Q&A Sunday: Numbers and Feng Shui

What is the significance of numbers in feng shui?

Jacqueline R., Cleveland, OH

A few years ago, I was honored to attend a sacred geometry lecture with Robert Lawlor, an anthropologist, mythographer, symbologist and author of several books. The symbolism of numbers goes hand in hand with sacred geometry as well as feng shui. Lawlor remarked sadly that because we have been taught that numbers merely denote quantities, our society has been robbed of a metaphorical language. He further argued that everything in the physical world has three aspects or dimensions, and therefore similarly everything (including numbers) represents symbols at three different levels, and with at least three methods of meaning.

I thought that was a brilliant and very relevant point. So to answer your question, I’ll present the meanings of the most significant feng shui numbers on three levels. In feng shui, each number 1 through 9 relates to a specific area of the feng shui bagua map.

ONE: Path in life, water and career

TWO: Relationships, yin earth and partnerships

THREE: New beginnings, yang wood and family

FOUR: Abundance, yin wood and wealth

FIVE: Health, earth and the center of your life/home

SIX: Benefactors, yang metal and travel

SEVEN: Completion, yin metal and joy

EIGHT: Knowledge, yang earth and self-cultivation

NINE: Recognition, fire and passion

Additionally, nine is the most auspicious number in BTB feng shui. It represents the most complete number. Many feng shui cures require repetitions of nine (such as repeating a ritual nine times, or using a string in increments of nine units). I also receive all my fees in a multiple of nine and in nine red envelopes. The number 108 is a multiple of nine and one of the most auspicious numbers in Buddhism. Malas, which are Buddhist prayer beads, have 108 beads, and many mantras are chanted 108 times.

Five is also auspicious as it represents the five elements or phases. The five elements are earth, metal, water, wood and fire. These elements are related to feng shui philosophy and the bagua map. They create balance and harmony when you have all five present in your environment.

Finally, pairs (or the number Two) are often used in bedrooms for couples. As I've indicated above, the number Two symbolizes a couple and can encourage a balanced and harmonious relationship. If you are looking for a partner, it's also favorable to have paired objects in the bedroom.

Numbers are symbolic metaphors and offer us unique and beneficial ways to look at our environment and the world around us.

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

23 Ways to Spring Clean Your Life

featured this week in Redbook by Kara Ladd

You're probably already planning to give your home a spring scrubdown, but why not take this opportunity to think about sprucing up other areas of your life, too? Here are 23 ways to spring clean your closet, your beauty routine, your diet, and more. 

Feng Shui Your Home.

Switch up your furniture arrangement by keeping in mind how energy flows through your home. “Pay attention to the details in your life and the environment around you, which is directly connected to your internal space,” interior architect and feng shui designer Anjie Cho advises. New to the art of feng shui? A beginner's guide like this one can help break it down for you.

Get Your Broken Stuff Fixed.

Spring is the perfect time to focus on restoring and repairing, so stop putting off that trip to the hardware store. “It's important to repair or let go of broken items," says Cho. "Stress is created when we actively (or unconsciously) ignore tasks. Also the energetics of a broken item in your home may also manifest or point to a broken something in your life.”

...read full article

Q&A Sunday: Does My Feng Shui Need Updates?

Is feng shui something that you set up once for a given room, and then you are good for life?  Or is it something that changes with life events or the seasons? 

Jacob G., Washington D.C.

As with most things in life, my teachers always taught me that “it depends!" So there is more than one answer to this question.  In BTB Feng Shui, my teachers have taught me that it only takes one feng shui adjustment to transform your entire life. In fact, it’s considered unfavorable to ask for too many feng shui adjustments, because it means that you don’t trust the method that you were already given. My teachers described this as acting like a “hungry ghost," always wanting more, like an addiction. Rather than do too many adjustments, it is more important to do one thing well, and fully and mindfully put your energy into that. 

So, theoretically yes, if you set up your home authentically and appropriately according to feng shui principles it’s possible to be “set” for the rest of your life. But unfortunately, most of us (myself included) have subconscious blocks that we are not aware of that hinder us from truly changing our lives. In this case you can imagine a huge tangled knot. In order to unravel things, you need to undo one small knot at a time. Sometimes one amazing shift informs another positive step forward. And on the other hand, we are not static creatures but change all the time like the seasons in nature. I have clients who have me consult for them every season, as their lives shift and change and they adapt to the new and wonderful opportunities that feng shui has presented to them. Situations like this are not about being a “hungry ghost," but rather they are going with what life presents to them and doing what they can to harness the positive chi (life energy) and make the most nurturing and productive environment to achieve all their life goals.

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday" (formerly “Question of the Month”).  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers.  Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!