The Laughing Buddha is considered an auspicious symbol

Q: I am a 19-year-old girl. Recently, I had gifted a Laughing Buddha to my friend. It is believed that the Laughing Buddha should be placed facing the main door, but that not being possible in his house, he has kept it along with the idols of God. Can you please advise about the most auspicious direction where he can keep the Laughing Buddha? Will keeping the Laughing Buddha in a wrong direction have an adverse effect?

Dipika Roy

A: The Chinese do not worship the Laughing Buddha. They consider it to be an auspicious symbol as its smiling face and a bag of wealth that it always carries is considered to bring in happiness and prosperity.

For this reason, it is advisable to place it in such a fashion that the Laughing Buddha faces the inflowing chi from the entrance and not with its back to it.

It is best placed in the wealth area, which is southeast corner of any room, along with a fortune plant. Otherwise any direction is good provided it is attracting the incoming vital life force. Even if it is kept in a wrong direction it can never have an adverse effect, as it is just an emblem that is considered to be lucky.

Q: I am an online investor in the share market and have been suffering from heavy losses for the past two years. My computer table faces east. My date of birth is September 14, 1957and I was born in Jaipur at 5pm. Please suggest some feng shui tips that can help me come out of my problems.

Name and address withheld

A: According to your pillars of destiny, you are a weak earth person and will benefit from the fire element.

This element will be of great help to you as the fire element will do wonders and prove beneficial while investing in the stock market or in any other form of investment.

Unfortunately, you are now going through the water period, which in feng shui represents wealth for you. However, this element and the period you are going through is not productive for you because you being a weak earth person will not be able to capture wealth.

Moreover, the dragon, which is a void animal in your chart, falls in the existing pillars.

So take a back seat and do not play with your money till 2013. You should face northeast while working instead of facing east. Surround yourself with wood, fire and earth related colours like green, red, maroon, beige, cream,yellow and brown.