it's a case of do as I say and not as I do! The important thing is that you must feel comfortable in your surroundings (that's my get out clause). Remove from your rooms any unnecessary ornamnents and clutter, especially piles of books you are going to get round one day to reading, magazines, newspapers, etc. Go through your wardrobes and any item of clothing you have not worn in the past 12 months, get rid of it - you can pass it on to a friend or charity shop. You will be surprised at just how much clothing you gather, believing that one day it will fit you again or in my case come back into fashion. Of course having done this, the good thing is that there is now more space to go shopping - perhaps not!

Having cleared the clutter from your home you will be surprised at how light you feel, and how much clearer your thoughts are.

Allowing opportunity into your home and your life: This is a really easy one. First if you have a door bell, make sure that it works, if not fix it or replace it. Natural bells are better than buzzers and those delightful door chimes that play out tunes, all the rage in the 1970's! The reason for this is that bells are very good stimulators of Chi, and will move the energy around your house. The next important thing is to make sure your hallway is free from clutter, is bright and welcoming. If at any point a light bulb packs up, replace it immediately, you should try not to have things in your home that do not work (personally I would extend this to partners, but it doesn't say anything about this in Feng Shui). Everything should be in working order, if not why are you hanging on to it? It just creates clutter!

Your front door, ensure that this is always clean and the pathway to your door kept clear of debris or rubbish. That being said it is good to have stone lions at either side of your door, I am fortunate to have Chinese Temple Lions, which are becoming more easily to get a hold of now, failing that the normal stone lions do the trick. The purpose of the lions is two fold, the first being for protection, and the second having heavy objects outside your front door provides for stability within the home.

By the way anyone considering stealing or borrowing my Temple Lions should think twice, if anyone can manage to lift one I would be surprised, anyone who can run with one it would be amazing - however, that's what you would need to do since I would be hot on your trail, possibly weilding a Katana! In all honesty, you do not need to have large stone lions at the door, you can also purchase small ornamental ones that can be place inside by the front door.

Quick Replace those dud light bulbs!

If something does not work, then get it mended, or throw it out - broken things in your home will reflect broken things in your life! (Ladies this includes your partner!)

Never drink from a chipped cup or mug, apart from being very unhygienic, it signifies poverty and lack of abundance - throw out those chipped cups and mugs!

Another thing I have noticed in a number of homes is the over use of sockets - you have triple adaptors plugged into double adaptors - not only is this a fire hazard, but depending upon which area of the house or room, it would signify great strain in that aspect of the person's life - I'd better just go and check my plug sockets!!!!

As soon as a light bulb has blown, replace it. This ensures that possitive Chi remains in your home. Lights are a fantastic cure in most aspects of Feng Shui. If relationships are not going well, or are absent! Then an up-light in the South-West area of your home or main rooms will help. If you want that little bit of passion in your life, a red light or lamp in the South-West corner of your bedroom will do the trick. A word of caution! Make sure the South-West of your Bedroom is not a window, or you may get more than you bargained for, if you know what I mean!!!!!!!

Creating Harmony and Improving Your Love Life: One of the main functions of Feng Shui is to promote harmony, not just with your environment, but with yourself, as well as with others. Most conultations I give are based upon 'Love Life' or the lack there of! For a start I would suggest have alook around your living environment to see what you have. If you have aggressive ornaments, pictures, or even spikey plants I would expect your home to be anything but peaceful, possibly a lot of arguments and disagreements taking place.

In terms of Love Life, within the Compass School, the marriage corner (which also relates to all other relationships, even those with friends), is usually positioned in the South West Sector of the Home and Main Rooms. However, even in the other sectors it is important that things are kept harmonious. A great example of this would be the use of Candle Sticks - often I will go and visit people's homes and nine times out of ten they will have a set of candle sticks, but not together in a pair! Usually one at one end of say a mantlepiece, the other being at the opposite end! This suggests, in terms of Feng Shui, separation. Candle sticks should be kept in pairs, and not split up.  All over my house, with the exception of altars, candle sticks are in pairs. I also have special candle sticks that are only ever used on the Sabbath, again these are kept in pairs, it is to remind me that The Creater 1st created the Sabath, then Sanctified it - or made it Holy, that's why my Sabath Candle Sticks are always in pairs. However, I also like harmony, so as I said most of my other candle sticks are also in pairs - together.

If you are looking to stimulate you Love Life, or Marriage Sector, then I would suggest bright lights, especially uplights in the South West Sector. Other stimulants would include the use of crystals, since this is an earth area. You could also throw caution to the wind and introduce objects representing Fire, since this is a creative part of the cycle, i.e. Fire and Earth go on to create Metal! For a more subtle approach you could use a pair of mandarin ducks, keeping them together. Or if you are adding a fire element, why not a pair of candle sticks, put red candles in them for that little extra bit of passion - of course you should burn them, and not let them gather dust! If at all possible the double happiness symbol is guaranteed to work. Another great object is a silver wish box, inside you write out in red ink your ideal partner. There are endless things that can be done to stimulate this section of the Bagua Map, or Feng Shui Map! Have a go at some of these suggestions and see what happens - however, if you are in an existing relationship leave out the silver box, the rest is fine - it will only spice up your existing relationship. As a Reverend I don't want to encourage extra curricular activities!

Above; a pair of Mandarin Ducks

Feng Shui Magic: In addition to the everyday aspects of Feng Shui, there are also the magical aspects too. At this stage I am prepared to give you one of the spells used in the practice of Feng Shui Magic. This is the practice of 49. If you want something bad enough, put this into writing 49 times, signing each sentence with your auspicious signature. This must be carried out every day for 49 days, at the end of each day burning your piece of paper with your wish upon it - allowing the ashes to be blown into the wind.  By the end of the 49 days or shortly after your wishes will be answered - a word of caution! - be careful for what you wish for!!!!!

Stairs and Feng Shui: In the west a large number of us live in houses that have more than one floor, making it necessary to have a stair-case in the house. In some houses the stairs are placed in the hallway, opposite to the front door. In terms of Feng Shui this would be seen as inauspicious, as the Chi energy entering through the front door would go directly up the stairs. What we want is the Chi energy to flow through all parts of the house.  If you find yourself with this dilema, there are two cures:

0. Move the staircase, or rebuild your house!
0. Hang a five bar hollow wind chime at the bottom of the staircase.

You choose what is easier and cheaper for you!

 Using the Buddha in your home:  Whilst I do not profess to be a Buddhist, I do have a lot of respect for the religion and practice, especially in terms of the Eight Fold Path. As a result my home has an abundance of the Buddha in his many characteristics. I find that they assist in promoting a sense of peace in the environment. A word of advice - I have it on good authority that should you decide to have an image of the Buddha in your home, then avoid placement in the bedroom, especially if you are fortunate to reside with an active partner!! This activity is seen as base and is deemed an affront to the Buddha. Avoid picking up any ornaments or statues by their heads, this is also seen as disrespecful, as is having them placed in or facing a bathroom or kitchen (the only Buddha that can be placed in a kitchen is Quan Yin - the Buddha in his female form). If you buy or are fortunate to be given an image of the Buddha then it is seen as good manners to invite him into your home asking him to grant your home with his blessings. If you have not done this don't worry! Just go to your Buddha and touching his head ask for his forgiveness for your bad manners and then invite him into your home again requesting that he brings many blessings.

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The Healing Spirit

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