Whatever you’re hoping to accomplish by applying feng shui principles, the beginning place often starts with the entrance to your home. This is the main ‘mouth of chi’ – where the energy flows in.
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The entrance to your home should be welcoming and inviting, to both you and your visitors. It should be easily seen upon driving up to your house. It should be free from obstructions – no overgrown shrubbery or foliage.
When talking about your home’s entrance, it’s more than your front door. It’s the overall opening to your home. Think back to when you first saw your house. Was it easy to see the entrance? How did you feel walking up to the door? How does it feel now?
In feng shui, it’s more than just a pretty front door and manicured lawn. Remember, feng shui is about balancing energy flow. And the entrance is the main opening for energy flow, or chi.
Think of chi as flowing water. Now, think of your entrance. Or, actually go outside your front door, step back and really look – with your feng shui eyes – at how energy or water would flow into your home.
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This is a beautiful home with a lovely front yard. But the entrance sets back, behind the garage, around the shrubs. In this case, you would enhance the entrance with a water feature, as it lies in the Career area where Water is the element.
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In this townhouse, water (chi) has to flow up the stairs. It needs a little oomph (technical term, there) to get the chi into the house. On a positive note, the front door is painted a distinctive color which denotes the entrance.
Here we’d add something to the entrance that attracts & moves chi – fountains, windchimes, decorative objects to draw the energy upward to the entrance.
Now, remember how we said the Bagua is placed according to your front door? So if your front door is on the front left, it’s in Knowledge & Self-Cultivation.
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Although it appears that the entrance is centered, the rooflines are connected, which means the bagua would be placed over all these areas, thus putting the front door on the left, in Knowledge & Self-Cultivation.
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This entrance is in the center front, Career. I know it’s particularly grand, but let’s look at it just from a feng shui perspective. Notice how the ballustrade curves outward – as if ‘inviting’ you into the front door. There are stairs, but they are shallow. The entrance is well-lit, like a beacon guiding you home.
Would I add a Water feature because it’s in the Career area? Not in this instance. Even though the doors are wood, there are abundant windows – water element.
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This front door is on the right – Helpful People. The door is painted red, making it obvious where you enter. Notice the wrought iron fence panel. Normally, this would cut off the flow of chi, but the sidewalk curves directly toward the door. Visually when you look at the front of this house, your eye is immediately drawn to the front door.
These are but a few examples of entrances, I know. And we’ve really only touched on enhancements/adjustments. I’m thinking I’ll approach each area of the bagua for entrances in separate posts. But I’ll need your help.
I’m betting that your entrance is anything like the pictures I’ve chosen. If you’re willing, email me a picture of your entrance and I’ll do a post on it. Take a close up picture as well as a picture from your driveway or the street.
In the meantime, what area does your entrance fall into? Knowledge (on the left side), Career (in the center), or Helpful People (on the right). Or is it divided between two areas. Or, here’s a biggie – does it sit back behind the garage? That’s a whole post, believe me.
Or do you live in an apartment building? With narrow hallways where you can’t put any enhancements on the outside of the door. Ugh. Is it a lost cause? No, don’t worry. We can handle it, I promise.
So put your feng shui eyes on and go outside. If you live on the East Coast and are covered with snow, maybe wait a while. Although I love snow pictures. Let’s get that energy flowing into the house!
Colleen
Interesting post :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Saturday, SITSta!
Very interesting! Here's a link to a photo of our house that I posted on my blog when we painted it:
ReplyDeletehttp://1wonderwomanwannabe.blogspot.com/2009/07/home-exterior-facelift.html
I've read a little tiny bit about Feng Shui and have always had a hard time trying to decipher the bagua - I read that you should position it acoording to the entrance, but also consider what entrance you actually USE - what's your take on that?
We use 2 entrances pretty equally - the front door as you see in the photo is to the left of the house and there is also a door leading into our home from the side of the garage as well that we use just as much...hmmm...
Visiting from SITS! ;)
I love your explanations for everything with the photos. I really think Feng Shui is so interesting and I learned a lot from you. Thanks,
ReplyDeleteMary
I just love your feng shui segments. They are so easy to follow. Thank you for sharing. I'm going to see if my iPhone will capture a good picture of my door from the street.
ReplyDeleteAlways inspiring and always sharing such wonderful ideas. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Regi
Heidi, the Bagua for your house would put your front door in the Helpful People area - right front. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteSo the Career area would be more of your larger picture window.
As far as 2 entrances, as long as you use your front door fairly regularly - that's a good thing. Also, the entrance from the garage should follow the same guidelines - pleasing to the eye (it welcomes you home, remember) - free from obstruction, etc.
Garages are always tricky since they're, well, garages. You might consider some decal wording on the door or even a poster that depicts Helpful People (angels, the Lord, etc) or a Travel destination. Travel is included in this area. Anything that warms your heart.
Thanks so much for linking your pics up. So much easier!
thanks for your feedback and suggestions!
ReplyDelete