How To Use Wind Chimes For Luck And Protection
It wouldn’t be far fetched to suggest that wind chimes are the most used feng shui items found in homes.
This is because they can be found in many households use them purely for decorative purposes without any knowledge of feng shui.
Some use it in the application of Vastu architectural arts too.
Installing them by hanging at the entry points of wind like the windows, balconies, doors, or front door can make a home fixture look less bland. And the sound that it makes when a metal rod, or tube, clangs into another can be music to one’s ears.
These days, wind chimes come in all shapes ,sizes, colors, and even with mirrors. There are even those that cling clangs to a lovely melody when the wind enters.
Because of the eerie noise and deep tones they can sometimes make, some people associate it with spirits in the Yin world. I can only say that I have used wind chimes for ages with no problems, and they have given me a lot of protection each year.
But in terms of feng shui, what do wind chimes do? And how to use them?
Firstly, let’s revisit the notion of why wind chimes are such unique and powerful feng shui items according to the Chinese.
They are made with metal. Often in the form of pure metal like copper, brass, silver, stainless steel, gold, etc. This gives the metal element a strong presence in the area you are placing it in.
And because they come in a number of metal rods, buying one with a particular number of rods can help reinforce the energy associated with metal, or whichever number you wish. The numbers 6 an 7 are “metal” numbers in flying star feng shui.
Stack these two points with the variety of designs available these days that can fit into any types of home design, it is no wonder they are increasingly popular by the day.
What does metal element do?
There are 3 main concepts of metal placement in the house.
- Protection from bad luck
- Welcoming of good fortune
- All of the above
However, it is important to note that they are used most often for protection rather than for good luck.
This is partly because there are various other ways and symbolic products that can bring luck. But nothing is better than the vintage wind chime in dissolving negative energy that comes from an earthly direction (i.e.NE,SW) and earth elemental base.
For example, flying stars shuffle their positions when the new solar year commences. And the 5 Yellow, which is a sickness star will shift to a new location in the house.
Being a strong Earth Star, the best way to remedy it’s negative effect is to use metal to exhaust it. Confronting it head-on with wood energy can be disastrous as the 5 Yellow might retaliate.
A metal wind chime would be able to keep the 5 yellow under control. If it has 6 rods, it will further reinforce the power of metal within the wind chime as the number 6 is a metal character. And every time the wind creates a clinging sound, it’s just like booster being triggered.
An example of energizing good luck is to use it to enhance the annual Water Star. This star has a water elemental base and a number of 1.
As metal gives birth to water, it will strengthen the luck that the water start is bringing for the benefit of the house.
Applying theory into practice
Let’s take for example a house built during the period of 8 and faces East at 70° sitting on West. You would find that the annual mountain and water star of 2 and 5 respectively entering the house from the Northwest.
This is a very bad sector of a house that has this birth chart.
Take note that this is a flying star birth chart, and not referring to the annual flying stars.
With Fire (9) as the base star and 2 Earth stars (2,5) in this section of the house, the base star would basically be supporting the 2 sickness stars (2,5) throughout the lifespan of the house. To keep this negative energy under control, a powerful wind chime can be hung on the window of the room in this area so as to soften the strength of bad energy entering the house from this direction.
Because Earth gives birth to metal, the presence of a solid metal wind chime would divert the attention of the 2 stars (2,5) to it. They would then use the bulk of their energy on the wind chime causing their strength to dissipate.
Sort of like pacifying a baby whose crying too much. Or like using a filter when making tea to sieve out the tea leaves.
But be mindful, that while this could neutralize the harmful effects of 2 and 5, it would also result in a bigger metal presence in that area. At the same time, the base Fire star (5) would keep metal in check.
In this example, just be wary of residents sleeping in the area whose Bazi is not conducive for the presence of strong loud metal.
Ideally, this area should be a store room to imprison the sha chi. Or even better, be a missing corner of the house.
In terms of symbolism, many master practitioners of feng shui advocate hanging large wind chimes to act as a buffer for protection against overhead beams and protruding sharp corners in the house.
As if this is not enough protection, practitioners have gone even further to upgrade the wind chime by fabricating them with pagoda monuments above the metal rods suspended by chains.
This is not just for display and design purposes. The pagoda have long been regarded as a great defender against evil spirits.
Also note that it is generally accepted that solid rods are used to press down on bad luck, while hollow rods are used for enhancement of good luck. This practice however, has no basis and is dependent on a practitioner’s personal preferences.
To use wind chimes for amplifying good luck, the application is most often based on the interpretations of Trigrams where Chien is located in the Northwest which is the sector representing the patriarch of the house.
And because the element of the NW is metal and has a number of 6, using a wind chime with 6 hollow metal rods will magnify the luck of the patriarch of the household.
This also means that it will not work for a household that is run by a matriarch rather than a patriarch. In this case, enhancing the wealth luck of the female breadwinner (Kun) of a household will have to be achieved via other means.
In that same line of thought, if wind chimes are used for energizing purposes in the West sector of a house, it’s better to go with 7 rods instead of 6.
And please… don’t try to be funny by getting those musical ones…
Wind chimes come in a few popular material variations representing different elements.
- Metal – aluminum, copper, stainless steel, brass
- Wood – bamboo
- Earth – ceramic, glass, crystals
Metal is suitable for West, Northwest, and North sections of a house. Wood suits South, Southeast, and East. Earth has it’s place in the Southeast, Northwest and center.
Finally, when it comes to feng shui, remember not to use wind chimes made of plastic.
Getting them in plastic, or even bells on strings might make you feel good about your own taste in home interiors. But it would defeat the whole purpose of wind chimes in it’s application in feng shui.