|
In feng shui classes, I refer to "house types" over and over again, but I always preface the term to include apartments or condos. Actually, even commercial properties are referred to as "house types" since anything with four walls and a ceiling is often called a House in Feng Shui terminology. Virtually all theories and principles that one learns in the scope of Feng Shui can be applied equally to apartments. There is nothing inherently superior or inferior about apartment living, just some limitations since there is no control over the exterior space by occupants of apartments. As an example, there is a very common house type in traditional feng shui, which is called a "reversed" house. The term "reversed" means that the house is the reversed or opposite of the ideal house. The ideal house, in a general category, will support the health and financial potential of its occupants. So the "reversed" house can do the opposite. It can undermine the health and wealth of the occupants. This is determined based on when the structure was built, combined with its compass alignment. This Reversed House needs remedies on the outside, such as in the front and back yards, but with apartment living, there is usually no control or space to do those landscaping adjustments. Sometimes whole neighborhoods are filled with Reversed House types and apartment buildings, so it should not be seen as a stigma or unusual case. Examples of common house or apartment types that are "reversed" include spaces built in the 1950's which face magnetic west between 250-260 degrees or which face magnetic south between 160-170 degrees. Houses and apartments from every era include these reversed house types. During Period 8 (from 2004-2023) apartments and houses are being built which will end up being Reversed type, such as those which face magnetic Southwest between 220-245 degrees. It is never just a direction or just a specific time frame that creates these Reversed buildings: it is a combination of both timing and direction. Apartments present some common architectural flaws just by the nature of how they are organized within a building. For example, it is common to see an entry to an apartment be aligned directly with a balcony window-door off the living room. This direct path of air currents is considered a bad design in that it allows the chi (qi) to leak away from the apartment and the end result is that it is harder for the occupant to save money. Small apartments do not usually have a separate hallway, rather this direct alignment, since occupants often enter right into a living room that stretches from the entrance to the balcony. The remedy for this alignment includes the strategic placement of furnishings or live plants to help slow down and re-direct the air flow. The same items that would impede you from walking a straight line from entrance to exit can also slow down the qi. This can include living room furniture, hangingceiling lights and other items. Another common design flaw with apartments is the immediate view of the kitchen when entering. This can contribute to a Pavlovian affect, where the occupant feels like eating whether they are hungry or not. This can be a tricky circumstance to fix because you don't want to erect screens or items which will block light or impede your movement, jsut for the sake of obscuring a direct view of the kitchen. One circumstance which can be corrected with a little effort is sound-proofing when sharing walls with a neighbor allows too much noise to pass through from one apartment to another. Although, having noisy neighbors is not exclusive to apartment living, it isjust usually more intrusive when you share walls with a fellow tenant. One critical piece of information for all those trying to learn feng shui is to know that often the "facing" side of an apartment is the side with the most windows or views. This can easily be the opposite side as the entry door. You can't study feng shui on a very deep level without being able to first identify what is the front "facing" side and what is the back "sitting" side of an apartment. It can be incorrect to automatically view the entry door side as the facing side. Determining facing and sitting sides includes theories based on yin and yang, where the more yang side is the facing side and that is often the brighter side with the most windows. For more information on how to maximize your living space, feel free to contact Kartar Diamond of Feng Shui Solutions at www.FengShuiSolutions.net Diamond has written four books which all give examples of how to live healthier, happier, and with more prosperity.
Related Articles -
Interior Design, Real Estate, Spiritual, Home Improvement,
| 
