Blowing the Lid off a popular 'feng shui rule'

In the last four years of operating my Feng Shui consultancy, I have been asked to explain many different aspects and ‘rules’ of Feng Shui theory.





I am often asked about the feng shui ‘no-no’s’, and the most often repeated ‘no-no’ is that of leaving the toilet seat up, or closing the lid so that the house’s ‘wealth’ doesn’t get ‘flushed away’. Incredibly I find this seems to be one of the most remembered ‘things’ about feng shui suggestions. I usually respond with a weary look on my face (sorry, but I do) that this is such an odd energy equation to make when a sewerage system is not only a modern day thing, but it is also a utility that enables us to get unwanted waste out of our home! What’s bad about that? Would we rather have a festering outdoor dunny? And what on earth did the ancient Chinese who developed Feng Shui energy theories make of their sewerage waste system?
In rural China they still use the same system for sewerage processing that they have had for centuries, possibly millennia….that of a large pond that takes all of the waste. (this is if they were lucky enough to live in a community organised enough to have such a system) The excrement is ‘eaten’ by specific plants (reeds, among others) that process the sewerage over a number of seasons. After the icing up of the pond during Winter, where bacteria is mostly killed off by the sheer cold, the thaw of Spring sees the ’crusted layer of solids’ scooped off and used as field fertiliser, and the water is already clean from the reeds and plants filtering it perfectly. I’ve seen a similar system being implemented in rural England recently by homeowners who are 100% committed to being self sustainable, including being responsible for all their own waste.
How are you viewing your shiny porcelain loo now? Something of a luxury wouldn’t you think (even if it isn’t solid gold)? And certainly not an ‘unbeneficial’ addition to the modern home.





So why on earth is it equated with flushing money away from the house?!
In reality, there is no reason why the flushing of an indoor toilet could make any home lose money. They only way a toilet can impact upon the wealth flow of a building is if it is not maintained to a clean and hygienic standard. This is especially unhelpful for your Wealth Feng Shui if the toilet happens to be sitting on or near your building’s Wealth Star. Then, in this specific case, you may find that IF the general energy of your loo room is low level then this may bring down the level of your Wealth Star energy, leading to money loss as a clear potential, or various other losses. One of the ways Wealth Stars are activated is by reticulating water, clean water...so the water coming into the cistern is always clean as it is either town water or from a rainwater tank. This, coupled with a clean and tidy toilet or bathroom serves to activate the energy of that area of the house in a beneficial way. Don’t be scared of having a bathroom on a Wealth Star! It may just be doing you a big favour and bringing you the message of becoming intensely ‘house proud’ of your loo :)

Money comes in via wealth opportunities taken advantage of, supported by great high quality energy. This can be Career and Life Purpose activities, resources in many forms (see May’s article ‘Feng Shui and Wealth Accumulation’) and also the general energy flow of your life. It goes out via obtaining resources for career, (upkeep of self ie: food, clothing, transport etc) health and shelter. So even with the basics of money energy flow
we see there is a circulation occurring. Money going ‘out’ is not always a bad thing. We need to spend money on the necessities of life to be able to survive. Without spending something we cut off the circulation that will lead to an ‘in’ flow of wealth.

So now we come to THE question :) Toilet seat up or toilet seat down? Or does it matter at all? Read on….
Toilet seat up or down? And where is the best place for a toilet in the house?
Keeping the toilet seat down may be common sense and can apply to any ‘waste’ receptacle. Just as it would not be hygienic to keep the lid up on a kitchen bin or a compost bin, it is not hygienic to keep the lid up on a toilet seat. (why do you think these things are designed with lids in the first place?) As for the best place, well there isn’t really a ‘best’ place, more importantly there are places where one should avoid putting a toilet. The obvious is, not next to the front entrance door, and the kitchen or dining areas. Toilets should always be treated with as much respect as the rest of your house, and because they are areas that could harbour unhelpful bacteria, they should receive the same maintenance as your chopping board or kitchen bench. Cleaned thoroughly and regularly to prevent low level energy :)





The question is not really about toilet seats up or down, the location of it or the use of it at all. The important thing to remember is the quality of energy that is being attracted to this room. With this in mind it is simple to provide it with the same attention you need to give your kitchen, or anywhere with ‘entry’ energy connections. Love your LOO! It provides a very important service for ‘exiting’ energy.

Next month: ‘is it bad luck to sleep under a window?’