Owning a home is a complicated and very personal affair. Aside from thinking of the construction, interior design and safety of the home – there are homeowners who also consider their fengshui especially during the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Leading real estate property platform for buyers and sellers alike MyProperty.ph recently spoke with Philippine feng shui expert Hanz Cua, who shared some tips to a lucky Year of the Fire Monkey.
Apart from cleaning your home from top to bottom, cleansing it with incense, and displaying the mandatory 12 round fruits to represent 12 lucky months of the year, Cua makes a few suggestions that will bring luck to your home this year.
1. Blue is this year’s lucky color in feng shui, and it’s the color for increasing one’s luck in the wealth department. Because 2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey, the water element won’t be present. This means you need to incorporate the color blue, which represents water, into your home in any way you can, such as painting your walls blue, hanging blue curtains, or using blue pillows. Another way to keep the balance is to set up actual water features in the home, such as an aquarium or a water fountain.
2. Cua recommends putting a charm in a specific area of the home based on your Zodiac to enhance your fortune. Rats and Boars need a red object or lava lamp in the south. Oxen, Sheep, and Dogs should put a water element like a fountain or aquarium in the north. Tigers should display a stone like a tiger eye in the southwest. For Rabbits, an amethyst in the northeast will improve their luck. Dragons should put a water fountain or aquarium in the north. Snakes and Horses need a metal element like a wind chime in the west. Monkeys and Roosters need to accessorize the east with a fortune plant.
3. To ensure that your wealth luck will increase this year, do all important activities in the east section of your office. Business calls, contract signing, and all work-related activities should therefore be done in this area of the office.
4. The south of the home is also considered to be lucky; it is where you can experience unexpected wealth, promotion, or business expansion. Keep the positive energy up in this area by moving the radio or television, turning on the lights, or positioning a lava lamp or money coin in this direction.
5. For students who want to do well in school, Cua suggests reviewing and doing homework, projects, and any other academic activities in the west part of the home.
6. The center of the home will contain the Illness Star in 2016. Cua warns that an epidemic similar in magnitude to the Ebola virus is possible this year, and that people should also be wary of medical conditions like stomach problems and respiratory diseases. Placing a wu lou—a bottle charm that resembles a gourd—in the center of the home will help protect its residents from illness. This sector should also be devoid of any fire-related elements like bright lights or anything red, yellow, or orange.
7. Because of the presence of the Argument Star in the northwest sector (also known as the “father sector”) of the home, fathers (especially those born in the Year of the Dog or Boar) will find themselves to be more aggressive and quarrelsome. This can be cured by placing a lava lamp or anything red in this sector.
8. When buying a property, choose a neighborhood where residents are affluent, diligent, and successful, as this will positively affect your state of mind and encourage you to work hard as well. If you’re buying a home that was built before 2004 and has not been remodeled since its construction, it is said to have stagnant chi and will need curing to revive its wealth luck.
Cua advises that while there’s nothing wrong with following the principles of feng shui, these should only be seen as guidelines. People must still keep in mind the importance of hard work, open communication, and looking after one’s health in making their lives better.
LIFESTYLE WANDERLAND 