Feng Shui is concerned with the placement of just about everything. How the building sits on the land, the placement of the walls, windows, doors, fireplaces, bathrooms and the placement of your belongings. This ancient art is known as ‘the art of placement’. We pay particular attention to the placement of the front door, stove, bed and desk.
The ideal placement for your bed, desk, front door and stove is in the ‘commanding position’. For now let’s focus on the position of your desk.
There are 4 criteria to the commanding position for desk placement:
- Its relative position to the door is important, NOT the absolute direction
- It provides a WIDE viewing area
- The ‘Mouth of Chi’ is in viewing range
- It’s not directly in the path of the ‘Mouth of Chi’
What’s the ‘Mouth of Chi’?
This is the entrance to the property, the entrance to the house (front door) or the main door to the room. So in the case of your desk, when I refer to the ‘mouth of chi’ I’m referring to the main door to the room your desk is in.
Think of your home as the body of a being and your front door as the mouth. The mouth lets in all the nourishment. Feng Shui is based on the Chinese concept of Chi. Chi is the life-force energy that’s inside us and all around us in Nature. Feng Shui is about balancing the chi flow of the space to support the chi of the people living there. If you’re my client or have taken my workshops you’ve probably already heard me talk a lot about chi flow!
Placing your furniture in the commanding position can make your life so much easier.
In the diagram, the desks in position A, B and C are examples of the commanding position. In this position:
- you can see life and opportunities coming to you
- you can make wiser decisions.
- you can be more productive
- puts you in control of the situation
- encourages smooth progress in your career
Note: This drawing is to give you the basics of placement, to illustrate the 4 criteria above. There are variations.
The desks in position D, E, F are not in the commanding position. In these positions:
- you never know what’s going on behind you, you can get startled easily which disrupts your work and puts you on edge
- considered to be ‘backstabbing’, people taking advantage of you in life
- encourages life to be extra challenging, nothing smooth, facing obstacles, experiencing frustrations
- you are up against the wall which can translate to ‘being up against a wall in life’
The desk in position G, although you can see the door in this position, it’s not in the commanding position. It’s too direct in the mouth of chi. The positive comes in but the negative pushes you down. There is the potential for there to be frequent changeover with employees in this position.
Over the many years of doing this work I’ve heard great feedback from my clients when they turn their desk to the commanding position. Even when there may be resistance to this idea at first, if the room will allow for this change they usually end up loving it. It opens possibilities and a new perspective in their life. It’s easier to be productive and stay organized. I’ve lived in numerous houses since I first learned of the commanding position and when my space allows for my desk to be in this position I love it!
Note: Make sure there is room behind you to push your chair out so you aren’t bumping into the wall!
Granted, there are many unique living situations that we find ourselves in and sometimes it’s just not possible to turn your desk. In my current home it is not possible. The beauty of Feng Shui is there is often a ‘cure’ we can implement to support the less than ideal situation we find ourselves in.
Mirror cures for the commanding position
You can use a mirror to put yourself in the ‘commanding position’. Position a mirror on the wall in front of your desk to give you a wide view of what’s behind you, including the door. You want it to work when you’re sitting at your desk but also when you stand up you want the mirror to be big enough that it doesn’t cut off your head or give you an awkward view of your body. A large mirror in front of the desk when there is room for that feels great! And it eliminates that energy of ‘being up against a wall in life’.
There are other options and often there isn’t room for a large mirror. You can also use :
- a shaving mirror that sits on your desk
- a small convex mirror placed either on your computer monitor or on the wall. Because a convex mirror is curved, it gives a very wide view behind you. You can find them at auto parts stores
- A baby moon hubcap is also great, it’s a larger and nicer looking convex mirror, I love these. You can find them online.
- If you have room for this, a small gazing ball also works, it’s a convex mirror in the shape of a globe. I recommend stainless steel gazing balls and you can use any color, any size that works for you.
Caution with mirrors
You do not want to reflect clutter or an unpleasant view. The plus side of mirrors is they can bring in a beautiful view, bring in light, expand the space and have the affect of being like another window. The downside is they can multiple the affects of clutter and they can bring in an unpleasant view. If you have a cluttered space, start with a very small convex mirror and start working on decluttering your space.
I hope you enjoy making these adjustments to your desk. If implementing these suggestions presents challenges and you get stuck please contact me to schedule a Feng Shui consultation.
