According to Feng Shui, displaying paintings of birds soaring high up like phoenix, parrots, macaw, roosters and flamingo are excellent symbols for boosting one’s career. But care must be taken to ensure that the paintings don’t feature birds in perched positions

Q: I am a 27-year-old software engineer employed in a multinational company. Although I work very hard, I am not getting due appreciation and rewards from my company. Please advise.

R. Bose

The Solution: The south is associated with recognition and appreciation. It is ruled by the fire element and nourished by wood energy. Fresh plants and red flowers enhance this area effectively. If the real ones are difficult to maintain, silk flowers can alternatively be placed here. Paintings of birds soaring high up like flamingo, parrots, roosters, macaw and phoenix are excellent symbols for boosting your career. Galloping horses, shooting rockets and illuminated globes are also positive symbols to be placed here. Your achievements like trophies, shields, and certificates should be lavishly displayed. If all these don’t help, then paint the south wall of your study in red and light nine tall candles in green and red every evening here for a few minutes.

Q: I am in love with a man who is not doing too well in his career. He does not believe in Feng Shui, but I have firm faith in it. My parents won’t agree to our marriage till he is established in his career. According to his Kua number, the north is his Sheng Chi direction and it’s also a career corner according to Feng Shui. Can I activate this corner in my room?

Jennifer

The Solution: It will be more effective if he activates his career corner in his own environment. But if he is not willing to do so and since you are so concerned about him, similar effects can be achieved if you activate the northern corner of your room with faith and conviction. Picture of a tortoise, mounted on a blue background with a metal frame, will be a good energiser for his career. His photograph placed next to such a powerful energiser will yield positive results.

Q: I have recently got married and have noticed that my bed has twin mattresses and boxes underneath for storing things. My husband and I feel uncomfortable while sleeping together. Are the mattresses and storage boxes responsible for it?

Sharmishta

The Solution: Sleeping on a bed with twin mattresses is symbolic of separation and conflicts and is not advised for couples. A simple remedy is to wrap a red ribbon all the way round the four sides of the mattress on a full moon day. Start from the south-west corner and end here with a pretty knot. You can also spread a thin double mattress on top of the existing ones. Boxes under beds are not recommended as they resemble coffins. But if there are storage problems, then you should be careful not to keep pointed metallic objects, or old dirty clothes in them. Instead, store fresh clean linen and towels here.

Q: We live on the first floor of a building adjacent to a busy road. One wall has a set of narrow but tall mirrors that reflect the road where there is continuous flow of cars and buses plying. I feel very uncomfortable with these mirrors. Is there anything wrong with their placement?

Sarojini

The Solution: When mirrors reflect a busy road, they draw in lots of fast-moving energy into the house. This disturbs the Chi and creates instability in the lives of its residents. Instead, if mirrors reflect a tree in full blossom, you will be attracting soft and peaceful energy. Mirrors that are longer than the tallest person in the house are fine as your reflection shows plenty of space above your head and this helps in expanding your hopes and dreams and makes you feel more positive and confident. Narrow mirrors are not advised as we all have an energy field around us, which is about an arms length wide. When our image is restricted, we feel cramped and suffocated.