The fire element in feng shui will bring excitement, passion, spontaneity, and a better reputation if handled correctly, but if handled poorly, it can generate too much energy for people to relax, arguments, and even a fire hazard. Because fire also symbolizes income in feng shui, taking a look at the location of your home fireplace can help increase your cash flow.

The best location for a fireplace is the northeast. This will heat up the cold yin energy from the north and also feed off the ground energy compatible with the fire from the northeast. The next best positions for a fireplace include east, southeast, and southwest. In fact, there is a good chance here because these directions are good for living rooms too, and a fireplace is typically the focal point of a living room, the only thing you see first as the main anchoring element of the room. People naturally gather around a fireplace too, especially on cold winter nights, and a roaring fire can be a good way to lure people out of their rooms for family time.

While directions near true south are good for fireplaces, be very careful about having a fireplace in the southern part of the house (which is also a good place for very active living rooms) because then you will have concentrated too much fire energy . in this part of the house and you will be at risk of a real, uncontrolled fire. If you have a fireplace in the southern part of your home, or even the southern side of a room, you can lessen its influence by adding a water element. Water doesn’t have to be exactly water – anything black or blue, with wavy lines, or anything made of glass can incorporate the water element and dampen the fire a bit. A nearby bathroom will also offer some energy from the water.

If your fireplace is not in either of these directions, there are several things you can do to compensate for the loss. Placing a large mirror in the room from the fireplace will double the energy of the fire and also give you the ability to have a second “fire” coming from the direction you would have wanted the fire to come from. Another great way to support and “light” the fire element is to add the wood element. In feng shui, the energy of fire is supported by the energy of wood, so adding large plants and even keeping the cut wood next to the fireplace will also fan the energetic flames.

If you don’t have a fireplace at all, or there’s no way to place a mirror to reflect a fireplace from the position you want, fear not. Candles are great substitutes for a fireplace, as are lanterns, bright lights, and oil lamps. In feng shui, real elements are also represented by shapes, colors, patterns, and materials, so you don’t even need to use a real flame; anything with sharp angular edges will work, like star shapes. Anything red or purple will help too.