Purple is excellent for healing the mind and body, but should be used sparingly in your home. For example, it is not recommended by feng shui experts that an entire room be painted with purple, unless it is being strictly used as a meditation or healing room. This is because purple carries a very strong vibration and can often evoke connections to the spiritual realm and 7th chakra.

It is therefore not well advised to make it a central color throughout your house. There are many better colors to use instead. But as a healing component, few colors can compare. Each color has its own frequency and affects our brains and moods in a certain way. A purple decorative object, such as a painting or wall fan, is absolutely fine on a wall of another color, and can even help stimulate or facilitate a healing response when viewed. Purple is also known as a catalyst for encouraging excitement, passion and motivation, and for that reason, purple decor is a good idea for the bedroom. Try it out and see what purple can do for you.

While many Chinese consider the foo dog or dragon to be the best source for luck and protection, most feng shui experts think the elephant is just as good, if not more effective in fortifying a household. India and Thailand hold the elephant to be almost sacred, and elephant statues and paintings are very prevalent in those countries. Simply by placing an elephant statue or painting near your front door, you may be able to ward off danger and bless your home. Elephants that have an upward pointing trunk are said to represent good luck, prosperity and success. Elephants with a downward pointing trunk and said to symbolize conception and longevity. A good way to solidify faithfulness and love between two people, according to the principles of feng shui, is to place a pair of elephant statues in the bedroom. In an office, an elephant statue placed on a desk, or an elephant painting hung on a wall, is said to bring business and financial achievement. In a study, it is thought to produce academic success. If you are down on your luck, try adding an elephant or two to your life. After all, there must be a reason so many Asian people swear by their elephants!

Lighting is an important component in feng shui, as it regulates the flow of chi or energy in your home and in your body. The bedroom in particular has a stronger influence on chi than any other room, as most of our time is spent there at night when there is no natural light. We therefore must rely mostly on artificial light sources in our bedrooms. In general, feng shui experts believe one should keep lighting soft and indirect in a bedroom to create a relaxed and romantic mood. This is usually the mood most people strive for in their bedrooms anyway.

Lamps with diffused paper shades and low wattage light bulbs work best. And lamps made from natural materials, such as wood and rice paper work very well. Avoid fluorescent bulbs if possible, as they tend to emit a cold blue light and oscillate very quickly, thus disturbing the retina and brain. Full spectrum lighting with a low wattage and colored bulbs are excellent for the bedroom: pink for calming, yellow to feel settled and purple for passion. Try these tips and see what works best for you. Experiment with different lighting until you find something works best. The author prefers an adjustable light, where the brightness can be turned up or down.

If the hallway in the entranceway of your home is narrow, cluttered or dark, chi energy can get stuck resulting in a stagnant feeling. One of the easiest ways to avoid this is to hang wind chimes in your hallway. The wind chime will help to carry chi energy into the rest of your home each time it rings. You can hang one or more wind chimes from your ceiling, or a bracket attached to your wall, just so long as the wind chimes ring each time the door to your home opens. Wind chimes can also be placed in any other door of your home for the same effect. To add a little luck, try hanging a wind chime with a Buddha or the color red.

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.

One of our most popular Thai artists is Kunchai Kuninat, affectionately known as “Q” to art lovers around the world. At just 24, it’s remarkable to report that Q has been creating his subtle masterpieces for nearly seven years. Q was born and raised in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city, known far and wide for having more Buddhist temples (”wats”) than any other place in Thailand. It was and still is a place where all the technical comforts of modern life are available, but also easily escapable, and the life of the “wat” is a constant influence.

In this unique atmosphere, synthisizing the ancient and the modern, Q’s formal artistic apprenticeship and his technical schooling at University were tempered by the wonderfully intricate ancient patterns of his environment, by the temple bells that woke him in time for his classes each morning, and by the safron-clad monks that walked in a timeless peace all around him.

Although he is proficient in many mediums, Q has been creating striking oil paintings for most of his career. His paintings often use Buddha images from many areas, eras and cultures. He loves the traditional Lanna style as seen on temple walls throughout Thailand, but Q also uses elements of modernity and abstraction in his unique paintings to give them a vibrant life in the present.

When asked about his painting, Q is very modest, and at first you might get the impression that he is shy–but this is to misinterpret the Thai way. He just wants to create a mood with his artwork, a feeling that will gently influence the environment around it–a feeling that he hopes will speak for itself. Q explains that the form of the Buddha, the image which he creates on the canvas with his sure lines and subtly blended colors, is only the symbol of the emotion and compassion which he believes are the basis of everyday life. His works are reminders to be quietly aware and mindful. We look at them and may feel pleased, calmed, amused, assured–the gamut of emotions–but what remains after long viewing is a sense of satisfation, the feeling that an answer long sought has been found.

Oriental-Decor.com is proud to make Q’s visionary artwork available to a worldwide audience. You can see dozens of his original paintings in our Buddha Painting category, and commission him to paint a genuine reproduction especially for you.

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.