Design
Robyn Hunt
Trees and feng shui go hand in hand, notes Red Lotus Letter. So when it comes to your landscaping, particularly what you’re planting in front of your home, you’re going to want to do some proper planning. That’s because in the mystical world of feng shui, trees can be some of the best chi propagators, and also the most devastating energetic homewreckers in existence.
Location, distance, and numbers all come into play when gracing your home with the chi boost it might desperately be craving. One misplaced, yet auspicious, fig tree, can fling spikes of negative energy through the walls of your home, ultimately destroying all the harmonious chi you worked so hard to manifest inside.
Luckily, there are more than a few ways to battle poor tree placement and actually increase your home’s feng shui. This can include adding or subtracting trees to bring balance or to disperse negative energy, along with bringing in much smaller and economically friendly feng shui remedies to counter a poorly placed tree in front of your home. Because the last thing you want is to have the perfect chi grotto that no one wants to chill in, all because of some funky tree juju.
Harness the power of the celestial animals
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There are four celestial animals you can call upon to check if your property is in proper alignment with feng shui principles, notes Feng Shui Natural. Together, they form the feng shui matrix, with each color corresponding to its designated element. The ideal set-up incorporates a black tortoise (water) in the north, representing stability, and a red phoenix (fire) watching over the south, which remains open and ready to receive energy. To the east resides the green dragon (wood), which helps channel the chi flow. Finally, the white tiger (metal) watches over the east and acts like a fellow chi gatekeeper to the green dragon. The yellow snake (earth), meanwhile, represents the center — or the home itself.
If there is an imbalance of chi flow due to a less-than-ideal tree placement in front of your home, you can always add or subtract. For example, let’s say you have a Japanese maple living to the right of your front door. According to LoveToKnow, you’ll want to plant a taller and bushier tree on the left (green dragon) to establish balance. On the other hand, if you only have a tree growing to the left of your front door, a fellow conifer friend on the right isn’t necessary. Planting a single tree to the left is actually a good way to increase your home’s positive chi.
Some easy ways to fix the flow
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When calling in a tree removal service (or literally moving your house) isn’t an option for removing that obstructive tree centered in front of your home, there are a few feng shui tricks you can utilize to help bring your home’s chi back to a state of harmony. LoveToKnow says the first trick is the easiest way to mellow out and deflect the onslaught of poison arrow energy: You simply add a hollow metal wind chime in between your independent evergreen and your home’s front door.
If the chiming noise is too much for you, however, then try adding a light source, writes Momentum Feng Shui. Just like the wind chime, this should act like a barrier between home and hedge, as in feng shui, good, auspicious chi is thought to be drawn to light sources.
Adding a few tree buddies also helps alleviate negative chi by dispersing it into the ether. Don’t forget to trim overgrown trees in front of your home, because the branches that hover over your roof or around your windows will begin to suck some serious energy from your humble abode.
