What inspired this article was a client calling to ask if putting solar panels on her roof top would have any Feng Shui implications. One of the reasons she asked is because my clients know that when any kind of remodeling is done, the location and the timing of it could influence the occupants who live or work inside. Another reason someone might ask is because the roof is a very important feature to a house and in fact, the initial enclosure of a roof on a new building will establish what we call the “flying star chart” for the space, having semi-permanent influences on the health and well-being of the occupants.
In the case of solar panels, it would hardly be considered a construction project since the application of the panels is fairly easy to do and it does not disturb the roof in any significant way. I happen to have solar panels and know that they were installed in a day with little disturbance. Re-roofing and tearing away the old roof might be considered more imposing than the installation of solar panels.
Another eco-project is roof top gardening, where again, there really should be no negative consequences to using your roof top space for gardening. There would be no remedies needed in any conventional way, compared to what classical Xuan Kong Fei Xing has to say about interior spaces. One would only hope that coming and going from the roof top would be made safe and stable. Some people have wondered however because we normally don’t want to see any thick hedges or vines completely covering the exterior walls of a building. That has a potential to actually create mold on the walls underneath the plants.
Composting is another question that comes up because in Feng Shui we speak about noxious odors or anything in a decaying state as being “sha qi” or a potentially negative influence. Most people, out of common sense, place their compost pile in an area that is far enough away from a house, its windows or views. I know some people like to add worms to their compost and it could all seem questionable, but really it is just part of nature and not even on par with living in view of a trash dumpster.
More and more designers are creating green designs and using recycled materials. They are also collaborating with Feng Shui specialists to cover the whole gamut of concerns and priorities for people who want to live in balance with nature on every conceivable level. Reducing exposure to EMF’s and making maximum use out of the energy of the Sun is all in harmony with what the original masters had in mind anyway.
Rain water barrels might be seen as a water feature and their placement around a property could be consciously chosen with Feng Shui principles in mind, although these rain catchers are covered and would not have the same power as an open water fountain or backyard pond. Recycling “grey” water is fine to do; it is just really dirty stagnant water which we don’t like to see on a property.
And just as a footnote, because there is a first time for everything, I recently advised a client to relocate her indoor medical marijuana plants because the high intensity grow lights could be seen as the “fire element.” There is nothing good or bad about the fire element; the best location for fire is unique to each house. She had another closet option in another room where the fire element would not be undermining health and well-being. I suppose those kinds of considerations will be happening more frequently as time goes by.
Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions (R) Since 1992
From the Landscape and Exteriors Blog Series
