Hi janecarmel,
Of course there is no one simple answer, but I did learn some
interesting things. You can learn more by trying my search strategy
yourself because I only scratched the surface of available information
about odd-shaped spaces in relation to feng shui.
There are several approaches, and the internet is full of people
wanting you to pay to learn the secrets of irregular shaped spaces,
however, I found several nuggets below that I'm sure you will find
interesting. Here's the two themes that are seem the most important:
1) You can create a [small square area] "room within a room" in that
area, be sure to ignore the irregular walls so the chi does not get
confused.
2) The area needs lots of light (even if you have to reflect it with
mirrors to get it there) and lush living plants to signify and assist
growth in that "missing" area. One of the most fascinating nuggets is
that folks seem to move into spaces that exactly mimic their strengths
AND weaknesses. Just by becoming aware of this area of weakness and
taking feng shui steps to improve it is a huge step.
Here's what I found along the way:
My room is of an odd shape -
http://www.mycontentmgr.com/empress/new/newspaper_column_page5.asp
..."lots of angles - approximately 10-12 "sides" (walls of different
lengths, including a sliding glass door). My Feng Shui book says this
is negative - what can I do to create good chi? --M.R., U.K.
A: Using an area rug/plants/trees/furniture, etc., create a square or
rectangular ?room within a room?. Do not accentuate the walls by
placing furniture up against them as this will only confuse chi and
create chaos. Hang a bamboo flute above the sliding doors to keep
energy from flying out. Using this kind of arrangement will calm
things down significantly. Blessings! ..."
Q. "My house has a very irregular outline, and I'm confused about how
to place the ba gua."
http://www.fastfengshui.com/faqs_bagua.htm
..."A. Some houses and apartments are a challenge when it comes to
placing the ba gua. Here are some general guidelines to follow:
Where is your "mouth of chi"? This is your front, or formal entry to
the house. The bottom edge of the ba gua will always line up with the
front door.
Look for extensions: areas that stick out from the main body of the
house. Extensions will be outside the edge of the ba gua. An extension
is always less than half the width of that side of the house or
apartment.
Look for missing areas: alcoves or recesses that create a gap in the
outline of the house. Missing areas are always less than half the
width of that side of the house. A missing area is inside the ba gua.
If you have an enclosed garage or sun room, include those spaces in
the ba gua. A porch, verandah, or carport that has a roof but no walls
is not included in the ba gua, because it is not a fully enclosed
space.
When the outline of your home is very irregular, the ba gua will not
fit neatly over it. When planning your feng shui changes, pay special
attention to extensions and missing areas, as they indicate which guas
are enhanced or weakened by the layout of your home. Take advantage of
the stronger chi of an extension, and find ways to strengthen the
weaker chi of any missing areas..."
See Principles 2, 6, and 7 of the "Fast Feng Shui" book for more
information on extentions, missing areas, and ways to work with them.
(link to book at link above)
A discussion of what one can do with an odd-shape:
You can apply the ba-gua to any building or room, as illustrated here.
http://www.heartlandhealing.com/pages/archive/feng_shui/index.html
..."Bill told me about missing corners and I realized that money was
my missing corner. Jokingly I asked Bill for a cure and he promptly
told me to put a huge terracotta pot with a vigorous green plant to
"square off" the missing corner. I did so, chuckling all the way, but
soon stopped laughing when, within weeks, my income quadrupled without
any effort on my part. I have taken feng shui very seriously
since.....once again, we were missing our wealth corner - not as much
as before, but there was still a marked indentation in that area.
Apparently it's very common for us to repeat the same patterns in our
lives by choosing houses which have the same feng shui problems.
How To Superimpose Feng Shui Charts
http://www.wofs.com/fsw.php?load=arcview&article=744&c=fs_fine_points
..."Dealing with irregular shaped floor plans...Difficulties are
encountered when you have to deal with irregular-shaped, modular and
split-level houses. Then it becomes necessary to determine how to best
superimpose the chart onto the plan. One way is to find the center of
the home. In feng shui terms, this is called looking for the heart of
the home..."
Making The Most Of Your EIGHT LUCK Directions
http://www.wofs.com/fsw.php?load=arcview&article=542&c=landscape_feng_shui
Mapping Bagua (Pa Kua)
http://www.chinastyle.cn/feng-shui/mapping-bagua.htm
..."If you have an irregular shaped home, you will need help in
determining how to place the Bagua. Please see Bagua Mapping if you
would like help with this and in determining how to compensate for
missing areas..."
Scroll down about 65% on this page for an interesting section, it
would not allow me to copy any text as an example:
Look for: IF YOU HAVE AN ODD SHAPED HOME
http://www.easy-feng-shui.com/newsletters.html
About.com has a page referring folks with irregular homes here:
..."The Feng Shui Bagua is a map that is sectored into eight equal
squares or rectangles and each sector represents a life area. Some
homes are missing sections because their design is irregular. More
common irregualar shapes are l-shaped and u-shaped designs. If you
have an irregular shaped home, refer to the article on Preparing Your
Floor Plan to learn how to remedy missing areas in your home..."
Preparing your floor plan:
http://www.webterrace.com/fengshui/fengrules.htm#Preparing%20Your%20Floor%20Plan:
..."If you live in a U-shaped or L-shaped home, you will need to make
some adjustments.
L-shaped and U-shaped homes:
If you live in an L-shaped or U-shaped home, chances are, you?re not
fully experiencing some area of your life. The goal of Feng Shui is
to restore balance and harmony, and one of the ways you can do this is
by completing the square. The Bagua Map on page 21 will show you how
the missing areas in your home compare to the missing opportunities in
your life.
U-shaped homes are missing an area in the front of the house of the
back that corresponds to the Fame and Reputation or Career Areas.
To overcome the missing areas, you can build an arbor in the space,
landscape with large potted trees or add a sculpture or windchimes.
This will help symbolically ?fill in? the missing area.
Completing the square: In order to complete your square, you?ll fill
in any area missing from your L-shaped or U-shaped drawing with dotted
lines so you create a complete square. If you already have a
rectangle or square home, you don?t need to do anything to complete
your drawing.
Once your house sketch is in the form of a square or rectangle, divide
it into nine parts. Split the length into thirds, then split the
width into thirds..."
I hope this helps. I just moved into a new space myself, thanks for
the reminder to consider this in my home too!
~~Cynthia
Search strategy, variations of:
"Feng shui"
irregular OR odd
"floor plan" OR shape
"Bagua Map" |
