12 Mar Feng Shui Conundrums in Your Kitchen

I had a lot of responses and questions regarding the tip sent out this week as part of the Wednesday Wind & Water Wisdom series concerning the position of the kitchen. (If you are not getting a copy of these Wednesday Wind & Water Wisdom tipds, go to www.carolehyder.com right now to sign up for my newsletter.)  In this blog I offer some clarification, ideas, and reassurances.  Please know I’m speaking from a western version of Feng Shui which does not consider directions in positioning a kitchen. 

Feng Shui is concerned with the flow of energy in a space. One way to assess this flow is to determine how the energy moves through a home or office and whether there are places where it is stagnant or whether it flies through too quickly. Another way to assess the flow of energy is to determine what kind of filter it moves through when it first enters a space. You always want the energy near your front door to be enticing, offering a warm welcome as a first impression. A kitchen challenges this idea.

Kitchens should be in the back of the house. The energy of a kitchen is strong and active due to the fire of the stove, the heaviness of the appliances, and the general hub of activity that goes on in there. Having a kitchen near the front door is a Feng Shui problem from three perspectives. First, it can cause the nutritional value of the food to leave through the door, resulting in potential digestive issues. The second problem is that it can cause weight gain. Like a Pavlovian response, there’s an automatic need to eat something when your first trigger is the kitchen. Finally, a kitchen near the front door can condone an “eat and run” attitude, discouraging people from staying around long enough to offer support when you need it.

If possible, screen off the doorway into the kitchen or hang a cloth or beaded curtain to minimize its presence. Or provide a distraction that pulls your eye away from the view of the kitchen—a tall plant, a stunning piece of artwork, a fountain, an eye-catching rug.  All of these placed to attract your attention will pull the energy away from the kitchen and into another more appropriate part of the space, like the living room. If the side or back door is your most used entry point and it brings you directly into your kitchen, try entering your home through another door from time to time.  This will break the pattern of wanting to eat as soon as you get home.   

So, if you have a kitchen near the front door and are struggling with some health or weight issues, or feel like you’re lacking support in your life, it may be time for you to figure out a way to bring energy into your space without being influenced by the message from your kitchen.