Ellen Whitehurst keeps a porch light burning because, on page 7 of her book, it says daytime lights will illuminate or "call in" job opportunities.

She keeps a red string holding three gold coins tied around the inside of her front doorknob because, on page 6, it says doing so will immediately improve personal profits.

She keeps a water fountain in the back left corner of her house because, on page 69, it says such can generate "an outrageous income."

Nonbelievers should know that something is working for Whitehurst - whether it's ancient wisdom or modern marketing savvy - because the Virginia Beach author has magazine contracts, online contracts, personal clients and, now, a book devoted to her own brand of feng shui. Saturday afternoon, at Borders bookstore in Virginia Beach, she will sign copies of "Make This Your Lucky Day."

"I am a living, breathing example of what I say can happen," Whitehurst said. "Expect, believe, receive. That's what I say. Expect, believe, receive."

Whitehurst has studied Black Hat feng shui (pronounced fung shway), which critics say is a light, bright, Westernized version of an Eastern philosophy dating back centuries. The book jacket says she has updated feng shui and given it her own unique spin. Whitehurst herself says she wants to make feng shui accessible.

"There's so much information that people don't know," she said, adding that she has studied feng shui and holistic health for more than 20 years, starting in an attempt to ease her parents' last days. "If I can make it palatable, that's my mission."

In her book, Whitehurst offers specific advice for job hunting, romance, health, travel and more. She ties this advice to specific days - Thanksgiving, Father's Day, first day of school, even Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Her recommendations are as specific as putting nine fresh lemons in a wooden bowl in the center of the house for health, and as general as, "Find something you love to do and do it."

The basic principles of Westernized feng shui say that certain areas of one's house, or even individual rooms, are linked to certain energies, based on the location of the front door. It assigns colors and objects to each area to control the flow of these energies. These objects, or symbols, can trigger psychological responses, Whitehurst said.

"There's nothing woo-woo about this. Newton said for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I'm just telling you what action to take. There's a huge scientific basis to it.

"You create an intention. That's involving energy on the conscious level. You create an action that involves energy on a physical level."

Whitehurst has extended her brand of feng shui by combining it with astrology to come up with "shuistrology." Redbook magazine carries her shuistrology columns monthly. January's issue, for example, recommended that those born under the sign of Taurus wear two rose quartz bracelets on the left arm to find love, and those born in Cancer maintain strong family ties by hanging family photos in wood frames on staircase walls.

"We're in a speeded up society. To bring an ancient philosophy to mass appeal, you have to embrace the communication mode of the day."

With a nod to modern society, Whitehurst also has a Web site full of feng shui advice: www.ellenwhitehurst.com [1]

The goal of feng shui, no matter how it's presented, Whitehurst said, is to remember that everything going on outside oneself begins inside. Feng shui advocates changing the outside to fix the inside, making the environment a more pleasing place in both.

"There's nothing you can't overcome if you clear out the thought that says you can't do it. What you spend time thinking about and putting energy in is what you attract back to yourself."

Diane Tennant, (757) 446-2478, diane.tennant@pilotonline.com