With this thread I hope to create an active discussion on the ancient chinese art of feng shui, which is thousand year old interior design. Some principles I've read about so far are staggering and so obvious you'd miss them:

- Place couches at a 90 degree angle because three couches or opposing couches sets up confrontation instead of agreement

- Make sure your front door is clearly defined, possibly with some plants on either side of the entrance so that people can find you easilly and energy can find you easilly. This also alters the message that you project to the outside world, which I believe, alters the way people think of you.

- Books should not be allowed in the bedroom because these are strong opinions, and are known as Feng-shui "noise". This'll stop you getting a good nights sleep. Tonight will be my first night of trying this.

- Fix all leaking taps becase these symbolise money leaking away. drip... drip... drip... Well, the soul, i'm told, communicates in archetypes, imagery, rarely with words. If money had to be anything, it'd be a flow for sure.

- Hang a beautiful scene of harmony in your house to cause it to manifest. This is so simple to me, I use this technique all the time in the form of magick if there is something I want, or some experience I wish to have; I'll paint or draw a picture of it, or print out an image of it and pin it on the wall, and then forget it completely and get on with being happy. This worked for getting a new girlfriend and a couple of dates. The stunnging thing is that she was exactlythe type I printed out a cartoon of. The key though is to make sure you forget completely and don't worry about it, otherwise the intent is ruined and dissipated.

- If you have a large painting of a harmonious landscape, its a blatantly obvious and completely open way of saying "I value peace and harmony" As I said, the soul communicates using archetypes and imagery. That is why if you want to be rich, wear a suit and go to work. If you want to be popular, get some bling and go down the club. If you want to be healthy, buy some gym gear and get down the gym. I realise this is shallow, but it's true.

- Keep your windows clear so that you are not blocking out your opportunities. Windows represent opportunity.

- Always sit facing the doorway of a room, that way you can see opportunity coming. I think also, subconsciously, this would make you feel more secure as you know who and what is coming into the room. maybe this makes you take more chances because you feel more secure?

So, As I continue my journey into feng shui it seems to me, this subject area, like many other areas of knowledge, is flooded with B.S and the really juicy stuff is kept hidden away by those in the know.

Classic example: the 80% of all people, people who think they know feng shui, walk into a room and say "well, this is your journey area, you put water elements here.... " blah blah BS BS... fully ignoring that any water
elements in a bedroom are considered generally bad. Or then they put a pair of dragons on the bedstand, Completely removing the practice of feng shui from its original context and spiritual belief system and placing it in a western environment where those symbols have no meaning. Are you chinese? no. Do you think dragons lucky? no. Are dragons meaningful to you? No. Idiot.

Feng shui is not simple. It's not truely ancient either, Flying star Feng shui - which, I gather, is what most western gurus have studied, is only 150 years old. True, oldskool chinese feng shui however is
over a thousand years old and was originally practiced by a shadowy cabal of graveyard aligning priests who worked only for the emperor, and kept their knowledge utterly secret. w00t!


Additional Tips:

- Computers and excersize equipment must not be placed in the bedroom because the yang energy of work and productivity will counteract the yin energy required for rest and recouperation, which you are trying to establish in the bedroom. (yeah, I know: yin-yang fits perfectly together in harmony, and personally I believe that overall in the world there IS ONLY perfect white light and utter harmony and it IS YOU.... but whatever)

- The bed represents the relationship you are in. If its wobbly and shit, you're not going to feel secure when you sleep and this manifests in your relationship. You want a good strong wooden bed with a space under the floor and a good headboard. don't clutter under it though.

- if your bed is in a corner, then one partner will feel literally 'up against a wall' and the other will enjoy the benefits of freely moving 'qi' or 'chi'. (uh... energy.) For an equal partnership, place your bed in the command position, with your symbolic matching bedside tables, and optional bedside lamps.

- Make sure to hang an image of whatever you want to occur in your life above your bed. If you're a registered pedophile, a nice scene with some cherubim might be a good choice. If you're like everyone else, then you might want to go for a harmonious landscape, possibly featuring some lovers(?) or an image of lovebirds. Avoid images of water since in the bedroom, this will make you poor.

^^ I can see how these work. It makes sense to me.

Im really keen to explore the forefront of where magick and symbolism meets the practice of feng shui and chi energy. Looks very promising. Stay tuned!