This is a very practical post and people often forget that Feng Shui practice is not just about interior design but is also about common sense. Steps or stairs are often at the entrance to your house or apartment and they say a lot for a first impression and also about how you feel entering a home. This is where your personal Chi energy comes in to play. As you go up the stairs, do you feel there is enough space, are the steps cracked or broken, are they too high to step up on to? This initial feeling says so much to you and it is a good idea to take note of it. Equally, if you are going down the stairs, do you feel safe, is there enough room to step down and most importantly, can you go down the steps feeling secure? All important questions for Feng Shui practice. These are the entrance steps and should be clean with any cracks or broken pieces fixed and painted or sealed if wooden and also well lit in the darker hours.
A key Feng Shui point is to avoid having steps inside the entrance rushing upwards as you enter from the front door. If right at the front and not placed a few metres back from the door, the Chi energy rushes up and back down the stairs constantly which is not great for the Feng Shui entering and staying in the house or apartment. That being said, this is often a characteristic in old European homes. We had a French townhouse with a really steep set of stairs going straight up to the main living area and it did feel like you had to run up them and if going down, be really careful. We repaired the stonework and painted them in a non-slip paint and then placed interesting art work on the wall and small square lamps on the steps either side to slow the energy down. The result was people would step up and down more slowly. We also had a very secure hand rail to grip on to for safety and made sure the lamps had battery operated candles to light the way.
Spiral Staircases
Let’s define what these are. They are not the lovely wood or marble spiral staircases that can be seen in art galleries or old buildings with wide open steps and lovely windows. We are talking about the modern wooden ones which can also be a bit flimsy. These are considered to be like a corkscrew in to the energy and are not recommended in your living space. Don’t panic if you have one but consider replacing with general steps if possible such as steps against a wall or even a secure ladder-like structure. The least positive Feng Shui location is in the centre of any part of the house. It is considered to be a corkscrew in to the central energy of your living space on the Bagua Map which is important for health and the foundation of a place. My parents had a corkscrew staircase to go down in to the lower level of their house. It always felt unsafe and we were constantly telling each other not to go down in socks. My mother did and she slipped and broke her thumb. They replaced it with a more permanent structure using steps against a wall and instantly we felt more secure. So check your steps in to your house, in your garden and make sure they are clean, fixed and safe; and practice Feng Shui and good old common sense.
