Author Archives: bette

How To Create Feng Shui Heaven Luck

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“…My mother gave me drive, but my father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future.”
– Liza Minnelli

With the new moon (new beginnings) coinciding on Father’s Day, June 18, Heaven luck is in abundance to accelerate your fortuity. These two events are like a twin turbocharger, they give power and drive to your focus. And what better way to begin this new moon than to set an intention to enhance your luck and success with an impetus from your father and Heaven.

Do you have memories of when you were a child watching your father disappear five days a week and whatever he did made your life comfortable and stable? Days when he wasn’t absent he would be in deep concentration tinkering in the garage. Maybe he oiled your bike’s chains, fixed the lawn mower, redesigned the kitchen clock or built something extraordinary. Whether  it was work or play he seemed to be an inventor of energy. Your father was tapping into universal problem solving – creatively manipulating energy – he was generating a vortex of impetus, motivation, inspiration and genius to manifest his vision.

In the realm of Feng Shui we can harness those same principles to realize an idea, goal or desire into form by tapping into what the Taoist masters called “the field of Ch’i”. In fact employing Feng Shui design can shorten the length of time it takes to materialize your goals. So if you are looking to:
• Uncover the Muse to stimulate your creative juices.
• Get an idea off the ground.
• Receive help from a mentor to formulate your plan.
• Find a support team to implement a process.
• Solicit a coach who can help you regain your lost momentum.
• Locate a distributor for your product/line of products.
• Connect with business partners to monetize your creation.
• Visualize the opportunities to line up a new career.
• Retain the right attorney to handle a dispute.
• Be accepted into the college of your dreams.
• Make an offer on a house.
Now that you know what it can do, here’s what you can do to activate Helpful People/Heaven gua in your home.

In this sector energy resides in the Unknown and it takes the generative power of the Creative to move it into the world of form. This gua is located in the front left corner of the house as you are standing at the front door facing the street. Whereas Mother resides in the Relationship Gua, Father resides in the Helpful People Gua. If you need some of his courage, a new perspective to be inventive with a problem or realize your potential, this area will help you succeed in your daily life just like your Dad did when confronted with a life situation.

The process of BSTB Feng Shui begins with the aspects that create “The Perfect Cure”. Choosing the right object, choosing the right day, selecting the right hour…It begins with tidying the area and irrigating the Ch’i so the imprint of your intention is strong, effective and devoid of the previous energy’s influence. Begin by clearing the area of only those objects that no longer resonate for you. Release them to be donated, sold or given to friends. Cleanse with orange peels and leave for three days. If you want your adjustment in place sooner than diffuse orange essential oil during the hours of 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Chant if you know a mantra. It opens a portal between Heaven and Earth and draws in benevolent forces from Heaven. The emphasis of this gua is on the qualities that are related to Yang energy, the male principle, Father, the Creative – generative, firmness, durability, persistence, resoluteness, fertilizing the seed.

Now for your artistry. Choose an object that is most appropriate. An image or statue of a five toe (Imperial) dragon (green or gold not red); eight horses running into your home; a painting of the sky; a beloved teacher, a mentor with whom you would like to study; a Father who has had your back; a place that is elevated, like the islands in the Aegean or a Tibetan temple in Nepal or a monastery in China, a basilica/cathedral (dome) in Europe. See in all details what this cure object represents for you and what you wish to create. Identify with its beauty and strength. Don’t  hold back from employing your senses. For emphasis place an adjustment in three areas – your lot, main floor of the house and the bedroom or home office. Enjoy what comes up in your mind as real and certain.

In addition to cure objects there are BSTB ceremonies to magnetize the course of action you wish to take.

• Introducing A Desirable Dream (a method to perform at night)
• Receiving Auspicious Ch’i (wedding Ch’i catapults your dream)
• The Pillow Cure (a cure near the bed is very powerful)
• Planting Auspicious Seeds (sprout new opportunities)
Sharing a ceremony requires receiving red envelopes from you. Please contact me via bette@shenmenfengshui.com if you would like to receive one or all.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.Photo credit: Master1305/Freepik

Feng Shui Mom Tips For You!

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“Mother is the heartbeat in the home; and without her, there seems to be no heartthrob.”
— Leroy Brownlow

Recently I have been feeling into what my mother meant to me. She was a chef, chauffeur, seamstress, storyteller, confidante, but most of all she championed my life. Her devotion, dreams for my journey and her desire that I have opportunities she didn’t have are what I cherish most and it is why who I am today. Her strong shoulders and listening ear built my esteem and inspire me now.

To honor my mom’s beautiful soul and all of you, Moms, I scanned my heart to see what simple tips would offer you something long lasting like the perennial love you share with your family. So for all mothers – new moms, single moms finding their way, mothers who are re-feathering their nest, mothers who have entered the next stage of their life, dads who are mothers, nannas who are mothers to their grandchildren, aunties who have adopted their sibling’s children, moms who mother the creatures of this earth…Thank you for sharing the gift that is you, here are five Feng Shui Mom Tips/gifts for you.

Let Heaven Help You.
Now it’s your turn. Need a good plumber, pronto? An investment adviser? Better yet, want a fab hairstyle or indulge in a Thai massage? Helpful People make your life easier. They reside in a place called Heaven of the Bagua (the eight life situations that influence our lives). Its location is in the front right corner of your home as you face your home from the front door. Activate this area and initiate the momentum for help from all realms to arrive. Support will be there when you need it most. Horses or a dragon, a picture of a deity or beloved mentor, or place an image of a landscape you love to travel to. A sacred object here appropriate to the gua’s meaning will invite unseen forces to fly to your aid.

