Judge the Book By Its Cover: A Feng Shui Principle

A few weeks ago, I bought a pair of adorable, expensive shoes. Shoes which I immediately realized I’d only wear for special occasions, nevertheless they more or less leapt into my hands. I bought them despite the cost and despite the rare occasions when I would need such a pair. Since then, I have found a couple of instances when they have been the perfect solution to an otherwise dull outfit. When not in use, they are stored in the box in which I bought them, prominently placed on my closet shelf. (An image of these fabulous shoes is below)

However, I discovered a surprising added benefit to those shoes, which has not only added enormously to the value of the shoes but to the pleasure of owning them. It is the box itself. It is beautifully decorated inside and out, advertisement-free, and has carrying straps. The side of the box slides out to display those marvelous shoes. In fact, I realized I love just opening the box, whether I’m going to wear the shoes or not. I have the same experience putting them away. I nestle them in the tissue paper, slide the box parts together, carry it by the color-coordinated straps to the closet shelf. A veritable shoe ritual.

I had a similar experience when I bought an expensive cashmere sweater once that came wrapped in tissue and tied with a ribbon, then placed in a special hand-made paper bag that was sized just for the sweater and tied again with matching ribbon. I went through the ritual of tying and untying ribbons for months until the bag literally fell apart.

Along this same vein, my editor Dorie and I took enormous care in designing the covers of my two Feng Shui books. There is no truth in what is said about not judging a book by its cover. She and I were determined to let the judging start the moment someone picked up the book. Similar to how I feel taking the box of shoes out of the closet or the sweater bag out of the drawer, I wanted people to have the same sense of excitement and anticipation as they picked up one of my books.

If there ever was a Feng Shui argument for making your front door appealing, this has to be it. The story of what lies behind the door (or in the box or in the bag or behind the cover page) begins before the door opens. It is a great opportunity to hint at the magnificence that is about to happen, and, in doing so, the hint becomes part of the magnificence itself.