An expert Classical Feng Shui consultant will be able to tell about 75% of what's happening in your life by analyzing your front entrance, bedroom and kitchen. Sounds unbelievable, but it's not. Advanced Classical Feng Shui formulas can forecast the impact these areas will have on occupants of the home. The more people who pass through a doorway, the more active the flow of energy and the more influential the door becomes. While these calculations are tied to the unique energy makeup of you and your home, these general principles can help you ensure that your front door radiates positive energy:
1. Your front door creates a first impression for you and others who enter. A home with a welcoming entrance will put visitors at ease and attract good fortune. The path leading to your doorway should be clear and open so that there are no obstacles blocking the flow of energy into your home. Remove old newspapers, garden hoses, bicycles, overgrown or dead plants and trees. Keeping the path open allows good opportunities to flow into your life. Also clean away any cobwebs. Having an attractive doormat, and planting lush flowers and plants along the walkway and near the front entrance encourages good energy to enter your home and makes your home more inviting.
2. A front door that opens clockwise into the home channels more energy inside. All doors should open fully and easily. Remove anything placed behind a door that doesn't allow it to open completely. Re-consider any self-closing mechanisms - or anything that lets a door open or close automatically: your door should symbolize that you are in control. Are you feeling beset by one obstacle after another? Get out your oil can and eliminate any squeaks, creaks or locks that are hard to open. Repair and spruce up your front door as soon it shows any of these signs of wear and tear.
3. A solid front door is better than a glass door and provides more protection and support. Glass paneling above the door is okay. Your house number or name should be clearly visible. Positioning the individual numbers of your address on an upward slant is auspicious too. The clearer the identification, the better it is for your career, recognition and an active social life.
4. Your front door should be proportionate in size to the home. If it is too large, it can cause financial difficulty and opportunities to be lost. If it is too small, it can create discord within the family. Also, if the front door is made up of two panel sections, then they should be equal in size and color.
5. Your front door should not face churches, cemeteries or funeral homes. These places illicit a tremendous amount of yin energy and can potentially cause depression, illness, fears and the potential for financial loss. You can plant bushes, small trees or add a retaining wall to obstruct the view from these unfortunate sites. However, do not plant a single tree directly in line with your front door since it will block beneficial energy from entering your home.
6. Your front door should not face telephone poles or sharp corners (known as poison arrows) from neighboring rooftops or buildings. The electromagnetic voltage emanating from electrical stations or telephone poles can cause health difficulties. And poison arrows pointing at your front door can cause bad luck, illness amongst children or even problems in career or business. While it is best to avoid such an entrance, you can plant small trees to block the view. A more expensive cure would be to reorient the front door.
7. Your front entrance should not face a narrow gap between two buildings. If so, it can potentially cause your savings to be squandered away. In both authentic Feng Shui and Vaastu, what you see is what you get. So, no "gaps" and neither should your front door face a dumpster or garbage heap -- not even one that is far away. (I know this seems like common sense but just recently I saw a few homes facing this.) By hiding the view, you will minimize the negative effects coming from an adverse site. Plant small bushes or add a small retaining wall to cover up any such sight.
8. Your front door should preferably open into a large bright foyer or a living room. It should feel warm and welcoming. You should not be greeted by a wall when entering your home. On a subconscious level, it is as if you are daily walking into a wall which is blocking you as you try to move forward in life. Place a picture on this wall that has depth and dimension to it. You could place a mirror on a side wall but do not place a mirror directly in front of the main door.
9. In Asian countries, people will take off their shoes just inside the front entrance. Just imagine all the dust, dirt and dead energy our shoes bring into our home. Taking shoes off not only keeps your home purer, it keeps you more grounded to your home's beneficial earth energies. As C. Jung said, "When you walk with naked feet, how can you forget the earth." If you do remove your shoes when entering your home, keep them in a closet rather than blocking the front entrance. Culturally, westerners may not have the same outlook. So it is important then to at least clean and replace your doormat regularly since it also absorbs dirt, dust and stagnant energy.
10. If you enter through your garage door or another side entrance, then that door serves as your main entrance. The first place you come into when entering your home influences your state of mind. It is important than that this area also be clean and organized. Place a welcome sign in the garage or greet yourself with an inspirational photo or saying that makes you smile. Paint the room an attractive color and beautify this space just as you would the formal entrance.
In essence, the experience of entering your home should be like meeting a best friend -- one who is warm, welcoming and ready to support you and put you at ease. By making the adjustments recommended above, your warm, welcoming entrance will help attract good fortune to your home.
(c) 2009 Rupal Mehta Turner
Feng Shui and Vaastu Expert Rupal Mehta Turner publishes "The Prosperity Report," a biweekly ezine that reveals Feng Shui and Vaastu secrets for a thriving business and personal life. If you're ready to improve your finances, health and relationships by using the forces in your environment, get your FR*EE tips now at ClassicalFengshui.com.