Dear Kartar Diamond: Hello! I’ve been decorating my car, a MINI Cooper, with stripes. You may have seen that many MINIs have stripes on the hood. I love the look of offset stripes, where there is just one stripe, either on the driver side of passenger side, instead of a pair of stripes. But, is this offset stripe bad feng shui? Thanks for your insight!
Answer: You asked if having a certain number or position of stripes on a car is good or bad feng shui.
Firstly, let’s go over the scope of Feng Shui, a natural science which has observed for thousands of years how humans (and animals) are influenced by their immediate environment.
Initially, the natural landscape was of utmost importance, noting the location of features like water sources (lakes, streams, etc) as well as the mountains nearby, their shapes or the lack of them. Mountain and water can transmit energy, as well as contain it.
Later, attention was paid to the built structure, whether it be a residence or a commercial property, or something in between like a house of worship or a school. The impact of the exterior environment on the interior space can be subtle or profound. The short-hand for discussing those impacts could be noted as “good” or “bad” feng shui.
Modern adaptations of Feng Shui principles can be applied, such as streets and highways carrying Qi, similar to streams and rivers. Man-made structure with height might also be considered “virtual” mountains.
All that being said, there are no ancient texts on how to treat a modern-day automobile. Even in ancient times, with the invention of the “South pointing” chariot, a compass-like gear mechanism was attached to create a rather primitive GPS system, which had nothing to do with the chariot itself; rather simply used for directions.
What you do with a car, in terms of color or decoration, has almost nothing to do with Feng Shui. I do know, from having been a consultant for over 32 years, that many Westerners and New Agers tried to attach much symbolism and a Feng Shui “angle” on just about everything you could think of, much to the embarrassment of authentic feng shui practitioners.
For example, you cannot “feng shui” (used as a verb here): a car, a diet, a hair style, a business card, an article of clothing, a logo or other such objects where the intent is to market something as holding good or bad energy. Feng Shui’s domain is the built structure and the land and landscape around it. There is a way to personalize the space, such as with the occupant’s birth data, but most spaces will affect people similarly regardless of birth date. The theories and principles are fundamentally part of what we call Heaven Luck, Man Luck, and Earth Luck. Automobiles do not fall in these categories.
Have a car whatever color you like and whatever stripes or decorations or embellishments that are pleasing to you.
Kartar Diamond of Feng Shui Solutions® has a full-scale consultancy, including assistance with property searches, design phase and existing homes and businesses. She is the author of three books, 6 ebooks, 36 Cast Study Lessons and more to come. See the books she’s authored or browse through her online Traditional Feng Shui school.