Live Life In Full Bloom.
Let your life blossom. May is peony season. Considered a heavenly flower, peonies symbolize prosperity, nobility and honor. Put a little extra cash in your purse for a shopping spree or take a week long trip with your girlfriends when you place nine silk peonies in a vase and wish for peace and prosperity (because the vase symbolizes peace). Mount it on a flower stand in the Wealth gua (far left corner of the house) with a lotus, chrysanthemum and plum blossom and you will have “peace and fortune in the four seasons”.

Don’t Let Anything Steal Your Joy!
Give in and let go. Orange zest opens the neural pathways to joy and their meaning connects them with abundance. The citrus smell of orange peels infusing your bath water will uplift your body, soothe your senses, rebalance your energy and clear your mind. Pamper yourself with scented candles, a soft sponge to let water drip over your body and the sound of peaceful music will clear your thoughts. Sip on a cup of chamomile tea to ease any tension remaining from the day.

Show Up For Yourself.
If you’ve been a stay at home mom, are you a little nervous about submitting a resumé? Are you giving an important presentation to a new client? Negotiating a raise? Relax, this dressing tip will bring success. Red is one of the luckiest colors in Chinese traditions, standing for loyalty, success and happiness. Add red accessories to every outfit. Or play it simple, wear a cute bracelet made of red interwoven Chinese knots around your wrist to ward off bad luck.

Mirror Mirror On the Wall. You’re the Luckiest of Them All.
What do you dream about at night? Manifest them with a mirror at the foot of the bed. Contrary to what you may have read about mirrors in the bedroom, a mirror placed on the wall in front of you will expand the possibility of your future. You see the space in front of your bed represents your future and should be deep. In the process of placing the mirror make sure you remove a bench or chest for these pieces of furniture block your chances for good luck and happiness.

Want more than these Five Feng Shui Mom Tips? Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Feng Shui: The Power of the Orchid Flower

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“Recent discoveries in Western Science now add to a growing body of evidence suggesting Beauty is a transformational power…” 
– Gregg Braden

Cloud-like blossoms floating upon a curvilinear repose, where the orchid finds home, its beauty envelopes the space it inhabits and transforms it into an oasis of calm.

If our homes mirror what we wish to be, then the orchid brightens our outlook on life and gives us a sense of a positive future. Known as a symbol of perfection and elegance, an orchid’s presence fosters thoughts of integrity, nobility and cultivating meaningful friendships. If you wish to bring a new relationship into your life, cleanse the air of toxins, want to have a large family or wishing to gift a loved one, the orchid is your ally in your cause.

Looking for a partner? Qualities like refined and elegant will serve you in seeking a mate. Adding the color of the Relationship gua – a pink or purple orchid to this corner – and you have the golden ticket to reaching your relationship desires. But wait there is more…
Want cleaner air? Natural air purifying agents, orchids, especially the Dendrobium orchid improves air quality by stripping airborne xylene and other chemical solvents that are found in cleaning agents, paint supplies and exhausts.

Does anxiety keep you up at night? Besides elevating the oxygen levels in your bedroom, having an orchid there, especially at night, has a positive and relaxing effect. Our worry seems to melt away. Panic attacks and insomnia are virtually non existent.

Desire a large family? Among its qualities of love, beauty, refinement, mature charm, an orchid represents many children. So add an orchid to your bedroom. From Natural Orchid Boutique: the Greek’s believed the orchid is associated with virility. Greek women believed that if the father of their unborn child ate new, large orchid tubers, the baby would be a boy. If the mother ate small orchid tubers, she would give birth to a girl.

Pressured at work? A low ceiling or beam in your home may create low blood pressure, feeling suppressed and unsupported and anxious about future events before they happen. An orchid’s grace, calm and beauty has the Ch’i to lift the occupants’s spirits and this enables them to feel hopeful about their lives. If you have the sense that you are oppressed by your ceiling, place a healthy orchid in that room.

Seeking a gift that celebrates life’s precious moments? Orchids make a wonderful greeting flower. Though roses have been traditionally given as a gift, orchids have enduring qualities which makes them more suitable. Their loveliness cultivates affection and a a sense of security longer than any other floral gift.

Searching for the right color? Here is what each orchid color means.

Red orchids were a flower that enhanced the Aztec’s power and strength. It was their practice to concoct an elixir of chocolate and orchids. Among their many qualities can be added determination, courage, perseverance, desire, passion, and love. Gifting a red orchid to your beloved displays your deep admiration.

Pink orchids signify grace, gentleness, innocence, happiness, playfulness and fertility. In addition to being a wonderful choice for attracting the right partner (see above), they help growing families and expectant mothers celebrate the arrival of their child. Pink orchids are also a great addition to the trimmings for baby showers, baptisms, and even weddings.

White orchids are emblematic of purity, faith, humility, safety, elegance, innocence, and beauty. They are an elegant choice for a wedding floral, in an display in a place of worship or spiritual devotion or to enjoy their symmetry in your home (see above how they relieve anxiety).

