Q&A Sunday: Balancing Water in a Blue Bathroom

Anjie Cho May 10, 2020

Photo by Bence Balla-Schottner on Unsplash

I need a recommendation please. My bathroom in my new apartment is in the spirituality and knowledge area and is VERY blue - bathtub, sink, toilet, tiles on the wall. How can I counteract excess water energy there? It’s rental, so I can’t replace anything, decor only. Thanks in advance!

Tatyana Alexandrovna

Hi Tatyana,

There are a few things I want to clarify before we get into the answer to your question. First, the bagua map does have an area related to self-cultivation and self-knowledge, called gen. It’s in the bottom left hand corner of the bagua map and it’s related to the color dark blue.

Second, there are dozens of schools of feng shui and they all have slight variations. In the school I practice, BTB feng shui, water is actually related to the color black, not blue. Very dark blue that is almost black can be related to the water element, but lighter shades of blue are actually related to the wood element. This is true if you look at the I Ching as well, which is where we get the trigrams of the bagua and the five element system.

The blue color in your bathroom is not creating excess water after all. Instead, it sounds like you have a lot of wood in your bathroom. And, how do wood and water work together? Think about a plant, which represents wood: when you water a plant, the water feeds and nourishes it. Over time, the water helps the plant (wood) create more life and grow upward. Similarly, having wood energy in your bathroom can help to take the downward energy of water and transform it to upward energy. In fact, adding the wood element is a common cure for excess water in a bathroom.

Thank you so much for your question!

by Anjie Cho

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Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Toilets

Anjie Cho March 10, 2019

My husband had knee replacement surgery, so we added a 4 inch seat raiser to the toilet seat and cannot close the lid. I have been putting a folded towel over the open bowl--do you have any other suggestions?

Angela L., Victorville, CA

Dear Angela,

Thanks so much for your question. I hope your husband is on the mend after his knee replacement surgery.

First, it’s great that you’re accommodating his needs in a practical way by adding a riser to the toilet seat, but it sounds like you’re concerned that you can’t close the toilet lid. For the readers, ideally it’s good to keep your toilet bowl lid closed. There are practical reasons for this: the moisture in the toilet actually adds to the moisture in the bathroom and can create mold and mildew. Closing the lid also energetically puts a lid on the excess downward water energy in a bathroom.

It’s nice that you’re mindful of trying to maintain this cover by putting a folded towel over the open bowl, which is a great solution. You of course want to keep that towel clean and change it regularly, because it can accumulate bacteria. You can also keep your bathroom door closed, which effectively does the same thing as closing the toilet lid. Another suggestion is to put a mirror outside the bathroom door, which energetically helps the bathroom disappear from the floor plan.

Because your husband had knee surgery, another thing to pay attention to is your landscaping, and especially the trees on your property. The health of a landscape affects the health of the people living there, and the branches of a tree can represent joints, including knees. If there are any trees on your property with broken or extremely heavy branches, it’s a good idea to prune and take care of them. This can be helpful in terms of your husband’s recovery as well as preventing possible joint problems in the future.

Thanks so much for your question, Angela. We’d love to hear more about what’s going on with the trees on your property. Good luck with your husband’s recovery!

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish. Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com.

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

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How to spruce up a Sheepshead Bay co-op with a peach-tiled bath and plain kitchen

Anjie Cho January 25, 2019

featured this month on Brick Underground by Leah Hochbaum Rosner

This Sheepshead Bay one bedroom, 2711 Ave., X, #6D is asking $225,000 and has a lot going for it, according to architect and Feng Shui expert Anjie Cho, including a “workable” floor plan, a private balcony, and decent-looking floors.

Still, there are lots of things that could be improved, such as the prodigiously peach bathroom, which she believes needs to be gutted immediately. “The wallpaper. That vanity. That gray tub. Oh my God,” she says.

She also hates the tiny, makeshift sunroom between the living room and terrace—which accounts for the second layer of windows visible behind the original windows—as well as two terrace doors. It takes precious square footage away from the terrace and makes the back wall in the living room look too busy. It’s also fairly shabby-looking, she says, noting the exposed wiring and “dingy” doors. “It’s the first thing you see when you walk in. It doesn’t make a very good impression.”

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