Feng Shui and Money

A family inherits a beautiful old house, full of sturdy furniture and good bones. The first generation fills it with love, laughter, and the smell of baking bread; it feels warm, alive, a place of growth. A generation later, the house is inherited by their children. Nothing has physically changed—the same solid chairs, the same sunny windows—but the atmosphere is different. Arguments echo in the hallways, bills pile up on the mahogany desk, and a strange, persistent chill seems to have settled in the corners, unrelated to the weather. The house that was once a source of abundance now feels like it’s draining the life out of its inhabitants. It's the same space, the same objects, but the energy, the feeling, the flow is completely different. The house itself seems to be struggling financially.

This sense that our physical environment is an active participant in our lives is what drove Eric Shaffert to explore the ancient practice of Feng Shui. As a psychotherapist working in San Francisco during the AIDS crisis, he saw countless clients grappling not just with illness, but with overwhelming financial and emotional distress. He noticed how their living spaces often mirrored their internal chaos. Shaffert, who was also a student of Buddhist and Taoist philosophy, began to see a powerful connection between the flow of energy in a person's home and the flow of prosperity in their life. This book is the culmination of decades spent in the trenches, helping real people untangle their financial struggles by first addressing the energy of the space they call home.

Module 1: The Three Dimensions of Wealth

The book begins by reframing our entire understanding of prosperity. It argues that most of us chase money as an end goal, but what we're really after are the feelings we think money will buy: security, freedom, respect, and joy. The author suggests a more direct path.

The core idea is that wealth is a three-dimensional ecosystem. To master it, you must work on your environment, your finances, and your inner self simultaneously. Shaffert calls this the integration of Environmental, Financial, and Inner Feng Shui. Think of them as three legs of a stool. If one is shorter than the others, your financial life will always feel wobbly and unstable.

Environmental Feng Shui is the most visible layer. It’s about arranging your physical space—your home and office—to optimize the flow of energy, what the book calls Chi. For example, a cluttered entryway blocks the "Mouth of Chi," symbolically preventing new opportunities from entering your life. A well-placed plant or a clear path to your door can make a tangible difference.

Next, we have Financial Feng Shui. This is the practical, hands-on work. It involves addressing your real-world money habits. The author insists that true financial clarity begins with tracking every single dollar you spend. This practice is about building awareness. He shares that this simple act of logging expenses often leads to an automatic 10% reduction in spending, simply because it forces you to be conscious of where your money is going. This practice transforms unconscious spending into deliberate choice.

And here's the thing, the final dimension is the most powerful. It's Inner Feng Shui, the work you do on your mind. This involves excavating and challenging your deepest beliefs about money. Shaffert argues that your subconscious beliefs about money are the primary drivers of your financial reality. If you grew up hearing that "money is the root of all evil" or "rich people are greedy," you may be subconsciously sabotaging your own success. The book provides exercises to identify these limiting beliefs, such as journaling about your earliest money memories. Once you see the belief, you can begin to dismantle it. You have to be willing to be wrong about what you think is possible for yourself.

Module 2: Mapping Your Life with the Bagua

So, how do you apply these ideas to your actual home? This brings us to the central tool of the book: the Bagua.

The Bagua is an ancient energy map. It’s a grid, usually a three-by-three square, that you overlay on your home's floor plan. Each of the nine squares corresponds to a specific area of your life. There’s a sector for Career, one for Relationships, one for Health, and critically, one for Wealth and Prosperity. This is a powerful diagnostic tool.

The first step is practical. You must draw a floor plan of your home and apply the Bagua map to it. You align the bottom of the grid with the wall containing your front door. This immediately shows you which physical part of your home corresponds to each life area. The top-left corner is Hsun, the Wealth sector. The bottom-right is Chyan, the sector for Helpful People and Mentors. The center is the T'ai Chi, representing overall health and balance.

Once the map is placed, you might discover something startling. You might have a "missing section." If your home is L-shaped, for instance, a part of the Bagua grid might fall on empty space outside your apartment. If that missing section is your Wealth corner, the book suggests this could be a physical manifestation of financial struggles.

But here’s where it gets actionable. Feng Shui offers solutions, or "cures," for these diagnostic findings. For a missing Wealth corner, a cure might be to place a large mirror on the interior wall. This creates the illusion of depth and energetically "completes" the space. Another cure is to place a thriving, upward-growing plant in that area, symbolizing growing assets.

From this foundation, the book moves into a more intentional practice. Use the Bagua to design your future. Shaffert calls this creating your "Dream Bagua." You go through each of the nine life areas and write down exactly what you want. For the Career sector, maybe it’s a promotion or a new venture. For the Relationship sector, a more loving partnership. For Wealth, a specific savings goal. This turns the Bagua from a passive map into an active blueprint for manifestation.

Finally, the book emphasizes that the center of your home, the T'ai Chi, is crucial for overall stability. This area represents your health and well-being. If it's cluttered, chaotic, or obstructed—like a messy hallway or a staircase cutting through the middle—it can create a sense of anxiety and instability in all other areas of your life. The cure is to keep this central area as open, clear, and balanced as possible. A circular rug can anchor the energy. A beautiful light fixture can lift it. By stabilizing the center, you create a solid foundation from which to grow your wealth.