iVillage

As you walk through the home, be sure to look out each window, at least the ones facing to the front. What do you see out there? Is there any Sha Qi object directly in view from a window? Look for windows directly opposite one another.

Notice how the various rooms connect with one another. What kind of flow does the Qi have through the house? Are there any obstructions, like overhead beams on the ceiling? These are especially not welcome if they are located just above the main door, where you enter.

One of your first stops should be the living room and family rooms, which should be scrutinized to make sure that the flow of Qi is fluid, preferably meandering through this area. If there are windows in these areas, they should open out to attractive views, preferably to the south or west. Look to make sure no couch or chair has its back to a door or window.

Another very important room is the dining room, where meals are shared. An ideal place for the dining room (sometimes the family room) is toward the rear of the house, and in a corner spot, so that there can be cross windows.

The kitchen too, one of the two wet rooms, should be examined, and you will want to examine the placement of the stove and sink, in relation to one another, and to any windows.

Bathrooms (the other wet room) in traditional feng-shui were often situated on the north side, which is ruled by the element Water. Bathrooms should be bright and the Qi encouraged to move more quickly in these rooms, sending the unwanted down the drain.

A key room is the bedroom, where we spend roughly one third of our lives, so special care is taken to make sure that room is peaceful and secure. Traditionally east-facing windows in bedrooms are best for young people, west-facing for the elderly. The head of the bed should not be toward a window or facing the door.

If your home has a study, it should not be as quiet as the bedroom, but with enough Qi to activate whatever work needs to be done there.

It is best to keep notes on paper as you tour the various rooms of the house.

Here we have just touched on a few points. These different parts of feng-shui analysis are gone into much greater detail in the sections that follow.