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Feng Shui in the Kitchen

by Holly Ziegler, M.A.Ed

As Virginia Woolf wrote after a less-than satisfactory meal, "One cannot think well, love well or sleep well, if one has not dined well. The lamp in the spine does not light on beef and prunes." In China special attention is paid to the kitchen, and in Feng Shui it is the second most important room in the home after the master bedroom.

There is a direct Chinese association with food and abundance therefore the room where the food for the family is prepared is symbolically connected to the family wealth and fortunate financial blessings. The Chinese word for food"tsai" sounds the same as their word for wealth. They realize that food affects our behavior, moods, and overall health.

Professor Lin Yun, the founder of Black Sect Tibetan Feng Shui says, "From our food comes health and effectiveness. If it is well prepared and of good quality, we will do well in the world, earn more money to buy even better food." And as Sarah Rossbach points out in her book, Feng Shui-The Art of Chinese Placement, this food-money cycle can turn the other way. "If you are poor, you eat worse, then fare poorly in the world. You might perform so poorly that eventually get fired."

The cook is usually the mother of the family and if she is happy in the kitchen it is thought she will prepare healthy and nutritious food for the benefit of all the others. As she works at the stove she should be able to face the doorway and have the rest of the room be visible to her. If her back is to the door as she cooks, she will constantly be wondering who is behind her and be distracted or surprised from behind (the Jesse James syndrome)...this is not good Feng Shui. To correct this difficulty a mirror large enough to view the room and doorway would be placed behind the stove on the wall above the burners. This acts to "double" the wealth and abundance of the food on the burners as well as keep the cook energetically calm.

The placement of the stove is quite important and should not be in a tight corner so as to cramp the cook's "chi" or energy as they are preparing food. There should be sufficient lighting and workspace so as to allow ease of preparation. Following the guidelines of Feng Shui, the kitchen needs to be kept very clean and clutter free allowing symbolic abundance and good fortune room to enter and freely move about the room.

It is considered bad luck to have a bathroom adjacent to the kitchen, because in bathrooms the "good chi or abundance of the home can "flushed and drained away." Bathroom doors are kept closed in Feng Shui and often a mirror will be placed on the outside of the door to reflect and encourage the "chi" to keep moving past this part of the house. The stove would not be placed opposite a bathroom wall because the association with loosing wealth would be tempting fate.

So as we look at our own kitchens through Feng Shui eyes, start with clearing clutter and you will be on the right path. Most of us keep far too many things on our counters and on top of the refrigerator. Try to eliminate all that is not absolutely necessary to keep the kitchen functioning. Go through drawers and cupboards and ruthlessly get rid of what you don't use. This way you will be making room for abundance and fortunate blessings to come in...besides that you will just feel better. Try placing a mirror on the wall behind your stove. I did and thoroughly enjoy the open feeling it gives to the entire room.

Whatever you do have some Feng Shui fun and enjoy savoring your "new" kitchen...bon appetite!

About the Author:

Holly Ziegler has been an internationally trained Feng Shui expert since the early '90's. An educator and successful real estate agent, she expertly teaches the ancient wisdom of Feng Shui for a non-nonsense, practical method to increase your success in buying and selling real estate, as well in all areas of your life. Holly Ziegler Feng Shui
 

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