Poison Arrows – They Won’t Kill You
Having read about these you may be asking what are they? They are the sharp angles that point towards your house or can be found within your living space. They are often seen in city landscapes with modern design jutting out with sharp metal and glass and due to the architect’s desire to create a new building style. In my view, they often don’t make sense as they look like a waste of interior space with strange internal walls and with lots of glass, the need to regulate internal temperatures must be expensive and difficult. Exterior poison arrows are generally seen to be more of a concern than internal ones as the whole building is sending a poison arrow angle to the building opposite. Have a look next time you are in a major city business centre.
Internally, you may sense an area that doesn’t quite work due to angles. Check the area as it is possibly a ‘poison arrow’. Inside your home these are sharp corners and are said to bring negative energy to a point and then like an arrow, they shoot that energy towards the person sitting opposite that corner. They can be found both externally and internally in your place. Externally, they are often seen in sharp corners of buildings and roads that point directly to your apartment or house. You can counter these with mirrors, plants and other remedies. However; I want to focus on the poison arrows inside your space and the main culprits and how to cure these.
Solutions
There is a simple but not always practical solution and that is to provide a barrier to stop the arrow’s negative energy. An obvious choice is a wall but this isn’t always possible. Some options include using screens to create a wall to block the angle energy. Also, furniture can be placed at the corner to give a rounded edge but don’t use a chair or desk where someone would sit and absorb the negative energy from the poison arrow.
If I haven’t confused you and you are still with me, some may have heard of using Bagua mirrors to reflect poison arrows back. Check with a Feng Shui expert to look at your space and what is happening to ensure these are used correctly as this solution can amplify the problem if used incorrectly.
Furniture
This is the big one. Most modern furniture has angular corners due to the style and construction while older furniture often has rounded corners or wood that softens the effect. The rule, according to my mentor, Clear Englebert, is if the angle is larger than 90 degrees or has rounded edges, then it isn’t a problem. Even reading this makes me check around my living area!
Walls
Sometimes there is a poison arrow coming directly from your window sills or the surrounding walls. We had this in one room and the cure is to either hang curtains to cover those edges or buy wooden rounded beading which you can easily glue to the edge and paint the same colour as the wall. A plant can also work but I prefer fabrics so curtains are often the solution.
Kitchens
We have been lucky in the most recent kitchens in that we have always replaced the bench top as some where damaged and others were an inexpensive way to upgrade the look and style. The last three have been good old laminate. The latest versions look stylish and the corners and edges can be moulded to give a lovely curved look. At first, laminate wasn’t even considered but we walked over to a brushed concrete look bench top and chose it only to find it was the latest laminate style. We have used this every time since and it is smart, has no poison arrows and is easy to maintain.
The Bedroom
We have poison arrows in the bedroom via the two bedroom side tables. A remedy for this is to place your spare pillow or cushion between the arrow edge and the bed when you are sleeping, an easy solution. If it is a chair or other table, place a round ottoman between the poison arrow or place a cloth on top to soften the effect.
Beams & Fans
Beams are said to be poison arrows over our heads. I have painted several beams in our different places for this reason. They are lovely but are heavy energy and often painted dark brown for some reason. This is important and particularly if you are sitting or sleeping below them. The easy solution is to whitewash them so they become part of the ceiling and this usually looks really chic. In addition, hang a faceted cut crystal ball from the offending beam to divert the energy. Ceiling fans are the same, if you sit under or sleep below a fan, it can feel odd and Feng Shui practice doesn’t recommended it. See if you can, paint the fan the same colour as the ceiling so people are less likely to notice them.
There are always solutions. When we lived in New York, there were very modern square beams that covered the heating. A lovely paper canopy was hung with Command strips on the ceiling and across the length of the bed and when we sold the apartment, the Asian buyer instantly asked if they could keep it. Draping a curtain also works. Just think creatively.
Shelves
These are not only poison arrows but add a cutting energy. We had glass shelves in our French apartment and promptly edged the glass with silver edging. It added a chic touch and encased the glass which is seen as part of the Water element in Feng Shui. Think of other cutting edges such as blinds and bookcases all of which can add poison arrows to manage. Yet again, it is all about balance. There are temporary clear plastic edgings that can be found in DIY stores and other products that can offer a solution.
Final Thoughts
As with all Feng Shui remedies, practicality is close by along with any hardware or home improvement store. There are often advisors there who can offer a solution or product. One friend who was renting was stuck with a range of cheap, modern furniture that had been left behind. She found stick on plastic rounded edging that was removable and softened various edges and added fabrics and cushions where she could. On corner couldn’t be solved easily so a curtain rod was placed across with a curtain and the space was used for storage offering an instant remedy and adding a soft and luxurious look.
