Even though it is not the domain of a feng shui practitioner to be a “ghost buster,” recognizing spaces that have “yin” qualities and which harbor ghosts or spirits sometimes just goes along with the territory.
There are a number of factors that can make a house prone to or vulnerable to attracting ghosts. Almost like a cliche, and resembling the stereotypical haunted house depicted in the movies, yin qualities in a house will make it more susceptible to having spirits. Those yin qualities includes a place that is chronically, dark, cold, damp, quiet, still and secluded in the mountains.
A house also has a higher chance of being haunted if it is older and there have been a succession of occupants, with some previous occupant having been excessively attached to the property. A client of mine once described seeing a man on her property shortly after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. When she described the man to a neighbor, the neighbor was confident that it was the spirit of the previous owner who had built the house and thought he was just checking on its status after the earthquake.
Sometimes even newer homes can harbor spirits, especially if they were built on places where people had died in battle or over ancient burial grounds. As an example, in Southern California the Chumash Indians had a long history and some homeowners have experienced the telltale signs of Native American Indian spirits on their properties.
There are also certain house types (based on their orientation and year built) which are more likely to attract yin spirits, although sometimes this just ends up attracting a very spiritual occupant who is also interested in the metaphysical or occult.
There are some feng shui remedies for helping remove a ghost, but often if it specific to the house and not a general piece of advice that can be mentioned in an article. Although there is one plant in particular, the banana tree, which is known to attract ghosts. In my own experience as a consultant, I have gotten feedback from clients with banana trees on their properties that they do see or feel spirits.
For sure, it is best to take care that your house is not too yin, i.e. not too dark, damp or secluded with over grown landscape. Homes built right into a mountain side can also be a problem. In fact, some situations are just best avoided since there is not a feng shui remedy for every single problem.
One ironic twist is that a mis-placed metal wind chime can also attract a ghost. Simplified schools of feng shui often recommend hanging wind chimes, but they really need to be placed with the knowledge of whether or not they are appropriate for that situation. It is only classical Flying Star Feng Shui which can determine which house types these are.
Many people have never seen or felt a ghost so it is hard to imagine what this kind of encounter could be like or if ghosts really even exist. Otherwise very rational people often report compelling encounters although modern science has yet to document this adequately to convince the skeptics. I have joked with friends that I have a “peanut butter” ghost in my house because the peanut butter in the jar seems to vanish at an astonishing rate that I cannot take responsibility for!
Even if you doubt the existance of ghosts, it is still a good feng shui premise to keep your house more on the “yang” side because the same qualities or features to a house that can attract ghosts can also just make an occupant more likely to be depressed or sickly.
Kartar Diamond is a classically trained consultant and owner of Feng Shui Solutions since 1992. Vist our website at www.FengShuiSolutions.net for a variety of services available to both local and long distance clients, a free monthly e-newsletter, and Kartar is also the author of four books with more teaching products on the way.