The Quintessential Feng Shui Ch’i Enhancers – Color and Art

Ch’i enhancers are the basic Feng Shui tools used for treating, stabilizing, and balancing the energy in your environment. The ten Ch’i enhancers taught by the Western School of Feng Shui™ are:

1. Art: paintings, sculptures, collages, collections, and textiles 

2. Colors: the hues represented by the Bagua areas

3. Crystals: round and faceted to circulate Ch’i

4. Lighting: electrical, candles, oil, natural light 

5. Living things: plants, flowers, animals   

6. Mirrors: the bigger the better except for in bedrooms and dining rooms*   

7. Objects of nature: rocks, shells, seeds, natural crystals

8. Sound makers: wind chimes, bells, musical instruments 

9. Whirligigs: mobiles, flags 

10. Water features: fountains, ponds, birdbaths, aquariums

*Mirrors create active energy which is too much for both bedrooms and dining rooms where the energy needs to be peaceful and calm.

Each of these Ch’i enhancers serve a purpose:

Round glass crystals circulate Ch’i, block energy, and help anchor missing areas.

Lighting brings the Fire element to any area.

Mirrors are called “the aspirin of Feng Shui” because the activate a space, block negative energy, help anchor missing areas, and, since they represent the Water element, they help prosperity flow.

Water features help activate the flow of career and prosperity.

Sound makers and whirligigs work to call in the Ch’i. 

But of all the Ch’i enhancers, I find that working with colors and art gives you almost instant gratification. Art is the soul of a room; it gives it energy and life, and it is easy to identify how it enhances the Feng Shui of a space.  To enhance the Ch’i in your home, choose art that elicits positive feelings and makes your heart sing. Remember that in Feng Shui everything is alive and is constantly talking to you. What you surround yourself with can nourish or drain you. Therefore, ensure that every art piece in your home is one that you love and that portrays a serene or inspirational subject matter. Art depicting violence, death, distortion, or negativity is not recommended. They say that “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  What is your art telling you?

                                             

To get the most benefit from art and colors, match them with the function of each room. Choose romantic and sensual for the bedroom, lively, colorful art for the living room, and powerful and motivational for the home office. Use the Bagua map to help you choose the appropriate art and colors that correlate with the goals in your life.   Each of the nine areas of the Bagua is associated with colors and art representations. For example, if you want romance, and your Love and Marriage area is in the dining room, choose art that is romantic and appropriate for your dining area. If you wish to improve your health, and your Health and Family area is in the bathroom, display art that evokes radiant health and vitality. 

          

 Career Area:

* Art - paintings, photos pertaining to moving water (oceans, rivers, etc.), asymmetrical shapes, and black frames    

* Colors – black or dark colors

Knowledge and Self Cultivation Area: 

* Art -paintings, photos representing calm nature scenes (forests, ferns, vineyards, etc.), columnar shapes, and wooden frames    

* Colors – blue and green

                                                

 Friends, Family, Health Area: 

* Art - paintings, photos representing fresh, healthy vibrant flowers, family, friends and/or you in a healthy state, columnar shapes, and wooden frames    

* Colors – blue, green, and anything floral

                  

Wealth and Prosperity Area:

* Art - paintings, photos or sculptures representing opulence and wealth, tall round leaf plants, bubbling fountains, triangular, cone shapes, and wooden frames    

* Colors – purples, blues, and reds

                                         

Fame Area:

* Art - paintings, photos or sculptures representing celebration, animals, birds, stars suns, fire, upward movement, inspirational quotes, triangular, cone shapes, and wooden frames    

* Colors – Red

                                                  

 Love and Marriage Area:

* Art - paintings, photos or sculptures representing romance, pairs of items, pictures of you and your significant other, pictures of couples, triangular, cone shapes, and wooden frames    

* Colors – reds and pinks

                                            

Children and Creativity Area:

* Art - paintings, photos or sculptures representing creativity and whimsy, pictures of children or child art, round shapes, and metal frames    

* Colors – whites and pastels      

                                                 

Helpful People and Travel Area:    

                                                                                                                                                                     * Art - paintings, photos or sculptures pertaining to spiritual guides, and/or mentors, places you have traveled to or aspire to visit, pictures of mountains or natural stone, circular shapes, and metal frames    

* Colors – white and grey

                                              

Center Area:

* Art - paintings, photos or sculptures representing earth scenes, deserts, wheat fields, yellow flowers or trees, rectangular shapes    

* Colors – yellows and earth tones                                   

                                                          

Look at the art you have in your home. Jackson Pollock said, “A painting has a life of its own.” What is each piece “saying” to you?  No matter how positive and creative you may be in your inner world, if your home or work surroundings are contradictory or present energetic barriers, you are likely to find it difficult to manifest all that you desire. By paying attention to the flow of energy around you, beginning with the art and colors that surround you, you can align your inner intentions with your outer realities to make your life a conscious act of creation.

