By Kathryn Weber

http://redlotusletter.com/reflections-on-feng-shui-10-mirror-dos-and-donts/

Few feng shui activators and cures hold as much interest as the common mirror. Mirrors are a terrific decorating resource and have the potential to inspire more prosperity — even double beautiful views and invite the accompanying chi that goes with them.

Yet, using mirrors in feng shui is often misunderstood. How does one use mirrors effectively? Are there rules for using mirrors in feng shui? If you have had questions about using mirrors correctly, the following should help you understand when, where and where not to use them.

MIRROR DO’S

DO reflect beautiful views. If your living room or dining room has a beautiful view of trees, blue skies, a garden or anything especially beautiful, a mirror is the perfect accessory. By positioning opposite the view, you can double the beauty.

DO reflect dining and living areas. Dining rooms are the perfect location for mirrors. Because the dining represents a family’s wealth, this in effect, magnifies this energy. Living rooms where families hold parties and gatherings are also good locations to hang a mirror and can double the number of people in the room for a more festive chi!

Do use mirrors to hide problems. Although not often thought of as a disguise, mirrors can make problems areas, like square pillars, “disappear.” Many homes have pillars, such as in basements, or in offices that stand in the middle of the room. By mirroring all four sides, the pillar essentially disappears.

DO use mirrors to double your cash.  Placing a mirror to reflect a cash register, your jewelry, or close to the front door of a shop will pull more money chi, customers and prosperity to you.

DO place mirrors where they can open up space. If you have a really small room or a long hallway, this is the perfect spot to hang a mirror. Lean a mirror against a wall to visually open up the room. Place a mirror along the wall of a hallway to slow down chi and add some interest.

MIRROR DON'Ts

DON’T place a mirror opposite a front door. This pushes the energy right back out the door. Time and time again I see businesses that go out of business and they have a mirror opposite the front door. If you want a mirror to open up your foyer, adding a mirror is a great idea. Just don’t put it opposite the front door.

A digression to explain the importance of the front door:

*The front door plays a very special role in feng shui. Often described as the “mouth of chi,” the front door, is the entryway for energy into your home. Many people never use the actual front door, though, so they often ask if this affects their feng shui.

The answer is yes. That’s because the front door is usually at the center of the home and faces the road — a symbol of water — which equates to wealth.

A key feature of the front door is that it normally is designed to face the view of a road, street, or other feature, such as a lake. Sometimes a house has a tremendous view of a valley or view of the city or lake at the back of the house.

In that case, the “facing direction” of a house is where the most “yang” energy exists. In these cases, it would be at the rear of the house because of these terrific views. Architecturally, some houses are very small at the front and large and expansive at the rear. This would make the “front” wherever the large, open, and expansive side or view is.

Again, this is uncommon, but it does affect what is considered the front or facing direction. So, look at your house to determine the most “yang side” when you are trying to determine where the front door is on your house. (For more information, see the Red Lotus Letter issue on Determining Your Facing Direction.)

Use the door intended by the architect:
More common, is the broad expanse and open front of a house that is positioned facing the street. The door also normally faces the street. This is the most typical situation and it remains the standard arrangement for most houses — and it’s the door intended as the front door by the architect. It is also the place where a delivery person will go if they’ve never been to your house. Now that we have that established, let’s talk about why the “real” front door is so important.

The front door to the house is the doorway of energy. Because it faces the street (a conduit for water), this is an opportunity for wealth energy to enter the house. Therefore, every time you enter your home through the front door, you will be activating the entryway and creating an opportunity for wealth to enter your house.

The front door is also a location of opportunity…and we all know that opportunities often bring greater wealth (raises, increased salaries, windfalls) with them. Also, a house that never has the front door opened is a house that’s low in energy — and that impacts wealth. Because the street is usually in front of the house (which means “water” is at the front), opening the door allows water energy to enter in the front of the house — the ideal location for water in feng shui.

Enter through a side door and watch money slip from your hands:
Many people frequently ask if they no longer use the front door and enter the house from the side, or a kitchen door, or a garage door, should they consider that as their “front door”? The answer: absolutely NOT. I will usually ask that person if they are experiencing financial difficulties. In fact, most all have severe financial problems. Use the front door if you would like those problems to lessen.

Enter through the laundry room, kitchen, etc. and see your finances suffer:
If you enter the house through a laundry room, you are watching your money go down the drain symbolically, with bills larger than you expected. If you enter through the kitchen, you’ll literally “burn through the cash” with one expense cropping up after another — and it could cause you to gain weight if the kitchen is the first thing you see when you enter the house.

Still, knowing that the front door is so important to enter, many people still insist on using a back door or side door out of convenience. If you are entering through a garage or kitchen or other service room or porch, you are harming your opportunities for more money to come to you. In light of that, isn’t it a good idea to use the front door?

After all, we create beautiful entry areas and if they’re only used by solicitors, delivery people, or the occasional visitor, you’re wasting an opportunity to bring more energy — and more wealth — into your home. You might also find that opportunities suddenly appear when you begin using your front door. Why use your front door and beautiful foyer only for a delivery person, mailman, or visitors? After all, you are the most important person to enter your house. So treat yourself as good — or better — than anyone else by using the front door every day.*

DON’T reflect negative views. Make sure mirrors aren’t placed where they’ll reflect a toilet door, a fireplace (above a fireplace is fine), a stovetop, or messy areas. When you can see an ugly view in a mirror, this magnifies the energy. This is especially true of fire. A little fire keeps you warm; a lot of fire can quickly become excessive energy.

DON’T place a mirror where it will harm or send cutting energy. This is true of placing a mirror at the end of the hallway, which symbolically says “stay away” and draws negative energy. A mirror placed at the bottom of the stairs will cut off the feet or head; avoid placing here.

DON’T place a mirror in the bedroom where it can be over-stimulating.  A mirror in the bedroom can create insomnia, especially if it reflects the bed. If there is a problem in the marriage, a mirror can also bring in unwanted interference in the relationship. Better to be safe (and well-rested) than sorry.

DON’T use broken or pakua mirrors. Pakua mirrors are often hung with little regard, yet they send out the full force of chi toward that which they reflect. It amounts to sending a really nasty look toward your neighbor. Is it any wonder these cause problems with relationships with others? These mirrors contain trigrams that are negative and are harmful to whoever they point toward and to the house where they hang. Avoid them. Cracked mirrors are also very negative energy as are small mirror tiles or anything that distorts or breaks up an image. Remove them.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in authentic Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui. For more information and to receive her FREE E-book “Easy Money – 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui” visit www.redlotusletter.com and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!