Your front door represents you and your approach to life. We normally come in and out of our front door without noticing anything. It can be an interesting exercise to enter your property and consciously try to see all the things that a stranger would notice when he or she visited. Ideally, we want the front path and front door to be cheerful and welcoming. Consequently, peeling paint on the front door, a bell that does not work, and a door that sticks all create bad feng shui. Plenty of light, flowering plants, and an uncluttered entrance all create good feng shui.

The front door is of supreme importance in feng shui as it is the main location where ch’i enters the house. In feng shui we want the front door to be slightly larger than the back door. This is to ensure that all the beneficial ch’i does not come in through the front door and immeiiatel) go out the back door.

The front door should be in proportion to the size of the house. If it is too large, it allows valuable ch’i to escape.

This is believed to cause financial problems. If the door is too small for the size of the house, the amount of ch’i able to come in is restricted (Figure 3A). In the past, large doors were used on castles, churches, and public buildings. They were designed to intimidate and over­whelm everyone who came inside. Presumably, you do not want to do this to your guests, nor do you want financial problems.

The opposite thing happens if your front door is too small. A small door not only constricts the amount of ch’i that can enter, but also tends to make the occupants ner­vous and apathetic.

The front door is the door that is used most frequently in your home. If you always come in and out of your home through a door other than the front door, this door then becomes your main—or front—door.

The front door should ideally be on the left-hand side of the house when you are looking out. Obviously, you have no control over this if you are already living in your home, but it is something to bear in mind next time you move. The dragon looks over the left-hand side of the house, and his energy and bountiful ch’i enters the house more easily when the front door is located on this side. A front door placed in a central position is better than hav­ing the door on the right hand side.

Traditionally, the front door should be on the east or south sides of the house. This means that you will be warmed by the morning sun when you leave for work. Consequently, you will start the day in a better mood than you would if your front door was situated in the west or north.

We do not want any shars to affect the front door. This is the single most important aspect of feng shui. The front entrance must be protected. The most serious shar of all occurs when the house is sited on a T-junction, with a street heading directly towards the front door. This is made even worse if this street heads downhill towards your front door.

The path leading towards the front door can also create a shar if it consists of a straight line leading from the road to your front door.

A single tree can create a shar, also, particularly in win­ter, when the exposed branches can point directly to the front door.

Fortunately, there are remedies for all of these. The street can be made to symbolically disappear by planting a hedge or erecting a fence, so that the street is no longer visible.

The path can be changed to a gentle curve, or perhaps be moved slightly so that it forms a right angle just before the front door.

Additional trees can be planted to remove the negative effects of a single tree. It is best if these are evergreen trees. Alternatively, two lights can be erected on poles, one on each side of the front path between the tree and the front door. This creates a triangular formation, with the point directed away from your front door (Figure 3B).

If none of these remedies can be used, a pa^kua mirror placed above the front door will serve to eliminate the potential harm coming from these shars. A pa-kua mirror symbolically captures the shar and reflects it back where it came from.

The driveway, which is considered part of the front entrance to your home, should not be narrower at the street end than it is at the house; this constricts the ch’i. A light on each side of the driveway makes an effective remedy for this.

The driveway should not slope steeply downhill away from the house as this allows good luck to flow away. A gentle slope does not have the same effect. Ideally, the front door will open onto flat land, rather than a hill sloping either up or down. A hill sloping upward symbolizes obstacles, delays, and frustrations.

Flowers and other plants create additional ch’i when placed on either side of the driveway. The front garden needs to be well looked after. Weeds and dead leaves rep­resent lost opportunities, as well as discourage ch’i.

Many homes in cities have an entrance at the top of a flight of steps leading up from the sidewalk. This creates good feng shui, as the occupants subconsciously feel safer raised up and away from the street. It is a good idea, in this instance, to plant shrubs on both sides of the steps to help encourage the ch’i.

It is not good feng shui for your front door to be situ­ated below the street level. This tends to constrict the ch’i and makes the occupants feel unsettled and trapped. The remedy for this is to keep the entrance well lit and have live plants close to the front door.

The main entrance should offer protection from the elements. It is not fun to get drenched with rain while fumbling for your keys. It is also unpleasant for your guests to remain exposed to the elements while waiting for you to open the door.

The entrance should be as inviting as possible. This both encourages ch’i, and creates pleasant expectations in the minds of your visitors. As you know, first impressions are important. If the front door needs painting and there is a collection of shoes and a dead potted plant by the entrance, your expectations go down. If, on the other hand, the entrance looks clean, uncluttered, and welcoming, your guests will immediately feel brighter and more positive about entering your home. Ch’i feels exactly the same.

The front door should be easy to locate. If your guests find it hard to find, the ch’i will find it equally as difficult. We have friends who have a concealed front door on the side of their home. In the front of their house are double doors leading from the living room to their front garden.

Almost every new visitor to the house knocks on these door% as the front door is so hard to find.
THfe front door should open in rather than out. Doors that y»pen out discourage ch’i from entering.

The front door should open onto a bright, well-lit room, giving a glimpse of part of the interior of the home. We want the entrance foyer to appear expansive. If the front door opens onto a small lobby area, the ch’i is constricted and confined. The remedy for this is to put up a large mirror. The mirror should be large enough that it does not appear to cut off your visitors’ heads. A mirror in this position makes the entrance area appear larger and encourages the ch’i inside. It can be a good idea to place the mirror above a small side-table or other piece of fur­niture. Fresh flowers or ornaments could be placed on top of this to help attract the ch’i indoors.

