| Basic Feng Shui dictates the concept of a Ming Tan, or a bright hall, essentially a large open space around the main entry point of the property. This concept can be stretched to the outer limit, as being a large open pool of water in front of a building, to the other extreme of being just a small space that is open, uncluttered and clear in front of your main door. |
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| The idea is that the energy that enters your main door should not be “contaminated” or disturbed as it enters your main door. |
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| In an ideal world, of course, one would love to look outside the main door and see an open expanse of garden, or water, but let’s get real, you might open your door to look at your neighbor’s door separated by a narrow 4 foot wide passage, so what does one do? |
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| External Ming Tan v/s Internal Ming Tan |
| Whatever space constraints you may have, logically, the space that lies in front of your door, can at least be controlled by you! This is your external Ming Tan. |
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| Keep it clean : This space should be kept clean, free of clutter, devoid of a dirt collecting doormat and if the tiles are chipped or broken, then at least this area should be re-tiled. |
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| Keep it bright : Make sure that the area is well lit. |
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| Watch the shoes : Indian homes don’t allow shoes inside the house so if you must keep shoes outside, make sure they are not piled up in an untidy heap but are put on a rack, neatly. |
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| Watch the congestion : some people love to decorate the area outside their home with decorative objects, statues etc. Make sure that these don’t have any sharp elements like swords, arrows or broken glass, oh so fashionable these days. Also make sure they don’t obstruct the smooth flow of good qi into your house. |
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| Watch the water : while it is considered “good Feng Shui” to place a “Feng Shui fountain” there are places where the water can be good or bad, so do check with a reliable source if water in that sector is allowed or not. |
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| Now look at your internal Ming Tan, and see if these factors comply inside as well. |
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| While you can not control what is outside your property, at least you can fix the inside. |
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| A good Ming Tan can dissipate bad qi and convert it to good, irrespective of the “facing” of the house, so this is one thing you can DIY (Do-It-Yourself) without fear of messing things up! |
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| CASE STUDY |
| I have seen two clear examples of the benefit of a Ming Tan in Mumbai and I share them here with you: |
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