My daughter lives in Arizona and her yard needs work badly. Does Feng Shui apply outside the home?
Nancy Canestaro: Oh, yeah, the outside energy is important. The biggest benefits that Feng Shui offers come from alteration of the land around a house. There are three issues here. First, is there any area outside your daughter’s house where nothing grows? I’ll bet this is a problem in the arid heat of Arizona. If this is the case, she can turn this area into a beautiful rock or cactus garden, something that won’t require much maintenance. Second, is there a clear pathway from the street (the main area of energy flow for most of us) to her front door? You want chi (energy) to meander gently from the street all the way to the main entrance, and into the house. A way to achieve this, if the street in front of her house is straight, and the driveway coming onto her property is also straight, would be to create a meandering pathway from the driveway or street to the front door, not a bowling alley lane to the front door. At the front door have her create the effect of a “bright hall.” In Chinese, it’s called Ming Tang. This area could be a landscaping bed or a cluster of plants…not prickly cactus right up close and personal to the house, but more the succulents or soft and colorful plants. This area can be nestled alongside the pathway, in front of the main entrance. It helps to channel positive energy to the house. Finally, have her eliminate any clutter or dead vegetation around the house. You want to encourage all the living energy you can to come your way. Energy inside your house is only as good as the positive energy generated from the land.