DeAnna Radaj - This goes under the heading, We All Learn Something New Every Day. I recently heard about Vastu. Ring any bells? Well, it shouldn't necessarily. Vastu (Vah-stoo) was "created" in India many thousands of years ago, pre-dating the Hindu religion. Ancient Vedic texts also have described this Vastu philosophy as Vedic Architecture. The Vedic texts are "records of the vibrations, or laws, of nature" and it's according to these vibrations that ancient Indians built their buildings.

According to the principles of Vastu, buildings are oriented to the EAST, i.e. the FRONT ENTRYWAY of your space should face EAST. This is in accordance with the path the sun travels daily. It’s off of this main directive that the placement of all other rooms is based.

Now there are other "teachings" of Vastu (similar to the 3 schools of Feng Shui) which are based on different family lineages, although they’re not "formal” schools as referred to in Feng Shui.

According to Vastu, here's your key to front door placement: EAST = enlightenment; and NORTH = happiness & prosperity.

For bed placement: EAST and SOUTH are good arrangements for positioning your headboard.

Harmony Tip: Neurologists have studied subjects who had properties and sleeping alignments that faced EAST. These subjects showed more coherence & cognitive activity! Heart disease, depression, and anxiety are also being studied in terms of the effects that direction has on injured or ailing people and their recovery.

Feng Shui Versus Vastu

Feng Shui (Compass & Black Hat Sect) use a Bagua Board to "activate" Life Areas and help determine space planning, colors, and accessories. The Compass School uses the person(s) and the building's birth dates to determine good and bad directions, and then orients the Bagua according to that. The Black Hat Sect does not; the Bagua is oriented to the entryway of the space. Vastu only orients to the EAST, or in some cases NORTH. The birth dates of a space's owners only come into play when determining dates for various construction projects. Once the space is complete, then only the cardinal directions come into play.

Feng Shui is concerned with room and furniture placement to help increase/decrease energy. Vastu is only concerned with room placement within the space.

Feng Shui traditions state that a person's intentions, emotions, and activities play a part in their fortunes and health. Vastu takes the position that if the space is built according to Vastu principles, then good health and fortune will be had regardless of belief.

In Feng Shui, there are "cures" - or "tweaks" as I call them - that you can apply to your space to create positive energy flow and make your space work for you. Vastu does not. Your space is either built according to principles . . . or it's not. Vastu principles lead you to believe that it’s better to tear down a structure and begin again instead of tweaking.

In both  traditions, however, proportion is important. Your own space, surrounding buildings, and landscaping all come into play to ensure proper energy flow.

Both are concerned with the surrounding influences of the neighborhood: neighboring homes, noise, landscaping, and water features.

You really can't use both traditions in the same space. Although it’s been done, you must be sure that the schools are compatible! For instance, you could use the Black Hat Sect school of thought as long as your home lines up with the EAST for the front door. You could NOT use  the Compass School and throw in Vastu if you're a WEST-oriented person. So do your research, find a philosophy that corresponds to you and where you live, and pursue a discipline that meets your particular lifestyle and values.  

For more information on Vastu, explore Jon Lipman and his Fortune Creating Buildings website. You’ll find beautiful portfolio pictures, articles, and more background information. All the photos in this article are from Jon and his Vastu-based business.

DeAnna Radaj, owner of Bante Design LLC and its production division Eden Place Productions, is a designer who specializes in Integrative Lifestyle Design (the fusion of Eastern and Western interior design philosophies incorporating feng shui and healthy home principles). Ms. Radaj is an author/columnist, design consultant, and national speaker on topics like Healthy Home Design, Feng Shui, Design Tips & Trends, and Clutter (Why We Have It and How to Get Rid of It!). Ms. Radaj is the former editor of the WI ASID newsletter which featured her column, "The Business of Design," and she has been featured in print, radio, and TV. She has authored Designing the Life of Your Dreams from the Outside In and Feng Shui for Teens, and is a contributor to Design2Share, casaGURU, and the Diva Toolbox.