Feng shui that works, or at least claims to

Feng shui might sound ambiguous, but actually the practices and principles are not. Here we show you some essential and easy-to-understand information about feng shui in the Year of the Dragon. Whether you believe it or not, it is still good to know about it.

Lucky colors and numbers

A dragon year is an earth year according to the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water). Therefore having the corresponding colors in your life is considered good luck. White, gold, yellow, brown and orange are lucky colors of the year.

Meanwhile, the numbers two and seven relate to fire, three and eight are wood, four and nine are metal, nine and 10 are water, and five and 10 are earth. The auspicious numbers of the year are believed to be two, four, five, seven, nine and 10.

Lucky direction

For good fortune in the year, the direction is equally important, as some directions are against certain years, while others are in favor. According to feng shui theory, the auspicious direction that could bring more money into your pocket is west.

Meanwhile, the blessing direction is northeast. The direction that could bring promotion at work, fame and money is south.

Panic not if you find yourself not in a lucky position. Different people belong to different elements, so it is dependent on the individual to an extent.

Things to avoid

Some things bring you luck, but equally other things take it away from you. The things for you to avoid this year include dogs and rabbits.

At the same time, a messy bedroom with lots of clutter scattered around is not a good luck sign. The bed is supposed to be placed against the wall and no household items should reside under your bed.

The house that suits you

The place you live in is vital to your feng shui. What you need to pay attention to when selecting the environment and location of your house includes both the direction and the gardens (or the environment of your compound). An auspicious house has a hill, mountain, bigger or equally-sized architectural feature behind it and nothing in front.

Do not buy a house that faces towards a street or an entry of a hutong. According to feng shui theory, a house in this direction will bring about the opposite of good fortune.

Tips for dragons

For those born in a dragon year (you are the dragon if you are aged 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 or 96 this year), 2012 is your Ben Ming Nian or the year of birth (the recurrent year in the twelve-year cycle). The Ben Ming Nian is always a bad year for all aspects except in terms of fortune, which explains why many opt to wear red color socks and underwear in order to restore the luck that is lost in their Ben Ming Nian.

Apart from wearing red color clothing, dragons should also try to avoid people with a snobbish attitude. If that is impossible, wearing mascots of the dragon year on your body and placing them in your home should counterbalance the bad luck.