Feng Shui, for you

Not generic rules about where the couch goes. Your own directions and elements: which way supports you, what to put where, and why some rooms drain you.

The short answers

What is my personal feng shui?

Feng shui is the Chinese practice of arranging space so that energy, called qi, moves through it well. Its general principles are widely known: clear what is cluttered, give the bed a solid wall, keep the entrance open and welcoming. Personal feng shui adds a further layer. Your birth details give you a personal number, the kua number, and that number gives you four directions that support you and four that work against you. Which way you sleep, sit and work matters, and it differs from one person to the next.

What is my kua number, and what are my best directions?

Your kua number is a personal feng shui number from 1 to 9. There is no kua 5; it is reassigned. It comes from your birth year and, traditionally, whether you were born male or female. The number places you in the East group, kua 1, 3, 4 and 9, or the West group, kua 2, 6, 7 and 8. Each kua has four favourable directions and four unfavourable ones, and each direction has its own work.

How should I set up my home for feng shui?

Good feng shui at home begins with principles that hold for everyone. Keep the entrance clear and welcoming. Give your bed and your desk a solid wall behind them. Let light and air move. Release what you are keeping only out of guilt. Most homes improve a great deal from these alone. If you do only one thing, clear the front door and the space beneath your bed.