Using Feng Shui to Find Your Perfect Home

Lately I’m getting many return clients, who are requesting help finding a new home. They are looking for a new start, away from some of the issues that needed enhancing in their prior locations. 

Are you looking to buy or rent a new place?  After moving in, would you rather hear this, “This house has been so lucky for us! Since we moved in all good things have been happening,” or, “Since we moved here it’s been just one bad thing after another?”  Obviously, you want to feel that moving into a new place has enhanced your life. Feng Shui can help!

Buying a house can be an exciting experience, even if at times filled with fear and doubts. Applying Feng Shui to the process of buying a house is a wise investment on many levels; it will give you peace of mind, as well as assure that your house is a good financial investment.  Good Feng Shui means good energy, and people are always attracted to it! This will sure help with the house sale in the future. 

While looking at the floorplans sent to me by my clients, found myself focusing on the positive as well as the potentially draining Feng Shui features of each house.  

Use the following checklist when looking for homes or apartments, whether buying or renting:                                   

What to look for outside of the house:

1. Location, and Lot Placement

Be sure your house receives good energy from its surroundings; a clean street, neighbors with well-kept up  homes, and nice front and back yard.  You also want to try to have a pleasant view from the front of the house.  Even if the house does not have an actual view, are the others homes well-kept and are there trees or flowers to enhance the view?

What to avoid 

• No downward sloping land behind the house. You want the house to have a good backing. In Feng Shui this is the classical armchair design with trees or a slope/hill to your back, and trees/shrubs on either side, keeping you grounded and protected. 
• Houses close to a power generator, utility pole transformer, or high-tension wires:  An electro-magnetic field within twenty-five to fifty yards of your home can be highly detrimental to the health and nervous system.
• Houses close to excessive noise: The presence of loud noises will disturb rest, distract from work, and affect intimacy. 
• River, rainwater drainage ditch or roadway behind the house: River, rainwater drainage ditch or roadway behind the house also weakens and undermines the stability of the house. Prosperity and good opportunities are easily "washed away". 

2. Doors

The front door is very important in Feng Shui as this is the entrance of Ch’i or positive energy. Good colors for front doors are any shade or red, which signifies protection and prosperity (and is easy to see), or black which signifies water and the flowing in of Ch’i, the life force energy. Doors should be sized proportionally to the house. Ideally there would be a curved path leading to the front door. Even if the path is not curved, be sure that it can be lined with healthy flowers or plants, lights, or additional elements to create positive energy as you walk to your front door.

 What to avoid 

• Front doors that are blocked by trees, walls, brickwork etc.:   The energy needs to enter freely. If the entry does have blockages, consider how much work it would take to these have removed. 
• A front door that is directly aligned with a back door or large picture window: When you open the front door, can you see straight out the back of the house through a large window or sliding glass door? This may sound like a good thing, but in Feng Shui it is considered negative as it allows the energy to rush straight though the house resulting in a loss of “good energy.” There are corrections for this, ways to slow down energy, but the ideal house would have some walls in-between.  

 What to look for inside of the house:

1. Main Entrance and Foyer

The entrance foyer is one of the most important areas of your home. How well the house is able to maintain and nourish good energy is much determined by what is happening in the main entryway. What do you see as soon as you come into the house? Ideally you would want to see a pleasantly designed living room or hallway. If the first thing you see is a wall,  place a beautiful piece of art (waterscape or natures cape) and an arrangement that would lead the eye in the direction of the energy flow into the home. Avoid placing a mirror facing the entrance, as that would send the energy back out. 

What to avoid

• Stairs directly pointing to your entrance:   Stairs leading immediately up or down directly from your front door create a “river of Ch’i,” flowing the energy away too fast. This is a particularly negative design in Feng Shui, and although there are corrections. It is best to avoid it all together.

                                      

• A bathroom or a closet door as the first thing you see: Bathrooms are known to be drains on your Chi.  They are not conducive to good energy if they are the first thing you see as you enter. Closet doors indicate blockages. Remember that you want the Chi to enter slowly and meander through every aspect of your home, thereby nourishing you. 

