Bedroom Feng Shui was a best-seller when The Crossing Press first published it in 2001. It is now available in a revised, expanded edition. In feng shui, the bedroom is the most important room. It has the most influence in a person’s life, because of the amount of time spent there, a third of a lifetime. For many people the bedroom is the only room that is theirs. The book explains everything a person needs to know when applying feng shui to their bedroom. People sense that the location of the bed is important and wonder, “Is my bed in the best location?” The main factors in making that decision are the location of the doors, windows, and bathrooms, as well as any features on the ceiling such as beams or ceiling fans. Many different types of beds are evaluated, as well as the bedding and any other fabric in the room. Various furniture choices are discussed, especially since some bedrooms must be multifunctional. Many optional solutions are offered when problem situations are mentioned. Every object commonly in bedrooms (clocks, rugs, lamps…) is carefully discussed. Some items are too yang (such as mirrors) and should be used sparingly, and too many items make the room too yin and stifle the energy. The various details, such as color, texture, lighting, and artwork, that help a bedroom support sound sleep, are thoroughly covered. “No detail is overlooked,” says author Susan Levitt. Chapters are devoted to special bedrooms such as children's rooms, studio apartments, and guestrooms. Even the bathroom is covered, since it is often adjacent to a bedroom. The feng shui bagua is thoroughly explained, telling the location and use of the Wealth Corner and the Relationship Corner, which are famous, for good reason, in feng shui. Harmony and prosperity are often the main reasons people first try feng shui. This book is based on Form School feng shui, not Compass School. Form School could be called the common sense school, because it is based on the form or shape of objects. The book does not discuss lucky directions or numbers, which are not a concern in Form School. Bedroom Feng Shui is for beginners as well as for those with more feng shui knowledge. If someone has studied feng shui, they are aware of the power of the bedroom, and will appreciate the attention to detail in this book.

Bedroom Feng Shui

By Clear Englebert

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Clear Englebert
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-5155-7

Contents

Preface.....................................................................viiChapter 2: Location of the Bedroom..........................................4Chapter 3: Location of the Bed..............................................16Chapter 4: The Bed as a Physical Object.....................................26Chapter 5: What Happens in a Bed............................................41Chapter 6: Other Furniture..................................................45Chapter 7: Other Things to Consider in the Bedroom..........................52Chapter 8: Lighting.........................................................85Chapter 9: The Bagua........................................................93Chapter 10: The Shape of the Bedroom........................................109Chapter 11: Closets.........................................................117Chapter 12: Children's Rooms................................................121Chapter 13: Studio Apartments...............................................126Chapter 14: Guestrooms and Other Special Bedrooms...........................129Chapter 15: Adjacent Bathrooms..............................................133Chapter 16: Implementation of What You've Learned...........................144Recommended Reading.........................................................149Sources.....................................................................161Glossary....................................................................163Index.......................................................................167About the Author............................................................177

Chapter One

The Importance of the Bedroom in Feng Shui

What is Feng Shui?

The words are pronounced fung shway, and they mean wind/ water. Feng shui is the Chinese art of placement. It originated in the mountains of China between three and five thousand years ago. It is popular because it works. Feng shui offers a system of arranging furniture and objects to assist you in accomplishing your goals and reaching your highest potential.

The old Taoist masters of China greatly respected nature. It was their teacher, and there is no end to learning from nature. All of nature and the movement of wind and water are considered to be an expression of ITLχITL energy.

Chi Energy

Chi is the basic energy of the universe. The concept of chi energy is easy to grasp if you think of it as energy that gets your attention. A car with flashing lights and blaring siren attracts a lot of chi energy because it is extremely noticeable. Heads turn and energy is required to make those neck muscles move. This is one aspect of chi energy. A wind chime has the same effect. When people hear it, they often turn their heads.

Some of the things that attract chi energy most strongly are light, brilliant color, movement, sound, and stunning beauty. The advertisers of the world learned these lessons long ago. That's why television commercials often attract your attention more than the program.

To understand how chi energy flows inside your home, be aware of what gets your attention first. For example, if the first thing you notice in a room is a clean, bubbly fish tank, that's good. It probably puts a smile on your face and makes your eyes light up. But if the first thing you notice is a window with a distant view, you may be smiling, but your attention is miles away. One of the goals of feng shui is to keep your attention gracefully flowing around a room. The chi should be sweetly meandering.

Your home has vibrant chi energy to the degree that it feels vibrant. If the first thing you notice in a room is how cluttered and full of furniture it is, then the chi energy is stagnant. A bedroom should feel restful. A multifunctional bedroom may have to be used during the day, but at night you should be able to change it easily into a restful mode.

As another way to consider how chi flows, think about how you are able to move within a space. For example, think about a long hall that allows you to move quickly, like a bullet from a gun barrel. The bullet is harmful, and so is the speeding chi energy. The ideal traffic pattern of energy in a room is gently curved; you should be able to reach all areas without having to cautiously step over or around objects.

Think of yourself as an example of chi energy—because that is what you are. How you feel within a space is a good indicator of how chi is flowing there.

Solutions

There are two kinds of solutions to feng shui problems: real and symbolic. A real solution actually fixes the problem and changes the situation. A symbolic solution is used when a real solution is not feasible. The symbolic solution is a physical symbol of how you wish the situation were. When using a symbolic solution, say your intention out loud at the moment that you are installing it. You are thereby strengthening it by expressing it. In my opinion you are speaking to your angels or guardian beings, who hear you but can't read your mind.

The Importance of the Bedroom

The bedroom is the most important room in the home according to feng shui. If you sleep eight hours per night, that's a third of twenty-four hours; therefore a third of your life is spent in that room. Most people spend more time in the bedroom than in any other room. The more time you spend in a particular room, the more influence that room has on your life. This applies even if you are asleep—the room is still affecting you.

Universal agreement is a rare thing in feng shui, and some feng shui authorities maintain that the kitchen is the most important room in the home, because the food that fuels a person's life is prepared there. But modern "conveniences" such as microwaves, dishwashers, and prepared foods mean that less time today is spent in food preparation, and people now eat in restaurants more often than in the past—some people literally never cook. Both rooms are important, but kitchens are not always as important as they were a hundred years ago.

People aren't all the same, and they never will be, but almost everyone sleeps in their bedroom. I've had only one feng shui client who ignored her nice bedroom and chose to sleep every night on the comfy couch in her living room. Some people do that on an occasional basis, but this woman did it every night. After she told me where she slept, I ceased emphasizing her bedroom, and re-evaluated her living room.

Chapter Two

Location of the Bedroom

Some parts of a home are better places for bedrooms than others. Even if you have no choice about the location of your bedroom, it is still important to know what factors may be affecting you due to its location. The first factor used in feng to evaluate the location of the bedroom is the concept of yin/yang.

Yin/Yang

Everything that exists is classified as primarily yin or yang. Nothing is totally yin or totally yang. Everything is on a scale—more yin or more yang.

Yin Yang Lower part of a room Upper part of a room Private Public Moist Dry Dark Light Many things Few things Complex Simple Feminine...