The front door plays a very special role in feng shui. Often described as the "mouth of chi," the front door, is the entryway for energy into your home. Many people never use the actual front door, though, so they often ask if this affects their feng shui. The answer is yes. That's because the front door is usually at the center of the home and faces the road -- a symbol of water -- which equates to wealth.

A key feature of the front door is that it normally is designed to face the view of a road, street, or other feature, such as a lake. Sometimes a house has a tremendous view of a valley or view of the city or lake at the back of the house.

In that case, the "facing direction" of a house is where the most "yang" energy exists. In these cases, it would be at the rear of the house because of these terrific views. Architecturally, some houses are very small at the front and large and expansive at the rear. This would make the "front" wherever the large, open, and expansive side or view is.

Again, this is uncommon, but it does affect what is considered the front or facing direction. So, look at your house to determine the most "yang side" when you are trying to determine where the front door is on your house. (For more information, see the Red Lotus Letter issue on Determining Your Facing Direction.)

Use the door intended by the architect

More common, is the broad expanse and open front of a house that is positioned facing the street. The door also normally faces the street. This is the most typical situation and it remains the standard arrangement for most houses -- and it's the door intended as the front door by the architect. It is also the place where a delivery person will go if they've never been to your house. Now that we have that established, let's talk about why the "real" front door is so important.

The front door to the house is the doorway of energy. Because it faces the street (a conduit for water), this is an opportunity for wealth energy to enter the house. Therefore, every time you enter your home through the front door, you will be activating the entryway and creating an opportunity for wealth to enter your house.

The front door is also a location of opportunity...and we all know that opportunities often bring greater wealth (raises, increased salaries, windfalls) with them. Also, a house that never has the front door opened is a house that's low in energy -- and that impacts wealth. Because the street is usually in front of the house (which means "water" is at the front), opening the door allows water energy to enter in the front of the house -- the ideal location for water in feng shui.

Enter through a side door and watch money slip from your hands

Many people frequently ask if they no longer use the front door and enter the house from the side, or a kitchen door, or a garage door, should they consider that as their "front door"? The answer: absolutely NOT. I will usually ask that person if they are experiencing financial difficulties. In fact, most all have severe financial problems. Use the front door if you would like those problems to lessen.

Enter through the laundry room, kitchen, etc. and see your finances suffer

If you enter the house through a laundry room, you are watching your money go down the drain symbolically, with bills larger than you expected. If you enter through the kitchen, you'll literally "burn through the cash" with one expense cropping up after another -- and it could cause you to gain weight if the kitchen is the first thing you see when you enter the house.

Still, knowing that the front door is so important to enter, many people still insist on using a back door or side door out of convenience. If you are entering through a garage or kitchen or other service room or porch, you are harming your opportunities for more money to come to you. In light of that, isn't it a good idea to use the front door?

After all, we create beautiful entry areas and if they're only used by solicitors, delivery people, or the occasional visitor, you're wasting an opportunity to bring more energy -- and more wealth -- into your home. You might also find that opportunities suddenly appear when you begin using your front door. Why use your front door and beautiful foyer only for a delivery person, mailman, or visitors? After all, you are the most important person to enter your house. So treat yourself as good -- or better -- than anyone else by using the front door every day.