​To install and maintain a Feng Shui door in your home, you need to know a lot about color and the cardinal directions. Other considerations include how to decorate your porch and the front entryway. Here's everything you need to know.
Your Front Door and Feng Shui: What You Need To Know
Through feng shui, you can balance the energy in your home. This ancient Chinese practice is linked with Taoism and seeks to manipulate the chi in human-built environments. An important consideration is how this energy enters your home, mainly through your front door. If you want to improve the energy and balance in your home, here is what you need to know about how to install a Feng Shui front door.
An Introduction to Feng Shui
In Chinese, feng shui translates to "wind" and "water." Environments built by humans have the potential to block the energy of these elements and put things out of balance. The belief that humans are connected to the spaces they live in forms the foundation of Western feng shui. By modifying home layouts and particular elements, such as doors, chi should flow more freely and make everyone in the home happier and more prosperous.
How Your Door Exterior Affects Chi
Chi enters through the front door much the same way as you, your family and your guests do. A front door with obstructions will not allow enough chi in your home, so make sure walkways are clear and any decorations don't lean out across the door.
The walkway leading to your door is also important. Consider that if your door is the portal for chi, the walkway is the river bed along which it flows. Meandering paths that mimic the flow of water allow for a smooth transition as chi leaves the outdoors and enters your home. In many modern homes where straight and angular walkways are the norm, you can soften this with an asymmetric plant border.
The Impact of Your Door's Direction and Color
Back to doors; did you know color and cardinal direction play a role in feng shui? The goal is to create the best flow of chi into and around your home. The direction your door faces can impact this flow, and you can further that influence by choosing the right door color. The four cardinal directions each have a corresponding color in feng shui:
This means if you have a west-facing door, you should choose to incorporate yellow prominently. It doesn't have the be the color of the door but could be used in the door frame and any decorative items on your front porch. Here is a more in-depth look at the colors that work best for each direction and the transitional ones in between.
North-Facing Doors and the Water Element
The north governs luck in your career, so feng shui says that using water element colors promotes your financial state. The best colors for a north-facing door are blue and black. One exception to this is if your bathroom is very near the front door, then a blue or black door creates too much water. Bring this into balance by using a wood color, such as green.
Northeast-Facing Doors and the Earth Element
Luck in education is governed by the northeast part of the compass and is associated with earth. The best colors to use on a northeast-facing door are brown, yellow and pink. Yellow in particular promotes a feeling of optimism and improves concentration, both of which are assets to students and businessmen.
East-Facing Doors and the Wood Element
The direction east looks after the family and health side of your life. Making the east side of your house strong is meant to promote wellness and wealth. For your front door, that means using one or more green tones. One way elements relate in feng shui is through the idea that "water creates wood," so it can also be appropriate to use blue tones for an east-facing door.
Southeast-Facing Doors and the Wood Element
Wealth accumulation is said to be linked with the wood element and the southeast direction. Shades of green are again appropriate for a door facing this direction. A bathroom or kitchen with its strong water component can make nearby wood energy bad, so fire can be used to remedy this situation. To remove bad wood energy, use shades of red or orange for your front door instead.
South-Facing Doors and the Fire Element
Your name and fame are linked with the fire element in the south. A strong south side is supposed to be good for politicians, celebrities and anyone else in the public spotlight. Shades of red and orange work well for south-facing doors, but it's important not to overdo it. Too much fire energy can lead to impatience, rash decisions and taking things to extremes. However, using water would be too strong to balance out fire, it is better to use metal or earth if you need to soften the fire energy of your front door.
Southwest-Facing Doors and the Earth Element
To boost your luck in romance, strengthen your southwest-facing front door. This direction is ruled by the earth element and can help you if you are looking for "the perfect match." Shades of green and brown are the best colors to strengthen this direction. If these colors don't work for your home exterior, you can add plants to your porch or use green and brown in your entryway.
West-Facing Doors and the Metal Element
The western direction governs creativity and descendants and is ruled by the element of metal. This means metallic colors, such as white, gray and gold, work very well for your west-facing front door. Combining the elements and your door in this way promotes artistic endeavors and strong parenting skills.
Northwest-Facing Doors and the Metal Element
Travel and hospitality are governed by the northwest direction, meaning strengthening a northwest-facing front door can improve your travels. Since this direction is also linked to the metal element, white, gray and gold are this door's best colors. Since too much gray looks boring and gold is often too flashy for a door, consider mixing these colors with white as the main base.
The Difference Between Outward and Inward Opening Doors
In feng shui, a door that opens outward is pushing away chi while a door that opens inward is inviting chi in. Ideally, choose to have your front door open inward, but if that isn't possible, there are some steps you can take to improve the quality of chi entering your home.
For starters, choosing the right color and maintaining a clean porch and walkway can improve chi, as already talked about. Another consideration is how well your door functions. A well-maintained front door is more inviting than one in ill repair.
What Regular Door Maintenance Means for Your Chi
Caring for your front door is another way to strengthen the energy around your door. If your door is in disrepair and opens noisily or has peeling paint, then chi passing through your doorway becomes tainted at the start. To avoid this, take some care a few times each year to check your door and repair or replace different parts.
Certain pieces to pay attention to include the doorknob and hinges. For your doorknob, most come in metallic colors. If the rest of your door is metallic, you may want to look for something different to avoid overpowering metal in your doorway. However, if there is very little metal present, then aim to have your doorknob and hinges match in material and color.
One last thing to consider when it comes to maintenance is not letting your seasonal decorations linger. If it's March and your holiday wreath is still hung on your door, your chi may enter into conflict. Other decorations for Halloween, Easter and Fourth of July should also be taken down in a timely manner. If you will be out of town, either enlist the help of a friend to remove these decorations or remove them before you leave.
Creating Balance in Your Entryway
After perfecting the feng shui of your front door, you can also promote positive chi by arranging your foyer or entryway to further promote a smooth flow of energy. Just like on the outside, good feng shui on the inside requires not having large decorative items blocking your door.
While you want to use a mixture of items and furniture that makes you feel comfortable, there are two main things to avoid.
The first is called a "poison arrow" in traditional feng shui. For poison arrows that are part of your decor, find a way to point them away from the door or remove them entirely. If these arrows are part of the house, such as a sharp corner, then soften these with a mirror facing them. Your mirrors, though, should not face your doorway. When chi enters your home, it can bounce off the mirror and go right back outside.
As you can see, your front door does a lot for the Feng Shui of your home. From color to materials to even what you place in your entryway, there are a lot of decisions to make to promote good energy and positive chi.
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