Purple orchids have been a symbol of dignity since the Victorian age. The upper class of the 18th century greatly admired their breathtaking blooms and would grow them in their greenhouses. They represent authority, dignity, and royalty. Gifting a friend purple orchids will show your adoration towards the recipient. Besides pink, purple is the color choice to attract the partner who is right for you.

Yellow orchids are happy, and optimistic. Yellow orchids represent friendship, new beginnings, and joy. It is perfect bloom to send to long-distance friends, applaud a new beginning in a close friends’s life or spread hopefulness.

Orange aligns with creativity, excitement, sunshine, and success. Enthusiasm, courage and self-regard are also symbols of the orange orchid. Is a friend  planning a new journey or are you receiving a promotion at work? Bring an immediate boost and inspired look to your office or home.

Green orchids bring auspiciousness and luck. Placing a green orchid in a black planter will bring good fortune, good health and a long life. Sending them to family and friends is a powerful good deed that will boost the effectiveness of your Feng Shui. In the Japanese culture displaying a green orchid in your home or office is believed to bring good fortune into your life and career.

Orchid colors inspired by Welkes

Every wondered how intention works?  “Your brain is not a computer. Your brain is a dynamic system that evolves its patterns of activity rather than computes them like a computer. It thrives on the creative energy of feedback from experiences real or fictional. You can synthesize experience; literally create it in your own imagination. The human brain cannot tell the difference between an “actual” experience and an experience imagined vividly and in detail. This discovery is what enabled Albert Einstein to create his thought experiments with imaginary scenarios that led to his revolutionary ideas about space and time. One day, for example, he imagined falling love. Then he imagined meeting the woman he fell in love with two weeks after he fell in love. This led to his theory of a causality. The same process of synthesizing experience allowed Walt Disney to bring his fantasies to life.” When you place your cures on your altar your intention and visualization transform them into sacred objects.

–Twelve Things You Were Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking,
The Creativity Post

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

What Feminine Energy Does For Your Home

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“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
– Maya Angelou
You deserve every praise for creating a thriving work life; for being the rock for your partner and for sharing your vital wisdom with your children. I am delighted this day honors you and that we women have a month to be recognized.

The women’s movement gave a voice to feminine energy and its power. Today feminine energy is a voice as a creative influence in our homes. When we design with it consciously, it empowers us and gives us freedom. Feminine energy is embedded in the Yin (represented by the dark swoosh of the Tai Chi symbol). It is a subtle, unseen, soft, yielding and receptive power. In the world we live in  its importance lies in reestablishing harmony within ourselves, creating wholeness in our relationships and mindful balance in our communities. The natural world like plants, water features, light and color attune our spaces to the Yin and enables the feminine within us. I want you to have these five Feng Shui Yin cures that I love and believe will spread your shining light.

Worrying about events that are beyond your control leads to stress that may undermine family relationships. The center of your home (Yin) will help you regain inner composure. The feminine loves color. In the transcendental sense stability, focus and calm may be enhanced by adding earth tones like yellow, orange or brown to the center of your home. These colors cultivate a sense of trust in yourself, your ideas and feeling supported by those you love. 

Feeling weakened by illness or lack of energy for intimacy with your partner? The feminine loves green plants. Place nine lush plants in your bedroom. They will refresh your body, brighten your mood and remove clutter from your thoughts. They help you feel grounded, creative and calm. They are easy on the eyes and you can look at them for a long time and not experience eye strain. The color green has a stress-relieving effect. In color psychology, colors of shorter wave lengths relax and cool the human body and mind. Green invests us with tranquility.

Distractions from work may spill over into the home setting, call upon the Yin. The beauty of the bell is in its feminine shape. The clapper striking the hollow cavity inside (Yin) can penetrate your mind with its clear sound. Placing it on the inside front door knob on a nine inch red cord, this blessing may help understanding arise in your heart, helping you to transcend the path of anxiety.  

Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness. (Lao Tzu) The feminine loves water features like a trickling fountain near the front door or a gazing pool in the back yard. Its softness may overcome harsh thoughts. A BSTB Feng Shui wealth cure from Professor Lin. If you have a pool of water and a door or window that views the pool you can pull the water energy (money) across your bed or desk with a mirror and money will flow like water.

Restless or having trouble relaxing at home? Having a room or a certain hour where it’s all your own, you may bring forth what you are. This is the “place of creative incubation” according to Joseph Campbell. He goes on to say “at first you may find nothing happens here. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen. Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again.” The feminine loves a meditation space, or simply an altar to fill its soul with beauty. Create a place to reflect and  just be.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Valentines Day Show Up For Love

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“Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”
– William Longgood
Love, beauty, bliss, commitment, connection, community, relationship are themes of Valentines Day but they are especially compelling this week. What is even better, and this gets me excited, planetary alignments are conversing in a “love signature” that supports going for what we want, what truly feels good and what makes us happy. We may even get swept off of our feet in the experience. Then on the tails of the great Valentines Day is an auspicious opportunity to seed a commitment that will last a long time. We may be prompted to ask: What will this year mean to me? How will I commit a little deeper to myself? To my dreams? To my resources? To my relationship(s)? As you get clear you may ask what can I do to feel supported in my choices?

Through my own participation and helping clients I have experienced the deep, lasting, positive influence of setting a home in balance. I use the Bagua formation because I find it’s a potent resource for mobilizing and supporting personal growth, healing, generating wealth and enhancing relationships. So whatever you are saying Yes to this year I believe Feng Shui design can open to a world of possibilities.

