Enhancing Travel and Helpful People Gua

Why enhance this area? It doesn’t sound important?

Feng Shui believes in balance and every Gua should be equally enhanced. You can’t always get your health balanced without a good Dr. Nor, can your career take off without helpful people. What good is a great career without the great paycheck or the ability to travel? How about staying centered – can you accomplish everything you want without being centered. Every Gua is connected – just as everything in your life is connected. This Gua is about experiencing synchronicity in your life.

Tweaking your travel section is as simple as collecting postcards; even ones you have bought yourself. I buy them everywhere I go, and usually never get around to mailing them. Instead, I keep them on a bulletin board in my travel section. The travel Gua is the area to keep pictures and/or mementos of your travels, where you would like to travel or even travel related memorabilia you have received as a gift.

The travel Gua is also an area for enhancing the “helpful people” in your life or lack thereof. Keep pictures of dear friends and helpful people in your life. This is where that poster of Einstein, Beethoven’s Bust, Buddha, Jesus on the Cross or lovely angelic figurines can be kept for optimum Gua enhancement. Keep things that remind you of the people or figures you admire and would love to receive help or guidance from, even from the spiritual realm. Consider keeping white, silver and gray in this area. Metal items are especially enhancing, and this is where you can keep that silver intention box or bowl.

This area is also great for times you feel as though life isn’t fair, or you are planning a move and would like it to transition smoothly.

When arranging this Gua, intentionally place items that represent travel or helpful people, always clearly state in your mind or out loud your desired intentions and the desired outcome. If this area is not conducive to adding the above features, writing a very short sentence clearly stating your intentions and keeping the note in this area is a great way to intentionally bring in Helpful People and Travel.

How Does the Energy of Your Home Feel?

So what does the energy FEEL like in your home? How do you FEEL it?

Here are a few clues to help you discover the FEELING in your home.

1. How does it smell; like last night’s dinner or fresh air?

2. Does it look like a tornado has gone through or like a place you want to sit and stay a while?

If there are any smells that are lingering they should be dealt with immediately. Get in the practice of opening windows and allowing the fresh air to blow through, even just a few minutes for the very cold days of winter. Keep them open as often as you can on temperate days. Burn some incense, candles, or use aromatherapy oils to help clear the air. If the furniture acts as a pet bed, consider covering the furniture with a blanket that can bewashed frequently.

How does it look? This is a loaded question and one worthy of a book! However, to be fair a home does not need to look like a “Show Home” or a decorator’s magazine. It should reflect who you are and how you live. It should be free of major clutter, and kept clean. This takes us back to our senses – does it smell clean? Does it look clean?

After clearing the clutter, dusting and vacuuming; can you stand back, look at your place and take a deep satisfying breath and release slowly – savoring the vision and smell? Then you have successfully accomplished “feeling the energy of your home”.

Are You Ready for Change?

Are you ready for change? This is a question you must ask yourself and believe.

Making the physical changes recommended by a Feng Shui Consult can only go so far. If you aren’t ready for the change, it’s not going to happen.

Negative energy can only be replaced with positive energy. When the Feng Shui consultant tells you to replace a negative picture with a positive picture, so must your attitude change. Often it’s easy as the client who calls is usually ready, and the picture is usually obvious. But, your attitude in general must be ready to make the change.

I recently had the pleasure of redesigning a Women’s Transitional Home. The residents stated that the room they wanted redesigned wasn’t working for them any longer and that the dark corner with a purple chaise chair wasn’t being used and should be removed. The residents had negative associations with the chair.
Being a charity there is no large budget to purchase furniture. Especially to remove a newer, extra large chair (that seemingly had nothing wrong with it) and find a replacement. A decision was made - the chair had to stay.

Upon close examination of the chair - it seemed slightly dirty and had the appearance of “not belonging” in the room. I had the chair steam cleaned and placed it under a window with a stiff breeze to air dry it. I changed the curtains on the window nearby, added a happy tulip picture on the wall behind, repositioned (the chair) on an angle, put a whimsical colorful bendy arm lamp in the corner and added 2 lavender heart pillows.

The reaction…..the residents now “love” the chair, use it often and cannot believe the transformation. It is now a bright active spot where children play close by, and where parents can sit/relax to supervise or read books with their children.

This is a great example of Positive Intentions. The residents were ready for a change, and after seeing a positive transformation were ready to embrace it and move ahead.

Photographer: prozac1 freedigitalphotos.net

Do You Like the Color Red?

So do I - red is my personal favorite.

The areas in your home where red is a great enhancer is the Fame Gua. Is this really an important Gua? Oh yes it is!

