***Is Your Feng Shui Cooking? Critical Kitchen Considerations

Feng Shui is conce ed with the flow of energy in a space. One way to assess this flow is to determine how the energy moves through a home or office and whether there are places where it is stagnant or whether it flies through too quickly. Another way to assess the flow of energy is to determine what kind of filter it moves through when it first enters a space. You always want the energy near your front door to be enticing, offering a warm welcome as a first impression. A kitchen challenges this idea.

Kitchens should be in the back of the house. The energy of a kitchen is strong and active due to the fire of the stove, the heaviness of the appliances, and the general hub of activity that goes on in there. Having a kitchen near the front door is a Feng Shui problem from three perspectives:

• First, it can cause the nutritional value of the food to leave through the front door, resulting in potential digestive issues.
• The second problem is that it can cause weight gain. Like a Pavlovian response, there's an automatic need to eat something when the first room seen when entering is the kitchen.
• Finally, a kitchen near the front door can condone an "eat and run" attitude, discouraging people from staying around long enough to offer support when you need it.

If possible, screen off the doorway into the kitchen or hang a cloth or beaded curtain to minimize its presence. Or provide a distraction that pulls your eye away from the view of the kitchen—-a tall plant, a stunning piece of artwork, a fountain, an eye-catching rug. Any of these suggestions will attract your attention and pull the energy away from the kitchen and into another more appropriate part of the space, like the living room. If the side or back door is your most used entry point and it brings you directly into your kitchen, try entering your home through another door from time to time. This will break the pattern of wanting to eat as soon as you get home.

Where it's located, both in terms of the front entry as well as which level, is crucial for optimum health. Here are some other Feng Shui ideas with regard to the kitchen:

• A kitchen should not be located over a bedroom as the person who sleeps in that bedroom regularly may be susceptible to depression. This situation would occur if a bedroom was located on the lower level positioned under the heaviness of the kitchen area.
• Limit the number of magnets, messages and mementoes that are stuck on the outside of the refrigerator as they all add an element of clutter and Feng Shui "noise."
• Keep sharp knives stored in drawers to avoid arguments between family members.
• Eat at a round table to support both inner and outer harmony and to foster great conversations.
• Keep the clutter on the counter-tops to a minimum so there is space for food preparation as well as for an expansive, open impression.

As you can see, the kitchen is the room that most relates to the health of the occupants and the overall status of family harmony. It is where food is stored, prepared, and often eaten, and it is often the gathering space for friends. Making sure that the kitchen is symbolically sending a healthy and nourishing message will assure that those who live there and those who visit can take advantage of its positive Feng Shui message.