Wind chimes, used properly

Fall is a good time to hang a wind chime. The breeze is cool and gentle, and a chime moving in it is one of the nicer sounds of the season.

In feng shui, wind chimes are used to move chi. In a corner where the energy has gone slow, a chime is said to get it moving again. In a good space it lifts the energy and spreads it through the house. Used another way, it can slow chi down when it is rushing.

They are not all made equal, though, and it is worth choosing the right one.

Where they help

• A long straight path to the front door. The tradition says chi rushes along a straight path. A chime hung in front of the door slows it down.
• A busy road. Hang one between the house and the traffic. It is said to move the negative chi away from your home and counter noise that is not natural.
• A cluttered room. A chime loosens stagnant chi, which is said to make clearing easier. Then you have to actually do the clearing, or the chime will keep moving the same bad chi round and round.

Size and number

Match the size of the chime to the space. A small chime is no match for the great outdoors, and a large brass one may be too much indoors.

The number of rods matters in feng shui. By direction:

• North. Six rods.
• East. Three rods.
• South east. Four rods.
• South. Nine rods.
• South west. Five or eight rods.
• West. Six or seven rods.
• North west. Five or eight rods.

A five rod chime is often used as a cure where the chi is bad.

What it is made of

Metal chimes generally go in the north, north west and west. Bamboo or wood suits the south and south east, usually with three or four rods. Outside, a bamboo chime brings a peaceful, relaxed sound to the backyard. Crystal, glass and ceramic chimes belong in the south west or north east.

Two things to remember

A chime only works when it chimes. If you hang one where the air does not reach, ring it yourself, and often.

And a chime will move whatever chi is there. Be careful you are spreading the good kind. Choose one whose sound you like, because the tradition says a pleasing sound helps bring balance to you as well as to the house.

From the archive. First written for my journal years ago, and rewritten for life after 50.