Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - Are You a Feng Shui Cure-All?
‘8 House Mirror,’ the title of one of the oldest classical Feng Shui books, refers to the 8 trigrams / directions of the Yi Jing and how the Xuan Kong calculations reveal the potential of a building as clearly as if it were reflected in a mirror. The mirror metaphor in the title and the fact that ancient Feng Shui Masters used mirrors as a METAL element remedy are most likely why recent books suggest that mirrors are Feng Shui "cure alls."
Unlike ancient mirrors, which were made of thick pieces of highly polished metal...our modern mirrors have no more metal in them than an aluminum can. Classical Feng Shui neutralizes sabotaging energies with one of 5 elements. Metal remedies have always been and will always be the most used of the 5 elements. Where the Xuan Kong calculations of your home reveal that you do require Metal remedies, today you’d use a key-wound clock or a metal piece of furniture or art that blends with your décor.
The 8 trigrams and 5 elements of the Yi Jing are commonly represented in an 8 sided layout, which in Chinese is called a BaGua...which simply means 8 portions. There’s nothing magical about a "Ba Gua" symbol, mirror or anything else that has 8 sides. Hanging a BaGua symbol (with or without a mirror) over your door or laying it over your floor plan is not the intended use of a BaGua diagram. The traditional BaGua diagram is more of a teaching tool, similar to a textbook with encoded information about universal energy patterns… not the energy patterns of every building.
The Yi Jing teaches that all energy patterns are different and constantly in a state of change, which is why...there are NO “one-size-fits-all” answers or remedies in classical Feng Shui or in Acupuncture, which is another complex Chinese science with the same roots as Feng Shui.
Unfortunately, the majority of popular Feng Shui books are written about folk beliefs, which vary from book-to-book and are very confusing. As in any culture, Chinese folk beliefs vary from region-to-region and generation-to-generation. These folk beliefs are meant to do no harm; however in certain years because they are attempting to over-simplify a very complex science, they can backfire and actually cause harm.
Today the only Feng Shui use of our modern mirrors is to make a small space appear larger or to reflect more light into a dark area. However, there are still a few Feng Shui reasons to be cautious where you place mirrors in your home…
In classical Feng Shui, much emphasis is also placed on the Yi Jing’s Yin/Yang Theory. For example, a very Yang environment / room that’s excessively bright causes headaches, quick temperament and easily troubled emotions. On the other hand, a room / environment that’s too Yin or dark results in desperation, pessimism and fatigue. To avoid such problems, you want a balance between Yin and Yang in your inside and outside environment.
Yin is by nature cold and passive, while Yang is hot and active. In terms of physics, Yin is the internal pulling force and Yang is the external pushing force. Cold or Yin objects often possess a contracting ability. Hot or Yang objects generally maintain an expanding ability.
LARGE MIRRORS in your bedroom expand or stir the Qi which keeps you awake. Mirrors reflect light, which is a Yang or active energy. By reflecting light mirrors make the Qi in your bedroom more active. However, you want the Qi in your bedroom to be more Yin or still, and therefore, restful. If you have large mirrors in your bedroom, when you turn the lights off at night… you’ll toss-and-turn until the Qi becomes still enough for you to sleep. For a good nights sleep, you want to cover or remove any large mirrors in your bedroom.To avoid triggering the ‘Lonely Pillow Syndrome,’ which causes you to remain single or sleep apart from your mate… you need to keep mirrors out of your 15° ‘Lonely Pillow’ direction / section… from the exact magnetic center of your whole house/unit and from the magnetic center of your bedroom. Large mirrors or mirrored closet doors in your bedroom increase the chance of activating your ‘Lonely Pillow’.
When a mirror is in your ‘Lonely Pillow’ direction, either remove the mirror or cover the glass of the mirror so it’s no longer reflective. Over the years, I’ve taught over 1,500 clients their ‘Lonely Pillow’ directions and they have come up with many creative ways to cover their mirrored closet doors. A client who’s an artist used water-based paints to paint a beautiful multi-colored mural over her mirrored closet doors. Other clients used double-faced tape to attach rice paper, wallpaper or anything that complements their décor to cover their mirrors. One client, who had part of a mirror in her master suite bathroom in her ‘Lonely Pillow’ direction, used double-faced tape to cover that part of the mirror with her young child’s artwork.
In some instances, there might be a reason you want to sleep alone. Then, of course, you can choose to activate your ‘Lonely Pillow’ direction. For instance, you could hang a mirror in your child’s ‘Lonely Pillow’ direction to encourage them to focus on their education instead of finding a mate. Get the idea?
There are several other circumstances that trigger the influence of your “Lonely Pillow’ direction, which will keep you from having long-term intimate love relationships or cause you to sleep separately from your partner the majority of the time. Many of my clients over the years who have suffered from ‘Lonely Pillow Syndrome’ were relieved to discover an outside influence was keeping them single… and that they could escape its influence.
You won’t find this personalized information in any of the popular do-it-yourself Feng Shui books. In fact, barely 5% of Feng Shui professionals have the knowledge necessary to calculate ALL of your birthday / gender derived 45° and 15° ‘Personal Directions,’ including your ‘Lonely Pillow’ direction. After teaching over 1,500 private clients how to work with ALL their ‘Personal Directions’ since 1997, I’ve developed the first personalized program to teach you how to identify and work with ALL of your ‘Personal Directions.’
Each of your ‘Personal Directions’ has a Chinese name, however I refer to them collectively as your ‘Lifetime Keys,’ because the influence of these magnetic directions are with you throughout your entire life. For all the details of what’s included in The Feng Shui Advantage’s one-of-a-kind… ‘Lifetime Keys Personal Direction Self-Mastery Toolbox’ visit: http://www.fengshuiadvantage.com/directions.html.
© 2007 P.K. Odle. All rights reserved.
NOTE: You’re welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” information at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to PK@FengShuiAdvantage.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
P.K. Odle is a celebrated classical Yi Jing Feng Shui consultant and the Executive Director of the world-renowned American Feng Shui Institute®, where she has taught since 1998. She created The Feng Shui Advantage's "Lifetime Keys Personal Directions Self-Mastery Toolbox." To learn more about using the ancient Chinese science of Yi Jing Feng Shui to improve your Health, Relationships and Finances... through 16 weeks of FREE TIPS subscribe to her award-winning eNewsletter, The Feng Shui Advantage MONTHLY, at http://www.FengShuiAdvantage.com. The next issue could change your life!
