Extra Help for Happy, Healthy Retirement

Question: We are building a retirement house. Our master bedroom faces west, but the bed will be on a north wall facing south. Is there anything we should know about the bedroom to ensure a happy and healthy retirement?

CORRINNE GRUDIN

Via e-mail

Answer: The main thing to keep in mind as you arrange your bedroom for a happy and healthy retirement is to avoid placing the bed so that your feet point toward the bedroom door.

This has been known as “the death position” for centuries because when people died at home, they were carried out the door feet first. Aside from this grim historical association, the position is considered bad feng shui because the chi (energy) rushing in a straight line from the door toward the sleeper will be too strong and, therefore, will have a negative effect.

Your north-to-south sleeping position may contribute to a rich and rewarding dream life. Some practitioners have found that sleeping with their heads toward the north aligns them with the Earth’s magnetic field in an auspicious way that helps them to remember and interpret their dreams.

One last point: A west-facing bedroom should allow you to sleep as late as you like in the mornings, because you won’t be awakened by the sunrise.

Understanding Both Methods of Feng Shui

Q: In your Sept. 5 column, you wrote about two methods of feng shui--compass and Black Hat. Why was the Black Hat method created? How would I decide which method to follow? Depending on the method, which book(s) would you recommend?

LISA HIRATA

A: The Black Hat method was created by Master Lin Yun of Berkeley in his effort to make feng shui more accessible to Western practitioners.

Lin combined bits of Eastern religion and philosophy with traditional feng shui and came up with what his disciple Sarah Rossbach calls “a practical eclectic version of feng shui, mostly based on intuition and mystical knowledge.”

The way to choose the right feng shui method for you is to read about both Black Hat and classic compass (the type I’m writing about in this column) and see what makes most sense to you. If you want to read about Black Hat, I highly recommend that you start with Rossbach’s classic on the subject, “Feng Shui: The Chinese Art of Placement.”

Overdue Library Books Bring Bad Chi

Q: You excited my interest in the subject of feng shui, and I went to my local library to find a book. “People have taken them all and don’t return them,” I was told. I went to the Los Angeles Central Library, which lists 400 books with feng shui in the title, but when I got to that section, I again was told, “Good luck if you can find any on the shelf. People have taken them all.”

I thought you might find room in your column to advise people that chi will never enter a house that has overdue library books in it. Taking books from the library and not returning them can cause bad karma.

GLORIA O’DONOHOE

A: And I’d add that no feng shui enhancement to a southeast (money) corner will ever be successful as long as you have grossly overdue--or stolen--library books at home.

Housewarming Gifts That Bring Good Luck

Q: Can you suggest a housewarming gift to bring good chi to a relative’s new home?

S. WEN

Via e-mail

A: A gift to promote good chi can be as simple as a thriving green plant or as “exotic” as a table fountain to place near the entry of the home.

Depending on your relative’s taste, you might consider a traditional Chinese good-luck gift to bring money: a frog with a coin in its mouth or a piece of glass or ceramic ware in a good-luck color, such as a red bowl.

You have a wide array of items to choose from in selecting a housewarming gift to bring good chi. You might enjoy browsing a few Web sites to see what else is available (https://www.wind-water.com, https://www.fengshuiwarehouse.com and https://www.mysticaldragon.com). There are many other sources out there; look around if you like surfing the Web.

But for a more old-fashioned approach, there’s always the adventure of a visit to Chinatown.

Balance Yin Energy With Yang Accents

Q: We recently purchased a house. Only after meeting the neighbors did we learn that the previous owner loved her flowers and trees but also was known in the neighborhood for poisoning squirrels, rabbits and birds. After her death a few years ago, a parade of relatives lived in--and trashed--the house.

This is not a house with historically positive feng shui. How can my husband and I best remove the taint of history and make this house our own?

J.D.

Via e-mail

A: First, I suggest a coat of paint to remove any visual traces of the previous occupants. Make the house as light and bright as possible.

Next, counter yin energy that the previous owner and her relatives left behind by bringing plenty of yang into your home. An easy and beautiful way to do this is to hang a crystal in a sunny window. As the crystal creates rainbows, it will add vital colors to the sun pouring into your home and will be an excellent source of yang energy.

It would also be a good idea to make peace with the living creatures in the area by placing a bird feeder in your front- or backyard. You’ll bring the life force and lots of positive chi to your property by attracting birds (and even squirrels).

Also, consider putting up a birdbath, but make sure it’s one you can keep clean and supplied with fresh water. This object will be especially lucky if you put it in a northern section of your yard because that direction corresponds to the element of water.

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Kirsten Lagatree is a Washington, D.C., writer whose books include “Feng Shui, Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life” (Villard 1996) and “Feng Shui at Work, Arranging Your Work Space for Peak Performance and Maximum Profit” (Villard 1998).

Mail your questions on feng shui to Kirsten Lagatree, Real Estate section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax them to (213) 237-4712, or e-mail them to [email protected] or [email protected]. All questions will be considered for use but cannot be answered individually.