Living Near a Cemetery

One aspect of a Feng Shui evaluation is to analyze the environment surrounding a building. When using Feng Shui to choice a home, most Feng Shui consultants will tell you not to pick one close to a cemetery. After looking at a beautiful home this past week that just happens to have a cemetery adjacent to the back yard, I decided to take another look at the idea of living near a cemetery.

Why care about what surrounds your home? Why not just focus on the internal energy? Well, simply put, the outside energy affects the internal energy of your home. Too much Yang energy is easier to feel than too much Yin. Here’s an example. Think of a home that has a busy highway running behind it. The fast moving energy and noise pollution gives the inhabitants an unsettled feeling, even on the inside of the home. A home like this would be described as unbalanced because it has energy that is too Yang. Yang energy is bright, loud, and hot.

Having your home next to a cemetery is just the opposite. The overall energy becomes unbalanced as well. Homes next to a graveyard or cemetery are too Yin instead of Yang. Energy that is overly Yin is harder for us to feel, though. Although viewed like a quiet park by some, others are very unsettled by the quiet process of decomposing that is occurring. Having a Yin home may not bother one at first, but little by little, it can make the inhabitants of that home decline, by reducing their drive. The same can be true of living near a stagnant body of water.

What can be done if you find yourself living in a home you love that is adjacent to one of these situations? First step is to buffer your home from the energy. For example, the house I looked at this week has a ravine full of large trees in-between it and the cemetery. Adding Yang elements to the area near the cemetery would be helpful in balancing the energy. Examples of this would be outdoor lighting, bright flowers, flowering shrubs, a fire pit or a chiminea.  Fire and light are very Yang elements and would work to balance the energy. On the flip side, an example of reducing activity in the house that is too Yang, would be to add Yin elements. Again, adding trees and shrubs which can filter sound and light energy will help. In addition to you could add the ultimate Yin element; earth. A decorative brink or stone wall or even a mound of soil with landscaping on top would help to balance the energy and buffer the home. As always, think about what makes sense in your landscaping before adding remedies.

Making sure your home is sheltered and balanced from external elements will have the biggest effect on the internal energy. Be sure that any Feng Shui consultant you use analyzes not only the interior but also the exterior. This will help to ensure a supportive environment.