Feng Shui For Lovers

[Edward Swanson]

Much has been written about how the ancient Chinese art of feng shui
can improve your love life. In fact, "more love" is second only to
"increasing income" as the most popular reason people seek out the
services of a feng shui consultant.
First, let's define what feng shui really is and then outline both the
obvious and non-obvious ways in which it works. Literally translated
as "wind and water," feng shui is actually a natural earth science and
a metaphysical art form. It is a sophisticated set of theories and
practices, which involves making home and workspace feel comfortable,
productive, and life enhancing. The trickle down affect is that people
end up healthier, happier, and more prosperous.
Even the most skeptical individual will admit to being affected by
their environment when circumstances are extreme or noticeably off-
balance. As an example, hardly anyone feels comfortable in a house
that is dark, damp and stuffy. This is the common sense aspect to feng
shui. But there is a lot that distinguishes feng shui from good
interior design and d'cor. It is also about tapping into unseen
geomantic and cosmic forces, which we are influenced by, whether we
are conscious of it or not: like gravity.
1. The visual-common sense approach
In order for a house and its occupants to attract love or expand
existing love, the house itself must be well-cared for. Like a member
of the family with its own personality, the house should be clean, in
good working order, a healthy landscape, and basically have a happy
and inviting look. I believe realtors call this "curb appeal."
The bedroom is the most important room in the house for a number of
reasons, mostly because we spend a third of our lives in that room so
it is bound to affect us more than other areas. If your bedroom looks
like a messy office or a disheveled laundry room, that alone is not
going to be conducive to romantic activity. But some New Age spin-off
versions of feng shui go a little too far in the visual/subliminal
arena, claiming that a single person must display everything in pairs
(two night stands, a picture of two love birds, etc) in order to
attract love. If a single woman wanted to cover her medicine cabinet
with pages from Bride Magazine, that would work in the same way---as a
wishful projection or placebo, but not technically as a feng shui
remedy.
The colors in a room can also affect romantic mood, with pink,
lavender and peach being the well-known lovey-dovey colors in Western
color psychology. In traditional feng shui theory, the color theme of
a room is based partly on what element should be used for that
specific room, unique to that house. As an example, one person could
need a room with cool blue (water) tones, while someone else's bedroom
may actually need to be very "yang" with (fire) red color.
2. Energetic enhancements
Authentic feng shui remedies can be very powerful when working at the
level of energy and by changing the magnetic field of a room. Currents
of energy come from certain directions, all relative to the center
point of a house. As an example, in 2002 the direction of southwest
had energies very conducive to stimulating sexual encounters. This
means that the southwest portion of every house had that potential. In
order to know where any particular direction of your house is, it is
necessary to use an actual compass to determine the orientation of the
house or what direction it is facing. Then, when the floor plan is
divided up, there will be a southwest portion as well as the seven
other basic directions. As an example, if a house faces south, then
the southwest portion will be at the front of the house on the left-
hand side when looking at the house from the street. If a house faces
east, then the southwest portion will be in the back left-hand corner
of the house when looking at it from the street.
The "romance" energy in the southwest for 2002 (which changes every
year), would have been very powerful if that happened to be your
bedroom, an office, or your front door. This is because frequent use
of the space will awaken this otherwise dormant energy. In feng shui
calculations, this energy is associated with the element wood. Wood
can thrive and grow with the addition of water; therefore, placing a
water fountain in the southwest part of your house for 2002 would have
enhanced the "romance" energy and the prospects of meeting someone.
2002 was also the Year of the Horse in Chinese astrology, which is
often practiced in conjunction with feng shui. A Horse Year carries
with it a connotation that it will be a "Peach Blossom" year for many
people. "Peach Blossom" is a Chinese term that implies romance. In
Southern California where I live, it is in the southwest portion of
the country, so as a segment of the U.S. population, we could have
claimed a hefty percentage of marriage proposals that year.
3. One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor
Great care is needed when trying to stimulate romance for different
types of people. What may be appropriate for a single person is not
necessarily what is done for a married couple. Although there is no
"secret feng shui love potion," there are plenty of houses which
indicate that whoever lives there is likely to argue. This could be
troublesome for a couple or an entire family. Some house types can
make the occupants feel lonely, aloof, and nine times out of ten
people end up divorcing after living for a few years in that kind of
house. My job is to suggest feng shui remedies that will reduce the
amount of bickering or feelings of loneliness and as a by-product of
that action alone, couples will feel cozier and more content.
Some house types have personalities that indicate a strong potential
for the occupant to have an exciting love life. This could be great
for single people trying to meet someone. But it could be very
undermining to a couple trying to remain monogamous. People often ask,
"What does a house that is good for romance look like?" Well, it
actually isn't anything you can see with your eyes.
Instead, it is based on when a structure is built, combined with its
actual compass orientation, creating certain energies that are
captured in the house at the time the roof goes on. Those energies
will have an enduring affect on potentially any occupants.
This is why I refer to feng shui as "astrology for architecture."
On a practical level, I always try to work with a client and what they
are capable of doing with their living space. Usually, moving is not
an option. But one of the house types that can easily attract romance
for its occupant is a post-1984 southwest facing or a northeast facing
house from that same time frame. This would also be true for a condo
or apartment.
Feng Shui for Gay Lovers
I have been able to validate that most of the same feng shui
applications for attracting love for a single woman, also work well
for a single gay man. In other words, a remedy that brings a man to a
woman can also bring a man to a man. For a single straight man, there
are a few circumstances that are only applicable to him. What has been
amusing to discover, is that some of the same unseen forces that
simply attract women to men (in a residence), also exist at some of
the business locations I have evaluated including a cosmetic surgeon,
a gynecologist and a few recording studios! Surprised?
On an even more detailed level, feng shui applications can be suited
to the occupant based on their birth date. What might be a "lonely"
sleeping direction for one person, could be a "hot romance" sleeping
direction for another person with a different birth date.
Like love itself, feng shui deals with the laws of attraction and
harnessing energies which transcend the ordinary senses.