Creating Wealth Through Design
"Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” – Henry David Thoreau
What is wealth? When we think of wealth within the context of Feng Shui, what we are really talking about is abundance. Abundance can mean many different things to many different people: monetary wealth, the abundance of family love and support, friends and lovers, good fortune, profitable businesses, and of course the array of people we choose to surround ourselves with on a daily basis. I’m a big believer in the practice of GRATITUDE. Engaging with gratitude mantras, and feeling gratitude for what we have, has the power to attract wealth and prosperity into our lives.
From a Feng Shui perspective, wealth energy can be generated through many areas of the home. From my experience, two of the most effective areas are the kitchen and the study:
Wealth in the Kitchen
Although wealth is a Wood Element on the “Bagua,” an abundance of wealth can be generated powerfully from within the kitchen, a Fire Element room. The kitchen stove is one of the main appliances that generates a flow of abundance within the home. In this case, the fire energy enters the kitchen through burners, bringing with it the “chi” of prosperity. The positioning of the stove within the kitchen is critical. Ideally, a chef should face the entrance to the kitchen while cooking up the health (and wealth) of the household. If this can’t be achieved through the design of the kitchen, mirrored objects, such as shiny cooking pans, can be used to reflect the entrance and alleviate stress. Reflective pots and pans will also work to visually “double” the burners: double burners = double wealth! You’ve got to love that.
Keep your kitchen living and breathing, whether that means cooking meals several times a week or, at the very least, igniting the burners to boil a pot of tea. Fill your fridge with organic produce and put fresh fruit out on display at all times. If you keep your kitchen surfaces clean and uncluttered, it will become an inviting and pleasant place to inhabit. A happy cook has the power to create delicious, nurturing meals! Remember, the food we prepare, and ultimately eat, impacts the health energy, or chi, of our bodies, which in turn attracts us to those people, places and things that help us create happy, prosperous, abundant lives.
Wealth in the Study/Office
Another important space for attracting wealth is the home office. Just like within the kitchen, the “command position” is in full effect here. Position your desk so that you’re facing the door. This eliminates the stress of not knowing who or what is coming, while also giving you the ability to “see” all the opportunities that come your way. Fill your office with positive images: awards, diplomas, inspiring quotes and framed pictures of those in your life that matter and inspire you to work hard. These images become symbols of your abundance and remind you to practice gratitude on a daily basis. In addition, place a jade plant or Chinese money tree in the southwest corner of your office where it will receive plenty of sun and thrive. Symbols of money, such as a collection of coins or foreign currency, and a cluster of beautiful crystals work well here too. By keeping your office clean and uncluttered, you encourage productivity, happiness and wealth at all times.
All the best on your path to an abundance of wealth, whatever it may mean to you.