When determining the orientation of the building remember that the entrance has nothing to do with the sitting and facing. It is important in that it is the “qi mouth” but the sitting and facing are determined by the yin and yang sides of the building. The more public side is the facing and the more private side is the sitting.
Remember that when looking at the symbolic representations of the directions; the green dragon, the red phoenix, the white tiger, and the black turtle, these are only representations and not to be used as symbolic objects. In other words, you do not need statues of these animals for the feng shui. They represent the oral tradition in which feng shui was passed down. In the poems of the early Masters, the animals where used to remember the directions in a colorful way. Speaking of colors, the colors represented the trigram colors for the four directions, green for east, red for south, white for west, and black for north. These are the native trigram colors. They do not mean that you need these colors in those directions. Each house is unique and needs to be mapped individually to understand the appropriate remedy for each of the directions.
Never have your bed aligned with the head board to a corner. You should be flat against a wall at the headboard. This will prevent qi from circulating behind the head, creating unrestful sleep. Additionally, being square to the wall helps avoid creating odd angles within the room.
If you want to seriously study Feng Shui, you need to learn some Chinese. There is a lot of Feng Shui that has been put into English, but to get to the roots, you need to understand some Chinese. You do not need to necessarily learn to speak fluent Chinese, but having the toolset available to understand some Chinese expressions (or write them), is useful.
We recently ran across a site that puts a lot of Chinese language into the hands of the English speaking layperson. It is called http://www.chinese-tools.com and it has online dictionaries and most useful is the English to Chinese text translation tool. You need to know the Chinese word in English first. If you do, then you can create the Chinese text for those words to be copied and pasted into your documents. I think this is a valuable tool and I hope you do too!
Think in terms of balance. Is it too hot or too cold? Is it too bright or too dark? Good feng shui avoids extremes. Try to make the room or house as comfortable as possible without extremes. This can include colors. Red and Black are two extreme colors and should be used sparingly.
When considering colors for the exterior to the house, use a color that is productive to, or is the same as the house trigram. For example, a Zhen house (sitting east) would be supported by blue (water) or is also strengthened by green, the natural color of the Zhen trigram. A Dui house (sitting west) would be supported by earth tones or can be strengthened by whites and metalic colors (the color of the Dui trigram).
A simple way to improve the Feng Shui of your home is by starting in the garden. Using beauty and color will enhance the qi of any house. The trick is to use the right colors. Similar to painting the house, if you use colors that are supportive to the trigram of the house, then you can promote the prosperity of the house. The trigram is determined by finding the sitting direction of the house. So if your house faces east and sits west, then your house is a Dui house and you can use metal colors such as golds, whites and silvers to enhance the house. By planting white flowers or by using golden color (not yellow) flowers, you can strengthen the qi of the house.
Bringing flowers and beauty into the environment is always recommended. A site we found, Gardens Alive, has all natural garden products. You may wish to visit their site and see some of the beautiful solutions they provide.
Remember to keep the flowers watered and alive. Dead flowers are unfavorable qi and should be avoided. So try adding flowers that are supportive to the house in the garden, or a pair of pots at the entrance. It will enhance the qi and the look of your home.
If you want to determine the quality of the qi of an area, look at the glossiness of the leaves in the trees and plants. Dull and brown, the qi is not favorable. Shiney, glossy, bright and beautiful, the qi is wonderful.
When evaluating your own house, look for any sha (negative influence). These can be anything that affects the senses adversely. A foul smell from the trash — take the trash out and clean the container; a crack in the wall that has needed fixing for some time – fix it immediately or at least hide it behind a picture; or a broken tile on the steps – fix this up as soon as possible. Attack all the things that are bothering you, one-by-one. Soon you will have handled all the little things that are creating a bad feeling (even if only slightly). Doing so will help you feel more comfortable and will help the Feng Shui.
One last thing, when fixing these things, introduce beauty into the space. Add some flowers, replace something old with something fresh and new. All of these things go towards making a good Feng Shui house. Remember that the house should be warm and welcoming to you and others. This is promoting the good qi and reducing the bad.