The Outside of Your Home Can Create a Feng Shui Enhancement

Did you know that the outside of your home is as important as the inside in helping you create positive Feng Shui energy?  In this hectic world, I have learned the importance of having a space that is calm and healing – your garden can be just that space. The recent rains, with following sunshine, have blessed my garden with lush leaves and a multitude of beautiful flowers, an intoxicating fragrance and an explosion of color. It’s important to have an outlet where the brain can breathe, and your garden can be this natural outlet. 

When my mother passed away years ago, a friend gave me a beautiful statue of a cherub. I placed it in the front of my house in my Knowledge and Self Cultivation area and keep it surrounded with flowers. Right now, a multitude of red tulips bless the space, and help escort nourishing Ch’i to my front door. Being at my entrance they help nourish me with beauty, and positive memories each time I return home. 

There are so many things you can do to enhance your home’s outer space, whether you have a garden, a patio or beautiful pots and vases at home you can use the power of plants, flowers, fountains, and garden art to enhance your life. Some suggestions are:

Sow flower seeds to attract bees and beautiful birds, plant a vegetable garden, pull weeds, clean, organize and refresh your yard, or patio. If you have children, you can teach them gardening skills and love for nature. Cut your own beautiful fresh flowers and arrange them in stunning floral art, then take pictures of your beautiful arrangements, or just enjoy your garden by strolling through it, taking a nap, meditating or sitting on a favorite bench. Inhale the fragrance and breathe the stress away. 

                               

Feng Shui, which has been practiced for over 3,000 years in China, is the enhancement of health, prosperity, and happiness through a connection with your environment. Your vitality, resources, and loving connections flourish and grow best in harmonious environments. Flowers, with their various shapes and colors, represent all of the five Feng Shui Elements. When in balance, these five elements help to calm and energize you at the same time.                                        

If your home is considered the "heart" of your property, the garden is considered the "aura". Your garden is your personal passport into nature. Whether you plant a flower or vegetable garden, the beauty in your outdoor environment attracts vibrant Ch’i into your home. 

Basic Feng Shui principles can help you nurture and strengthen your energy and yourself in all aspects of your life. You can surround yourself with flowers in your home or use some of these suggestions for creating a Bagua in your garden. 

Gardens and the Bagua:

The Feng Shui  Bagua (Ba-gua) Map, is represented  as a grid of nine sectors.  The Bagua comes from the Chinese philosophy, “The I Ching,” and literally means “eight trigrams”, with the center for grounding and centering.  Each sector of the Bagua is represented by one of the elements, which can be associated by the shapes and colors of plants and garden art.    

Apply the Bagua map on your landscape footprint, using the driveway as the entrance. This may not be in the same direction as your front door. Depending on where your driveway is you will be entering your property from Knowledge, Career or Helpful People.  Enhancing the entrance to your home and garden with healthy plants, water features, greeters and curving walkways is one of the most important things you can do to invite energizing Ch’i to your life.  Gardens should take on the qualities of the Bagua area they reside in. Here are some examples of using the Bagua to enhance your garden:

Enhancements in Career Area

• Soft colorful plants, reds are particularly auspicious, water features such as 360-degree bubbling fountains or with water flowing toward the house, pots in shiny dark colors, wind chimes, and curved paths or asymmetrical lines

                                                  

Enhancements in Knowledge and Self Cultivation Area

•  Colors of blues, greens, wooden benches, symbols of mountains or large rocks, statues representing spiritual guides, healthy plants with rounded soft leaves, gazing balls, and items that create a quiet meditative feeling
  
                                           

Enhancements in Health/Family/Friends Area

• An abundance of healthy flowers in any color with upright growth (blooming flowers represent perfect health), sitting areas for entertainment, symbols of family, vegetable gardens, herbs, orchard

Enhancements in Wealth Area

•  Plants in the purple color spectrum, fountains or waterfalls flowing toward the home, flags or whirligigs