Before we get started with some out of the ordinary adjustments, if your luck has not been good recently, every nine, eighteen or twenty seven days, change the appearance of your furniture arrangement. You are changing the Ch’i using the sense of touch. Your Ch’i will be redirected and revived. If there is bad luck in the house, put a three inch round mirror on the ceiling above the stove and adjust Wealth.
Career (Water)
A water fountain makes a pleasant sound. Water is associated with our ancestry. Our ancestors seeded our DNA and it is their hands holding us up that support our life’s work. The motor continuously activates this gua. And if you have experience some job related predecessor Ch’i, sit on the purple side of the red and purple cushion from the Yun Lin Temple. If you do not have the cushion, sit on a mat that is purple on the upper side.

Knowledge/Self Cultivation (Mountain)
Place a gong, or a wind chime, or a bell, or an image of an archway into a path on a misty morning, perhaps a photo or painting of a mountain. The mountain is a metaphor for climbing the quiet heights within ourselves, to develop our inner knowing and find nourishment for our soul. From this place insights flow.

Family (Thunder)
Find your voice and express it. Thunder travels on the ground. Be open to surprises. This is the place of initiating change. A wooden windmill fosters new beginnings. Or place three bamboo stalks because this trinity represents happiness, wealth, and longevity. If you add a fourth stalk you add stability and power.

Wealth (Wind)
Are you listening to the messages that ride upon the wind? Be gentle with yourself and success will follow. Besides Family, Wealth is also a Wood gua but water lives happily here too. The peony is a flower of wealth, rank and honor. The image of a peony in a vase expresses the wish for prosperity and peace because the vase symbolizes peace. Its fragrance is considered heavenly and the flower is believed to be of divine descent. An aquarium of eight red fish and one black is the balance of Yin and Yang and the power of nine.

Fame (Fire)
The place of brilliance, illumination and consciousness. Express your artistry. Here is a good place to learn for there is always something to learn. An image of a sunset, a rainbow or paint your wall red in the Fame gua. Embrace spontaneity for it is the gateway to the unexpected where all potential exists. Hang an affirmation on the wall, one that is meaningful and inspires your soul such as “I am inspired and I inspire others.” or “I live my dreams with passion and purpose.” Do good for others and your reputation will light up.

Relationship (Earth)
Earth is yielding. When you are receptive, people and opportunities find you. Find pleasure in the subtleties in life. Express diversity of interests. Gather in your community to support you. Generosity is a virtue to cultivate. Create a radiant space for your heart to feel nourished. If you are seeking a relationship, purchase a silk pear tree for either the bedroom or the Relationship gua, for pear, in Chinese, sounds like “partnership” and symbolizes the act of sharing. Or buy  an image of a peach tree for it signifies romantic love. To develop the willingness to be open to another point of view place mirrors opposite one another on either side of the bed. It can be on either side of the bed near the head of the bed or on the walls at the head of the bed and the foot of the bed. As you begin to walk out into the world you more easily feel someone’s Ch’i, be present with them in the moment, understand their point of view, develop the willingness to help and the ability to compromise and develop the compassion that is needed from each and everyone of us to create a brighter world around all of us.

Children (Lake)
In this area lives refinement, fullness, reflection, reason, joy, sensuality and fruition. Where as in Family you began a project, here is in Children you are finishing. If something is left unsaid, a venture is not complete or if you procrastinate, place  a white statue in this area for white is the color of the gua. See the maturation of  your ideas and the joy of your harvest.

Helpful People (Heaven)
Heaven is effortless. In this by gua is the place of synchronicity. Direct your thoughts in such a way they are without effort. Meditate, chant, contemplate and relax.  Dragons are regarded as descending from the Heaven realm. Being a divine, mythical animal, the Dragon, can ward off wandering evil spirits, protect the innocent and bestow safety to all that hold its emblem. The Chinese Dragon is looked upon as the ultimate symbol of Good Fortune. It represents fertility, immortality, happiness, power and wealth. Place the celestial five toed dragon (green or gold) either as a painting in Helpful People or in the Helpful People gua on your desk. Of if you love to travel, hang an image of a place that holds fond memories for you.

The eight trigrams were created as a representation of the thousands of things in the universe. However they still cannot cover everything. What is not covered, is in the center. Go to the center to find what you cannot find elsewhere. As you identify what is needed and the corresponding gua, recall this thought: If you are not sure about which gua, or if you want to be “totally covered”, adjust the center as well.

When you perform a cure, envision that you are at the juncture between heaven and earth and you will receive universal Ch’i to help you overcome all obstacles.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Photo credit: Oceanside

Chinese New Year Rituals. Renew Abundance.

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“We not not only nurture our sacred relationships through ritual, but we are nurtured by them as well, in ritual, we move and we are moved.”
– Alison Leigh Lilly

Here we go again! Another turn of the wheel to begin anew. Chinese New Year is around the corner. This significant event has the agency to deeply move our Ch’i and elevate our life force. Customs, practiced over thousands of years by millions around the world, reset our homes and renew our abundance for the coming year. It’s a hopeful moment when create an advantageous start with Chinese New Year rituals. You and your family will certainly enjoy the delectable foods, fireworks, laughter and fun. Host a reunion dinner and invite friends to bring a good fortune dish that everyone may take home good luck.

