Dear Aunt Agga #28 Confusion with the use of Elements

Confusion with the use of Elements

Dear Aunt Agga,

In certain articles, you mention 5 Elements, e.g. Wood and Metal. What do you mean by this? I am currently redecorating my home and I am trying to apply the art of feng shui. I am wondering whether I need to take down Metal and Wood shelves down from the education corner in particular, and what qualifies as having the fire element to put there. Thank you, for taking the time to help with this rather urgent matter.

Yours sincerely,  KemiMcKen

I think you already understand the use of Elements in feng shui rather well. The most basic use of Elements comes under the Eight Aspirations theory, where each living space can be divided into eight corners.  Each corner is governed by a particular Element and represents an Aspiration. To activate the corner, one should use either the Element of the corner, or an Element which produces the Element represented by the corner in question.

The education corner is governed by small earth – so I believe you are concerned that if you have Wood and Metal there, the Wood would destroy the Earth and the Metal would exhaust the Earth.

Personally, I wouldn’t take the Eight Aspiration theory all so seriously. As long as the shelves are not exposed, they should be quite safe. (Exposed shelves look like knives and send out very bad sha ch’i).

If you want to enhance the education corner, what you should use is a globe – this is the most
effective symbol of Earth. You can also use crystals. Other useful enhancers are candles, lamps, red paint… to represent the Fire Element which produces Earth.

Love, Aunt Agga.

Which door would be my main entrance?

Dear Aunt Agga,

I recently learned about feng shui and want to try to “feng shui” our home. My question is this: our main entrance faces East. However, we seldom use that door to enter the house. We come in through the garage door, which also faces East, and immediately turn South to go through the door to the home. So should we use East for the garage door, or South for the door after the
garage to the house?

It is better to have a main door which looks like a main door. Not so good to have your garage door as your main door – so if you use the door inside your garage into your house which faces South, then your main door would be a South facing door. But note that one of the most important aspects in feng shui is your front door. Better to have a front door which has a bright hall in front of it where the ch’i can circulate and collect.

If I were you, I’d start using your original front door more and stop using the garage.

Love, Aunt Agga

Correct number and color for fishes

Dear Aunt Agga,

I have just read Lillian Too’s very interesting encyclopedia and have some questions. I have 12 gold fish and one clinging fish. How should I count clinging fish – as a fish or not?
As you recommended having one black and eight gold fish, how should I count clinging fish? Thank you for your time and participation.

Sincerely, Irina Dinov

The one black and eight gold fish combination only works for goldfish. You need eight red goldfish and one black goldfish. Clinging fish do not count – sorry!

Love, Aunt Agga.

Three-legged frog – how to place?

Dear Aunt Agga,

I was wondering about the 3-legged frog. I know it should be placed in the hall. However, should it face the door or away from it, and should it be on the hinges side or the other side?

Thank you, Freya, England.

Dear Freya,

According to the legend, where ever you fmd the three-legged toad, you fmd money, so it is best to keep the three-legged toad on the inside of your house (not the outside). You should keep it low, perhaps under a table or couch.

Some say one should turn the frog to face out towards the door in the daytime and to face into the house at night. So the frog goes out in the day to collect your money for you, and brings it back at night.

For me, I think that’s too much of a hass, so I keep nine – and have them hopping in all directions, some going out to fetch money, some coming in with the money. I don’t buy the daytime nightime myth because I believe some frogs are nocturnal.

Love, Aunt Agga.

Bad ch’i from crystals

Dear Aunt Agga,

Hi! I have a few questions regarding getting rid of the bad Ch’i emitted from crystals. In her books, Lillian Too says I must put the crystal in sea salt water for 7 days to prevent the crystal from giving out bad ch’i. Does the sea water here mean water from the sea or just sea water made from table salt? Can I just leave the crystal in tap water for 7 days to get rid of the bad Ch’l? If not, then what other way can I use to get rid of the bad Ch’l? My bad direction is in the South-east. So will putting crystal in the South-east side of my bedroom to activate my Wealth corner be harmful to me?

Dear Anonymous,

The exercise of soaking a crystal in sea water for 7 days is to remove all vibes contained within the crystal. Not all crystals contain bad vibes, but because you do not know where the crystal has come from or with whom the crystal has come into contact, it is better to clear the crystal of all existing energies before you start to use it. It is not necessary to soak the crystal in real sea water. Rock salt water is fine. But not table salt. It has to be rock salt, or sea salt.

Activating the Southeast to tap your Wealth corner is fine. But note two things:

1) You should not activate the Southeast corner of your bedroom. The bedroom is a place of rest.
Better to activate the Southeast of your living room.

2) The South-east is governed by the Wood Element. Crystals belong to the Earth Element. Because Wood destroys Earth, your crystal will do nothing to help your wealth prospects. Instead, you should activate the South-east of your living room with a small plant, or
small water feature.

Love, Aunt Agga.

Aunt Agga relies on Symbolic Feng Shui, and her advice relates mainly to Chinese cultural items rather than to professional Classical Feng Shui or Flying Stars consultation.