In feng shui, it is advised to use closed shoe rack cabinet, rather than having an open shoe rack. As being an essential item at home, shoe rack or shoe cabinet plays an important role in affecting the health and wealth of the persons living in a house.

Here are a few feng shui tips that can eradicate the negative effect of the shoe rack.

Ideal height: According to feng shui, a show rack should not be too tall or short. According to the ancient Three Life Forces Theory, the height of the house is divided into three equal sections: top — heaven, middle — man, and bottom— earth. As shoes we wear contain a lot of dirt, so we assume that it belongs to the earth section. So its’ height should not exceed one-third of the house’s height.

Type and number of tiers: In feng shui, it is always advised to have an enclosed shoe rack over the open shoe rack, because it keeps shoes hidden from the view and also keeps any kind of smell coming from the shoes remains inside only. While you have closed shoe rack, but at the same time some small hole or ventilation should be there in the rack. The preferred number of tiers is five, as it represents five elements (metal, water, wood, fire and earth) in feng shui. So its ideal to have number of tiers five, but should never exceed this number.

Positioning of shoes in the rack: Shoes filled with smell and dirt should always be put at the bottom of the rack. The front of the shoe should be kept facing inwards, so that negative energy don’t direct towards you. Also shoes pointing towards people make those people unhealthy. Shoe racks with slanting shelves should never be used, as it faces downwards, which signifies the decline of one’s luck too.

(Manisha Koushik is a tarot card reader, numerologist and Vastu Feng consultant. She can be contacted at www.askmanisha.com)