The Year of the Yin Water Rabbit begins January 22, 2023. January 21 the rituals begin. Chinese New Year rituals include color, plants, fruit, foods, good luck clothing and auspicious decorations to enliven home and human Ch’i. These rituals’ power lie in the repetition and sincerity in which they are performed. They are simple and most of all easy. Choose as many or as few as you like. There are some that are new to the list this year.

Begin with your front entry. Design it for success and good health. What you display here influences the entire house so add a red item. Red in the Feng Shui metaphor means: happiness, courtesy, respect, power and strength. Your front door represents career and reputation. With that in mind visualize the red object activates your Fame Ch’i.

Traditionally Chinese knots were expected to ward off evil spirits and act as good luck charms. At Chinese New Year Chinese knot decorations are seen hanging on walls, doors of homes and as shop decorations to add some festival feel. Their significance is deeply rooted in Buddhist and Taoist tradition. The Pan Chang knot, for example, is inspired by the Eternal Knot, the Buddhist symbol of the ultimate unity of everything, and one of the “Eight Auspicious signs.” Just like the Eternal Knot, Chinese Knots are made with one single thread; are symmetrical in all directions and have no distinctions between head and tail. Though they are often consider folk art, they embody the fundamental principles of Chinese’s aesthetic and philosophy: symmetry, balance, unity, and interconnections. These qualities are auspicious to bring good fortune into your life.

Display a bowl of oranges in your home and money will come easily. The word for orange (Chengzi) sounds like gold (Jin) in the Chinese language.

Place a platter of tangerines on your dining room table for the saying, “Da ju da li” translates as “May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.” In Asian countries it’s auspicious to place two tangerine trees at the entrance of a home or business but adding the tangerines to your dining room table stimulates your income for the table is the secondary source of your income.

Surround yourself with colorful fruit so that you will have a fruitful year. Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits which mean “to have”. Pineapple sounds like wealth but its real strength is fame, promotion and excellent fortune. You can display the fruit at the front entry, the dining room, even the kitchen.

Brighten your home and your luck with narcissus (daffodils). The Chinese affirm that daffodil and Narcissus bulbs when in bloom during the New Year, bring good fortune and luck to a home. They enliven our Ch’i through the sense of smell. This adjustment calms the nervous system. With a clear mind we gain clear access to our decision making center (intuition).

Prepare a reunion dinner on Chinese Lunar New Year’s eve. The image of the circle is used in food dishes like fish balls. The circle is associated with family. This creates unity, support and continuity. This sense of family unity is called Yuan and underlies all festivals. Yuan means roundness and it suggests the attainment of the Five Fold Happiness (good luck, prosperity, happiness, wealth and longevity). Veggies embody the freshness of “evergreen” and store good fortune in their roots. Support your vitality in the Year of the Water Tiger when you include them in your first meal of the new year. Make a feast and have left overs because left overs symbolize that you’ll have money rolling into the next year. Add a little laughter! Shrimp in the Chinese language sounds like Ha, Ha, Ha and translates as merriment and well being. Joyfulness brings a future of limitless possibility. Cook a whole fish and leave some. Serve longevity noodles and eat them in one long strand (try not to break one or it will shorten your life). Add lettuce for it translates as “growing wealth”. Dumplings, jiao zi look like golden ingots. They promise wealth and prosperity. Serve nian giro, a sticky rice pudding cake which is symbolic of helping people “advance toward higher positions and prosperity step by step”. Make the evening uplifting and happy; include music and play games with your children, tell jokes and laugh.

Serve an even number of dishes (like eight) to bestow “double happiness” on the family.

“Avoid cutting the luck of the year” by putting your knives and scissors away before Chinese New Year eve evening, January 21. Schedule a hair trim or mani/pedi before Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Refrain from cursing on New Year’s Day because letting your tongue fly will affect your luck for the entire year. One day of restraint could mean you’ve mastered your impulses and that can bring more opportunities than you might realize. However if you do inadvertently curse say “Tong yen woo chi!” to reverse the affect.

Slumber not before midnight on Chinese Lunar New Year’s eve to ensure good luck will cross your threshold. The sound of sleepiness in Chinese is similar to trouble. Sleepless means no trouble in the coming year.

Keep the Goddess of Poverty away  “Fu” means “good fortune” or “happiness” and is represented both as a Chinese ideograph and its homophone, a bat. Placing the image of a bat (Lan Su Garden in Portland, Oregon was constructed with five bats roof tiles) or the image of “Fu” at your front entry clearly sets the intention to invite good fortune into your life.

Bring one new item such as furniture, décor or art into your home and business to stimulate prosperity Ch’i and to compound your sheng Ch’i (beneficial energy). In addition give away one item or more. This leaves both physical and symbolic space for good fortune.

Throw away china, crockery or glassware that are broken, chipped or have hairline cracks, these augur bad luck.

Break a cup or plate (or anything) during New Year say “Fall to the floor and burst into bloom!”

Dress in “up-beat” clothing or buy new clothes for the first day of the New Year.

Carry newly circulated bills: whatever your pocketbook will allow, either nine new one dollar bills or nine new twenty dollar bills.

Purchase a new bill fold for man or a new pocketbook for a woman. In BSTB tradition, black symbolizes water which is equivalent to money. Red is also auspicious to carry. Add a bit of green that stays in the item so your money doesn’t burn up.

