For Fun: Mirror Feng Shui

According to Greek mythology, a river with a very reflective surface got Narcissus, the handsome son of a god and a nymph, into a lot of trouble. He fell in love with his own looks, and lost the will to eat and survive. He adored himself to death, and narcissism was born (sounds like a story out of Hollywood, or maybe from the pool of your exes?).

His tale might be an example of some exceptionally bad mirror feng shui.

But don’t worry: there’s a lot of good mirror feng shui you can enjoy instead.

Since we love mirrors and all the artful beauty and dimension they bring to home décor (especially today, when there are more design options in the world of mirrors than ever for every kind of home style), we thought we’d go over the good side of the feng shui of mirrors to give you even more reasons to like them.

Today, there are more mirror design options than ever, some worthy of a wall gallery

According to feng shui, mirrors can “magnify” the impact of good elements in your space (such as a vibrant display of live plants, etc.). The reflection essentially doubles the healthy effect of the welcoming plants you have placed in a foyer, and makes the entryway to your home more positive and creates a sense of inviting more goodness inside.

To keep your good luck hanging around, never hang or lean a mirror where it can reflect you within about five feet of the door to your home, or the good luck entering with you will head right back outside. (Eight feet, ten feet, go for it, apparently!) Side note: We don’t know if this means you should look right at a mirror if you’ve had a rotten day or a streak of bad luck, to send the bad right out the door, but maybe it’s something to ponder?

Nature is filled with warm, positive energy and the view from a window, reflected by your well-placed mirror, pulls nature’s goodness into your home life. Mirrors positioned to draw in the light from a doorway, window, or adjacent windowed room help draw more good chi (energy) of nature into your space. (It adds more light to your rooms, too.) Mirrors in living rooms add a festive feeling and can magnify a home’s good energy.

Mirrors placed near your jewelry or cash are also said to improve your prosperity. Mirrors placed near your garden or in outdoor living spaces are said to send good energy into your flowers and home.

One warning that you can easily get around: some consider it bad feng shui to hang a mirror in some spots in the bedroom. At the very least, they say, never place a mirror above the bed, because it’s considered by some to be as disturbing to your sense of rest, harmony, and escape as actually placing a bed directly under a window, or under an exposed beam.

Maybe there’s a little logic in this: a mirror in the bedroom can reflect light or movement making it subconsciously harder for you to sleep or rest, and in this way alter the sense of the bedroom as a calm escape or haven. Feng shui says bedroom mirrors can even play havoc with your love life (um, maybe because you’re admiring yourself in new outfits and shoes until 2 a.m.?). Anyway, if you have a mirror in your bedroom, and are worried about the feng shui of it, simply cover it at night: potential problem solved!

Also, avoid placing mirrors at the very end of a hall, to avoid attracting and trapping bad energy; placing one on a hall wall along a corridor is however fine.

Designed with more variety and beauty than ever, mirrors are joining wall art as must-have home décor. Mirrors make a statement even in a small, tight space; even a little room that seems desperately useless can turn into a sassy little corner of sparkly, airy light. And mirrors are still the perfect “window-substitute” when you’re trying to make any walled area seem more open and freeing to your spirit.

Enjoy the beauty of mirrors, work them into your world as you please. And if you like, keep the age-old rules of mirror feng shui in mind.