                                                                      

Finding Peace Through Inner Feng Shui

Sometimes there’s a confusion about Feng Shui being only external. People may think that it’s merely the act of moving items around in your home that will lead you to more harmony, and the achievement of your life goals. But Feng Shui is more than that.  As believed, external Feng Shui is about arranging our environment, our homes, and our businesses to let in the life force energy, called ‘Ch’i,” and lead us to prosperity and success. Internal Feng Shui is about exploring our inner worlds of mind, body, and spirit to help us achieve peace, health, and joy. Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art that allows us to create harmony and balance through our environment. This harmony and balance lend support to our lives. When our lives are supported through our environment it’s much easier to achieve the things we want such as good health, well-being, love, and happiness.

                                   

Internal Feng Shui Inner Feng Shui is about mindfulness, stillness, breathing, meditation, affirmations, and visualization. The Zen Buddist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, stresses the importance of mindfulness. “Your true home is in the here and now…with mindfulness and concentration you can find your true home in the full relaxation of your mind and body in the present moment…The basic condition of happiness is freedom. If there is something on your mind that you keep thinking about then you are caught and have no freedom.”

                                    

With inner Feng Shui take the time to observe the beauty of your home, your garden, the people living with you, the animals surrounding you. All of these can nourish you in the present moment. Resting is an important part of meditation. You should allow your body and mind to rest and avoid the tendency to always be busy. The act of resting, breathing, and meditating will help you avoid, or deal better with daily struggles. Allow yourself to rest, heal and be calm. 

                                      

One example of a simple mindfulness meditation is as you breathe in say “Breathing in, I know that I’m breathing in.” As you breathe out say “Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.” Try to smile as you do this. It may feel like child’s play, but it brings much peace and happiness. 

Internal and external Feng Shui work seamlessly hand in hand. Before beginning your external Feng Shui work, pause for a brief 5-minute meditation for each Baqua area. During these meditations, you will be getting in touch with your beliefs about the nine Baqua areas. When you work on clearing your beliefs as well as clearing your space, your Feng Shui will become more potent and effective. 

This type of meditation technique is quite easy. Simply sit, close your eyes and be mindful of your breath moving in through your nose and out of your mouth. Focus on the breath. Relax with the breath. Feel the breath flowing in and out. Now gently ask yourself a question and allow the answer to come into your mind. All the while, keep your breath in the foreground, and allow the answers to gently float up in the background. Don't attach yourself to the answers. You are just uncovering your internal clutter. Simply observe them at this point. After completing the five minutes, write down a simple affirmation you can use while you physically re-arrange that portion of your room. Affirming your desires while doing something physical is a very potent process to attract Ch’i into your life. 

Affirmations and Inner Work: In Feng Shui, intent plays a significant role in enhancing your home or business. All enhancements need to be made with intentionality, with written or stated affirmations as if they have already happened. Begin by choosing the Bagua area of most need in your life, (it may be love, health, career, prosperity, children etc.) Stand in the entrance to that area, close your eyes, breathe in and out three times then ask yourself a question, and state the affirmation. 

Examples of affirmations for each area: 

• Career Meditation: What do I believe about my work? 
• Career Affirmation: "My career is wonderful, and I am successful and happy in what I do."
• Knowledge and Self Cultivation Meditation: How does knowledge affect my life? 
• Knowledge and Self Cultivation Affirmation: "Every day I grow in knowledge and wisdom. I have the ability to be still." 
• Health, Family and Friend Meditation: What is healthy and loving in my life? 
• Health, Family and Friend Affirmation: "I am healthy, happy, loving and free." 
• Wealth and Prosperity Meditation: How do I feel about wealth and money? 
• Wealth and Prosperity Affirmation: " Money flows to me naturally and effortlessly." 
• Fame Meditation: What do I feel about fame and success? 
• Fame Affirmation: "I am well respected for all my accomplishments." 
• Love and Relationship Meditation: What is important to me in relationships? 
• Love and Relationship Affirmation: "I am in a healthy, loving relationship."
• Children and Creativity Meditation: Where am I the most creative in my life? 
• Children and Creativity Affirmation: " My children are thriving, and I am willing to explore my creativity.” 
• Helpful People and Travel Meditation: How is my synchronicity, is everything falling into place? 
• Helpful People and Travel Affirmation: "I feel supported in all my endeavors" 
• Center and Grounding Meditation: For this meditation, simply feel your breath, allowing all thoughts to come and go, returning again and again to your breath. 
• Center and Grounding Affirmation: "I am safe, grounded and at peace."
  