Benming Nian – meeting your zodiac year.
One would think that your zodiac year would be a good one. On the contrary, Chinese traditional belief is that your benming nian is going to be full of bad luck. So if it’s your year (Rabbit. Dragon and Rooster are in offending positions to the Year God so they will benefit too), you need to take a few precautions to ensure that your year  is not a bad one.

To ward off any dangers that might befall you in your benming nian, it is traditionally believed that it helps to wear the color red. Red is one of the luckiest colors in Chinese traditions, standing for loyalty, success and happiness. You’ll see red all over the place during traditional Chinese festivals and particularly Chinese New Year: red lanterns, red envelopes, red paper hangings. When it comes to decorations, just about everyone is red and ornamented in gold.

If you believe in this, wear red every day, all year long. You can go big: add red accessories to every outfit. Or you can play it simple, wear a cute bracelet made of red interwoven Chinese knots around your wrist tow ward off bad luck.

Make amends with anyone with whom you’ve had a row or falling-out.

The first New Year Day everyone dines on a vegetarian meal to honor one’s ancestors. Then the family dresses in their finest clothes and visits older family members, paying respect, taking along gifts of Mandarin oranges and sweets of all kinds generally offered in a “tray of togetherness”. It is also customary to hand out hong bao (red envelopes with new bills or coins) to family members and friends of any age, who are single and unmarried.

The devoted Dog is the Hare’s secret best friend. In the Year of the Yin Water Rabbit it is auspicious to carry a three dimensional Dog with you. “Chinese folk culture believes that when Rabbit and Dog meet, it will bring forth wealth and nobility.”
– Khadro Crystal Chu
The ardent Dog favors jade, boxwood or bone. Enjoy the inspiration this match brings!

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Kitchen Design Starts With Feng Shui

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“My kitchen is a mystical place, a kind of temple for me. It is a place where the surfaces seem to have significance, where the sounds and odors carry meaning that transfers from the past and bridges the future.”
– Pearl Bailey

Growing up the smell of cornbread stuffing buttered the air at Thanksgiving. White flakes of coconut and red cherries buoyed among bits of fruit and cream in Mom’s prized crystal bowl. Good china served up turkey, browned buns from the oven and fresh cooked string beans from the stove. The love poured into this meal made the kitchen hum and warm conversations wafted throughout the house. The kitchen is the hub for all of life’s happenings. We prep our meals and plan our lives here. It is the sacred space where we quietly listen to our thoughts over morning coffee and console the hurts of family members after dinner. We celebrate milestones and receive endearing hugs among the pots and pans and crockery. It is the domaine for all our life’s stories.

Kitchen design has a profound effect upon our emotions, our hopes and our successes. The nature of this room offers opportunities for closeness and having real conversations. The strength of this bonding time creates a feeling of safety and helps us to gather our confidence and walk with our heads held high across the threshold and into the world. To modern sensibility it’s influence is seemingly imperceptible, but it has the power to influence our choices and destiny.

If your past holidays have been peppered with tension, I encourage you to try the following Feng Shui adjustments that, I believe, will help bolster any troubled waters and in the process help you uncover levity too. Not all may pertain, but I still encourage you to note, “the kettle is singing even as it pours you a drink”. Choose what fits your home’s design and decor. I wish for you a very happy holiday.

The best placement for the kitchen is behind the midline of the house. Too close to the front door and a parent may be eating in someone’s kitchen. This placement threatens the family’s stability. If you have this arrangement, a convex mirror placed on a wall behind the front door will pull the kitchen back into the house and your partner will come home. Be sure to use a strong visualization.

Select pleasing colors according to your home’s palette and your personal aesthetics but keep these Feng Shui and Five Element principles in mind while choosing. According to Professor Lin Yun white is the best color for the kitchen. It shows off the colors of the food. White, the color of the Metal element, is compatible with the kitchen’s basic element fire (fire overcomes or melts metal). Avoid all black kitchens because black, the water element, destroys fire. Do not choose red or there will be too much heat and the cook will always be hot tempered. Red and black accents are fine. Apple green is a color that signifies hope and the vitality of spring.

Contrary to what you may have read or heard, the refrigerator has a motor that generates heat, it is not a cooled water element. This does not present a problem to the stove. Best placement for the sink is across from the stove not adjacent.

The stove is the key to family prosperity and harmony. It has a significant role as wealth generator, creating family unity and keeping us free from legal trouble. When we lovingly prepare our food it nurtures us, our lives become fuller and we manage what life delivers with ease and grace.

If you stand at the stove and face a wall then you either turn your head left or right to see what is going on behind you. This takes you off balance. Over time your body will conform to this unconscious posture that influences your attitude where you may feel out of control and ill at ease. You may experience a downturn in finances or plain bad luck. In regards to the stove placement, you want to see what is going on behind you by placing a mirror on the wall in front of you. It should be the width of the stove and ideally doesn’t cut off the top of the tallest person in the household when you look into the mirror. Some stoves have a microwave above, if this is your arrangement then place a convex mirror (which takes in a 160 degree view). Visualize your heart trouble resolving and an upswing in your finances.

When the stove is under a microwave or collection of pots, this not good kitchen design. The ability to make money will be oppressed. Either remove the microwave and pots or place a wind chime over the position where the cook stands at the stove. For the microwave alone, place a three inch round mirror under it with the reflective side facing down towards the burners. It will transcendentally lift the Ch’i.

