Feng Shui and the Kitchen

  Many people are already aware that the ancient Chinese practice of Feng Shui is designed to assist the user in all aspects of life.  Everything from a person’s personal and professional relationships to health and prosperity can be enhanced with the proper use of Feng Shui.  Most of the time, the changes that are needed to the environment are simply a matter of changing a decorating theme and furniture placement.  For any area of a home that is not in the Feng Shui tradition, a person can make the modifications necessary and successfully create a home that is conducive to happiness, harmony, and serenity. 
  One of the most used areas of a home is the kitchen.  In Feng Shui, the kitchen is important as it symbolizes a family’s prosperity and obviously, nourishment.  The nourishment aspect of the kitchen is clear, as this is the room in which food is stored, prepared, and consumed.  For the best prosperity results, Feng Shui and the kitchen need to be used together to most fully benefit the members of the household.  If your kitchen isn’t in sync with the Feng Shui tradition a few helpful recommendations may help you achieve a cooking space that is designed to create a more inviting, chi friendly room.
 The area of the home where the kitchen is located is important in the flow of good chi.  In an ideal situation, the doorway to the kitchen won’t be visible from the main entrance of the home.  It is believed that if the doorway is in direct relation to the front door, that digestive problems may result.  Another problem with this placement is that guests are less likely to feel welcome in this environment and may leave soon after eating to avoid the negative energy.  Obviously you can’t change how your home or apartment is set up, but there are things you can do to solve this issue if your kitchen is set up in line with the front door.  Hanging a curtain, beaded or sheer, in front of the kitchen door effectively cuts it off from the rest of the house.  You could also try to place a visually interesting décor display across from the doorway.  In Feng Shui and kitchen placement, the goal is to divert attention from the kitchen when it is improperly placed in the home.
 The positioning of appliances in Feng Shui and the kitchen is incredibly vital in ensuring the positive flow of energy.  The person who is cooking should always be in a position of command.  For this reason, the stove should be placed to where anyone who enters the room can see the cook clearly.  The cook should also be able to see who enters without having to turn around to do so.  If your stove is facing a wall, a well placed mirror or reflective surface will work to correct this problem.  Since we are discussing the stove, there are a few other things to keep in mind.  You will want to use all of the burners on the range top equally.  Using the burners in this way is symbolic of getting money from multiple sources.  When you arrange your kitchen in the Feng Shui tradition be sure to keep your water elements and fire elements separate.  In other words, separate your stove and microwave from the refrigerator, dishwater, and sink.  Never place the stove under a window either.  All of your prosperity will go out the window.  This is important in practicing good Feng Shui.
 A person can’t learn anything about Feng Shui without quickly discovering that clutter is an absolute disaster.  This applies when Feng Shui and kitchen design meet as well.  One of the first things you should do to reap the rewards of a well thought out Feng Shui kitchen is be sure it is tidy and clean.  If you have an appliance that is broken or not working properly, it is essential that you replace it immediately.  At the minimum, discard the non operating item.  It is better to deal with life without a coffee maker than leave one in the kitchen that isn’t working correctly.  Getting rid of the unnecessary clutter will also leave you more comfortable in the kitchen and more open to the positive chi that is flowing around.
 Feng Shui and kitchen arrangement can make a drastic impact on your life.  Harmony and serenity, not to mention prosperity, are enhanced by designing a Feng Shui compatible kitchen.  Of course, the best results come from arranging your entire home and work space in the Feng Shui tradition.  The correct furniture and appliance arrangement are essential for encouraging positive energies and the guarantee of loved ones feeling comfortable in your home.  It is worth the time to make your home and kitchen a haven of harmony and balance.
                           Use Your Kitchen More!

 While this seems like an odd Feng Shui idea, using your kitchen more is one of the best ways to increase the energy in the room. The more you move around and you create recipes, the more you will attract movement and bustling energy to this space. This is what you want. So try to use the kitchen at least a few times a day, even if it’s just to use the microwave to heat something up. That counts too toward helping you stoke the fires of the family hearth’s energy.
  The kitchen is also the place where our body is nourished so the quality of energy in our food is very important. As the creator of meals the energy your energy is added to the food you prepare so having the right positive attitude when preparing the meals is very important. If you are upset or angry when preparing food this energy is added to the food. If you are happy and joyful this energy is added to the food. Here are two tips to help protect the cook when in the kitchen.
  If the cook has his/her back to the entrance of the kitchen when cooking this will drain their energy and keep their higher self on guard.

1. Place a mirror in front of the cook so that he/she can see what is going on behind her.
2. Hang a faceted ball from the ceiling above the area where the cook prepares the food.

                    Brighten Up a Drab Cooking Area

  In Feng Shui, the use of colors is another way you can enhance the energy of a room. Warm colors that evoke the feeling of fire are the best in the kitchen. This way, you invite warm energy into the space and you allow the room to be filled with this warmth whenever someone is in the space. Try using colors like reds and yellows to see how this makes your room feel. .
  Greens work too, but you want to make sure you are using warm accent colors to prevent too much coolness from dampening the energy. Personally I like to use greens in accessories like art and plants.
  Your kitchen is where your family’s heart is located, so treat it warmly with warm colors and more visits!

                        The Color of Your Kitchen

  Changing the colors of your kitchen is one of the easiest ways to add energy and to add warmth to your life. Really adding color is the quickest, least expensive and easiest way to add energy to any room in your home. Ideally, you will want to look at a bagua map of your home to see where the kitchen is situated on this map and then add the appropriate colors. However, you will also want to think of the kitchen as a sort of fireplace of the home, a place where the fires of the family hearth are being stoked. Thus, using colors like reds and oranges will help to support this energy and this heat. But as with anything in Feng Shui, using what feels right to you is another good lesson. If you feel that greens and blues are helpful, then use those – it’s up to you.
 The warm colors like red, yellow and orange have the highest vibration and the most energy so they will bring in the most chi into your kitchen. The cool colors like blue and green will add energy but in a more subtle way.
 If you a looking for a balance try just adding the warm tones in accessory items while using the cool colors for the walls.
                      Get Rid of What Doesn’t Work

  A kitchen is a room that’s filled with many appliances you use on an infrequent basis. Often, those items don’t work or they don’t work as well as they used to when you first bought them. Instead of simply holding onto things that are broken or that are ruined, get rid of anything that doesn’t work and that shows signs of breakage. Items that are broken or have become cumbersome to use will create cumbersome or difficult circumstances in your life.
  This way, you can remove that negative energy as well. If something can be fixed, then go ahead and fix it since this will also help to encourage positive energy in the room.