  
  I love starting my day with a meditation. One of my favorites is, “Thank you for this day. Thank you for the air I breathe. Thank you for the gift of life.” Daily meditation, no matter what time you choose, is a wonderful way to tap into your inner Feng Shui and release stress.
  
  
  Another meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh which I have recorded and breathe to daily is: “I know that I’m breathing in. I know that I’m breathing out. My breath grows deep. My breath goes slowly. I feel calm. I feel at ease. I dwell in the present moment. I know it’s a wonderful moment. I smile. I release.”
  
  
  Blessings come in many forms and with inner Feng Shui meditation, mindfulness, breathing, visualizing, and expressing gratitude and enthusiasm for even the smallest blessings has been found to lead to a happier, more fulfilling life. Every morning when I wake up, I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, or pain. Which do you think will lead you to a more rewarding and harmonious day? What if you began each day with a short meditation and express gratitude for one thing in your life, big or small?                         
  
                                  
  
  Be calm, be mindful, enjoy inner Feng Shui

 

 

 

Balancing Opposing Forces With Feng Shui

The early Feng Shui practitioners observed that nature embodies opposite, yet complementary, energy forces, such as light/dark, tall/short, skinny/wide, hot/cold, old/young, female/male, which they called Yin (expressions of female energy) and Yang (expressions of male energy). The optimum environment, they concluded, balanced the forces of Yin and Yang. 

                                     

The Ch’i, (vital life force energy)  that nourishes you, which Feng Shui concentrates on enhancing, is always striking a balance between these two extreme forces in the universe. Yin relates to qualities such as feminine, dark, cool, soft, wet. while Yang is associated with qualities such as masculine, light, hot hard, dry. Neither is wrong, but a “middle road” or a perfect mix of these qualities makes for environments that nurture you, where you feel comfortable and can thrive.  The happiness that you feel inherently, in the balance between these two extremes. 

When dramatic architecture and design become expressions of extremes, they can result in a Feng Shui nightmare.  Sharp angles, radical proportions and exaggerated forms may be viewed as fabulous artistic features, but they usually don’t make cozy habitat for humans. The more extreme Yin or Yang an environment is the more uncomfortable you will feel there. 

 An extreme Yin room is one that is dark and cave like, with dark furniture, dim lighting, and a low ceiling. 

                                   

A very Yang room would be quite large, with a high ceiling and windows that bake the room with sun, and a living space that is furnished sparingly with angular furniture and tables.

                                              

To balance the Yin room - add Yang components, such as brighter lighting, and lighter pastel colors with angular shapes.  You can also bring in large pieces of art or large plants.

                                             

To balance the Yang room – add Yin components such as soft upholstered furniture rounded, and/or window treatments in dark, rich colors or prints.  You can also bring in numerous pieces of small art, pictures or small plants and flower arrangements. 

                                            

What About Individual Tastes? 

Sometimes different rooms have different purposes in our lives, and because of that may be inherently more Yin or Yang depending on what we intend to draw from.  I have large great room, which is very Yang, with a lot of natural light and high ceilings. Because of the dark rounded furniture and numerous personal pictures and items displayed around the room it feels balanced to me, and a source of renewed energy. This is the central hub of my home, and where I do the majority of my entertaining.  I love being there.  My bedroom however is more Yin, which to me feels cozy.  With its lower ceiling, lower lighting, dark wooden furniture, and burgundy accents, this is the room that I spend every evening relaxing, decompressing, and feeling nurtured. I balanced the Yin by painting the walls a light tan, hanging a large piece of art, and bringing in a large Ficus tree. The armoire is also a very large angular piece of furniture. 

Balancing a Feng Shui Garden

Just as in your home, when designing your garden think of a balance of Yin and Yang. Plant tall, wide plants  aong with low growing ones. Use dark colors along with light ones and soft, flowing plants along with harder trunks or rock gardens. The possibilities are endless. 

Feng Shui is all about finding balance in your environment, and your life. You will definitely be rewarded with more peace and harmony, which will in turn lead to greater opportunities to achieve your life goals. Enjoy the journey!

Nearing the Holidays? How Feng Shui Decorations Add Fame and Fire to Your Life

The holiday season is upon us. This is a time when families gather together to celebrate traditions passed down from generation to generation. It’s also a time of decorating, which helps to enhance your home and your life.  

