West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick BorNei

Certified Red Ribbon Professional of the International Feng Shui Guild

Pool or Jacuzzi on the Penthouse Terrace?

Dear Caroline,

We have just purchased a penthouse apartment (11th floor only) with a terrace of 80m2 overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We would like to either build a small swimming pool (just 3 feet high) or a Jacuzzi, but as we are getting more and more into Feng Shui, we realized that there might be some considerations that we have to take into planning (i.e. the water should not run over the edges, etc.).

Could you give us some hints on what we would have to do and what we should definitely not do to be in line with Feng Shui principles?

Many thanks in advance for your kind response.

Panama City, Panama

Dear Reader,

Hello, thank you for viewing my website. I feel it is a valuable tool for Feng Shui enthusiasts to learn about the Bagua, or the eight-sided octagonal grid which is placed over the home, land, plots of property and business properties. The Bagua contains nine equal sections which contain all of the aspects of your life and those living in the structure. What a busy energy. In today’s economy it is vital to first evaluate your current living and working spaces to “see” what is going right and what is going wrong in your life. Are you losing money, love, your health or a job?

My job as a consultant/practitioner is to determine where the mouth of the Chi or energy enters your dwelling. Sometimes the location of the entry is confusing because of the owners using a back door or a garage as an easy way to enter a house or business.

Mapping the Home is a workshop that I offer my students to help locate these nine areas and to learn why the five elements of nature need to be placed in the proper Gua or section of the Bagua. Water, Wood, Fire, Metal and Earth, when in balance, move energy in a proper sequence throughout the living or working space. Please read my last question-and-answer column on direction for more advice on Feng Shui schools, written on October 20, 2003. It is on my website. Click on moongateschool.com and newspaper columns to find the story.

I practice Black Sect Feng Shui, a popular form of Feng Shui introduced by Master Lin Yun in the early 1980’s at the University of California, Berkeley. Using the Bagua form, line the architectural front door with the Career zone with the middle front of the home. The architectural front door could be to the left, middle or right at the front of the house, sometimes not. A slanted or recessed front door or a side entrance could require an experienced practitioner. Door placement tells a lot about the people living in the house. Design details can cause problems with job opportunities not finding you. There are simple ways to remedy such a doorway.

Let’s assume we have established the Career area which is located at the front door. Career is nurtured by Water, so having a water feature at the entry is great. Take care of a water feature. Keep it clean and running or it won’t attract good Chi. Many downstairs apartments are blocked by stairways running over an entry door. Energy must be lifted from this overhang to keep your job running smoothly. Move to a more open design condo or apartment if possible. A wind chime could be added under the stairs, but ask yourself why this floor plan feels good to you.

Now open the front door. What do you see straight across the other side of the home? Sometimes there are walls built between, so pretend you are Superman and visualize the opposite wall (through the rooms or other walls) or check your floor plan drawing for defining Fame or a Fire Element Gua, located at the middle back area of your house which extends into the backyard. Is this where you are planning to place a pool? Mixing Fire and Water is tricky if the plan is to place a swimming pool or Jacuzzi in this area. Your reputation or Fame could be “drowned out” in time. When water falls, swimming pools, hot tubs and ponds have already been installed in this section I suggest placing a Fire cure into the water. The symbol of Fire is represented by a cone-shaped designed work or possibly six tall flagpoles at the back of the pool and property or terrace.

Red flowers in square terra cotta pots, placed between you and the pool, is also a way to introduce the Earth, Wood and Fire Elements to “soak up” excess water. A better location for placements of a water feature on your 80m or approximately 260-foot terrace space is the back left section or Wealth Corner of the yard area. Purple is the color to invite prosperity into your Wealth Qua. A fountain with lavender flowers surrounding the area would enhance the money section, or a fish pond with eight gold and one black fish as leader would bring abundance to the home. Be careful in placing excess Water features in the back right Qua or the Marriage and Partnership area, as this triad is an Earth-related section and can not stand too much Water, as it “erodes” Earth. By the way, choosing an 11^th-floor number shows you are going through a spiritual learning phase. I hope this has helped your decision-making.

Caroline Patrick BorNei is a certified Red Ribbon Professional of the International Feng Shui Guild, with over 5000 consultations and 20+ years’ experience. She has guided many clients and corporations through the current problematic economy with her Feng Shui knowledge. Her new telephone number will be (360) 420-5096 after August 12th 2009

Please consult your physician for physical problems as this article only gives ideas and suggestions. Caroline is not responsible for anyone using these suggested plants or advice for cures or healing any problem either medical or Feng Shui claims. This column and article is for entertainment only. Please seek help from a qualified physician, naturopath, herbalist or other certified person for treatment.

caroline@fengshuiartistry.com www.fengshuiartistry.com www.moongateschool.com