How Statues Can Help Enhance Your Front Porch's Feng Shui
Rain chains and wind chimes all add a nice ambient touch to the flow of your front porch — after all, feng shui means wind water. But if you add a statue to your stoop, you're upping chi or qi to a new vibrational level. Introducing a statue is like a little greeting to the omniscient energy flowing in and around us. Figures can act like a feng shui chi filter, promote stability, and enhance growth and prosperity in your home. Certain statues are also thought to fight off and prevent ill-mannered mana from terrorizing your humble abode.
You might be wondering what figurine would work the best for your entryway, and that's why we've included some of the more common ones below. Some of the following statues also pull double duty and do more than protect, but also cleanse and invite prosperity. Before you bring home your new feng shui gatekeeper, remember that some features should only be placed facing specific directions, per the rules of feng shui. Otherwise, they could have the opposite effect of your desire.
Animals are always in style
When placed in specific areas of your home, statues of animals bring luck, prosperity, and abundance and even ward off evil. While some creatures align with the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, like the snake, rat, and dog, others, like the elephant and deer, do not. When it comes to your front porch, it's important to think about what you'd like to attract and repel. It's common in Chinese culture to have not one but two dog statues greeting whoever approaches the front porch. These dogs can look more like dragons to those of us who aren't familiar with Eastern art and philosophy. Typically referred to as Fu Dogs, these statues are meant to scare off unwanted bad energy and people and represent female and male dogs. Dragon statues are also known to ward off negativity.
Adding an elephant statue by your front door invites abundance, good luck, and prosperity notes Times Property. But should you take the three-legged toad route, which, in feng shui, is known to be the bringer of big money, be mindful not to place it on the floor and in the direct line of the doorway. This is one animal that has serious mystical powers.
You can't say no to a laughing Buddha
If you want to add a zen ambiance and calm to your home, consider incorporating a spiritual figure or deity. Buddha statues are easy to find at your local home décor or improvement store (or metaphysical business). Love To Know reminds us that there is a diverse assortment of Buddha figures with different symbolic meanings. The overall symbolic nature of the laughing Buddha is to bring happiness into your home. A standing Buddha means you're inviting prosperity and good vibes. If he's sitting, he's ushering in and maintaining the energetic equilibrium of your home.
If a Guan Yin (or Kuan Yin) figurine greets visitors, you are also bestowing them with compassionate and healing energy. This deity also doubles as a protector against bad juju. The elephant-headed god, Ganesha, acts like a household protector and fights off ill qi. Remember that these statues should be placed in areas that are respectful to them. That means off the ground, sheltered from the elements, and out of the dog-marking territory.