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Living In Harmony
New Zealand Women's Weekly,
18th September 2000
By Karyn Henger
Feng shui expert Lillian Too claims we all have the ability
to manipulate our own luck. Here's the advice she gave staff
writer.
Does it really matter which direction your bed faces or what
hangs on your walls? Yes, according to feng shui expert Lillian
Too. But there is more to this ancient Chinese practice than
just furniture arranging.
Lillian, from Malaysia, has been practising feng shui for 30
years and teaching it for six. Her books have been translated
into 15 languages and her best seller, The Complete Illustrated
Guide to Feng shui, has been heralded as the feng shui Bible.
Lillian was recently in New Zealand to promote a line of feng
shui jewellery which features good luck symbols such as the
dragon and three-legged toad. It is produced by European jewellery
house Oeding Erdel Design and sold in New Zealand by Partridge
Jewellers.
Wearing feng shui jewellery is just another way of attracting
the good things in life, claims Lillian. She says she's seen
the benefits. Lillian's daughter was a great sceptic until she
wore a pair of earnings with the double happiness symbol, which
represents love and commitment. Within days, her partner asked
her to marry him.
I've told her to take the jewellery off and cool things down,"
Lillian winks. "Next year is not a good year to get married."
It's not a good feng shui year for anyone to marry apparently.
Lillian's not offended if anyone is sceptical. In fact, she's
pleased. "After all, feng shui is very fashionable at the moment.
No one should accept information without question."
So what is feng shui? It's a philosophy on life, a Chinese science.
Feng shui (which means wind and water in Chinese) offers a way
of living in a harmonious relationship with the environment
and the Earth's energy lines. It's about achieving balance between
positive and negative energies (yang and yin). Those who follow
it, claims Lillian, give themselves opportunities to live happy
lives.
In feng shui, there are three types of luck. There is tien (heaven
luck), ti (earth luck) and ren (mankind luck). "We have no control
over heaven luck," Lillian says. "We are born rich or we are
born poor, clever or dumb. But we have full control over earth
luck and that's 66 percent of it. Being positive, we can create
good luck for ourselves."
And that means starting with our minds, bodies and spirits.
"Cleanse the negative away. If you are thinking positively,
then you will have an aura of confidence and positivity."
Lillian explains yin - or negative energy. "Imagine a vase of
flowers which should have been changed three days ago. The flowers
are dead, the vase is dirty, the water is stagnant. That's yin
energy. It's not bad - it's just dead and it doesn't bring you
luck. You can choose to sleep your life away if you want to."
Once people are aware of the energies within themselves and
in their environments, they can use formulas to manipulate their
luck. You can balance the five feng shui elements - fire, water,
earth, mental and wood - within your home and work spaces.
But Lillian warns, "You can do everything with the symbols and
formulas to bring good luck but, if you are unhappy and full
of negative energy, then the rest will do nothing for you."
Similarly it's up to you to convert your good luck. "The opportunities
will come, it's up to you to take them."
Lillian's verdict on Karyn's living room, bedroom and work space:
OTHER GENERAL TIPS : -
Toilets are bad to have in any corner of any room. But we have
to have them so, to compromise, keep bathrooms small and always
shut the door. · Chinese peonies are great for young couples'
sex lives. But they encourage men over 50 to look for younger
wives. · Clear your room with loud music at least once a week.
Ten minutes is long enough. Stereo equipment is best kept on
the west wall. · Do not hang pictures of fierce animals, water
or abstract objects in your bedroom. In the bedroom, water suggests
financial loss.
LOUNGE : -
This lounge is crying out for life. Throughout the day, when
you are all out, it gathers a lot of yin. It needs paintings
and flowers and bubbling water and plants. The southwest corner,
where the fireplace is, represents relationships. Put a painting
of a mountain range above the fireplace because it will be good
for your love life. Activate the wealth corner (southeast) by
putting a plant there. Also in the same corner, put a lamp.
A lamp represents the sun and has very good energy. Put water
in the north end of the room. It can be fake, like a painting
of water.
BEDROOM : -
Your mirror is facing your bed. That's very dangerous. Then
you've got another reflection of your bed in the TV screen.
That's a double whammy. When your bed is reflected, it means
infidelity. You or your partner may be distracted by a third
party. Even if there is no affair, there will be a lot of suspicion
and jealousy. Don't wait for it to happen, move the mirror and
TV and replace the mirror with a painting of Chinese peonies.
The peonies will give you one hell of a sex life. If you must
have a mirror in your room, cover it at night. Your headboard
is against your window, it should be against your wall. You
have nothing solid behind you - no support for your ideas, the
things you want to do. Also add the double happiness symbol
to your room to encourage commitment and love in your relationship.
Use nice warm lights.
OFFICE : -
This is quite a good office. There's nothing pressing down on
you from the ceiling such as exposed beams. Never hang anything
over your head - it means tragedy. My publicist once hung wind
chimes above her head. Some time later, she was at a sales conference
and a huge chandelier fell on top of her. Nine stitches later
and she hasn't been the same since. The red dividers are very
yang and I like your view of the trees. They represent life
and there is a lot of good empty space in front of you. However,
the sharp edges of the filing cabinet behind you are shooting
poisonous arrows at you and your colleagues but especially at
you. It must be moved to the side of the room. The edges of
buildings are even more dangerous. In the summer, there may
be too much yang coming in from the sunlight. Cool it down by
drawing the blinds or hanging crystals, which will break the
light up. Put water or a fish tank in the north corner of the
office. Fish bring good luck. The walls are too bare. |
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