Enhancements in Fame Area

• Plants in colors red, up lighting or twinkle lights, BBQs, fire pits, garden art representing suns, stars, triangles and sculptures of people or animals
  
                                          

Enhancements in Love and Marriage Area

• Pairs of items depicting romance, including bistro tables with two chairs, two lounge chairs, loveseat or sculptures in pairs (avoid single or lonely items), plants in colors of reds, pinks and white
                                           

Enhancements in Children and Creativity Area

• Items in metal and plants in colors of white and pastels, whimsical garden art, children’s playground or personal garden, workbench, garden bench, fairies, butterflies, nature spirit
  
                                  
  
  

Enhancements in Helpful People and Travel Area

• Garden art representing spiritual guides, or desired travel locations (We have a colorful pole with signs pointing to all the places we’ve traveled), birds, sundials
• Items in metal and white plants 

Enhancements in Center Area

•  Houses usually occupy the center of the landscape Bagua, but if they don't this is an auspicious area for ceramics, plants in the color yellow, earth tones, rectangle shapes, patios, bricks/pavers, table and chairs

Because the home and garden are so connected, Feng Shui practitioners usually recommend enhancements for both.  

1) Make the entry beautiful and clutter free

2) Place water features in the Career and Wealth areas 

3) Remove dead plants quickly

4) Balance the Yin/Yang of your garden with opposites (short/tall plants, hot/soft colors, etc.)

5) Keep all systems working (i.e. watering, lighting – nothing should be broken)

                                      

Remember that the outside of your home also reflects your personal energy.  Enhance it to help you relieve stress and help you create a peaceful welcoming  space.    

Nurture Your Feng Shui by Bringing Nature into Your Home

Winter storms have brought much needed water to our environment, but the rains are keeping us inside. I’m looking at my beautiful garden, and although I can’t be outside enjoying it, I can still glean the nurturing benefits of nature by bringing nature into my home. 

One of the Feng Shui principles is that “Everything is Alive”; everything in your home is alive and either nurturing or draining you. The Feng Shui masters first looked at nature for harmonious spaces, therefore bringing a bit of nature into your home can help to uplift the energy, thereby nurturing you. Healthy plants and fresh flowers are an instant way of creating a beautiful, harmonious space. 

In Feng Shui, plants connect us to nature, bringing freshness and vitality to the home. They create calming feelings, enhance the flow of energy, and can help purify the air. 

Choosing green, vibrant plants with round, soft leaves is recommended. It’s useful to consider what plants will thrive best in your lighting conditions, and to choose ones you can easily care for.

                                

In contrast, plants with spiky or pointed leaves, such as cacti, are believed to have sharp energy, which can drain positivity from the room.

Tips for bringing nature indoors:

• Add a plant to a bare room to bring grounding energy 

• Use artificial plants if you don't have a green thumb or enough lighting

                               

Plants recommended in Feng Shui: 

• Jade plant: Symbolizes good luck and abundance

• Money tree: A good luck charm that's said to attract wealth and abundance

• Pothos: Brings wealth and prosperity

• Peace lily: Symbolizes prosperity, peace, and purity

• Chinese money plant: Believed to bring prosperity and good luck

• Citrus tree: Known to bring good luck and fortune

• Snake plant: Associated with positivity, protection, and purity

• Lucky bamboo: Brings prosperity and good luck

• Flowers of any kind: Are the greatest Ch’i enhancers, symbolizing good health

                                                   

I loved taking flower design classes. Every week I created, brought home, and displayed beautiful arrangements.  The feeling evoked by these arrangements was pure joy as I was continuously nourished by their beauty and combination of Feng Shui elements.  

Bring nature inside your home and surround yourself with its healing energy.  You will love the results! 

