Which Way To Face Elephants

[megfitz]

Hope this is the right section. I have lots of small model elephants, Teak ones brought back from India by my Dad, Onyx ones, glass ones Wooden ones from Sri Lanka,Africa etc.
I have always had them facing the outside (as per my Dad) on windowsills
or shelves,however my neighbour saw them and stated she knew elephants always faced inwards.
I know my Dad always had tall tales to tell about his war
time in India and Burma. but that I believed. So who is right and why.??

[Buenchico]

Tell your neighbour that, while your elephants might come from many countries, none of them are Chinese! (It's the rules of Feng Shui which dictate that elephants should face inwards in order to bring good fortune:
http://www.ehow.com/how_12067379_elephants-home-luck.html )

[knowabit]

Fend shui website says elephants should always be facing into the room.

[quizzkid]

My aunt always told me that elephants should always face into a room to bring good luck.

[jno]

it depends who you want to notice them and how. If they face outward they'll be chiefly seen by people looking in your windows; those inside will see a lot of elephant tails. And vice versa, which is no doubt what the feng shui people have in mind.

Why not have them sideways so they can be seen inside and out?

[Tilly2]

Well, I have never heard of this before. I am so glad that I don't have any elephants to organise.

[boxtops]

I've always been told that ellies face inwards. We have no ellies, we have camels. They face where they like.

[Tilly2]

Camels are like that, boxy. Very stubborn.

[woofgang]

My grandmother always said that elephants should face the door

[boxtops]

Crumbs, everyone is confused https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120121150303AAH13Uq

[grasscarp]

I thought they had to face the door also. Presumably to make a quick exit if things go wrong.

[Daffy6543]

I know nothing about Feng Shui and the ornate elephants on my mantle face inwards, just because I prefer them that way.

[Old_Geezer]

Really, who should care ? Face them the way that pleases you. They're only ornaments/mementos after all.

[Canary42]

Since this is superstitious nonsense, shouldn't it be under Religion.

[dancecaller]

They face the tail of the one in front.
Least the ones we had did, they were connected by a chain and led by a donkey.
So that would be neither in nor out but along.

[jno]

Canary, it isn't superstitious nonsense, it's just about what works in design. Some people find a room more wlcoming if there are elephants facing them as they enter. Others think a room looks inviting if they see elephants looking at them through a window as they pass. I don't think "superstition" is a particularly useful word for describing how people feel about rooms: some like them dark, some like them light, some like them high, some like them low.

[Canary42]

You've missed my point jno. As you say, it's a design issue, nothing to do with "lucky".

[jno]

I don't think feng shui is about luck exactly, Canary, it's more about promoting harmony and calm, and that's basically down to design. Still, if anyone thinks having a herd of elephants facing them is lucky, they might as well try it. If they can do it under controlled conditions I should like to see the results.

[Tilly2]

What about the elephant in the room? No one has mentioned that

[Tilly2]

I always close the toilet lid. That's Feng Shui.

[woofgang]

true Tilly, it stops the toilet dragon biting your bum but also this

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/time-warp-toilet-flush.htm