Feng Shui is the philosophy and practice of arranging the furniture and decoration in living spaces in a way that allows energy to flow through. It is said that this creates a balance with the living world. One of the first things that you should ensure if you want the ultimate Feng Shui experience would be to make sure that your house, and more specifically the front door, face the right direction.
It is due to each direction being connected to an element, colors, and materials, as well as representing a different set of traits. For example, if your house is facing North, it represents wisdom, introspection, and fluidity, whereas if it faces East, it represents new beginnings and family.
Discover the meaning of the South in Feng Shui and explore ways to activate the energy of the South and decorate and paint the front door for the best experience.
How to Find a South Facing Direction?
The easiest way to know that you are facing the South would be to use a compass and remember that the arrow is pointing to the North. However, if you don’t have one handy, you should face the sun. If it is early morning, the sun would be in the East, which would mean that the South would be to your right. If you face the sun in the afternoon, the sun would be in the West, so the South would be on your left.
However, it is crucial that when determining the Feng Shui direction for your home, you enlist the help of a professional. There are often other factors that influence the facing direction of your house. Most of the time, it is different from the direction the front door is facing. As a general rule of thumb, to locate your house facing direction, always stand in the middle of your house, and use a compass to determine its true location.
Here's a video to help you out:
What is the Symbolism of a South-facing House in Feng Shui?
In all the Feng Shui teachings, there is a map called Bagua. It is the map that you use to determine what direction your home should face. It consists of eight areas around a center. Each one represents an aspect of life and includes specific colors, elements, and shapes.
The South area of the Bagua is called Li. Its element is fire, and non-surprisingly its season is the summer. Some of the things that the South symbolizes are inspiration, fame, passion, and illumination.
In the past, South-facing homes were considered very prosperous. It was especially true for houses and farms in the Northern hemisphere because they had the fortune of getting a lot of sunlight. It usually led to more crops growing, and to the family who lived there being more healthy.
Similarly, today South-facing homes are often referred to as any other ones, primarily due to the quantity of sunlight received. It is useful not only for our health but also for energy-saving and energy harnessing. People who live in South facing houses often use sun thermal collectors for water heating, or to power small house appliances.
How to Activate the Energy of South-facing Homes?
There are a few ways to activate and enhance the energy of South-facing homes. The best one would be by incorporating the colors and materials of the South. In this case, the colors would be all the hues of yellow, orange, and red, as well as some of the green ones. Painting walls and doors in these colors could have a very big effect on the activation of the Energy of the South.
Since wood is a fundamental part of a fire, and fire is the element of the South, you should try to incorporate both. You could include different potted plants, trees, and even flowers. Another thing you could do would be to add bright lights and candles to your decorations.
However, an important thing to note would be to pay attention to the patterns drawn on the pots and other items around your home. Triangles and zig-zags are fire shapes, and it is a good idea to incorporate them all around your house.
Best Feng Shui Colors for Your South-Facing House Door
The door is considered the most important area of any house, in Feng Shui. It is because it is the first thing any passers-by and visitor would see. It leaves the first impression of your home for your guests, and this is why it’s crucial to choose the color that best represents you and your intentions.
As we mentioned earlier, it is best to use colors connected to fire and wood, such as yellow, red, orange, green, and auburn. However, most Feng Shui enthusiasts will agree that muted red would be the best one to use.
Each color symbolizes something in Feng Shui, so here are the most popular Li colors and a bit about them:
- Red: It invites a lot of new energy in and is said to make people feel safer in their homes,
- Orange: The brighter orange hues tend to be very uplifting and mood-boosting,
- Yellow: It is very similar to orange, and it's very vibrant and uplifting,
- Green: Represents growth, life, and healing,
- Blue: Since it's similar to green, it is a soothing color that contributes to healing.
However, as with everything else, there are also some colors that you should avoid using for your South-facing door. These include all the earth and water elements’ colors, like dark orange, dark yellow, brown, black, etc. It is because earth and water can weaken and completely extinguish the fire.
But what if you cannot repaint your door? Well, there’s a solution for this as well! You could decorate in front of your door with plants, red flowers, or even a Li-colored welcome mat! You can always put the plants in blue, green, or teal planters since these are also South colors. Moreover, you could hang a wreath on the door.
There are even more things that you can do to enhance the energy coming in! You can learn how to use string lights and put them up outside on your porch. You should keep all outside light sources on for at least five hours each day to attract Chi - the positive energy. Moreover, you should use wooden furniture for the outdoors and choose fire colors for any rugs, pillows, or throws you may want to pair with it.
Conclusion
Feng Shui has become one of the stepping stones in today’s interior and exterior design. It is more than just that - for a lot of people; it is a way of life. It is all about the activation and flow of the surrounding energy, as well as living in harmony with nature.
The direction your home is facing is very important because it determines the colors you should use in your home, as well as the materials and decorations. This article has everything you may want to know about your South-facing home!