                                              

Establish a Morning Practice for Better Inner Feng Shui

After a restless night’s sleep, I used to wake us, pick up my phone, check email, react to social media, watch the news and busily set off on my day already feeling stressed. That was the old me. After taking a course to discover my inner journey, I learned the importance of a “Morning Practice” to set me up for a successful, calm, restorative day, and a better night's sleep.  This practice, which is closely linked to Inner Feng Shui, opens you up to inner wisdom and is a channel for creativity. Inner Feng Shui helps to calm you, bring you inner peace and strengthens your immune system by lightening your behavior load. 

          

A Morning Practice need only take 15-20 minutes a day.

I set myself up by leaving a glass of water, a journal, and  some meditation music by my bedside. 

                                        

I begin by lying or sitting up in my dark room, sipping my water, and listening to music for meditation for around ten minutes. I practice breathing and close my active mind to the chatter. I just stay in my calm space.

I then turn on a light, pick up my journal and write five things I’m grateful for. This could be something small like my warm bed, or listening to my husband getting me coffee, or something big like the success of my book. 

                                          

I complete my journal entry by writing an intention for the day. After a quick stretch, I now feel set up for thriving.

Whatever you do, make it consistent and repetitive.

Other choices for morning practice could be:

Stretching and/or yoga

A longer meditation

Dancing to your favorite music

Sitting in silence

Lighting candles and creating your quiet space

Pulling a Tarot or Medicine card

Coloring

                                              

Creating a healthy morning practice is good Inner Feng Shui, which  nourishes you. Therefore, as you enter this transformation begin small; choose one behavior you want to change and write it down as a positive affirmation, for example, if you are always late the affirmation would say, “I make sure to leave enough extra time when I go somewhere to ensure I am on time.” Write the affirmation as your intent for the day as part of your morning practice.  Focus on that behavior, elicit the help of friends and reward yourself for small accomplishments.

As you let go of the stress you may feel when waking up,  fill yourself with behaviors that help transform you:

1) Show gratitude 

2) Meditate 

3) Breathe deeply 

4) Listen to music 

5) Laugh It Off

6) Exercise

7) Spend time with friends – even if it’s only by socially distancing video or phone chats

8) Help others

Take time to create a nourishing morning practice,  rejuvenate your system and watch opportunities come your way

Blessings

                                       

Creating Feng Shui Friendly Laundry Rooms

 

I love our laundry room, mainly because I enhanced it using Feng Shui principles. It happens to be in my Children and Creativity area of my home; therefore, I enhanced it with whites, pastel yellow, pictures of my daughter and grandchildren, and whimsical items.  I find it a delight to do laundry!

                                                 

Since the laundry room isn't a public space, it's easy to neglect it when decorating. Yet this room serves a very important function. It is a place of water and removing debris, the cleansing area of the home.

I recommend following a few basic Feng Shui rules, and then enhancing it according to its location on the Bagua.

 A Few Basic of a Feng Shui Rules:                                                                                                    There are a few basic rules governing the Feng Shui of a laundry room.

 Control the Water Element – The Water element can help promote wealth, but it's important you         don't let it get out of control in your laundry room, particularly where water drains out of your           house.

• Keep the lid of your washing machine always closed.
• Make sure none of the hoses are leaking. Don't let your finances flow away from you with dirty water.    

• Keep it Clean–  Remove the dryer lint regularly.

• Empty laundry trash can, wash floors.
  
  
• Keep It Maintained and Organized - Don’t allow clothes to accumulate in the laundry room.
• Don't use this room as a catch-all for storing other items.  Don't allow things to accumulate.

• Adjust Lighting - Replace burned out light bulbs.
• Provide good lighting through windows and overhead lights.

 Enhancing with the Feng Shui Bagua:                                                                                                   Make your laundry room inviting and pleasing to the eye. Give it just as much design attention as you   would other rooms in your home.

 Wherever your laundry room resides, adding a few enhancements (colors, items and shapes related to    that area will help lift the Ch’i.

                                       

 Career Area (Water Element)

·         Items in items in black or very dark colors, glass/crystal items, water features, art representing waterscapes

·         Water represents the flow of wealth.