If members in your family argue a lot, especially about money, you may see your finances diminish. There is a kitchen design detail that influences this conflict: the stove is in line with two doors on either side. Adjust this inauspicious placement by hanging a 40 mm faceted crystal or wind chime on both sides of the stove between the door and the stove.

When there are two levels to a home, there is the possibility that a bathroom can be built over the kitchen, this is typical in older homes. When a toilet sits over the stove, the family’s health and finances are in jeopardy. You can place a mirror, facing down, on the floor behind toilet. It will lift the image of the stove, transcendentally removing the toilet.

If you see a kitchen as you step through the front door there will be digestive upset. This can cause money problems. You can have strange, odd or unexplained diseases/illnesses. Draw the eyes elsewhere with color, art, sound or greenery. Or divert the eyes traveling directly into the kitchen by placing a 40mm crystal hung on a red cord between the front door and the kitchen to lift the Ch’i and the life of the family members affected. To ease the symptoms of a stomach ache: wear the colors red and/or yellow (the colors of Fire and Earth in the Chinese Five Element System).

If the kitchen door is overwhelming the door of the bedroom of a person who is struggling with an eating disorder, that’s a problem. The kitchen can swallow that bedroom and, in a sense, swallow that person’s resolve to get better. That eating disorder can get even worse. The cure may seem odd but it is a mirror on the big door to pick up the image of the smaller door so that you have two bedrooms. Instead of a kitchen swallowing up a bedroom or a bathroom swallowing up a bedroom. If there is no door in the kitchen. Hang a crystal ball. if the larger door is on the bedroom there is not a problem.

A bathroom across from a kitchen is difficult kitchen design. I worked with a client who had this inauspicious kitchen design. She called me because she knew the Feng Shui was “off”  in her home. A bathroom is symbolic of a family’s expenses, so it should not face a kitchen which is symbolic of a family’s wealth. The result is money loss of all kinds. Money drains away as if going down the toilet.

My heart is smiling because you give life your best. May love and joy continue to surround you everyday. And keep creating beauty! It feeds our souls in a myriad of ways.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Bedroom Checklist For Back To School

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“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.”
– B.B. King
Curiosity, self reliance and happiness are life long pursuits that will help your child succeed on their journey to adulthood and the space that supports their growth is the bedroom. A child’s bedroom shapes their belief system, their personality, confidence, their relationship to you, their peers, authority figures and how well they project their ideas about success. The key is creating an ambience that supports the 3 Rs: enrichment, relaxation and results. I have shared several of these in Let Your Child’s Genius Out. I have added several more back to school bedroom tips that help your child start the school year right.

Where to begin.
Your child’s bedroom is their personal realm to imagine, sleep, study, play, entertain their friends and discover who they are. Because they spend a good portion of time here, creating a meaningful arrangement will help them feel optimistic and realize their potential. Help them go back to school the right foot with these bedroom tips that enrich their space.

What to arrange.
Where your child’s bed is placed influences their ability to wake up alert. When the bed is in “command position” it is on the opposite diagonal corner to the bedroom door with the door in clear sight. This bed arrangement offers an overall view of the space, giving them a sense of control. It encourages relaxation, feeling safe and protected.

Theme bedrooms are fun however make sure there is space under the bed. Ch’i needs to circulate. A bed on the ground conducts yin Ch’i and the potential for unexplained illness.

If the desk in the designated area for your child’s studies faces a wall, their back is to the door. This shifts their attention to what is going on behind rather than on the homework in front of them. To remedy the distraction, place a clear (not smokey) one piece framed mirror on the wall in front of their desk. They will have a sense of focus and that will spur them to pay attention to what is going on in front of them. This mirror placement also expands the space reflecting back a positive self-image. And when it’s bedtime, check that the computer is covered.

Why keep the space in front of the bed clear.
The space in front of your child’s bed represents their future. Remove tall footboards, chests, chairs, even a couch. This establishes at an early age confidence that the future is bright and promising. Keep this area clear as much as possible.

Which colors work best.
If you want your child to feel calm yet energized, light blues and greens are soothing, restful colors. Green specifically stimulates growth, health and focus. Your child can look at green for a long time and not get eye strain. Blue emits a sense of well-being. It cools down energy. If your child cannot settle down before going to bed or they are prone to feeling frustrated or angry, paint the walls soft blue or add accents in their room. Earth tones help your child’s emotions come to rest if they experience mood swings.

What to do to encourage a positive outlook.
Electronics are an inevitable part of modern living but long exposure to a young, developing brain can affect a good night’s sleep and create mental stress plus nerve damage that leads to more serious consequences. A distance of four feet reduces the effect of harmful EMF energy (electromagnetic field). If you want to be completely electronic free you can purchase a kill switch that turns off all electronic devices.

Designate a space for achievement by hanging up your child’s awards and certificates where they can easily see and enjoy them. Admire their artwork with them. Place a poster board where it will be seen upon entering the room for your child to pin their artwork, cherished posters and photos with friends from favorite events.

Sha Ch’i aka knife edges are corners and angles that point at your child when they enter the room, study at their desk or sleep in bed. The brain and body’s reaction is one of feeling criticized or in danger. A faceted crystal will soften a jutted corner of a wall and if the corner of a desk is directed at your child’s head while they sleep, soften the corner with a scarf or a plant that trails (a philodendron works well).

