SHERRIE RUSSELL MELINE
Maybe it's not bad breath keeping potential beaus from knocking at the door; maybe it's the door, period, particularly the one in the far right corner of your room. Paint it a shade of pink and see whether calls start pouring in and that date book fills up. FENG SHUI LOVE
Practitioners of the Chinese
method of enhancing life through
objects' placement offer tips on
how to shake up your love life
By Ruby Mata-Viti
ruby@starbulletin.com
The area at the far right corner of your home is tied to love and relationships, according to some methods of feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of enhancing one's life through geography and placement of objects.
Sharon Jeffers, feng shui consultant to stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Linda Gray is conducting the following seminars at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach Feng Shui for love
What: "Feng Shui for Love"
When: 7 to 10 p.m., Feb. 14
Cost: $45
Call: 808-338-1200 to register or send email to www.fengshuiworkshop@ earthlink.net. Early reservations recommended.
Also: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, "Feng Shui to Manifest the Dreams in your Life," $45;
1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, "Feng Shui to Create Balance, Harmony, and Good Fortune," $45
What better time than now, with the Lunar New Year just begun and Valentine's Day around the bend, to look at that corner of one's life and living space to learn how feng shui might enhance it.
Books on the topic speak their own language on the many schools of thought, among them the Compass, Black Hat and Three Gates methods. It's enough to cause eyes to glaze over long before star-crossed lovers get a chance to glance across the room. So, it was off to the yellow pages to see what home remedies practitioners recommend.
Those self-taught in the art said it's placement, not just the stuff you add to a room, that drives energy to flow. All said that the colors red, pink, white or yellow will increase the odds of bringing love into one's life, as well as hanging pictures of objects in pairs.
Jill Thalmann, owner of Mirror Mirror, a feng shui cures shop in Moiliili, follows the Black Hat method in which a home's front door is the reference point. "It's the easiest for people to follow," she said.
Although Thalmann doesn't call herself a consultant, she offers tips to those seeking advice if they bring in a sketch of their home. Most who drop by her store want advice on career and relationships, but "the ultimate goal of feng shui is to achieve health, harmony and balance; not to get you rich or famous. All schools of thought aim for that."
She suggests hanging pictures of pairs of Mandarin ducks, dragons and phoenixes, and cranes on the wall of relationship areas. "Cranes mate for life; when one dies, the other doesn't look for another partner."
WALK INTO Clear Englebert's Big Island home and you'll find a basket full of pink silk lotus flowers hanging in the corner of his relationship area.
"Two seconds after I did that I got a date," he said. "I met my life partner, the love of my life, six months later."
PHOTOS BY CRAIG T. KOJIMA Pairs of items, shown at top, as well as wind chimes, above, are powerful feng shui tools for inviting love into one's life when placed correctly in the home. The Mandarin Duck artwork ($85) used in the Charles Spinetta Winery Label Series, pink silk peonies ($4 each), and chimes ($55) are available at Mirror Mirror. Other shops such as the Golden Phoenix on the corner of King and Kaheka streets, and Sedona at Ward Centre offer comparable items.
CKOJIMA@ STARBULLETIN.COM
The colors pink, red, yellow and white are all used to promote relationship energy. Englebert, who follows the Three Gates method, is a member of the International Feng Shui Guild and has written two books on the subject, "Feng Shui Demystified" and "Bedroom Feng Shui."
Englebert, in his 40s, said he spent 10 years in San Francisco before moving back to Hawaii for a third, and final, time. The Captain Cook resident who legally changed his name to Clear in his 20s offers weekly feng shui seminars at the Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort.
"I'm oversimplifying when I offer the following tips," recommending that those in need of more detail refer to his books.
He said that the far right corner, whether it is of a desk, bedroom or entire home, is the relationship corner. You don't want to have anything in that area that is broken or that can be harmful, such as knives or a gun collection, he said.
"If you have to have it in that area, at least keep it out of sight in a drawer. In feng shui, if you can't see it, it's not there."
"Like it or not," he adds, "the color for that area is pink." Guys don't usually like that so "for the guys, try a dusty rose, paint the wall that color. Or you can go with maroon, burgundy or even terra cotta."
You're using your home to send a message to whatever higher power you honor, he added. "The universe takes metaphors and symbols literally. It's like the universe is reading your messages in Braille, and it's saying, 'Oh this is what Sally or Joe wants.' It lets you be in charge of what you are saying."
He also suggests avoiding placing plants with sharp leaves -- such as mother-in-laws tongue, yucca or aloe -- in that corner. "You want plants that have round edges and texture, such as Bear Paws, which look like a jade plant but have white fuzzy leaves."
In the bedroom, what's across the foot of the bed is as important as the head of it. "That view from the foot of the bed is a place of power, it's what the couple sees when they open their eyes in the morning and represents their future together; they should love that view equally. They should not compromise on this."
If you don't have a headboard, he said, it's time to do some shopping. "If you want a monogamous relationship, get a solid wood headboard.
"Now again, I'm oversimplifying, but a slatted headboard, or anything where water can easily slip through it, such as bamboo, means loose relationships."
THOSE IN THE real estate business realize the value of feng shui in helping clients sell homes, to the point of scheduling seminars on the subject. Realtor Kent Kinoshita listened to feng shui author Angi Ma Wong speak at a realty workshop five years ago and became hooked on the subject. He's now runs Feng Shui Practioner of Hawaii.
If a relationship is on the rocks, he suggests hanging pictures of the couple in happier times. "Also, try placing two candles in that area, lighting them, and envisioning the flames coming together as one."
Tidying up that corner is another tip he suggests. "Clutter blocks energy."
Kinoshita is single and looking, so he keeps in his relationship corner a picture of two Japanese cranes and two yellow roses, among other things.
He admits, however, that feng shui's theories go only so far.
"You can't just sit home and wait for romance to happen. Unless you're trying to start up a relationship with the FedEx delivery person or mailman. You need to go out and meet people."
And for that, it never hurts to have a roll of Certs handy.
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