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Mouth of Ch'i

Mouth of Ch’i

What a colorful name for something we Americans usually call “the front door”. But if ch’i flows like a river, and we think of rivers having a mouth that opens to the sea, then wouldn’t it make sense that the point where the river of life enters our personal energetic space be known to Feng Shui practitioners as the Mouth of Ch’i? Don’t worry: you can still refer to it as your front door (unless of course, you are trying to impress your realtor).

Consider, too, that the Mouth is where all nourishment comes into the body. It takes in whatever we feed it, good or bad for us. The obvious implication is that the Mouth is essential and affects the ch’i of the entire building. That’s an important job, and so it has to be dealt with respect. After all, it is also usually the very first impression that is presented to the outside world hinting at who the occupants are residing within that space.

Each room also has its Mouth, but for now, we can think of those more as valves that control the flow of ch’i within the heart/home space. Let’s take a look at the front door in more detail.

What Is Your Mouth Saying About You?

Mouths are also the means for communicating. What is your mouth saying to the world about you? Perhaps, in homage to your favorite M.A.C. lipstick, you’ve painted your Mouth of Ch’i a brilliant red color that is attracting a lot of attention to your home. This can be a very positive thing if more attention and opportunity is what you want or need to bring in. However, if you’ve designated your home to be your private retreat from the world, painting your front door red would stir things up and defeat your intentions.

Maybe you have a front door with peeling paint. The doorbell hasn’t worked in years. There used to be a welcome mat, but now there is just a dirty scrap of leftover carpet flanked by two large potted plants….ooops! sorry–the pots are filled with dirt and there seems to be some dried up sticks pointing upward that must have been lovely plants at some point. Well, it was easy for me to make that mistake since the lighting is so dim. Hmmm…the impression I am getting is that this Mouth of Ch’i hasn’t been to the dentist in awhile.

You may have a front door that is set back from the main structure of the building’s face. Or you may have a privacy screen protecting your front door from being easily viewed from the street. Your Mouth of Ch’i could be made entirely of glass. Or metal. Or wood. Each of these possibilities requires a unique assessment that takes into account the entire Feng Shui picture of the space being evaluated.

By now you get my point that the physical appearance of your entryway is vital to your home’s health and says a lot about you and what you will attract into your life. In fact, there is a reason why so many of us neglect our front doors. It is because here in America, often our garages are attached to our houses which makes it more convenient to enter the home through a different door. Depending on your situation, this could be a back door or side door. The main Mouth of Ch’i has been relegated for infrequent use by company, door-to-door salesmen, and the occasional fire drill.

As you might imagine, all of these factors play a vital role in making a correct analysis of a client’s Feng Shui. Sometimes the practitioner may even suggest deliberately using the back door instead of the front, or vice versa, if the client’s particular situation would be served best with this solution. There are sometimes cases where multiple entrances create a double bagua scenario which can be effectively used to enhance power points if activated properly. Feng Shui is many layered and it is best to have an expert opinion to accurately guide you through the complexity of your individual needs.