2. Room Positioning and Shape of the House

 The floor plan is very important when buying a new home.  In Feng Shui the ideal shape for a home is rectangular with no missing areas.  This way the energy remains in the house and each area of your life is nurtured. These areas, when missing from your home create an impact on your life and therefore it is important to use the Feng Shui Bagua map to analyze the shape or location of rooms of the home you are considering. 

Using the Feng Shui Bagua

In the Feng Shui  Bagua (Ba-gua) Map, 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 area being for grounding.  Missing any of these areas in the layout of the floor plan will create a void of energy in that area. 

Room positioning is also very important to consider when relocating. For instance, the ideal location for a master bedroom is in the back right corner (the Love and Marriage area), kitchens work well in the center (the Grounding area of the home), children’s rooms or craft rooms are auspiciously placed in the middle right area (Children and Creativity ), home offices activate the Ch’i in the Fame (Back middle) or Career areas (Front middle). These are not hard and fast, because in Feng Shui all areas can be enhanced, but if you can begin with a house that already has a good structure you are that far ahead of the game.

What to avoid

• Extremely odd-shaped homes:  The overall problem with odd-shaped houses is that they have no easily defined center and are therefore fragmented. They will also tend to have many missing areas. 
• A garage under the bedroom, or in the Love and Marriage Area:  Garages are very active spaces therefore a bedroom situated over a garage also experiences the same level of activity and tends to disturb one's sleep. Garages tend to also be harder to keep clean, uncluttered, and organized. If you are single, looking for love, or are struggling with a current relationship, the garage’s chaotic energy will add to the problem. 
• A bathroom in the Wealth, or Relationship Area of the home:  Bathroom in your Wealth or Partnership corners tend to act as drains and you may see both prosperity and relationships "go down" the toilet or down the drain. As with any Feng Shui corrections, the appropriate use of colors, shapes and symbols can be used to strengthen these corners to overcome the bathroom's draining influence; but given the importance of prosperity and the fragility of relationships, why not avoid these if you have a choice.

You can usually correct Feng Shui problems and by being be mindful about it overcome the negative energy. Many corrections, enhancements and cures are on my newspaper columns – www.fengshuibymaria.com.  

The goal is to  choose the correct house with good Feng Shui, in order to avoid having to make numerous corrections –so, if you have the choice, why not begin with the best.

Activating Feng Shui Energy While Traveling

Travel season is upon us, and so many are taking the opportunity to enjoy exploring far away lands.

                                                

The key to good travel Feng Shui is to bring it with you internally as well as externally by packing a few enhancing items for spaces you will be temporarily occupying. Because Feng Shui is about creating harmony with the world around you, there’s no better time to step up your travel Feng Shui than while you are in transit, either at or between destinations. 

             

In her book “The Western Guide to Feng Shui” Terah Kathryn Collins goes into detail on how to create a Feng Shui Travel Kit. My daughter liked this idea so much that she created a kit she gave to me as a gift. The following are excerpts from the book, with some of my personal examples.    

Create a Feng Shui Travel Kit. Following Terah’s advice, on trips I always bring a soft Feng Shui travel pouch filled with the following items: 

• A small diagram of the Bagua
  
  
• One or more round faceted crystals on strings
  
  
• Four small items in white, red, purple and green or blue to place in each corresponding corners of the room: White in Helpful People and Travel, purple in Wealth and Prosperity, red in Love, Marriage and Relationships, and green or blue in Knowledge and Self-Cultivation.  I also bring a small picture of flowers to place in the Health, Family and Friends area.                                    (My daughter cut out angel figures from colored construction paper for this purpose.)
  
