The center of the building in fengshui

Every home or living space has a center. This is also true for any place of activity even the open stall of a news vendor.

This center has a very important place in fengshui. Traditionally it is called tianxin which literally is heaven heart but it means the center of qi.

What this mean to us and our well being is, like we talked about earlier, quite important. This is the area where the qi forces emanate. It acts like a locus for the qi forces to spread and move through the living space. Once we can understand this, we can then begin to understand how to arrange or make use of this space for our well being.

Suppose you have a heavy load resting against your chest area. You will not fell very comfortable and may well experience breathing difficulties. Likewise if we have a heavy load place at the heart of our home, the house will not be very comfortable and that discomfort will be transmitted to us.

It is not just heavy things placed there that will have this effect. Untidiness, rubbish and foul odor too will also have the same effect. With this in mind it is recommended that we should have a clear, clean and convivial space in the center of our home.

Another name for this heart center is mingtang which literally means bright hall. In olden Chinese buildings, the center of this space will likely be an open courtyard which may be a landscaped garden; is the assembly point for activities and is well kept.

In contemporary homes especially in link houses, this space is the family hall. I have seen many instances where the owner has extended the original home to allow for bigger kitchens or back of house space. In most cases, they fail to knock down the toilet which originally was situated at the back of the house but then encroach into the center of the house after the extensions. It then becomes a part of the mingtang and the smell and effluents from there corrupts the mingtang. This is bad.

In the Indian science of space, Vasthu Sastra, it is also recommended that the center should be left empty as it is considered the weakest point for energy does not flow there. The reasoning may be different but it is still good advice which we can follow.