FENG SHUI TIPS FOR THE BATHROOM
By Stephanie Roberts
The bathroom has a bad reputation in feng shui, and in some ways this
is deserved, as you will discover. But it's not all negative. Comfort,
cleanliness, and convenience are key ingredients to good feng shui,
and
our modern bathrooms provide them all.
One of the challenges posed by the modern bathroom is that there's
no good place for it in the ba gua [the feng shui map of a space], which
long predates indoor plumbing. We can look at the ba gua and see at
a glance
that the Family area would be a good place for the living room, that
a home office is well-placed in the Knowledge, Wealth, or Career sectors,
and that the Marriage corner of the house is a great place for the master
bedroom. But where does the bathroom go?
The bathroom is a little out of place anywhere, although some locations
are more troublesome than others. The thing to keep in mind is that
bathroom plumbing has a draining effect wherever it is located.
Some very difficult bathroom locations are next to or above the front
door and on the second floor directly above the kitchen. These locations
are particularly difficult because:
- A bathroom in the front hall, close to the door, can drain chi away
before it has a chance to circulate through the rest of the house.
- A second-floor bathroom above the front door floods the main entry
to your home with negative energy.
- The water energy in a bathroom above the kitchen will extinguish
the hearth's fire energy, and flood the entire kitchen with negative
energy. This is potentially damaging to both health and prosperity.
The worst location for a bathroom is in the center of your home, where
it will destabilize the energy of the entire home. If you suspect that
the bathrooms in your house are affecting important spaces, there's
no need to panic. Use these simple feng shui remedies to help keep your
health, wealth, and happiness from flowing down the drain:
- Problem: bathroom in an important feng shui area (wealth, fame, marriage,
etc.)
Solutions: a full-length mirror on the outside of the bathroom door
helps deflects chi so it won't be drained away; keep sink and shower
drains closed when not in use; keep the toilet seat/lid down when not
in use.
- Problem: bathroom in the center of the home. Solutions: paint the
walls red, and place a stone, large crystal, or other earth-type object
(such as a heavy ceramic bowl, vase, or statuette) in each corner to
help stabilize the energy; a mirror on the outside of the door is highly
recommended for this bathroom location.
- Problem: bathroom over the front door or over the kitchen. Solutions:
hang a faceted crystal in the center of the room; place a three-inch
round mirror on the ceiling directly above the toilet to visually reverse
the downward flow of water (use double-sided tape to hold the mirror
in place); place earth-type objects in the corners of the room to stabilize
the energy; add an image such as a bird or tree to the downstairs area
below the bathroom to help lift the energy there.
Bathrooms are places for purification and cleansing, so a clean, sanitary
bathroom strengthens and supports this important energy. A dirty bathroom,
on the other hand,
emphasizes the negative qualities of this room. If your bathroom occupies
any of the more challenging locations described above, it is essential
to keep it sparkling clean, tidy, and well-lit.
After implementing the necessary precautions described above, you can
further improve the chi of the bathroom by making it as pleasant a space
as possible. This is where you begin and end the active part of each
day, so the more attractive and inviting you can make it the better.
Most of us live hectic, stressful lives, and are in serious need of
soothing places where we can relax and unwind. A clean, tidy, nicely
appointed bathroom invites you to soak your worries away in a hot bath
with lavender-scented bath salts. Make this pampering
experience even nicer with candlelight, soft music, and a pile of fresh
fluffy towels with which to dry off. All-white bathroom decor can seem
cold and clinical; add warmth with pastel-colored towels and accessories,
colorful scented candles, and attractive artwork.
Excerpted from "The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Feng
Shui" by Stephanie Roberts (Alpha Books, 2004)
© 2004 Stephanie Roberts
.
Stephanie Roberts is the author of the popular Fast
Feng Shui book series, available at Amazon.com. Receive FREE Feng
Shui tips in every issue when you subscribe to the Fast Feng Shui
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