Fame and Reputation is a very important aspect in your life. You need to be sure this Gua is kept in order. Without your reputation your career and love life could be at risk. Then your family and wealth could be impacted. Your creativity would slump and that could lead to poor self esteem and change the ability to stay centered. You wouldn’t have the means to educate yourself so your ability for knowledge and self cultivation would be sidelined. Like I said, this is an important Gua.

They are all important Guas - they all need special attention.

Be sure this areas is balanced with other colors and elements. Fame likes Fire, so using the element works well (in case you don’t like red!) Use lighting, lamps, candles or even a picture of a sun face works well. Keeping a pet in this Gua is a great Fire Element - live Chi represents Fire. Be sure the pet is clean and healthy.

picture courtesy of: Salvatore Vuono at Free Digital Photos.net

Lucky Bamboo

Bamboo is considered a lucky plant in Chinese Culture. Because of it’s almost transcendental sound quality, it attracts energy. Consider it growing in a garden swaying in the breeze; or a dried and hollowed out wind chime. This plant’s energy can be turned into an interesting decoration for your home attracting chi and good luck for you.

How to make a lucky bamboo chi catcher:

Plant a number of bamboo stocks in a glass dish, add rocks to hold the stocks in place. Add a red ribbon and you have all 5 elements of Feng Shui.

· Wood - the Bamboo itself

· Earth - the Rocks the Bamboo grows in

· Water - the Water the Bamboo grows with

· Fire - most (Chinese Bamboo Pots) have a red ribbon tied to them

· Metal - glass belongs to the Metal element. If the pot is clay or ceramic, add a metal coin, or metal figurine.

Depending on what you are looking to enhance, you can choose accordingly:

• 2 for Love & Marriage
• 3 for Happiness
• 5 for Health
• 8 for Wealth & Abundance
• 9 for Good Fortune & Happiness

(9 is considered an overall lucky number)

Gardening is Great Chi!

Gardening is a relaxing, enjoyable “me” time; with the added visual enjoyment of healthy, growing plants that flower and thrive on your attention. This is conversing with nature on a completely different level. Imagine all the fresh air, calming atmosphere, fresh berries and blossoms, enormous vegetables, wildlife that flits around you like you are part of the gang. It does wonders for the beauty rest forcing you to rest with the added benefit of waking up rejuvenated. Try watering the plants while your mind drifts off. Let the wind blow your hair while bugs try to get a drink zooming through the spray. The energy captured from the garden and all that it emits long after you are gone inside is worth every minute.

If you still don’t like to garden or have little time; make your garden interesting visually with color and sculptures, water features and wind chimes. Even if you don’t actually garden…you can still make the garden an interesting area that captures Chi!

Good Luck!

Is Feng Shui necessary in a mostly unfurnished home?

The short answer is YES.

A Feng Shui Consult will help find any “glaring splinters” as we like to call it in the Feng Shui world. A consult will: help with paint colors, determine placement of existing furniture/pictures/knick knacks, point out clutter and, can tell you which elements to enhance while taking into consideration what you already have and what you plan to purchase in the future.

Feng Shui works with what you have and what you love. If you are prone to clutter, remember that passing on the things you no longer need or love, makes room for the new things you would like and possibly do need. Keeping it all = clutter.

Feng Shui will never dictate what color you must paint, but it can answer the questions of what color would go best in sections of your home and what colors to enhance with.

Feng Shui isn’t wholly about color, it is about the elements and which areas of your home prefer certain elements.

Yin and Yang play a large and important role in that you need balance. Balance of color and of the elements.

Feng Shui can help with all aspects of your life. Your home directly affects and reflects who you are and who you want to be.

Feng Shui is an ancient form of modern Quantum Physics.

Feng Shui makes a direct correlation between the quality of your life and your environment.

Feng Shui explores the intimate connection between you and your environment.

Enhancing your environment can change your Chi.

Feng Shui can be traced back more than 3,000 years. Ancient Geomancers of China noticed a relationship between man and his environment and by aligning the environment; change would occur. Feng Shui is the practice of aligning the energy of your environment to cause positive change.

Quantum Physics is a modern version of what the ancient Chinese Geomancers noticed.

Everything is alive! Einstein’s formula E=MC2. Einstein explains the relationship of energy and matter as interchangeable. Everything is energy; dancing, fluid and ever changing.