  
  
  
  
• Four tea lights (scented ones are nice) in their own metal or plastic cups
  
  
• Cleansing incense, such as pine or sandalwood
  
  
• Thumbtacks, safety pins, matches, string
  
  
• A multicolored scarf with colors that represent the Five Elements (white, black, green or blue,       yellow, and red hues)
  
  
• A smooth stone or natural crystal for grounding energy
  
  
• A touchstone that reminds me physically and emotionally of “home,” such as a picture of loved    ones or another item from home. (I have a small picture of  our wedding.)

Start at the front door of your hotel room or rental house or apartment. Referring to the Bagua, place one crystal in front of a window; place blues, greens, or florals in the Health, Family, and Friends area; purple tones in Wealth and Prosperity; white in Helpful People and Travel; and red, white, and/or pink in the Love, Marriage, and Relationships area. If the room feels especially stagnant, hang a crystal in the center of the room. Set up a place of beauty in the area you see when you wake up. You can really energize this space by laying a cloth or scarf that contains the colors of all the Five Elements and adding incense, candles, and fresh flowers when available.

Move the furniture if necessary. You can also use a towel or your Five-Element scarf to cover the TV, which is usually a big hunk of energy staring down at the bed. As always, make sure to keep the room clutter free.    

When we rented an apartment in Paris, I noticed that the plants in the window boxes were all dead, and since we were staying one week I chose to purchase geranium plants from a local florist. The change created a beautiful view and helped to activate our Ch'i while there. 

                                                                                                                                        

Creating a personalized space for ourselves in temporary environments allows us to center, unwind, and fully enjoy the fun of traveling stress free.

Synchronicity can be Just a Feng Shui Enhancement Away

Have you ever experienced that helpless feeling when everything seems to be going wrong? 

Have you experienced people not returning your calls, estimates coming in higher than expected, things breaking down or getting lost?  These are examples of your synchronicity being off.  Can Feng Shui help solve problems? Absolutely! Look at the Helpful People Area of your house and with a few easy enhancements begin turning your energy around.

Here’s a perfect example of missing synchronicity:

A client bought a new home and was thrilled because it was almost rectangular with the Wealth and Love Areas intact.  She noticed that it was missing the Helpful People/Travel areas but at the time did not think much about it, being swept away by location, price, and cuteness. Soon after it closed escrow everything started going wrong. Contractors weren’t showing up, costs were more than expected, more things were breaking down; problems also began occurring in other aspects of her life as well, including her job, health insurance, child’s daycare etc. She felt like she couldn’t catch a break! Sound familiar? 

How Feng Shui helped:

Having studied Feng Shui she turned to it for help. She knew she had to anchor the area from both inside and out. Outside she anchored it with a large white flowering plant in a round white pot and replaced a small dead tree with a beautiful blooming one surrounded by flowers. Inside she hung a round mirror and round faceted crystal to push the wall back, as well as a picture of a grey and white mountain. Within a month she was able to move in, renovate a rental unit for close to her budget, find a perfect renter and soon after was offered a lucrative new job: Coincidence or solution?

A year later, surrounded by positive energy, she was able to purchase an even larger home for her family, and is once again putting her Feng Shui knowledge to work. Your environment definitely affects your life. 

Yes, Feng Shui can help you solve problems.

Using the Feng Shui Bagua you can identify your Helpful People Area, and begin to access the energy for solutions to your problems: Attract mentors, clients, customers, vendors, employees or other helpful people in your life and/or create seamless moves to a new home or work location. The Feng Shui Bagua , from the Chinese philosophy, “The I Ching,” meaning “eight trigrams” is represented as a grid of eight sectors, with the Center being the Grounding Force. In Feng Shui the Helpful People area of your home or business is associated with synchronicity. When everything is aligned, people and places give us the inspiration and guidance we need. 

The Helpful People and Travel area is located in the front right corner of your home or business. It is governed by the Metal Element which is represented by any metal or metal paint, the colors white or grey, natural stones and circular shapes. This is why in the earlier example the person used a white blooming plant, white circular pot, a round mirror and a picture of a mountain with grey matting. 

