Luck in the Home
Introduction
Your home is much more than a mere house. In many ways, your home is part of you, as it reflects your likes, dislikes, tastes, and personality. After the stresses and strains of everyday life, your home is a safe, nurturing, caring place to return to.
Many years ago, I helped a friend clear out his mother’s home after she died. It was an amazing experience, as she’d never thrown anything away. There were huge piles of old newspapers, magazines, and junk mail everywhere, and we had to make our way down her hallway sideways, as there were stacks of papers from floor to ceiling on both sides. The rest of the house was also crammed with everything she’d accumulated over sixty years.
“Did no one ever suggest she clear out some of this stuff?” I asked.
My friend sighed. “Everyone did, all the time,” he said. “She took no notice. She kept everything just in case she might find a use for it later.”
I’ve thought of her house often over the years. I’ve seen many houses that were cluttered with too much stuff, but have never seen one as bad as hers.
All of us accumulate stuff all the time, but fortunately most people manage to keep it under some sort of control. I find it hard to part with books, but happily toss out anything else for which I don’t have an immediate use.
In this chapter we’ll start by looking at clutter and then examine a variety of other ways to help you attract luck to your home. If you are seeking luck in this area, don’t try to implement everything all at once. Try one or two things at a time and observe what happens. If necessary, try something else and continue doing it until you experience the results you desire.
171. Clutter
Clutter is anything you no longer need, use, or love. Almost everyone has a favorite item they no longer use but find hard to toss out. This is because we develop an emotional attachment to things and convince ourselves that we will need whatever it happens to be one day.
We also gradually gain clutter in the form of unwanted gifts and objects we’ve been given over the years. It’s hard to get rid of these, as they remind us of the person who gave them to us.
Other forms of clutter include items of clothing we’ve never worn and never will, and items left behind by family members who have moved away or into a home of their own.
Clutter belongs to the past. As long as you hang on to stuff you no longer need, you’re holding yourself back. Decluttering your home sets you free and enables you to move forward again.
172. Feng Shui
Feng shui is the Chinese art of living in harmony with the earth. One of the key concepts of feng shui is ch’i, which can be described as energy or the universal life force.1 Ch’i enters the home through the front door and should be able to move freely throughout the entire house. Anything that disrupts or blocks the flow of ch’i affects the good fortune and luck of the people living in the house. Clutter is a major factor in blocking good, positive ch’i energy. Once the clutter is brought under control, the people in the house will experience a sense of freedom, liberation, and greater energy. They’ll also feel more confident, and find they’re experiencing more good luck than ever before.
173. Activating the Ch’i
The ch’i should flow effortlessly through the house, entering through the front door and exiting out the back door and windows. Sometimes ch’i gets blocked. If the environment in the family is tense or someone is constantly argumentative or violent, the ch’i becomes stagnant and you can almost feel the tension in the house. Someone told me it reminded her of a black cloud that oppresses and limits everyone living in the house.
Emotional negativity can be eliminated by spraying water through a mister in every room. The misted water creates negative ions that allow the ch’i to flow freely again. Alternatively, you can use essential oils such as lavender, chamomile, or ylang ylang. These can be added to water and sprayed in each room, or you may choose to use an electrical diffuser that heats the oils.
A simple yet highly effective way to activate ch’i is to clap your hands vigorously in the room or rooms that need clearing. Make sure to clap in every part of the room, and visualize the energy moving as a result. Once you’ve finished clapping, wash your hands thoroughly in running water to eliminate any negative energy.
If someone has been ill for an extended period, you should first air out the room, and then activate the ch’i by misting with an essential oil such as lemon, eucalyptus, or rosemary.
You should thoroughly clean and air the room if someone has died in it. Once you’ve done that, use essential oils to encourage beneficial ch’i into the room again.
174. Smudging
It’s a good idea to use a smudge stick or essential oils to activate your new home. This eliminates any negative energies left behind by the previous occupants.
You can make your own smudge sticks, but it isn’t necessary, as they’re readily available online, or from many New Age and natural health stores. They are made from a variety of different herbs, including cedar, rosemary, and sage. Try to buy one that contains sweetgrass, an herb that is particular good for eliminating negativity.
Start by changing into old clothes. Then light your smudge stick. Once it is burning well, extinguish the flames, and allow the herbs to smoulder. Smudge yourself before smudging your home. You do this by drawing the smudge stick from the top of your head down to your feet on one side, and repeating this on the other side. Once you’ve done this, you can smudge your house.
Although the flames have been extinguished, the smudge stick is still extremely hot. Consequently, you should hold a fireproof container under it as you walk through the house. Alternatively, you might ask someone else to hold the container so you can focus on the smudging.