The interior should be well-lit to encourage the ch’i to enter. Dimly lit and gloomy entrances discourage ch’i. The remedy for this is to increase the amount of light in the entrance area. A chandelier would be perfect for this, as the crystals energize the ch’i and reflect it in every direction.

It should not be possible to see the back door from the front door. This situation allows the ch’i to enter the house, only to immediately leave again. Also, if the back door is at the end of a long hallway leading from the front door, you have an internal shar. If possible, change the position of the back door. Alternatively, a screen could be’ put up to conceal the back door from anyone entering the front door. Crystals or wind chimes can be hung up immediately inside both the front and back doors to encourage the ch’i to linger. Finally, if the back door is solid, a mirror can be placed on it to encourage the ch’i back inside.

It is bad feng shui for the front door to open directly onto a staircase going either up or down (Figure 3C). This confuses the ch’i as it does not know whether to go upstairs or into the rooms on the ground floor. It also means that the occupants will be inclined to come into the house and immediately go to their own rooms, rather than socialize with other family members. This does not apply if the staircase is at right angles to the front door as this arrangement allows the ch’i time to get used to the layout of the house. The remedy for a staircase that goes directly up from the front door is to hang a crystal from the ceiling above the bottom step. The ch’i will be attracted to this, rather than to the staircase. Usually, a staircase going downstairs from the front door will have a door. Keep this door closed whenever possible.

It is best if your guests see an attractive lobby area or living room when the front door is opened. However, we do not want the door to open directly onto the living room as this destroys the privacy of the occupants. The remedy for this is to partially screen the entrance. A bookcase, decorative screen or large potted plants can provide the necessary privacy without detracting from the. feng shui of the room.

If your guests see the kitchen when they first come into the house, they will become preoccupied with food, and the kitchen will become the entertainment area, rather than the living room. They will also tend to eat too much. If you do not want this to happen, keep the kitchen door: closed or screened from view.

The front door also should not face the door of a toilet or bedroom. Ideally, we do not want to see the toilet, stove or fireplace from the front door. It is believed that if the front door faces a bedroom the occupants will always feel tired. Conversely, if the front door faces a study, the occupants will be active and industrious. Water relates to wealth in feng shui. Consequently, people with a front door facing the toilet will remain poor as the wealth of the family is continually flushed away.

It can be a revealing exercise to pretend that you are a potential buyer and walk up the drive to your front door, noticing all the things that you no longer see. We all view our homes emotionally, and it is hard to see it with the same eyes that a stranger would use. You may find it helpful to take photographs. Once you are able to see your front entrance dispassionately, you will notice the areas that need painting and cleaning. You will notice a difference in outlook the moment you have made any improvements to your front door. You will feel better, more ch’i will come in, and your guests will feel more welcome. Incidentally, you will also have increased the value of your home for any potential buyer.

As you can see, the placement of the front door is of extreme importance in feng shui. The positions of the front door and the stove are the most important aspects of feng shui in the home.

Feng Shui Tips

20 The size of your front door should be in keeping with the size of your house. If the front door is overly large, compared with the size of the house, your fortunes will suffer. If it is too small, ch’i is constricted and there will be disagreements in the family.

21 Remedy any shars that may be afflicting your front door. This is the most important single aspect of feng shui. Look for angled rooflines of neighboring houses, straight lines, streetlight poles, a single tall tree, and anything sharp, angled, pointed or straight. If your home is facing a T-junction, for instance, you will need to make the road that heads towards your front door “disappear.” A pa-kua mirror above the front door will do this. Fences and trees can also create an effective remedy.

22 Prune back trees that conceal the front door. Your front door represents your career, and you need it to be as clear as possible.

23 Make sure that your front door is as welcoming as possible. It should be easy to find and appear to encourage visitors in.

24 Wind chimes, attractive door mats, hanging plants, flower boxes, and statues of animals all encourage ch’i into the front door.

25 If you have a small, constricted entrance, use a large mirror to make the room appear more expansive.

26 Eliminate a straight-line shar from the front gate to the door by placing a bird bath, pond, or fountain near the front door. This will also attract luck and good fortune.

27 The front door should be slightly larger than the back door. This allows the ch’i to flow in quickly and easily, and spend time in the house before flowing out again.

28 The land and buildings on the left side of the front door as you look out should be slightly higher than those on the right. (This is because land and build­ings on die left symbolize the dragon. Those on the right symbolize the tiger.)

29 The best position for the front door is on the left side of the house, looking out. This allows the green dragon to protect the main entrance.

30 The front door should not be in a straight line with the back door. This creates a shar, with all the ch’i escaping just as soon as it gets in. It is hard to con­centrate in a house like this. Use furniture or mirrors to help guide the ch’i in a curving manner through the house. You can also hang crystals uuhe rooms between the front and back doors to encourage the ch’i to linger.

31 A solid front door is better than a glass door. If your front door is largely glass, partially cover it with curtains or apply a decorative transfer to it. This is to ensure that neither the ch’i nor your guests acci­dentally mistake it for a window.

32 If the front door is made of two or more panels, ensure that they are all equal in size. This helps cre­ate harmony and balance.

33 It can be a good idea to paint the front door in a contrasting color to the side of the house to empha­size it and to encourage the ch’i.

34 It is a good idea to frame the front doors with trees or shrubbery to give the illusion of privacy. However, it is essential that the front door remains visible.

35 Flowers on each side of the front path encourage ch’i and raise the spirits of your visitors.

36 Try to see your main entrance as if you were visiting it for the first time. Notice all the imperfections, and correct them. You will feel happy with the results and will also feel more ch’i coming into your home.