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Ms. Feng Shui

Grand and Spiral Staircases in Feng Shui

We’ve all heard that front doors opening directly to stairs are bad for Feng Shui.  In fact, I’ve written about it in a previous post where I described that such designs lead to income problems.

Spiral Staircase - Bad Feng Shui 2

Just as dangerous to a home or office’s Feng Shui is a spiral staircase or even a grand staircase.  I want to get into why they can be so harmful and, of course, give you some remedies.

Feng Shui, translated as “wind-water”, is about harnessing the flow of a natural energy called Chi just as boulders in a riverbed work to temporarily divert the flow of water.

Spiral Staircase Dangers

Spiral Staircase - Bad Feng Shui

When working with home builders, I always recommend against designs with a spiral staircase.  Even though they are an efficient use of sometimes limited space, the benefits simply don’t outweigh the dangers.  Potential buyers conscious of Feng Shui will see a spiral staircase and simply walk out.

Consider a spiral staircase to be like a corkscrew digging into a particular section of the Bagua in the home or office.  Please also keep in mind that each section, or Gua, of the Bagua represents a part of the body.

As an example, a spiral staircase in the middle of a home, or Health Area, will figuratively dig into the heart of the Bagua.  I have found that those living in such a home frequently have health issues related to the heart or blood pressure.

Many spiral staircases are made of metal, which only exacerbates the digging effect.  The same goes for any staircases (spiral or otherwise) with metallic coloring, whether they are gold, silver, bronze, copper, etc.

Any staircase with the color red is morbidly characteristic of blood flowing down the stairs.  Circulatory issues are common with residents of such homes.

Another problem related to most spiral staircases is the empty space between each step, preventing Chi, that natural flowing energy, from rising to the upper levels.  Rather, energy only flows down — and painfully so.

Spiral Staircase Cures

Spiral Staircase - With Feng Shui Cures

What if you have a home that already has a spiral staircase?  Certainly, replacing the staircase isn’t usually financially feasible.

First and foremost, find a creative way to cover the openings between steps.  I suggest using wood because it has the energy of growing up, like a tree.  Feel free to cover it in a fabric, such as carpeting.

Use neutral colors instead of black, red or metallic colors.  It is better to use the colors of plants or trees.

Now, we need to find a way to work against the downward corkscrew energy.  To do this, I recommend the use of lighting and plants.

The lighting should point upward from below, again pushing Chi up the stairs and working against that painfully downward force.

The use of certain plants and trees also move energy upward.  Tall trees based at the bottom of the stairs will do the trick.  Ivy along the railing will further influence the energy to move upward.

Grand Staircase Dangers

Grand Staircase - Bad Feng Shui

Luxury builders often want to utilize grand staircases.  They are beautiful, opulent and, well, grand.  They are also very dangerous to the Feng Shui of a home.

Because of their often circular nature, any energy that flows up the left staircase at the Family Area just goes right back down the right staircase at the Creative Area, completely bypassing half of the second floor’s Bagua.

Thus, grand staircases often prevent Chi from giving life to the upstairs offices and bedrooms representing the Wealth Corner, Fame Area and Relationship Corner.  That’s simply bad for business and bad for the business of love.

The same rules apply here as with other types of stairs — metals and the colors of metals are bad.  Likewise with the bloody effects of red.

When working with builders, I often suggest some very specific modifications to the design to ensure proper energy flow while maintaining the grand effect of the staircase.

Grand Staircase Cures

Grand Staircase - With Feng Shui Cures

Again, what remedies are there to cure a grand staircase that already exists in a home (aside from tearing it out and adding the Helpful People, Career, and Knowledge areas back into the upper floor)?

First, add a red rug at the top of the right staircase.  This works to slow the energy that is attempting to flow back downward.

Second, make sure that you have a large, shiny chandelier above the foyer and another shiny chandelier at the upper floor where the two staircases meet.

To keep with lighting, up-lighting or upward sconce lights along the staircase will help push and keep energy upstairs.

Just as with spiral staircases, you can use tall trees at the bottom and ivy along the edges to help influence Chi upward.  You can even use wood trim designed with the effects of ivy.

Next Steps

Home Bagua Overlay

Generally, it is best to avoid a home with a spiral or grand staircase in terms of Feng Shui.  But, at least there are cures available to improve such designs to minimize their negative effects.

Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to ensure proper Chi flow in your home or office.

If there is something unique about your stairs or layout, such as scissor-stairs, contact me to inquire about a Virtual Feng Shui Consultation because stairs can be a dangerous element.

Considering a new home?  Take a look at the recent new home projects where my Feng Shui consultation services were utilized.

Do you know someone with a spiral staircase? Share it with them on Facebook!

Be sure to register for my email newsletter or like me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with my latest posts.

Ground Blessing Lessons for the Home

Feng Shui Ground Blessing

Bless the Ground Before Breaking It
Last week, I had the opportunity to perform a great Feng Shui Ground Blessing on a new condo development before the home builder broke ground.

The goal of the ceremony was to re-energize the site and provide success during construction and for the community’s future residents.

The ancient Chinese tradition of Feng Shui encourages harmony and balance by restoring positive energy flow, or Chi, along the creative cycle.

Home builders that are conscious of the energy flow of the land where they intend to build are taking the best interests of future residents seriously.

The five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal in their creative cycle.

The five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal in their creative cycle.

Why a Ground Blessing?
Depending on the prior use of a property, lingering energy can be quite destructive, going the opposite direction of the creative cycle depicted here.

In the case of the ground blessing I did last week, the land was previously used in an unsuccessful commercial venture.

