Feng Shui experts and practitioners believe that following the principles of this ancient Chinese art can result in a wonderful increase in wealth and prosperity. By the same token, the failure to abide by the guidelines of feng shui could cost us our wealth and prosperity. With that in mind, let’s focus on three quick tips for preventing financial loss and shoring up our finances. The drains in our home not only drain our water, they unfortunately drain the chi out of our environment too – which can take our money with it. To prevent this, hang a live plant above your sink. If a live plant is impossible, try an artificial house plant (not nearly as effective as a live plant, but at least it will help). The next tip is to use the color green in your living room for enhancing prosperity. Green is the color of money in most countries and also represents the Earth. You can paint your walls green, lay down a green rug, use green wall decor or even buy green furniture. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to do overdo it, just as long as there is some green in your living room. The third and last tip is to use paintings or frames with gold-colored paint. In feng shui, gold represents wealth and luxury, so hang paintings with gold color, gold leaf or gold color frames in your living room or office. Square frames stabilize your finances while rectangular frames promote growth. Try one or all of these tips and see if they work for you. In the state of our economy, one of these tips may just prove to be a life saver.

The color pink is often linked to romance and love - and for good reason. Studies by psychologists demonstrate that pink has the reaction of making people feel more sociable and friendly while decreasing violent feelings. In feng shui circles, pink is considered a color that can attract prosperity, good luck and harmony. It is, after all, just a lighter shade of red, the most lucky of all colors for Asian people. To improve relations in your home or attract a mate, try decorating parts of your home with pink decor or even painting the walls pink in some areas of your home. You can make accent walls, with red walls perpendicular to pink walls, giving more depth and dimension to the room. For women, carrying a pink hand fan will help attract men. As well, pink jewelry will also achieve the same response. Pink pearls and rose quartz are very pretty in color and have additional benefits besides attracting the opposite sex.

Yellow or gold is usually not a favorite color for painting a room. But feng shui practitioners know the advantage that using yellow or gold can provide when used in a room. Primarily, it promotes optimism and cheerfulness, as it reminds us of the sun’s warming rays. Second, it inspires warm and positive emotions among members of the household. Yellow and gold are especially good color choices for rooms that do not get adequate sunlight.

For Buddhists, gold is a color of primary importance and many Buddha statues are finished in a gold color. Yellow can also attract wealth and encourage creativity, making it a good color for a study room. Even if you do not want to paint an entire room yellow or gold, you can use accents on the wall in the form of decoration. Yellow and gold decor also add a vibrant feeling to any setting.

Try it out and see if it makes a positive difference in your life.

The entryway of your home is a critical point for your success in feng shui. It is the place where chi (or energy) enters your home and circulates. If it is blocked, the energy that attracts good things to you will be blocked too. It is important that you keep the entryway of your home free of clutter and that the front door easily open. Also, keep your sidewalks, walkways, porches, doors and entryway in good condition. This ensures that you are creating a good impression with all those who enter. If any damage is present, it signifies problems or trouble in other areas of your life. This is what you don’t want. Another good tip is to display a Buddha statue, preferably a laughing Buddha, in or near the entryway of your home. Buddha is a symbol of blessings, good fortune and prosperity. In feng shui circles he is considered to be a very good way to improve conditions in your home or life. Not only will a Buddha statue benefit you, but your neighbors and family will share in good feelings as they walk into your home.

The use of an area rug in your living room can strengthen the bonds among the people in your household. Be certain that all of the chairs and seats touch the rug. This helps to facilitate a connection between everyone who sits in your living room. This can also be done in your dining room. The rug will also serve as an element that ties in all the furniture pieces in your room. A round or oval rug will enhance harmony and unity in your home while a rectangular rug will stimulate growth. Try using a natural fiber rug made from bamboo, wood, or cotton for best effect.

The dining area of our home is where we nourish ourselves and interact with family members and friends. It also has an important effect on our health, as we eat and digest our food there. I will offer several easy ways to improve feng shui in your dining room:

The first is to eat some of your meals with wooden chopsticks, as wood encourages growth and the symbolism of “two” (as in two chopsticks) creates good relations with another person. The second way is to use red in your dining room’s color scheme. You don’t need to make everything red, just have it in a few places. Try a vase with red flowers, a red place mat, use red bowls or plates or just a red decorative piece on a wall.The Chinese consider red to be the luckiest of all colors and believe it promotes prosperity and good fortune. Lastly, you should consider placing a live plant (a bonsai tree is a great choice) somewhere in or near your dining room. The Chinese believe it will attract money into your life and that each time you water it, you reinforce your desire to improve your finances. Try one or all of these three simple tips and let us know how they work for you.

Scent is an important element of feng shui. Good feng shui practitioners always mist the entryways of their homes with a scent that creates feelings of comfort and security. This can be done by placing incense, oils or candles on a table or alter near your front door. Vanilla is a favorite aroma, as it evokes a warm and welcoming feel. During holiday season, such as Christmas, try pine or balsam. In the spring and summer seasons, citrus scents such as lemon or orange are best. By using aromatherapy like this, each time a visitor enters your home, he or she will feel at peace and relations in your home will improve. Consult a good book on aromatherapy for best effect, or go down to your local health food store or mall and try out different scents to see what works best for you.

Feng Shui believes that rooms and hallways should be open and clutter-free. Any obstacle that obstructs you also obstructs chi (energy). If this cannot be avoided, the best solution, especially in a small room, is to hang a picture or painting of a landscape scene with a distant scene. This will help to symbolically broaden your horizons and create a feeling of expansiveness. A landscape scene that contains mountains is said to encourage you to aspire to lofty goals. If you choose to frame your painting, wood is the best choice for encouraging growth and expansion.

Greetings. My name is Chad and I am going to be writing a series of short and easy-to-follow tips for improving the feng shui of your home. Most people have heard the term “feng shui” but don’t know exactly what it means. Feng shui literally means “wind and water” in Chinese. It is an ancient Chinese system of living designed to promote the movement of “chi” (which means energy) for creating and maximizing harmony and balance in our environments. Proper feng shui allows chi to move through one’s home like a flowing river, which in turn attracts happiness, prosperity, and most importantly, health. The tips provided in this upcoming series will be posted periodically for the remainder of 2008. By following these proven tips, even just a few, you should be able to see a noticeable difference in the quality of your life in a matter of weeks.