Common Feng Shui Mistakes

If you are someone who is interested in studying the ancient philosophy and practice known as Feng Shui you are likely to find an abundance of informational materials to guide you along the way. The thing to remember is that Feng Shui is about balancing the flows of energy throughout the home or office space, and that a single error can lead to a lot of problems throughout the entire home.

Interestingly enough, there are seven common mistakes made most often by people who are just beginning their Feng Shui work. These tend to include everything from elements in the wrong areas to furnishing being placed improperly. They are:

1. Water – although water is an element that is necessary for all life forms to flourish, it can attract the wrong energies to specific areas of the home. Consider that a home which has the wealth and prosperity areas near a bathroom or kitchen is going to need a lot of support in preventing wealth from flowing away with the water.

On the other hand, the home that keeps a small body of water near the front door is quite likely to attract prosperity. This is usually the reason that many Feng Shui homes have a small mirror placed to one side of the doorway (because they symbolize water).

Of course, positioning that water (or symbols of water) improperly can also reflect success, wealth, or even fidelity back out the door or away from the home. For this reason it is important to assess the flow of energy into the space and understand how that water element or symbol will either inhibit or support the energy.

2. Mirrors – a true practitioner of Feng Shui is going to make a deep and thorough study of mirrors in order to understand their use. These offer an increased amount of water energy and can even substitute for water when necessary, they can redirect and shift the flow of energy, they can expand space in any room to allow Chi to flow properly, they can bring a sense of calm, and even be used as a water “cure” in any area where the fire element is overwhelming the entire room.

There are some spaces into which mirrors should not be placed, including fame and reputation, spaces facing the front door, and anywhere directly facing a bed – these all have to do with how the mirror will absorb or reject the energy and cause an imbalance. Additionally, there are shapes to mirrors as well and these can include the shape of the frame or the actual form that the surface takes – such as convex and concave shapes. These shapes will also affect how the mirrors behave as well.

3. Furnishings – many beginners will go to the trouble of selecting the right colors, fixtures, and objects for a room and then ruin all of their work by simply placing things improperly. For instance, a room in which furnishings are at hard right angles deflects Chi and prevents a natural and beneficial flow from occurring.

Alternately, the sofa or chair positioned with its back to a doorway or beneath an overhead beam will also have negative energies directed at it as well.

4. Bedrooms – one of the most difficult spaces to properly manage with Feng Shui principles is the bedroom. This has to do with the fact that it must deliver beneficial sleep, and also be arranged according to its position within the Feng Shui map of the home. The most common error with the bedroom tends to be the positioning of the bed in direct alignment with a mirror, window, or door. This greatly mismanages energy of the sleeper and can cause great distress.

5. Electronics – most people assume that an ancient practice such as Feng Shui will not have any sort of theories around modern electronics. It actually does have a lot to say about angles, metal, and glass. The most notable error made by those using Feng Shui in the home is to allow the devices to remain a focal point in a room, which converts their energy into items known as “poison arrows” deflecting good Chi entirely out of the space.

6. Clutter – a good example of the Feng Shui home will be one without a lot of “stuff” or overcrowded spaces. This will be due entirely to the need for proper energy flows. The biggest mistake made by beginners, however, is to place all of their remaining clutter in a closet or unused room. These spaces all “count” where energy is concerned, and even well-hidden clutter serves to absorb Chi.

7. Emptiness – some people falsely assume that an empty table, wall, or other surface is the best way to allow energy to flow. That is inaccurate, and emptiness in Feng Shui is often seen as a limitation. For this reason the selection of beneficial accent pieces is necessary.