A mirror in my client’s office was reflecting the chaos of her clutter, multiplying its chaotic affect. The placement was unintentional, simply left hanging on the wall from when the room was a bedroom. After taking it down, she was amazed about how much better the room felt.
Mirrors are considered to be the ‘aspirin’ of Feng Shui because they can cure all kinds of Feng Shui ills.
They are big energy movers and they multiply whatever they reflect. You can use them with intention to produce a positive influence. But when they aren’t used intentionally, their position can have a negative affect.
The basic rule is to pay attention to what the mirror is reflecting. Is the reflection cutting up your image? Does it reflect a view of an oppressive brick wall? Is it magnifying clutter? How does what it reflects make you feel?
Keep your eyes peeled for the following situations:
1. Do not reflect clutter
If you have clutter in your house be extra cautious when using mirrors otherwise you’ll multiply the clutter and the overwhelming feeling and stress that it brings. Take them down, turn them around or cover them, and get started on your decluttering.
2. Do not reflect an unpleasant view
Mirrors are great when you want to bring the beauty of a pleasant view into your space. Or when you want to bring the light of a window inside to brighten the space. It’s like creating an extra window. This can be very positive when you have a dark room. But if the view out your window is dreary or depressing, do not reflect that into the space.
3. Mirrors that break up your image
Mirrors that are divided into smaller panels will break up your image into a number of pieces. This is not good for your self-image. It will also give a chaotic feel to the space. You will experience the same unbalanced affect when you hang many small mirrors together on the same wall (see photo). Both of these mirror options are very popular but I don’t recommend them.
4. Mirrors that hang low
A mirror that hangs low will often cut off the image of your head. If you want to see yourself you have to stoop low. Again this affects your self-image and lowers your prospects. Sometimes the mirror was hung low to begin with or it may just be leaning against the wall.
5. Mirrors in the bedroom
Different Feng Shui perspectives have different views on this. Some say no mirrors in the bedroom. The BTB Feng Shui perspective that I practice, says they are okay depending on how you use them.
What you need to watch out for when using a mirror in the bedroom is that mirrors can give the feeling of being ‘awake’ and the bedroom is about sleep. A large mirror or a mirror close to the bed can cause people to have trouble sleeping. Mirrored closets are particularly an issue because they are so large and are often right next to or across from the bed. If you have trouble sleeping or feel any discomfort in your bedroom experiment with covering or taking the mirror down.
3 ways to use mirror wisely
- To bring in light and a positive view
- To expand a small space, like a small room or hallway
- To move or enhance the chi for Feng Shui cures
If you do a Feng Shui audit of the mirrors in your house and find some interesting reflections I’d love to hear what you find!
