Water is the most fundamental  life giving element on our planet. Its beauty and its magic are loved by all. Who would turn down a trip to the sea or to a beautiful lake?  We are fascinated and enchanted and soothed by it. Invigorated by it and inspired by its beauty and its melodious sounds.

When we are in close proximity to trickling or running water we tend to immediately slow down,  become calm and relaxed.  Water, when it is moving, gives off not only beautiful sounds, but invigorating negative ions which rejuvenate us and stimulate our physical, mental and emotional systems.

When placed in an office, a water feature will soften the atmosphere, creating a more pleasant environment and helping the stressed occupants of the building to relax and breathe a little better.  The water can also bring harmony to the staff in other ways, such as improving their temperaments and communication with one another.  It is a lot easier these days to fit the water features into offices with the design of wall units which are ideal for small spaces and lend themselves to the office environments.

Water features also have a significance in the feng shui sense, in that when the water is placed in the correct position according to the compass directions, the water can increase finances and good fortune for the company.

In the home, having a water feature in a good position will also allow for peace and harmony with the family members and also, as with the office, if placed well, bring financial rewards and good fortune.

There are some very basic situations where it is not a good idea to place a water feature. Definitely do not place a water feature to the right of the main front door of the home, (when looking out), this tends to induce the man of the house to go looking for other ladies outside of the relationship. (unconsciously of course). Leading to affairs. Whether this is an old wives tale or not, it really is not worth the risk of flying in the face of the old wives, because I can tell you I have come across many a household, where this has happened.

A client of mine, moved into a house, which had a history (which in feng shui is vital to know before you move into a building, as the old, here we go again, wives tale goes , ‘That whatever befell the people before you, will also befall you'. In other words, history does repeat itself). The previous owner had put in a water feature, to the right of the door, and  within two weeks her husband had run off with a floozy from somewhere, (this doesn’t matter, as a floozy is a floozies no matter where they are from) and sadly, the lady was forced to sell the house as they got divorced.

Back to my client, who bought the house with her husband, and within two weeks of moving in, he too, ran off with a floozy (not the same one I don’t think, he found another). When I got there, to view the offending water feature, it was a huge water feature, more like the Niagara falls, and yes you guessed it, to the right of the door. The thundering sound of the thing nearly frightened me away as well.

Anyway, another little cautionary tale, was a client’s husband decided to put in a large, rockery type water feature at their peaceful home. And yes you guessed it,  he too left for greener pastures with a floozy, yes I am sure it was a different one. So when I get there, she had called me as she heard of this rather dreadful tale of water features  and there was the water fall, as you can guess, to the right of the front door. Well, I got her to close it in, which she did and she was lucky he ditched the floozy and returned to the fold.

Water features in the garden do lend a beauty and naturalness that soothes the soul and allows one to relax a great deal, and if one can bring in the natural fauna and flora then one can be graced with birds, butterflies and other creatures that can enjoy it too. It is important that the water feature, depending on your setting, be appropriate to the garden. If it is a more natural garden do avoid a symmetrical  water feature, rather have one that is natural and flows with the surrounding.

If the garden is symmetrical, then please use that kind of water feature.

Avoid water flowing away from a home or an office.

So to sum up, these are the some guidelines that help with water features and other aspects in feng shui:

1. Avoid water flowing away from the building, whether an office or a home.
2. Avoid water features that are overpowering for the space. Too big. Or  too small because then it is totally insignificant and has very little effect.
3. Avoid water features that are to the right of the door in a home, unless you are really brave and willing to take a chance.
4. Have a water feature positioned in front of the door.  Flowing towards the door. Obviously not right on top of the door but back enough to offer a good space between the door and the water feature. This indicates kind and generous people.
5. Water is good the east the south east and the north. Though it is a good idea to consult a feng shui consultant unless your intuition is really strong and you trust it. Placing water is then very easy. Misplaced water really can cause problems in our business and our lives, usually financially, so it really is a good idea to keep a note of what happens when you have placed a water feature on the property or in the house. I have seen many problems with this which have been alleviated once the offending water was removed.
6. Water on both sides of the door running under the entryway is not really a good idea as well.
7. Have water to fit the scenery of your garden. Symmetrical or natural.
8. The sound of water can be used to drown out traffic noises, whether indoors or outdoors.
9. Do not have fish tanks and water features in the bedroom. The pumps are very noisy and the electromagnetic fallout is large and can prevent deep peaceful sleep.
10. Water in the bedroom is also not good for the passion. Dampens it. What can I say?
11. Water, when used correctly and placed correctly really can help bring good finances and good fortune.
12. Still water is excellent in the east and the south west. (small amounts)
13. Do not have swimming pools too close to the bedrooms, and definitely avoid the pool pump next to the bedroom wall. Extremely bad for health. Once again the electrical field is huge and interferes with our body fields (which are also electrical in nature) and tends to cause illness.
14. If you are going to have fish, please ensure that you are going to take good care of them, as unhealthy fish are not good feng shui.
15. When buying or renting a premises, please check what happened to the previous occupants; if it wasn’t good, it would be wise to consult a feng shui consultant, in order to avoid the same happening to you.
16. Just look around you and the most prominent example are restaurants. You will see a restaurant start up and within a year close, another person moves in and the same thing happens to them; this is called the Predecessor Law.