Unknown to most people, we are picking up the vibrations of EVERYTHING around us, all that we eat, smell, hear and see. Both indoors and outdoors, inert and alive. Our furniture, car, furnace, children, clothing….on and on. This energy is constant and affects our unconscious. Feng Shui taps into this connection between man and his environment; seeking to harness the flow. This allows us to tap into this vast resource of energy surrounding us, using it to our advantage and potential.

I think Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys was actually onto something when he wrote “Good Vibrations”.

Take a look at the picture; can’t you just feel this energy?

California measure would align buildings according to Feng Shui

Here is an interesting article on Feng Shui in California.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/30/us/california-measure-would-align-building-rules-with-feng-shui.html

Size of Your Dwelling Doesn't Matter in Feng Shui

Feng Shui Practitioners enjoy helping people. They specialize in finding stuck energy and giving practical ways to help get it moving based on you, your experiences and your home.

Whether your home is a single room in a shared house, a 1 bedroom apartment or a 10,0000. sq ft mansion; size does not matter with Feng Shui.

The Ancient Geomancers of China determined that man is affected by his surroundings.

After 3,000 years (or more) of studying the landscape and it's effect on man, they realized the cause and effect were the same and devised a formula.

The Bagua Map; the Bagua can relate to any size dwelling.

The surroundings you live with DEFINITELY affect you.

If you are unhappy in any area of your life (money problems, job problems, love life problems, health problems, finding and trusting friends problems, children problems, creativity problems) this can all be related to your surroundings.

Feng Shui Practitioners can pinpoint "stuck energy" in your home and suggest ways to unblock it. These are usually simple enhancements or removals. It may be suggested you add an element (perhaps using color via a pillow/vase)or removing the sad looking single woman picture from your Love Gua. There is no home too small or too large for a Feng Shui Consult and the best part is; Feng Shui works with what you already have!

Happy Spring Cleaning and Happy New Beginnings

Spring Cleaning should start with a good look at what is clutter. Make a bin of stuff you no longer love. Living with what you love is what Feng Shui is all about. Consider passing it on to Charity or make a Garage Sale, earn extra income. Even consider posting it on ebay or Craig's List. Once you have the clutter under control,take a good look at the front or main entrance of your Home This is where Chi or energy enters your home. If it looks tired or you are not happy with the appearance any longer then it's time to freshen this area up. If your front door is centered at the front of your home this is the Career Area and using water features and dark colors work exceptionally well.

In order to allow new possibilities in your life, you must make room for them.
Out with the old and in with the new.
Happy Spring and Happy New Beginnings!

Welcome Spring and Welcome Chi

Well it's time to think about going outdoors and freshening up the yard after a long, cold winter. Why not start at the front entrance? Consider the outdoor mat, does it need replacing? Maybe a new wreath for the season and be sure to sweep away the cobwebs and leaves that have accumulated.

Your front entrance and door is critical in Feng Shui. The front entrance is the mouth of the chi and you need to keep this areas fresh and tidy, always! You want to attract and invite the Chi to your door. Chi is attracted to well kept, clean, shiny, tinkling, trickling, twirling objects! That's right. Consider Chi a curious creature, and to attract it's attention you need a meandering path with interesting and fragrant plants,sculptures,water features,wind chimes. Of course not all of these, but one or 2 that add interest and that you enjoy.

Worlds of Good Fortune

Worlds of Good Fortune: "Worlds of Good Fortune"

Crystals the Feng Shui Aspirin

When we can identify problem or stagnant areas in our home, a very easy and effective solution is to hang a round crystal from the ceiling. The crystal should be at least 40 mm in size,(bigger is better) and must be round to catch and re-direct energy.

Depending what the problem is and where it is will determine where to hang it in the room. Catching the fast flow of energy from a long straight staircase would dictate it being hung at the end of the stair to slow energy and diffuse it. Hanging from the middle of the room would catch energy and diffuse it around the room.

Crystals are considered "transcendental solutions". Meaning they work at a level of consciousness we cannot see, nor easily explain. But, are known to be highly effective.

One last note, using crystals along with making the necessary physical and mental changes to your environment will exponentially make a difference.

What is Feng Shui?

First let's start with the pronunciation! Feng Shui is spoken as "Fung Shway" - no "Fang Shwee" here!

I bet a lot of people have adopted major Feng Shui principles in their own lives without even realizing it. This intuitive Ancient Chinese practice's literal translation is: "Wind and Water"; and the ability to harness and direct energy.

For thousands of years, Chinese Feng Shui masters have studied the environment and its impact on people. Knowing that the elements of nature and the stresses of our modern world affect the quality of our lives, they learned how to create a harmonious environment which, by its very design, can positively attract health, wealth and loving relationships.