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

• Art, photos, or figures pertaining to spiritual guides, and/or mentors or helpful people  

• Items in colors of white, black or grey

• Things made of any type of metal                                                                                                        

• Natural stones or representation of natural stones such as pictures of mountains                                

• Special places where you have traveled or want to travel                                                                    

• Quotes, affirmations and sayings pertaining to Helpful People and Travel

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

• Garden art reflecting spiritual guides (angels, Buddha, saints).

• Metal items, rocks, and stones, circular or oval shapes

• Items, and flowers in the color white  

• A flag with a white background if Helpful People is your entrance

                                  

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, and push the walls back,  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. 

                                                   

Affirmations:

In Feng Shui, intent plays a significant role in enhancing any area of your home or business. Enhancements need to be made with intentionality; written or stated affirmations are very important, as is for them to be expressed as if they have already happened.  Examples or affirmations for the Helpful People and Travel area: “I have a team of people who support me.” “Contractors are efficient, and work is completed efficiently under estimate.” 

Feng Shui CAN be the solution to some of your problems, and the Helpful People corner is a great place to begin. 

                                              

Relax With Feng Shui

“Mrs. McCullough, can I paint my classroom green?”  

That’s how I got into Feng Shui over 20 years ago. When I was an elementary principal, one of my teachers asked me this question because she wanted a color that would calm her students. 

The purpose of Feng Shui is to bring peace, harmony, a sense of serenity, and restfulness to you, your home and your life. The serenity you create in your home has a great deal of influence on your outlook. 

There are numerous ways to enhance your home. The most common Feng Shui Ch’i enhancers are:

Colors, art, mirrors, crystals, sound makers, natural objects, animals, flowers, lighting, plants, sound makers, water features and wind dancers.

Of all of these, I always feel that colors make the most difference in a person’s environment. In Feng Shui colors are powerful Ch’i enhancers and add strong healing quality to your home. 

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.” Wassily Kadinski

                                        

There are areas in your home that lend themselves nicely to peace and rest; the left front section of the structure is particularly related to stillness, while the middle left side is related to health and healthy relationships.  

In the Feng Shui Bagua , represented  as a grid of nine sectors, these areas  are referred to as the “Knowledge and Self Cultivation Area”, and “Health Family and Friends.” They operate under the premise that good health and clarity of mind come from acquiring a peaceful lifestyle.  This can be accomplished through meditation, contemplation, and introspection.  Knowledge is viewed as the seed of wisdom, therefore when we spend time resting, our field of knowledge will be lush and productive.   

                                             

 “One cannot see one’s reflection in running water, but only in still water.” Chaung Tzu

The colors in these two areas, are of course the calming colors, shades of blues and greens. The beauty of adding color to your home is that it can be done in a myriad of ways. Painting walls, replacing carpeting and new furniture is the most powerful and striking, but can also be the most expensive solution. If these options are prohibitive now, accents of colors can be introduced through flowers, candles, fabrics, and art. Your choices are endless!  Consider your home a blank canvas and you the artist.

Why green and blue?

Green - Some scientists believe that our eyes are at the peak of perception to detect the wavelengths corresponding to green, the shade then calms us down. With less strain to perceive the colors, our nervous system can relax.  It also symbolizes nature and attracts harmonious feelings that can diffuse anxiety. It has been proven that walking in a green environment can induce a significant reduction in heart rate. 

Blue – Psychologists believe that blue is the color of the mind and is essentially soothing.  It is known to lower blood pressure, slow down heart rate, and believed to have a cooling and astringent effect.

                                         

In the Knowledge and Self Cultivation area consider blues, greens, and art representing calm wooded scenes. Remember the calming effect nature has on you. 

                                                     

In the Health/Family/Friends area use blues, greens and bring in art representing floral scenes, or add fresh cut flowers, or flowering plants in all colors. Flowers have a healing property. 

                                                        

When my teacher painted her classroom green, her students felt the calming quality, and it strengthened their learning community.  This can happen to you! Use the power of color and calm your world.

Breathe!

                                                    

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!