While the energy wasn’t particularly negative in this case, it felt stagnant. In fact, it was so stagnant, I felt that the land had no energy at all.

When I began the process of a rice blessing, the rice sounded like rocks dropping to the ground without any bounce.

By the end of the ground blessing, the rice that I tossed sounded like drops of rain splashing into a pond, a sign that energy had been re-introduced into the creative cycle.

Fortunately, the residents and the home builder will benefit from the ground blessing.

Bless the Home While You Feng Shui It
This lesson can be carried over into the space where we already reside, as well.

When a home or office’s energy is stagnant or negative, it can have far-reaching effects on the residents, including the loss of a job, wealth, health, fertility, etc.

Feng Shui Ground Blessing

Like a Feng Shui Ground Blessing for future construction projects, there are also Feng Shui Ground Blessings for homes and offices that already exist.  Perhaps it is time for a remodel or the land simply has poor Chi.

Additionally, there is something called a Feng Shui Space Clearing for individual homes and offices that would take place in the interior of the home.

Renewing the Energy
A ground blessing and/or a space clearing is effectively like pressing the reset button on the energy flow.

Further, when combined with proper placement of items and colors to coincide with the Feng Shui Bagua in your space, a space clearing will get the creative cycle moving again.

In the case of a prior negative event in your space, such as a tragedy (death, flood, fire, etc.) or financial hardship (foreclosure or short-sale, for instance), Feng Shui’ing your space won’t be enough.

A Feng Shui Space Clearing and/or a Feng Shui Ground Blessing will likely be required to get that energy flowing in the right direction again.

Next Steps
Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to ensure proper Chi flow in your home or office.

If things still feel stagnant for you after following my Bagua advice, contact me to inquire about a Feng Shui Ground Blessing / Space Clearing or a Virtual Feng Shui Consultation because you cannot afford to live without healthy Chi flow.

Do you know someone that has had such hardships in their home? Share it on Facebook!

Be sure to register for my email newsletter or like me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with my latest posts.

Feng Shui in Business Logo Design

The art and science of Feng Shui may be thousands of years old. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t apply it to even the most modern of concepts like logo design.

Of course, proper Chi or Feng Shui energy flow in an office is ideal. But, you also need to complement Chi flow with Feng Shui applied to other areas of the business, such as basic marketing concepts.

I am currently working with a company to help them choose a new logo design to represent their business. As such, I have recently paid a lot of attention to how logos represent businesses in terms of Feng Shui.

Navigating Through Water

King Harbor Brewing LogoI just saw one such logo this past weekend at the grand opening of King Harbor Brewing Co. in Redondo Beach, CA.

Much like people, businesses are born with dominant Feng Shui elements (earth, wind, water, fire or wood). In the case of a brewing company, it might not surprise you that the element is water.

Unfortunately, too much of one element can be overwhelming to the owners and employees of a business. By applying Feng Shui to our logos, we look to complement or channel the dominant element for our benefit.

In the case of King Harbor, they rightly decided to navigate through their dominant water element with a sturdy ship with visible anchors.

The Five Elements
The first thing you must do is determine your business’s Feng Shui element. Some of them are rather easy to determine, while others may require the help of an expert. Here are a few examples:

The five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal in their creative cycle.

The five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal in their creative cycle.

  • Wood: Anything devoted to education, clothing or paper
  • Fire: Anything where creativity, athleticism or food is required
  • Metal: Anything centered around money (banks/accounting) or technology
  • Water: Anything regarding beauty or cleanliness
  • Earth: Anything that has to do with construction, agriculture, or moving/building in the earth

Now that we know the primary Feng Shui element of our business, it’s time to move on with design elements.

Logos and other marketing design principles require special attention to color, shape, images, symbols and other elements.

Stimulate With Color
Color is probably one of the most important aspects to choosing a logo. Color can be used to stimulate a variety of human emotions, such as calming, hunger, excitement, etc.

Feng Shui Colors

It is important to choose colors that will create emotions that are congruent with your product or service and/or support your business.

The use of blue would be a more soothing element to use than red, for instance, when choosing colors for a massage therapy business.

Moreover, a garden center may want to use green or brown, as representative of wood and earth, than red. This is because red is the color of fire, which is destructive to wood.

Choose the Right Shapes
Shapes and imagery are just as important as colors in your logo. Various shapes occur naturally in nature and represent the five elements. For example:

Feng Shui Logo Ideas

When talking shapes, a BBQ restaurant would be better-served with a triangular design in their logo representing fire than a wavy design representing water.

Swisher Logo

A square would only muddy the waters in a cleaning business, which is probably why Swisher Hygiene chose an S in the form of flowing water. The use of fiery red around their S may even help with the disinfecting process!

Final Thoughts
One design element that I frequently see in logos that is contrary to Feng Shui is a line or arc running through the graphic or company name.  Just don’t do it.  It splits your business.

Feng Shui Logo Arc

Whenever possible, use imagery that is empowering, healthy and safe.  Whatever colors and design elements you choose, make sure they are harmonious for your business, customers and employees.  Whatever your logo represents will probably be represented in your business.

So, all ahead full, my beer-brewing friends!

Next Steps
Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to learn more about each of the various design points and be creative in using them in your logo.

If you need a little expertise for your business, contact me right now.

Does your business feel stagnant?  Inquire about a Feng Shui Space Clearing or an Office Feng Shui Consultation now because you need your business to be profitable! 

Don’t keep this to yourself.  Share it on Facebook!

Stay tuned for future posts about Feng Shui in business.  Be sure to register for my email newsletter or like me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with my latest posts.

© 2024 Ms. Feng Shui