Knowledge and Self Cultivation Area (Wood Element)

·         Items are made of wood, colors blue, green, black colors, plants and art representing still wooded scenes 

Friends/Family/Health Area (Wood Element)

·         Floral arrangements or art depicting vibrant flowers, photos of family, friends, colors blues and greens 

Wealth Area (Fire Element)

·         Opulent items in the purple color spectrum, healthy, round leaf plants 

Fame Area (Fire Element)

·         The colors red, items representing the fire element with candles and lighting, art representing celebration, success and upward movement, inspirational sayings, awards  

Love and Marriage Area (Fire Element)

·         Pairs of items, art or photos depicting romance, reds, and pinks, photos of you and significant other 

Children and Creativity Area (Metal Element)

·         Items in metal, colors of white and pastels, whimsical art, pictures of children, craft items 

Center Area:                                                                                                                                              ·    Ceramics, the colors yellow, earth tones, and rectangle shapes

Helpful People and Travel Area (Metal Element)

·         Art or figures pertaining to travel, spiritual guides, metal and colors of white, black or grey 

Sometimes there is just a laundry closet in the home. I recommend hanging a 30-millimeter round faceted glass crystal in the center to help circulate the energy, then add small enhancements based on Bagua area

Don't overdo your Feng Shui laundry room design with too many elements so as not to create a clutter. Keep good design principles in mind when creating a positive flow of Ch’i.

 

Practicing Feng Shui Kindness for Well-Being

In these stressful times, doing everything we can to be at peace and improve our well-being is so important. Feng Shui is all about balance and positive energy.  When we make Feng Shui enhancements in our home, and expect results, we must remember that these adjustments are only 1/3 of the equation. Our destiny, and our actions make up the other 2/3 of the formula. We may have little control over our destiny, but our actions are completely within our reach.  This is where acts of kindness come in. 

Practicing Inner Feng Shui begins by being kind to yourself. For example, being kind to yourself can involve saying affirming things to yourself or focusing on what you can control, such as deep breathing, meditating, enjoying nature, or changing your situation by doing a good deed each day. This will change the course of energy. A simple act of kindness can make an impact. When one does something good, solely for the benefit of another, the reality is that they both benefit.

Kindness is important for many reasons, including improving your well-being:

•  It can deepen friendships and create safety in relationships by encouraging understanding and vulnerability.  
  
                           

•    It can help create and strengthen social connections. It can help people feel a sense of belonging, make new friends, and connect with their communities. 
  
  
•   It can reduce stress, anxiety, and worry. It can also improve feelings of confidence, optimism and well-being. 

                                        

•    It can boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, and increase the production of feel-good hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. 
  
  
•  Kindness can make the world a happier place and encourage others to be kind as well. 

      

Begin doing an act of kindness a day and watch your Feng Shui energy change for the good!

                                      

There's Joy in Moving the Feng Shui Ch'i

Did you know that every time you declutter, redecorate, remodel, or just add another piece of furniture or art you are changing the energy of your home, which will help you achieve your goals and live your best life?

Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging your environment, is meant to bring your life peace and harmony. To do this your environment needs to bring you joy, since in Feng Shui your environment reflects your consciousness.

In Feng Shui, “Ch’i”, or “Qi” is a vital life force or energy that powers all living things.  The goal of Feng Shui is to harness Ch’i to improve life. 

Good Ch’i is meant to nourish you, while negative Ch’i, which blocks the energy, can drain you. Feng Shui is all about adjusting your environment, by correcting, enhancing, or changing items, colors, shapes based on the Feng Shui principles, and the five elements. These elements are water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. You can improve the Ch’i flow by adding, moving, or combining these elements, based on each of the nine Bagua areas. 

                                       

Each time we make a change in our home, my husband and I say we're “Moving the Ch’i.” We say this when we clean the garage, empty closets, buy new art, a piece of furniture or undertake a big remodel. My clients say they feel an energy shift, and it’s evident in their before and after pictures.

