What's in a Name? A Feng Shui Approach to Your Home

As a Feng Shui consultant I address a lot of issues with people who find themselves living in a space that has no meaning for them. This situation can come about in many ways. Sometimes a person moved into a house years ago and now they no longer like the house, yet are not financially in a position to move. Sometimes a person has been left behind as the result of a divorce, living with constant reminders of the battle-field the space once was. Sometimes a person just moved into a home based on a great first impression, only to find that the house is requiring a lot of them, energetically and financially. One of the hardest situations is when someone moves into a partner’s home, especially if the partner has lived there a long time and particularly if the partner had previously lived there with someone else.

In all cases, someone is living in a space that doesn’t seem to be working in their best interests and moving is out of the question. They call me looking for a way to make the best of a tough situation.

I tell them to “name” their house. Eyes usually widen at this juncture. But my point in suggesting naming their home is to help them establish a personal bond with the space in order to alleviate some of the alienation. A name will help personalize the association; the act of naming it enables a person to claim it. You will take on more ownership with something that you’ve named. It would seem odd not to name your dog, or your cat. Lots of people name their cars. So why would naming your house be any different?

Nevertheless, we’re not accustomed to naming houses. Although initially it sounds like a strange exercise, it can actually bring about amazing changes. Once you’ve named your house, you’re more likely to have compassion and patience around any trouble that might come up. It’s less likely that you’d cut corners when doing repairs or cleaning if the space has an identity to you. In a space that’s been difficult for a person, calling it by name shifts the association completely. The space has become special.

The first question I have people ask themselves is what changes they would like to initiate in their lives. Most will readily say “More money,” usually so they can move out! This discussion could lead us to consider names that would reflect that possibility. One of my clients who wanted additional prosperity, not just to move but for other reasons as well, decided to name his space Prospero, a play on the word “prosperity.” A woman of Italian heritage who wanted to increase her wealth named her home Lira. Ben was the chosen name for a house owned by a young couple who wanted to attract lots of one-hundred dollar bills (in case anyone has forgotten, Benjamin Franklin is on a one-hundred dollar bill).

Certain individuals want to express a theme such as Joy, Hope or Friendship. The elderly woman who did, in fact, name her house Friendship found that, shortly after doing so, her space became the meeting place for her friends. They cooked meals at her house, and gathered for birthdays, celebrations, etc. When looking for a space in which to hold meetings for their book club, it was unanimous that the Friendship house was the perfect spot.

It may be helpful to determine if there’s a gender attached to a house before naming it. Some spaces are definitely more feminine, while others project a more masculine feeling. It would be important to select a name accordingly.

I also suggest when a person enters their home they announce their arrival and greet the house by name. This can be done silently if there’s concern about reactions from other family members or room-mates. Likewise, when leaving, let the space know when you’ll be returning, addressing it by name.

Be careful what you do select for a name or title. A female client realized she got what she asked for when she named her apartment Clare, a name with no special association, just one she always liked. She hadn’t lived there four months before she received “clare”-ity around her job (which she quit) and a relationship (which she dumped). Naming their lake home Hanson’s Inn, a retired couple was over-run with constant visitors. Their company would remark on what a wonderful place it was and how comfortable they felt when they were there. They remarked it felt like they were running a hotel for their guests. It wasn’t until they changed the name to Hanson’s Haven that things started to quiet down for them.

I didn’t realize one of my students had named her little house Faith until later in our relationship. I always heard her say “I have faith, I have faith,” but thought it was merely her way of expressing a belief in cosmic order. She was actually saying “I have Faith” meaning she had a place to call her own; everything would be all right.

I don’t always suggest naming a house. But when I see an owner and their home struggling to be together, naming it is an energetic way to change their association. Obviously, I discourage naming it something like Stupid or Moldy, not to mention other names I can’t print here. The intention is to try to ease a challenging and difficult situation, not magnify it.

Long before I knew about Feng Shui, I lived in a small cottage in the English countryside for a couple of years. In England, many people name their homes. Practically speaking, it’s often the only way of identifying where the mail should go. The name of my cottage was Linden Lea because it was sited on a field of linden trees. I never forgot that experience of getting mail to this address and to have people know me by my house’s name rather than by my name. I had to go to the “post” one day to sort out some confusion about forwarding my mail. Giving them my name didn’t seem to help, but when I told them I lived at Linden Lea the problem was readily solved.

A young man named Pete had hired me to come to his new condominium. He had bought it, knowing it was a good investment for him, but something didn’t feel right. He couldn’t put his finger on the problem, but he felt isolated, alone and vulnerable. He also shared with me that right before he moved in he had had to put his dog Barney to sleep due to a long and dreadful illness. He got tears in his eyes even as he spoke about it with me. Barney had been his dog as a kid; after college they were inseparable. Part of Pete’s loneliness in his new place was living without his best pal. In a subsequent conversation, when I followed up with Pete, he told me he had named his place Barney in memory of his friend. Coincidentally, the condominium was working out fine now.

Whether or not you’re enjoying the experience of the house you’re living in, I suggest you give some thought to naming it. If you already enjoy its energy and have found it to be a blessing in your life, naming it may be an appropriate gift you give to both of you.