Smudge each room in turn. Enter the house through the front door and start with the first room on the right. Waft the smoke into every corner of the room. Once you’ve finished a room, close the door as you leave. Work your way through the house until every room has been smudged.
Extinguish the smudge stick under running water. Repeat this every day until you feel a change in the energy of the house. Usually you’ll begin to sense it after the second or third smudging session.
Wait for approximately half an hour before opening all the doors and windows. The smoke is extremely pungent, and you want to eliminate it once it’s completed its task.
Once all the smoke has gone, you’ll notice a subtle difference in your home. The energy will feel brighter, happier, and more energetic. The ch’i will be flowing freely, and good luck will come your way as a result.
175. Approach
To attract as much luck as possible, the pathway to your home should be clearly defined, and ideally be slightly curved. Any vegetation should be well tended and look healthy.
176. The Front Door
The entrance to your home is extremely important, as you want to encourage as much ch’i as possible into your home environment. Because of this, the front door should be well lit and appear welcoming. Any guests should be able to find your front door without any difficulty.
Items that are seldom used should not be kept in this area. Consequently, if there are several pairs of shoes stored either immediately inside or outside your front door, you should remove all of them except for those you wear regularly.
A friend of mine returned home from an overseas trip a few years ago. After unpacking his suitcase, he left it by the front door while deciding where to store it. Three years later, it was still there, and he was complaining that he never seemed to have enough money to take another trip. I suggested that he find a permanent home for his suitcase.
Anything that impedes the entrance of ch’i makes life more difficult for the people living in the home. Once you eliminate clutter from this area, more ch’i will come into your home and you’ll receive more good luck in your everyday life.
177. The Back Door
The back door is where the ch’i leaves your home. Once the ch’i has spread throughout your home, you want it to be able to leave freely. It can’t do that if this area is full of unused items. When I was in Singapore, a feng shui master told me that houses become constipated if the back door is impeded in any way.
178. Hallways
Hallways should be kept as clear as possible to allow ch’i to reach every part of the house. If the hallways are crowded with stuff, the ch’i will be impeded, and you’ll feel limited and restricted in all areas of your life. Once the hallways have been cleared and are easy to walk through, the feelings of limitation will disappear and your good luck will return.
179. The Kitchen
The kitchen has always been considered the heart of the home. In days gone by, the family would gather around the kitchen fire for warmth and companionship. This no longer applies, but the kitchen should still be a warm and nurturing room for everyone living in the house. If you have too many unused items taking up space on the shelves of your kitchen, you’ll feel powerless and hemmed in. Get rid of, or store, everything that is not being used on a regular basis, and you’ll feel in control again.
I remember visiting a home that had several items on the kitchen counter that no longer worked. The owner was horrified when I suggested she get rid of them and replace them with objects that worked. She took my advice, though, and in a short space of time several positive things happened in her life. These included a visit from a long-lost son and a job offer.
The main entrance to the kitchen should be visible to whomever is doing the cooking, so they will not be surprised by someone walking into the kitchen unexpectedly.
Fridges and freezers should contain an abundance of food, as this relates to the family’s prosperity. However, the food inside should be eaten on a regular basis, and replaced.
180. The Dining Room
The dining room should be a pleasant, relaxing room that makes people conducive to pleasant conversation. Ideally, the room should be self-contained. If it forms part of another room, it should have a clearly defined space of its own.
The dining room table should be the main focus of the room. Feng shui dictates that the best shapes are round, oval, and octagonal. Where someone sits at the table determines his or her ranking in the family. The power position, or the most important seat, should face the main entrance to the room.
The dining room should contain a few wall hangings or decorations that reflect the family’s tastes and interests.
181. The Living Room
The living room should appear welcoming, relaxing, and comfortable. Because it’s a room people relax in, it’s common for items to be brought into this room and left there, rather than being returned to where they came from. Consequently, it’s easy for this room to become cluttered. Too much clutter in this room will make you feel restless, anxious, and unable to relax.
Once you’ve decluttered your living room, you’ll feel more relaxed in your own home and will start to experience good luck in your life again.
182. The Bathroom
Even the bathroom can become cluttered. If all the available surfaces are taken up with various items, you’ll feel anxious and ill at ease. Removing old toothbrushes, cosmetics, and medications that are no longer being used (and anything else that is not required) will immediately make you feel more comfortable and relaxed. It will also increase your luck.
The bath and toilet should be inconspicuous. If possible, the toilet should be screened to provide privacy.
183. The Bedroom
The bedroom is a sanctuary, a place to relax, read, make love, sleep, and dream. Clutter in the bedroom affects all of these activities. If you’re currently single, a cluttered bedroom limits your chances of finding and keeping a new partner.
For most people, the main problem in their bedroom is hanging on to clothes, shoes, and other items they’ll never wear again. Go through your wardrobe carefully, and you’ll find many items that you can discard or give away. This allows the ch’i more room in which to flow.
