If your love life could use a new spark, consider turning to ancient experts. Centuries-old feng shui may be just what’s needed to improve your romance.
For every person who’s convinced feng shui redirects the fates, there’s another who dismisses it as superstitious magic. But even skeptics acknowledge there’s merit to feng shui’s emphasis on harmony between humans and nature. Much feng shui advice is rooted in common sense.
“The quality of physical environment has a lot to do with our health, emotions and feelings,” says feng shui consultant Henry Lin. “Indeed, this is one of [its] basic premises.” In the most practical terms, he adds, a pleasant and healthful physical environment is conducive to better mood and relationship in a couple.
So, try these tips for harnessing the universal forces that will bring abundance and happiness to your love relationship.
Bedroom Mirrors and Bed Positioning
Start by learning the taboos that work against having good energies in the home, says Lillian Too, a Malaysian-based author of 48 books on feng shui, including Easy-to-Use Feng Shui for Love.
Bedroom mirrors are a common source of bad feng shui, says Ms Too. If you can see your reflection from bed, remove, reposition or cover the mirror.
Bed placement is also key. Mr Lin, who’s writings include The Art and Science of Feng Shui advises against sleeping under a ceiling beam, with legs or head pointed directly at the doorway (known as the “coffin” position) or against a wall that’s shared with a toilet (which flushes away luck and wealth).
“The master bedroom should ideally be located at the center of the house,” he advises, at the “center of heavenly Qi energy that enters the home.”
Taboos Outside the Bedroom
Good feng shui starts outside the bedroom. If you want to give you love life a lift, don’t put a pond, aquarium or other water treatment on the left side of the front of your home (as you face the house), says Ms Too. She also warns against placing plants in a room’s southwest corner.
Your front door is especially important, because it’s the entry point for positive Qi energy. “An unwelcoming, dark, small or gloomy front entrance restricts the amount of beneficial Qi coming into the home,” says Richard Webster, author of Feng Shui for Love and Romance. “This constricts all areas of life, including romance,” he explains.
Clutter throughout the home is similarly constricting, says Webster. And neglected maintenance problems “such as a leaking tap or window that won’t shut properly drain energy from the people living in the house.”
Harness Earth Energy
To kindle romance, you want to activate good Qi in the southwest. Use a compass to locate the area, then foster the earth element associated with love and relationships.
Keep your home well lighted, display natural quartz crystals in your living room, and decorate with porcelain or clay objects that “are excellent for creating strong earth Qi,” says Ms Too.
The wood element destroys earth, Ms Too says, so avoid wooden furniture and plants in the southwest and eliminate greens and browns from your decorating palette. Also avoid metals and metallic colors, along with computers, televisions and other metal objects.
Spark a Colourful Fire
One colour to add to your bedroom: red. But only if you can handle more passion. A red wall or drape in the bedroom’s southwest can create “very loud yang energy which fires the Qi in that area,” Ms Too says.
Hang bright red and yellow lampshades in the southwest corner of your home or living room to spark yang energy, or “hang a red lantern with the double happiness symbol, mystic knot in your bedroom,” Ms Too suggests. The mystic knot and double-happiness are associated with endless love and the luck of love and marriage.
Try a bouquet of peonies in the boudoir. The flowers “are said to bring the sparkle back into a marriage,” explains Ms Too.
“A little bit of yellow will also enhance communication,” adds Mrs Webster.
Precious Objects and Scents
Symbols and precious objects are believed to promote and protect love especially in pairs. Spark up the bedroom with two red candles, or use crystals or jade objects to symbolize happiness, says Mr Lin. “Mandarin ducks are a classical symbol of love and lasting relationships,” he notes, “for the Chinese believe that such ducks will never sleep alone.”
And don’t overlook objects that stimulate the senses. “Put some fragrant objects in the room, such as flowers, spray and candles,” Mr Lin recommends, along with “nice paintings on the wall, such as Mandarin ducks or roses.” Select bedding in colors and designs that suggest love and happiness to you, and let light music and love songs fill the air.