Holiday decorations usually include the colors green, red, blue, white, gold and lots of  bright lighting. Whether you decorate with a Menorah or Christmas Tree, the objects you bring in to your home for the holidays will represent the energy of the Fire Element. Menorahs add fire to any room.  Christmas Trees represent growth; and the conical shape of the tree and all the lights encircling it also represent the fire element.   All decorations of bright colors, lights, garlands, and traditional objects make the home’s energy flow easily and create a joyful environment for family gatherings. 

                                                     

As you decorate, think about using the Feng Shui Bagua to help guide you in placement. The most auspicious of the Fire Element areas of your home is the Fame Area.

One of the Feng Shui principles is that everything is connected, so if you ask yourself, “Can adding the fire of holiday decorations to my home really affect my fame and reputation?”  – The answer is ABSOLUTELY.

                                                  

In the Feng Shui Bagua, represented as a grid of nine sectors, the Fame and Reputation area is located in the center back  of your home. The Bagua comes from the Chinese philosophy, “The I Ching,” and literally means “eight trigrams,” with the center for grounding. The Fame and Reputation area of your home or business is about cultivating a good reputation and helping friendly relations spring up all around us, creating the best chances for a happy and secure future. How wonderful that the holiday decorations you add to your home can in fact set you up for a positive New Year. 

          

The element for this area is Fire, and the color is anything in the red spectrum. Red is one of the most powerful colors in the Chinese culture. It represents fame, fortune, joy, festivity, longevity, and protection from bad luck. Representations of this element can be used inside and outside of your home or business. 

                                               

Enhancements for the Fame and Reputation area inside your home or business:

• Christmas trees, Menorahs which represent cone, triangular shapes, and pleasant lighting, 

• Personal images and symbols of fame; diplomas, awards, trophies, and acknowledgements

• Things made from animals, such as leather, feathers, wool and/or bone

• Art and figures of animals, people, fire, sunshine 

• Items in the red spectrum

• Affirmations and sayings pertaining to Fame and Reputation and aspirations for the New Year

                                       

Enhancements for the Fame and Reputation area outside your home or business:

• Items that represent the sun, fire, stars 

• Holiday lights, up lighting around trees, twinkle lights

• Fire pits and BBQ grills 

• Items, flowers, plants in the red color spectrum

                                                  

Fire Elements:

The Fire element is represented by the hearth and when in balance enhances excitement, enthusiasm, leadership. In the Feng Shui Cycle of the elements the Wood Element feeds Fire, therefore adding representations of Wood, such as Christmas trees would feed the fire of your dreams, enhancing your opportunities and achievements.  

                                                

Sometimes your holiday decorations don’t fit exactly in the Fame sector of your home (center back), or the Fame area of your living room or den. If that’s the case any of the other Fire sectors also work nicely; Wealth and Prosperity or Love and Marriage.  Christmas trees also work well in Knowledge, Family and Health, but because of all the colors, lights, garland and ornaments can represent all of the elements and act as five element displays wherever placed. This is a win – win! Menorahs representing fire enhance any of the three fire areas, but like the Christmas tree, depending on the colors and what it is made of they can also hold all of the elements. You really can’t go wrong with holiday decorations; no matter where you place them you are activating the Ch’i (life force energy) and positive energy will come your way. 

                                      

Important Feng Shui Tip 

Clear the clutter from the room before you begin decorating, and keep it clutter free. This will help your calm, holiday energy flow and prevent your holiday communications from being “messy.”

      

I wish you a holiday filled with family, friends, harmony, happiness, excitement, and enthusiasm.  May your fame and reputation thrive!

                                        

The Importance of a Positive Mindset in Feng Shui

Although we speak mainly of Feng Shui enhancing your environment to help you achieve your life goals,  it is also important to remember that Feng Shui is  about “wholeness”;  it’s also about  going within to enhance your inner self.  In Feng Shui everything is connected, so enhancing your inner and outer domain simultaneously will lead you to achieve peace and harmony. Therefore, having a peaceful, positive mindset in important. 

               

In time of strife, look to your inner growth and healing by exploring your thoughts and feelings in a positive way.  Evolving and learning from past mistakes is what makes the difference.  You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth. 

                                              

I’m currently reading “The Four Agreements” by don Miguel Ruiz. In it he “reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering.”  Negative “self-speak”, as my Yoga teacher called “Monkey Mind,” works against the peace and harmony of Inner Feng Shui. 

Look to using these Four Agreements in your daily life:

1) Be impeccable with your word

2) Don’t take anything personally

3) Don’t make assumptions

4) Always do your best

Think about looking within, acknowledging what gives you stress and breathe in calm, peace, and most of all love. Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible yet so powerful that it is transformational. Breathe in love and you will bend versus being broken. 

