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Living In Harmony
New Zealand Women's Weekly,
18th September 2000
By Karyn Henger
Feng shui expert Lillian Too claims we all have the ability to manipulate our own luck. Here's the advice she gave staff writer.
Does it really matter which direction your bed faces or what hangs on your walls? Yes, according to feng shui expert Lillian Too. But there is more to this ancient Chinese practice than just furniture arranging.
Lillian, from Malaysia, has been practising feng shui for 30 years and teaching it for six. Her books have been translated into 15 languages and her best seller, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng shui, has been heralded as the feng shui Bible.
Lillian was recently in New Zealand to promote a line of feng shui jewellery which features good luck symbols such as the dragon and three-legged toad. It is produced by European jewellery house Oeding Erdel Design and sold in New Zealand by Partridge Jewellers.
Wearing feng shui jewellery is just another way of attracting the good things in life, claims Lillian. She says she's seen the benefits. Lillian's daughter was a great sceptic until she wore a pair of earnings with the double happiness symbol, which represents love and commitment. Within days, her partner asked her to marry him.
I've told her to take the jewellery off and cool things down," Lillian winks. "Next year is not a good year to get married." It's not a good feng shui year for anyone to marry apparently.
Lillian's not offended if anyone is sceptical. In fact, she's pleased. "After all, feng shui is very fashionable at the moment. No one should accept information without question."
So what is feng shui? It's a philosophy on life, a Chinese science. Feng shui (which means wind and water in Chinese) offers a way of living in a harmonious relationship with the environment and the Earth's energy lines. It's about achieving balance between positive and negative energies (yang and yin). Those who follow it, claims Lillian, give themselves opportunities to live happy lives.
In feng shui, there are three types of luck. There is tien (heaven luck), ti (earth luck) and ren (mankind luck). "We have no control over heaven luck," Lillian says. "We are born rich or we are born poor, clever or dumb. But we have full control over earth luck and that's 66 percent of it. Being positive, we can create good luck for ourselves."
And that means starting with our minds, bodies and spirits. "Cleanse the negative away. If you are thinking positively, then you will have an aura of confidence and positivity."
Lillian explains yin - or negative energy. "Imagine a vase of flowers which should have been changed three days ago. The flowers are dead, the vase is dirty, the water is stagnant. That's yin energy. It's not bad - it's just dead and it doesn't bring you luck. You can choose to sleep your life away if you want to."
Once people are aware of the energies within themselves and in their environments, they can use formulas to manipulate their luck. You can balance the five feng shui elements - fire, water, earth, mental and wood - within your home and work spaces.
But Lillian warns, "You can do everything with the symbols and formulas to bring good luck but, if you are unhappy and full of negative energy, then the rest will do nothing for you."
Similarly it's up to you to convert your good luck. "The opportunities will come, it's up to you to take them."
Lillian's verdict on Karyn's living room, bedroom and work space:
OTHER GENERAL TIPS : -
Toilets are bad to have in any corner of any room. But we have to have them so, to compromise, keep bathrooms small and always shut the door. · Chinese peonies are great for young couples' sex lives. But they encourage men over 50 to look for younger wives. · Clear your room with loud music at least once a week. Ten minutes is long enough. Stereo equipment is best kept on the west wall. · Do not hang pictures of fierce animals, water or abstract objects in your bedroom. In the bedroom, water suggests financial loss.
LOUNGE : -
This lounge is crying out for life. Throughout the day, when you are all out, it gathers a lot of yin. It needs paintings and flowers and bubbling water and plants. The southwest corner, where the fireplace is, represents relationships. Put a painting of a mountain range above the fireplace because it will be good for your love life. Activate the wealth corner (southeast) by putting a plant there. Also in the same corner, put a lamp. A lamp represents the sun and has very good energy. Put water in the north end of the room. It can be fake, like a painting of water.
BEDROOM : -
Your mirror is facing your bed. That's very dangerous. Then you've got another reflection of your bed in the TV screen. That's a double whammy. When your bed is reflected, it means infidelity. You or your partner may be distracted by a third party. Even if there is no affair, there will be a lot of suspicion and jealousy. Don't wait for it to happen, move the mirror and TV and replace the mirror with a painting of Chinese peonies. The peonies will give you one hell of a sex life. If you must have a mirror in your room, cover it at night. Your headboard is against your window, it should be against your wall. You have nothing solid behind you - no support for your ideas, the things you want to do. Also add the double happiness symbol to your room to encourage commitment and love in your relationship. Use nice warm lights.
OFFICE : -
This is quite a good office. There's nothing pressing down on you from the ceiling such as exposed beams. Never hang anything over your head - it means tragedy. My publicist once hung wind chimes above her head. Some time later, she was at a sales conference and a huge chandelier fell on top of her. Nine stitches later and she hasn't been the same since. The red dividers are very yang and I like your view of the trees. They represent life and there is a lot of good empty space in front of you. However, the sharp edges of the filing cabinet behind you are shooting poisonous arrows at you and your colleagues but especially at you. It must be moved to the side of the room. The edges of buildings are even more dangerous. In the summer, there may be too much yang coming in from the sunlight. Cool it down by drawing the blinds or hanging crystals, which will break the light up. Put water or a fish tank in the north corner of the office. Fish bring good luck. The walls are too bare. |
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Find out more about events from Lillian Too. |
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Download Lillian Too's latest video clips. |
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Talk 640 with Lillian Too. Live! Lillian Too on feng shui. |
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Download Lillian Too's wallpapers and screensavers. |
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