Business moguls like Donald Trump, Steve Wynn, Richard Branson, Bill Gates and companies like Chase Bank, Wells Fargo and Disney also use Classical Feng Shui. Can you picture Donald Trump hanging crystals or bamboo flutes in Trump Towers? No. That’s why most of what you read and see about Feng Shui is not accurate.

These are some of the most common myths you will read about or see:

1. Having a table fountain will not bring you wealth. You’ll be waiting 50 years for the money to come. Large water features that are at least 4 ft. or higher can bring wealth when they’re located well. Some homes can have water in the front, back, sides or corners. It depends on when you moved in, how much remodeling you’ve done and the direction your home faces. Hire a professional before putting in a water feature because depending on where it’s located it can be beneficial (windfalls of money, raises, consistent increase in money year after year, etc.) or disastrous (unjust payouts to IRS, divorce, cancer, etc.).

2. House numbers will not help you have better Feng Shui. In real Feng Shui the address has no effect on the overall energy of the home. However in China, for superstitious reasons, the Chinese avoid homes with the number 4. This is because in Chinese, the number four is similar to death. Much like we think “Friday the 13th” is unlucky, the Chinese believe homes with a number 4 in the address are unlucky too.

3. Feng Shui plants will not bring creativity, birth or regeneration. Plants have no credence on how they will affect the energy in your home or business. Having a plant next to you while you sleep or work will help absorb any negative energy that you have accumulated. That is not Feng Shui, that is scientific.

4. Feng Shui chachkis are just that: knick-knacks. Things like toads with coins in them, purple pillows, paintings, fu dogs, etc. will not change the energy in your home. These are inanimate objects that the Eastern world uses as symbols to represent protection, wealth and harmony. Westerners took these objects and coined them as Feng Shui.

5. Feng Shui for cats and dogs is not real. It will do nothing in lieu of helping your pets. Feng Shui was developed with human energy in mind. If your home is properly Feng Shui’d your animals will certainly feel the effects of it.

6. The Western Ba Gua is not part of authentic Feng Shui. This includes recognition/fame, helpful people, family/health, wealth/prosperity, career prospects, education, children and marriage prospects. It is not how it was meant to be used. I know this comes as a shock to most, but this is too simplistic. It assumes every single door faces the same way in a home and that every single person is exactly the same. From a common sense perspective, if  we all “activated” our recognition/fame corner, we would all be famous. We’re not all famous.

7. Ba Gua mirrors should never be used indoors. Ba Gua mirrors were meant for outdoor use, only to help mitigate negative energy (sha chi). There are many more productive ways to change negative energy that is affecting the outside of a home or building.

8.  Small crystals will not help your home have better Feng Shui.  If you want to really feel the effects of crystals, large crystal geodes at least 3 ft. or higher would have to be strategically placed in order to really change the energy in a home or business.  Small crystals are great for personal healing and use, but there’s no need to hang them in your home because it’s not big enough to impact the energy of a space.

9. The five elements don’t need to be represented in every single room in your home. This is ridiculous, and also exhausting to try and execute. Elements in real Feng Shui represent characteristics of how energy behaves. It’s not meant to be literal.

10. Bamboo flutes do nothing in terms of Feng Shui. They’re bamboo. It sounds good in theory, since bamboo is strong, that it can create strength and support. In my experience, no one has ever truly gained anything from their use.

This is a short list of some of the most common Feng Shui misconceptions. You’ll always find a lot of superstition interwoven into what people claim is Feng Shui. Bottom line, if it doesn’t make sense, it’s not common sense or it’s outlandish, it’s not Feng Shui.