                                                    

So how do we proceed?  We proceed by being mindful, choosing love, following the four agreements, and bringing balance and harmony back to yourself and those around you.

                                        

Blessings

Longing to Travel - Feng Shui Can Help

Are you ready for adventure? What are your travel dreams? We just returned from a fabulous trip to Italy, and many of my friends and clients are traveling now; Spain, Italy, France, Hawaii, Wales and all over the United States. 

Did you know that Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art that allows you to create harmony and balance throughout your environment, can also help you achieve your travel goals? The harmony and balance in your home will lend support to your life. When your life is supported through your environment it’s much easier to achieve the things you want such as wellbeing, love and travel!

You achieve your goals when you focus clearly on what you want to accomplish and then act accordingly. The first step in Feng Shui is to use the Bagua map to locate the area in your home associated to travel, and then use the recommended  enhancements and affirmations to drive your goals forward.  

The Feng Shui Bagua

The Bagua comes from the Chinese philosophy, “The I Ching,” and literally means “eight trigrams” with the center for grounding.  In the “I Ching” the Helpful People/Travel area of your home or business is located in the front right corner and is associated with the qualities of  synchronicity, inspiration, confidence and travel.  Our lives are shaped by our actions.  When everything is aligned, people and places give us the inspiration and guidance we need. Total synchronicity is defined as everything falling into place; being at the right place at the right time, and your life being transformed and enhanced by words or actions of those they met, or by traveling to a special place which changes your life forever.  

If your goal is to travel, then this area is worth enhancing:

Enhancements for the Helpful People and Travel area inside your home or business:  

• Art, photos, figures pertaining to places where you have traveled/want to travel, spiritual     guides and mentors 
•  Items in colors of white, black or grey
• Things made of metal  such as furniture, lamps, candle holders, frames, figurines 
• Quotes, affirmations and sayings pertaining to travel
• This is a great place for a travel vision board
• Add written or stated affirmations as if they have already happened. For example: "I am having so much fun on my vacation in Italy."

Enhancements for the Helpful People and Travel area outside your home or business:

• Garden art reflecting spiritual guides (angels, Buddha, saints)
• Items, flowers, plants in the color white
• Natural rocks and stones
• Circular or oval shapes
• Outdoor items from your travels

A Missing Helpful People and Travel area:

If your Helpful People and Travel area is missing from your floor plan, you can anchor the area by doing one or a combination of the following cures:  Anchor the missing area structurally using the metal element wherever possible, such as building a trellis or deck, planting flowers in a flower garden or planter boxes in white, adding a large stone statue of a spiritual guide or placing a large rock on the corner, or a metal seating area. (This could be a beautiful meditation area).  If the area outside is not accessible, you can symbolically anchor from the inside by hanging a 30 mm round faceted crystal, placing a mirror, and/or a picture representing helpful people or travel on the inside wall by the missing area.

 “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” Helen Keller

Have fun with all your enhancements and visualizations, Enjoy your travels!

Arriverci 

                                               

Be Kind to Flowers – They Can Enhance Your Life

I love the Zen of daily walks in nature. Even walking through town, I gaze at the beautiful planter boxes and gardens. They uplift my spirit. 

Flowers are the quintessential Ch’i enhancers for our homes. They provide us with the beauty and wonder of nature and help us stay connected and grounded to the natural world. Another alternative to fresh flowers are artificial flowers which have the same uplifting effect. Did you know that flowers bring nature into your home, enhance your health, help calm your mind and improve your attitude?  

Yet with the extreme heat and drought, it’s easy to let our flowers wilt and die. Unfortunately, the vision of dead flowers around your environment can have a draining effect on your energy and consequently your life. In Feng Shui, everything in your environment is either nourishing or draining you. Which do you want?

                               

Just like everything in Feng Shui, flowers can uplift the Ch’i if beautiful and healthy, or deplete it if sick, dusty or depleting. If your plants begin to wilt and look sickly, move them on and replace them with vibrant healthy ones.  Artificial plants need to be always kept clean and dust free to have the same uplifting effect.

If you do have planter boxes, keep them healthy and vibrant. They do not need an abundance of water, or if you want to conserve water fill them with artificial plants. 

In the home, think of the qualities of the Bagua areas you want to enhance and use flower colors to enrich the enhancement. The same goes for the location of your planter boxes: Red flowers at an entrance for Career, white for the Helpful People or Children and Creativity areas, yellow for the Center, pinks or reds for Love, purple for Wealth. Use the beauty of nature to paint a palette of colorful enhancements in your home.

                                        

Don’t let your planter boxes drain you. Surround yourself with vibrant beauty and see what a difference it makes in your life!