CANNOT STUDY
Q
Hi, I am having difficulty concentrating on my studies. This is especially the case when my sister is around. When she is awake in the house I always get distracted by everything; this is really annoying and frustrating when I am trying to read, remember texts or trying to revise. I also feel that whenever she is around, bad things happen such as I stub my toe or spill my drink. When she is asleep I can concentrate and nothing bad happens. Is there a remedy for this or a cure? Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks 🙂
A
If you are finding it difficult to study because of distractions caused by others in the house, then maybe you should look for a place out of the house where you can have quiet time to yourself to do your work; perhaps the local library, or at school? Your situation is very normal if your sister is young and very playful. Your spilling drinks and stubbing your toe when she’s around has nothing to do with her per se, but probably more because you are feeling so frustrated and stressed out at not being able to work.
Look for a quiet place outside the home, or rearrange your schedule to work while your sister is asleep. In the meanwhile, make your precious study time count by ensuring you get enough sleep when you’re not studying, and boost your concentration levels with education enhancers in your study room or the living room in your house. You can start with a crystal globe and a Chi Lin with 4 scholastic objects – display these in the study corner of Northeast.
Good luck!
ACTIVATING FOR MARRIAGE LUCK
QI have a picture of peony flowers hanging on the wall outside the door of my bedroom. Should I remove this picture since I have been with my boyfriend for 4 years but he has not asked for marriage yet?
A
Peonies are a great symbol of romance, but they produce a more active sex life, and not necessarily a stable one. They work particularly well for young people looking for excitement, but are not as suitable for an older couple as they could raise the libido of the male in the relationship, causing him to become unfaithful. If it is marriage luck you are after, the best thing you can display or wear is the double happiness symbol. You can hang a painting of the symbol in your bedroom or in the SW part of your home, but better still is to wear the symbol as jewellery – either as a pendant, brooch or earrings. This will help manifest the luck of marriage for you, and maybe move things along a bit quicker for you in terms of your current relationship. You can also try activating your peach blossom luck and how you do this depends on your animal sign. Get next year’s Feng shui Almanac calendar to find out how.
DRAGON TATTOO
QIs it alright to have a dragon tattoo on the lower left back? I am thinking of having one, and I have read that it is good to have a dragon symbol close to the body.
A
In general, tattoos on the back are riskier than those on the front, because markings on the back represent “burdens” you have to bear. However, one of the world’s most successful ladies, Angelina Jolie, has a huge, elaborate tattoo of a tiger on her back. You can say she has her own set of burdens – she has to deal with fame and the paparazzi, and a lot is expected of her. But then she designed her life that way. If you want a tattoo of a dragon, go ahead if you feel confident and good about it – but if you were born in the year of the Dog, or have an ascendant of the Dog in your Paht Chee, then it is better not to take the risk.
EXPECTANT MOTHER PRESENT WHEN MOVING HOUSE
QI recently moved to a new house with my family (my wife and 2 sons). On the moving date, some relatives came and apparently one of our nephews brought his wife who had just become pregnant. My question is that is it ok to have a pregnant woman present on the moving date, although she is not a member of family that will move to that house? If it is not ok, what can be done to cure this situation? Many thanks for your advice.
A
Relax. While a pregnant lady should not herself move house until after she has given birth, there is nothing wrong with her visiting someone else who is in the process of moving house. She will not cause anything negative by having been present. And if your “move” was a symbolic one, i.e. you had already moved the big pieces of furniture in and you were just physically moving in to live there on the date she came to visit, then she has not caused herself any harm either. What pregnant women should avoid (according to Chinese belief) is to be around knocking, drilling or renovations while pregnant. They should also not sew or use scissors to cut things. But there is nothing wrong with the situation you describe. In fact her being there could well bring you luck!
BIG TREE OVERWHELMING OUR HOUSE
QWe have two big trees in front of our house. It is not blocking our front door but it is bigger than our house. I would like to be environmentally conscious and it would be my last resort to cut the tree down, so can I trim instead? Can I use a windchime in front of the door? We have had a lot of bad luck lately. We had to close down our restaurant and we are in a lot of debt. Thank you for your time.