When we remodeled our kitchen, residing in the Love and Marriage area, from green to rich wood tones and red tiles we noticed a shift in romance.

                                    

When we remodeled our bathroom in the Health, Family and Friend's area from burgundy and pink to soft greens, wood,  and florals we noticed an improvement in our health.

                                     

Our daughter just redecorated our grandkid’s bedroom in the Knowledge and Self Cultivation area from overly cluttered to clean, organized, attractive bedding, beds and furniture. They both now are calmer and love to lay in their new beds and read. 

                                      

Little changes can make a big difference. A client has a blank wall in her Fame and Reputation area. I can’t wait to see how adding a large piece of red tone, celebration, upward movement, or fame art will change the Ch’i of the room and positively affect her life. 

                                                

We are about to replace our roof with a new one. I can't wait to see what affect that will have. We're excited at the prospect. 

Do You Practice Intuitive Feng Shui?

Do you practice Intuitive Feng Shui? As I enter the homes of my friends and clients, I can quickly tell that so many of them do..

Feng Shui is all about creating  a feeling.  The goal is to enter your home after a long workday, or an exhausting experience, and say “Ahhhh, I’m home to my sanctuary.”  You should feel calmed and nurtured by your home, and not even more stressed. If you feel that your home is harmonious, with a calming effect, it’s because it probably has good energy, and you’re experiencing intuitive Feng Shui. 

                                       

Are good things happening to you, opportunities opening up, and problems easily solving themselves; or do you feel that it’s just one thing after another, you’re stuck and can’t seem to get ahead?  If good things are happening to you, and life, even with its challenges, is flowing smoothly, then you’re experiencing intuitive Feng Shui.

Do you find that you sleep better in one room over another, or enjoy sitting in one area of your home better than the rest? If so, take a close look at those rooms because they exhibit intuitive Feng Shui. 

                                       

Intuitive Feng Shui is the ability to create happy, harmonious homes naturally and from our heart, without needing to use logic. You can, with very little Feng Shui training become aware of your environment and apply intuitive Feng Shui. Without even thinking too much about it, you’re intuitively arranging areas in your home to be balanced and allow the energy to flow in a positive way.  You probably have removed the clutter. You may have added plants and flowers. You have your desk, and other seating arrangements facing the front door in the power position, and have displayed art that has positive representations.  These are small things that evoke positive energy, and represent intuitive Feng Shui. 

                                                     

You can easily develop intuitive Feng Shui skills out of your experience of being in different places. Each time you go to a new place be aware of how you feel there. Is the atmosphere fast flowing, slow, intense, settled or volatile? Then look for what it is about the building, decoration and layout that you think could contribute to that energy flow, and your current mood. This creates an inner knowing or intuition. You can later draw on your experiences to create spaces in your home that reproduce the emotional responses you are looking for.

The secret is to keep connecting your mental and emotional state to the possible influence of the home or business you are in.

Feng Shui is based on three guiding principles:

1) Everything is Alive.  Everything in your home is talking at you either positively or negatively. If you listen to the chatter and quickly do something about it (discarding, clearing, replacing, repairing or redecorating) then you’re allowing your energy to be transformed and are practicing intuitive Feng Shui. If on the other hand you live with clutter and broken items your energy will be drained. 

                                               

2) Everything is Connected. When you allow changes to be made a chain reaction in energy flow occurs. You may feel you have more energy, smile more, feel healthier, want to do nice things for others. This in turn will lead to positive opportunities. By clearing a closet and bringing clothes to a consignment store I have made new friends and business opportunities. By observing and celebrating the connections your positive energy creates you are practicing intuitive Feng Shui.

                                       

3)   Everything is Constantly Changing. Life has a way of being in a constant flow; nothing remains the same. The art of Feng Shui is to steer the flow in positive directions. One opportunity can lead to another. If you allow the energy in your home to help move you forward, you are practicing intuitive Feng Shui.