Q&A Sunday: A Blocked Entry
I have a small tree, or bush, right in front of my entry door. What does this mean feng shui wise and how can I remedy the situation?
Helena A., New York, NY
From a feng shui perspective, your entry door represents the face of your home and your face to the world. This is why it's so important to ensure that you keep a clean, uncluttered entry to your home so that positive energy and opportunities can easily find their way into your life.
A small bush or tree blocking your entry door may be problematic, as it may block the flow of energy and/or new opportunities into your home. Whether or not this is acceptable really depends on your personal preferences and circumstances. If you’re retired, maybe you do not want to be easily seen and you don’t need opportunities coming to you. But if you’re looking for work, for clients or for even a romantic partner, then a small tree or bush in front of your door may block the chi from coming in.
So what you can do to feng shui-wise to remedy this situation?
I would hate to advise cutting down a tree or bush. Instead, try making the object an attractive feature that will draw energy towards your home. For example, hang lights on the tree and transform it into something that attracts energy. Lights can invite positive energy and opportunities to your home.
Another option to treat the tree blocking the door is to clearly identify and differentiate the path to your front door. Even if the tree or bush is blocking the door directly, try adding natural stones, wood blocks or other elements of nature on each side of the walkway leading to your door. This will make your entry stand out, despite the tree.
The feng shui goal is to create a welcoming doorway for positive energy, opportunities and good fortune to find its way to you. If you are faced with a naturally growing obstacle in front of your entry door, do take my above tips, if possible, to improve the entrance to your home. Always remember, much of feng shui is based on intention, so take care to establish an optimistic, welcoming intention for your entry.
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