A
Usually, big solid trees are most dangerous from a feng shui viewpoint when the trunk directly blocks the main door, obstructing a clear view of a “bright hall” when you open your front door. If your tree does not block your front door, but just looks bigger than your house, then you don’t need to cut it down or move your door. But you definitely need to reduce its size and trim it. Otherwise its energy will simply overwhelm your house and drain its residents of their wealth and their energy.
What you describe does sound as though the tree could be overwhelming your house with its sheer size; so from providing a protective, cocooning effect with its leaves, it has turned into a stifling effect. Have it trimmed immediately. It is good to retain some of its shade, but don’t let the tree look like it is dwarfing your house. If your bad luck doesn’t improve, you might then like to consider looking at other aspects of your feng shui to see if there is something else that is wrong.
UNCOMMUNICATIVE CHILD
QHi, I am a regular reader of your column. My daughter’s birthday is Feb 11 2004. She is very smart and talks well to people at home but refuses to talk to her teachers or any other adults, but talks to all the kids in her class and outside. She has been in school for over 2 years. I am very concerned that when she goes to higher grades, the teachers would neglect her because she refuses to communicate and she would have a tough time in school. My house is south facing. What can I do to remove any fear their might be within her and make her start to talk and communicate with her teachers?
A
I wouldn’t worry about your daughter too much – she is only four! If she is communicative at home, try to get her to talk to you about her school – find out from her why she doesn’t like to talk with her teachers. There is usually a reason – perhaps her class is too big and she doesn’t get enough individual attention from her teachers, leading her to prefer to interact with her friends; or she could be reserved or shy in nature, causing her to prefer to talk with her friends than vie for the teacher’s attention. Let her mix with other adults apart from her parents and direct family; the more exposed she is this way, the more at ease she will feel with other grown-ups. You could also try enhancing the West sector of your home with metal and earth energy – use wind-chimes and crystals – this will improve the luck of the children staying in the house. But don’t worry yourself too much – kids are resilient – once she grows up a bit and progresses on to big school, she will adapt.
BIRDS POO POO-ING IN OUR HOUSE
QThere are birds coming and going and sitting on the concrete below the roof just outside the entrance door to my house. These birds make a lot of poo onto the floor outside the entrance door of my house. These are like doves or pigeons. Is this a sign of good luck?
ABirds represent opportunity and they say that when birds make nests in your home, good luck is coming to you. There is also a belief that it is a lucky omen when bird droppings fall onto your head. However, if this flock you mention makes it a habit to constantly litter the front of your house, the chi entering your home can’t be that clean, so even if not for feng shui reasons, it is better to ensure you do something about it. If you don’t want to chase the birds away, make it a point to have the floor outside your entrance door washed and cleaned daily. Another idea would be to lure the birds to a bird house in some part of your garden, away from your main door area. You could do this by building a birdhouse and leaving seeds in it to attract this family of birds, and to distract them away from your entrance.
PULL-OUT BED
QIs a pull-out bed good for the bedroom in feng shui?
A
It is always better to sleep in a solid, stable bed with a proper headboard for support. A pull-out bed is OK for the guestroom, or as a temporary measure, but for your main bed, if you want good luck it is definitely not a good idea. Get a proper, permanent bed.
WHY ARE WATER FEATURES IN THE BEDROOM SO BAD?
QCan you tell me why we are not allowed to display water features like small water fountain in our bedrooms. What will happen if we display water fountains in the bedroom?
A
While water brings wealth, it is YANG water that brings it. But the bedroom is a part of the home which should be kept relatively YIN. It is a place where you sleep and get your rest. You are said to be most vulnerable in your sleep, so you should never over activate a bedroom with an over yang feature. Also, water, while lucky, can also be dangerous. In the I-Ching, water on top is always said to represent danger; this is why we are advised to avoid activating with water in the bedroom. Doing so brings loss of money and danger of illness and accidents. In fact water in the bedroom is one of the taboos of good
feng shui.