Many people store objects under the bed or on top of the wardrobe. The vanity is not intended to be a storage place for cosmetics. Once you’ve eliminated the clutter in these areas, you’ll find yourself sleeping better, and you’ll also find yourself luckier in all areas of life, especially your love life.
184. The Bed
It’s considered lucky to position your bed on a north-south axis, but only if the bedroom allows you to do this naturally. This placement is also said to be lucky if you’re wanting sons.
The foot of the bed should not face the doorway. This is known as the coffin position, because corpses are taken out feet first. Consequently, this is an unlucky position.
It’s good luck for the head of the bed to be against a wall. This provides symbolic support for the bed.
The long side of the bed should not be placed against a wall unless you want to discourage potential partners. If you want to attract a partner, there should be sufficient space on each side of the bed for both you and your partner.
People lying in bed should be able to see the main entrance to the room without turning their heads more than 45 degrees. This provides a sense of security.
If a visitor has stayed overnight, you should not make the bed he or she slept in for at least an hour after your guest has left. This preserves and protects your good luck.
You should finish making the bed once you’ve started, as it’s bad luck to leave the task half finished and return to complete it later. It’s also unlucky to sneeze while making the bed, but this can be remedied by making the sign of the cross.
185. Getting Out of Bed
An old superstition says that when you get out of bed in the morning, you should put your right leg out first. This ensures harmonious relations with everyone you meet during the day. Consequently, the day will be pleasant, and good luck will flow your way. If you put your left leg out first, you’ll experience difficulties and frustrations all day long.
186. The Home Office
A home office should be kept free of clutter, as this area relates to the family’s wealth, status, and level of success. Anything that impedes the flow of ch’i will have a constricting effect on all of these.
Consequently, a stack of old catalogs, filing cabinets that are filled to overflowing, piles of papers on your desk, and boxes of computer paper on the floor all have the potential to hit you in the wallet. Your office should be a pleasant, comfortable environment where you can work without having to constantly search for everything you need.
Removing clutter from this room will increase your prosperity, as well as your luck.
187. Sweeping
Tradition says that when you’re sweeping your house, you should always sweep the dust inwards. If you sweep it outwards, and out the door, all your luck will leave with it. It’s perfectly acceptable to gather the dust into a container and take it outdoors that way.
The link between household dust and good luck and prosperity is hundreds of years old. In 1323, an Irish witch named Alice Kyteler was charged with trying to rob her fellow citizens of Kilkenny by sweeping the dust in front of their doors. By doing this she hoped to gain good luck and financial advantage for her and her son.2
There is one exception to this. An old superstition says that the first time a new broom is used, it should sweep something into the house, as this symbolically sweeps in good luck as well.
188. Flowers
The ancient Egyptians gave each other flowers as gestures of love and friendship. This beautiful tradition still exists today, and it has improved over the years as flowers are now also believed to provide good luck. The good luck increases if there are an odd number of flowers in the bunch.
Yellow flowers are said to be the best for providing good luck in the home. Purple flowers are useful, too, as they provide opportunities for financial progress as well as good luck.
189. Moving House
The luckiest days to move house are said to be Mondays and Wednesdays. An old superstition says that Saturday is the worst day to move house. You’ll find it hard to settle in, and will move again quickly. The Pennsylvania Dutch thought Friday was the worst day to move house. They even have a saying for this: “Friday flitting means short sitting.” This means you won’t be living in that house for very long.
There are a number of superstitions concerned with bringing good luck into your new home. One of these recommends taking the embers from your old fireplace, and using them to kindle the fire in your new home. This preserves the good luck of the entire family. Interestingly, housewarming parties are derived from this, and it is a practice that enables friends to share in the family’s good fortune.
It’s also good luck to send a new broom to your new home before you move in. However, you should never move an old broom from one house to another.
You should carry a bucket of coal and a container of salt into your new home before bringing in any of your belongings. This is a gift for the home, and ensures it will prove lucky for you.
190. Housewarming
A housewarming party attracts good luck to the home and everyone who lives in it. Nowadays, a housewarming is an opportunity to entertain your friends and show off your new home. Traditionally, it was done to honor and thank the spirits that lived in the house.
The center of the home has always been the hearth, and the fire that was kept burning there was sacred. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed house gods worshiped at the hearth. Gradually, the house gods were replaced by a variety of fairies and other spirits who had to be honored and looked after to ensure the house received its share of prosperity and good luck. This is why the hearth and the grate had to be tidied up before the occupants went to bed. When people moved from one house to another, they would take live embers with them to start a fire in the new hearth. This was a “housewarming.” By doing this, the family took their household spirits with them, and continued their good luck.