Feng Shui Rules about the Front Door

The front door is that the mouth of chi, the entrance point for most positive energy to flow in your home. Important feng shui principles govern the placement and design of their front door and the decoration of the surrounding region. The ancient Chinese art describes steps you can take to attract health, wealth and well-being to your home and all who live there.

Chi Appeal

The front door of the house should open in, an elemental feng shui principle which has a simple logic for it. The motion of the door swinging open pulls the good chi inside, while a door which opens out repels the chi and pushes it away. The path to this door is every bit as influential. Layout the access or walkway to make a curve rather than a straight route to gently draw positive energy toward the entrance. Keep overgrown landscaping off the path to the door and every kind of junk away from the door and door. Too many planters, muddy boots, loose bricks or stones onto a walkway — all these will interfere with the movement of riches and well-being for your door.

Deflect Poison Arrows

A poison arrow is just about sharp angle which points in your door or the front entrance of the house. It may be the border of a structure, a highway sign, overhead cables, a traffic flow in the adjacent street that appears as though it’s targeted in the door, the triangular roof line of a neighbor’s house, a badly placed tree or lamppost. The strongest “cure” for a poison arrow — an attack on your great chi — is just a pa kua, or bagua mirror. These should only be used on the exterior of the house, and one might be hung over the top of the door to divert the fast-moving and jarring energy of the poison arrow. The pa kua is just a circular mirror at an eight-sided wood frame, usually painted red or yellow.

Shoe-Free Zone

Clutter traps energy, and trapped energy is destructive or dead. Keep the region inside the front door free of shoes, boots, knickknacks and “stuff” in general. The foyer does not need to become a barren wasteland. Invite chi into your home with a door which opens smoothly with no squeaks and nothing else behind it to prevent it from swinging all the way back. Don’t hang items on the back of the door. Make sure that the door knob is protected and working and the locks function nicely. Your entry isn’t a storage area or a bike park; it’s a grand entry for positive chi.

Beautiful Inside and Out

The door should be well-maintained, with a flawless paint job or polished stain, clean curtained windows or sidelights, polished brass hardware, and an easy-to-read house number. Seasonal decor shouldn’t outstay its season: No pumpkins in January; no Christmas wreaths at March. The chi magnetism must stretch within. Place an area rug inside the door to define the entrance and capture any dirt from shoes. A small table with a bowl of flowers, an attractive sculpture along with a Buddha placed on it and a wall hanging, mirror or painting over it creates a balanced and appealing tableau. Don’t put a wall-hung mirror so it’s the first thing guest sees as they come from the door, or you will reveal the chi straight back outside.

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