If you are one of those who like to live according to the dictates of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging objects in relation with the positive energy flow, then read on. Feng Shui promises to heighten these positive energies around you while cutting out the negative. It is believed to mend multiple problems. So whether your luck has been playing truant in all your ventures, or you have been dogged by financial losses or suffer bad vibes on the home or office front — Feng Shui claims to keep off bad luck. By studying directions, colours and of course by the placement of specific Feng Shui talismans (as it were) you might just find the balance that you crave for in your life. Here’s looking at what the city’s Feng Shui stores offer.

weALTH PLUS

Does money top your list of priorities? So, if you need to (or want to) up your wealth ante, all you have to do — according to Feng Shui — is to surround yourself with the right objects. The north and the east are considered to be the directions related to wealth. And there’s much more to shop for than just the mandatory lucky bamboo plants (that cost about Rs 100 almost everywhere) and metal coins. We can’t guarantee if they’d work, but there’s no harm in trying, is there?

Water features, like small, portable water fountains, top the must-have lists as flowing water symbolises prosperity and inflow of wealth. Placing a Feng Shui fishpond on the left of the main entrance of your home is also said to usher in good fortune. Pick up a handy water fountain in ceramic and stone for about Rs 8,000 at Antara’s on Lake Terrace Road. This is one of the few places in India that stocks up on the famed Feng Shui master Lillian Too’s products.

The ship — also associated with water — is another lucky charm. A metal ship with full-blown sails indicates wealth coming your way. You can choose from products that cost between Rs 1,500 and Rs 10,000 at Antara’s. At Feng Shui Gallery opposite Kala Mandir, you’ll get smaller ships for Rs 500 while at Feng Shui Boutique on A.J.C. Bose Road, you’ll have to shell out Rs 2,200 for a mid-sized one.

If you keep an aquarium or a three-legged toad in the east or a tortoise in the north of your office, don’t fret over the inflow of wealth. And if you are ready for some serious bling, go for a metal toad that’s encrusted with coloured stones. At Antara’s these glittering toads cost Rs 9,000, but for a smaller one, drop in at Feng Shui Boutique, where you’d get a huge range priced between Rs 180 and Rs 2,000.

Small ceramic trees with leaves made of the semi-precious avengerine or citrine, cost about Rs 3,500 at Antara’s and about Rs 1,250 at Feng Shui Gallery. Keep one in your locker or in a place advised by a Feng Shui expert, and you’ll see your bank balance grow.

Check out the Ingot (a golden painted box) available for Rs 1,800 at Antara’s. The secret is to keep it always filled with special white ball-shaped crystals and money to assure a permanent residence of the goddess of wealth in your locker.

heart beat

Feng Shui has plenty to offer in matters of the heart. Feng Shui trees, crystals or holy figurines promise to smooth out your affairs (pun not intended). The trick lies in placing these objects in the southwest of the bedroom as this direction corresponds to relationships.

An amethyst studded tree at Antara’s for Rs 2,200 will bring positive energy into a romance. You can also buy a wish-fulfilling jewel — a pure crystal in various shades. If you keep it around your person and make a wish, it’s supposed to come true. You’ll have to shell out Rs 5,000 for one. If it’s too steep, then get yourself one from Feng Shui Gallery for about Rs 300 or even at Feng Shui Boutique where they cost about Rs 400.

When placed in the bedroom, a ceramic figurine of a married couple promises to bring happiness to the conjugal relationship. At Antara’s, the figurine will cost you Rs 1,500. And at Feng Shui Gallery they cost between Rs 800 and Rs 1,200.

A dragon-and-phoenix figurine is also of great help in matters of the heart. Be prepared to shell out Rs 3,500 for a ceramic piece at Antara’s, while you get one at Feng Shui Gallery for about Rs 1,000.

The showstopper however, is the large chunk of raw amethyst at Antara’s that comes for a hefty Rs 12,000. When kept under the bed, it works its magic on relationships. If placed in the east or in the northeast, it helps increase wealth.

energy wise

Feng Shui is all about the balance of energies. And plenty of objects promise to ensure complete wellness. Drive out negative energies every morning with the help of the singing bowl, yours for Rs 4,000 at Antara’s. It consists of an ordinary golden metal bowl and a small wooden stick that you strike against the bowl while you walk around the house. At Feng Shui Gallery a small singing bowl costs about Rs 1,050.

If you’re looking at beating stress then you could go for the iron health balls that cost Rs 3,000 each. These balls are hollow with a sounding plate inside, which emits very soothing tones. Experts advise you to go for a morning walk while circulating the ball in your palm. It’s sure to infuse you with positive energy.

And if your stress is related to negative vibes at the workplace, then worry not. Place a metal cannon on your worktable facing your foe, and it might just succeed in blowing away all the trouble. You can pick up one from Antara’s for Rs 3,500.

For a bit of divine benevolence for the household, ceramic statues of the all-powerful Chinese gods Fuk, Luk and Sau — representing health, wealth and long life — are said to be of great help. They should be placed high, over-looking the dining table to promote the wellness of the family. A set of three is available at Feng Shui Boutique for Rs 5,500 each. At Antara’s you get the figurines in ceramic, brass and metal in a range that costs between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,800.

So if you’ve become a Feng Shui convert, then it’s time to go rummaging through the mixed bag of good luck charms that it brings you.

Compiled: Anindita Mitra and Suktara Ghosh; Photographs by Anindya Shankar Ray