Q&A – Spiral Staircases

Q: I have a spiral staircase and I don’t know what to do with it. I find that I’m avoiding going upstairs, afraid I’m going to fall through! Help!

A:  The downward moving “waterfall effect” of stairs is greatly amplified when those stairs are also spiraling down just as water does in a drain. Spiral staircases affect our sense of stability and safety, especially when there are no risers installed and the banister is open as well. The ch’i rushes down these stairs too forcefully, and there is a sense of danger in using them—are we going to fall through those openings in step and banister on the way up, or are we going to lose our footing on the way down?

Essential Feng Shui applies our balancing tools of The Five Elements  to remedy the situation.

(Download your full color FiveElementChart.)

To balance out-of-control Water, we bring in Earth to “dam” it, and Wood to use it up, thus pulling the spiraling downward movement back to stable ground and upward lift. Here are two photos that illustrate how one family worked with an entryway dilemma of a rather dreary and scary spiral staircase feature. The placing of the Wood element under and around the stairs while removing excess Water and Metal, and then bringing in Earth and Fire has an amazing balancing effect. The stairs appear shorter, more stable and solid, changing a dangerous journey into a delightful one. Here are the remedies they used–

(1) They removed the rounded cement pond (Water and Metal) and added the upward growth of trees and shrubs (Wood) to reduce and use up the out-of-balance Water fed by Metal in the Before photo.

(2) Instead of the pond, there are now rectangular pavers bringing in a strong Earth element through shape. Removing the exposed aggregate patio surface (Metal) with its Water-y crack lines was a big help.

(3) They removed the ivy that was spilling over the cement wall in a watery fashion. Even though it added Wood through vegetation, it was too Watery of a shape, with a cascading downward growth pattern that emphasized the downward spiral.

(4) They also added Wooden fencing and siding in strongly horizontal lines (Earth) where it had been cement (Metal) before, plus the orange-brown of the wood siding is adding some Earth in color.

(5) Finally, Fire is added, in this After photo, with the sunshine, the person, and the fire pit on the far right. The upward movement of the slightly triangular Wood chairs assists in pulling the energy up as well.

With all of these shifts, the new balance is very evident in how much less precipitous, therefore dangerous, that spiral looks and FEELS to someone using it.