2017 feng shui for your home and office

MANILA, Philippines — Our environment, says feng shui expert Princess Lim Fernandez, is influenced by feng shui and it is governing energies that surround us each year.

“It is important to remember to correctly motivate the auspicious star of the year (Red Stars). But before doing so, prioritize guarding against the inauspicious stars of the year (Black Stars). In other words, cure first before enhancing,” explains Fernandez of Yin & Yang Shop of Harmony in New World Hotel.

According to her, it is essential to check the directions of the key areas in your space to determine what will need luck enhancers and what will need cures.

The key areas, she says, are:

• Main entrance door
• Bedroom
• Bedroom door and headboard – where your pillow is
• Kitchen and dining area
• Office location and desk orientation

These key areas, Fernandez says, should be positioned or rearranged to follow the feng shui chart below to enhance one’s luck this Year of the Fire Rooster.

• North (Travel and fame star) – To enhance this year’s luckiest direction, put an aquarium or an arowana fish in this direction, says feng shui master Aldric Dalumpines. Alternatively, he suggests putting a live turtle pet in this direction also as protection from sorcery or bad elements.
• Northeast (Career and academic star) – Allegedly, this directly makes it easy for you to absorb your studies
• Center (Romance star) – Refers to all relationships and interactions. Put real flowers such as carnations and orchids, but not thorny ones like roses, in this direction to enhance one’s relationships.
• East  (Wealth star)
• Southeast (Prosperity star)

To avoid bad luck, stay away from the following locations:

• Northwest (Sickness and backstabbing star) – Dalumpines suggests putting a six-rod metal chime in the master bedroom to quell the bad wind.
• West (Conflict star) – If your door faces the afternoon sun, “cure” it by putting a convex mirror atop the door.
• Southwest (Robbery star) – Dalumpines says this does not only literally mean material robbery, but also a possibility of losing one's love life, business bidding, etc. He suggests “curing” this by putting a blind spot car mirror atop a door as a filter.
• South (Disaster star)

Lucky and unlucky directions for the Year of the Fire Rooster. Philstar.com

If living in a condo, start with the kitchen first, says Fernandez.

Instead of rearranging your bed, you can just change your sleeping position.

In general, Fernandez recommends avoiding renovations in the south, east and west directions of your house or office, especially on the fourth lunar month (May 5 to June 4) and on the seventh (August 7 to September 6).

From May to July, put water in the Southeast near your kitchen, she suggests.

Lucky colors, she clarifies, do not only refer to colors one should wear but also shades you should surround yourself with. Even the colors of your place can add to your energy, she assures.

Here are the year’s lucky colors for each element:

• If you were born in the year of the wood, go for shades of green and wood furniture.
• If your element is metal, go for more brass than wood. Brass also has antibacterial properties, so it could be a good material for door knobs, says Fernandez.
• If your sign has a fire element, use red jewelry like rubies.
• If your sign is water, your lucky colors are pearl, aquamarine and turquoise.

Fernandez asserts that “to make changes in your life, make changes in your home.”