How to calm your child’s nervous system.
If your child has attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity disorder, the following may calm their nervous system and reduce stress.
– Tone down the light in the room.
– Use color, specifically light brown, gray, dark purple, deep red or green. Keep the colors “mild”.
– Add nine pots of plants and perform the Flower Cure (for 27 days; red envelopes requested).
– Use the sense of touch by placing an object that feels different and will be felt throughout the day. It may wake up your child’s Ch’i.
– Play mellow music continuously.
– Play gentle chanting in the background.
– Or create something that when touched will create a sound. The sound may actually calm the child.

What creates a feeling of being stuck.
Should there be a wall when entering their bedroom (from the closet jutting out) a child may feel blocked, lose confidence and situations in their life become difficult. It feels like they are working hard and seeing no results. Place a full length mirror or a mirror that covers the head to the chest of the tallest person in the house on the wall to expand the space.

When your child feels unstable
If your child’s bedroom is over a garage, reach out to me, bette@shenmenfengshui.com

How to help your child feel safe (a secret method) when going back to school.
Cut a red string 9,” 18,” or 27” around the neck, wrist, or other part of the body, making sure the ends are tied together. Place under your pillow for nine nights and each night set your intention for this protection cure. Red is auspicious.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Bedroom Design by B. Burns Design

How To Choose Good Feng Shui Real Estate

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“A house is built with walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Good Feng Shui real estate will bring you wealth, good fortune and an auspicious life in any financial climate. If you are looking to purchase a home for your family or invest in real estate during this inflationary time your best choice is to find a house that either faces or is embraced by or is backed by water. It can be natural or man made. From the beginning water has served land and mankind. A river enriches the land and brings profits to the landowners. On the energy level well circulated Water Ch’i enhances the livelihood of the residents because it symbolizes money. When you choose to build or buy near water you are choosing an auspicious relationship. However if you are wealth building minimize your risks by enhancing your structure with a BSTB Feng Shui adjustment that draws money into your residence and expands your finances. It is a water cure that brings the power of water right into your dwelling and into your bank account (nine red envelopes requested to share the cure).

But not all water configurations are auspicious, some relationships between a home (this includes a condo or office building) and water are detrimental. Use your intuition and act wisely. Stay away from those, they will rob you of your earnings. Take note, if you are in a situation and you are experiencing a huge outlay of capital, I invite you to familiarize yourself with these Feng Shui features and reach out to me to correct the inauspicious relationship these generate.
If a home:
• faces a river, this is good and the residents will enjoy wealth.
• the distance from the river and the height of the house should ideally be twice the home’s height. If the house is small, the foundation may be undermined by the river Ch’i and the occupants will be affected by illness. If the house is large and high, this is considered well balanced with the river.
• faces a waterfall brings good fortune.
• faces a river that creates a u-shape around it will enjoy wealth, the house is embraced by water.
• faces away from a river is not fortuitous. The residents may see opportunities but will not be able to grasp them.
• front door is facing a river this is good. But if it predominately flows away, the residents will suffer financial losses.
• faces an embracing river that has an equally strong tributary flowing away is unstable Ch’i. On the one hand, the occupants can see success, on the other they cannot reach it. The embracing river brings luck however the occupants will have to struggle, yet in the end they will succeed.
• sited above a convergence of streams with an island in front (should the house be backed by a gentle hill) this is good. However a steep hill will alter the occupant’s luck.
• in a bay is best. Money will flow in. If a home is sited on a peninsula it will be good for family wealth, but if it’s overly exposed to the elements, money will be hard to hold on to.

If you have no desire to buy nor move, there are water adjustments that will help you stay afloat. Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported, where money flows and where happiness grows. I am available for a full consultation service  or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.
Photo credit: www.susanteare.com

Feng Shui Self Care. Create An Oasis Of Calm.

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“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings you joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”
– Jean Shinoda Bolen

It’s Cancer season and this July 13 super moon is marinading us with extra emotions and super sensitivity. If you are empathetic to the feelings of persons in your circles in general and susceptible to your loved ones’ moods especially in close quarters of your home, this may deplete your personal resources. Focusing on your well-being will recover your inner harmony because let’s be real, prolonged periods of stress will permeate other areas of your life like your career and relationships. Self care is making your body and mind pleasant places to inhabit by filling your cup first and the season is calling for extra self care. These simple, quick Feng Shui tips unify your mind, body and emotions. May these adjustments help you create an oasis of calm to get you through.

Transform your entry.
Emotions can run away with any member of the household when these features are at the front door: a blocking wall; a contrary door; a Mandarin Duck Stairway or split at the front entry. Stairs leading out the front will lead to health issues (especially the heart) and financial stress. If one of these details are present in your front entry, adjust it first so when you place an enhancement it offers optimal refreshment. A water feature is ideal especially if your front door is in the middle. “Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness.” – Lao Tzu. The sound of water trickling, ions permeating the air, the lilting movement of Ch’i  will soothe tense nerves. Its music can permeate the household spreading joy and ease. 

Center yourself.
Worry and stress are sometimes beyond our control. If you give too much you may not feel supported. Go to the center of your home to regain your inner composure. Adding earth colors like yellow, orange or brown to the center of your home creates stability, focus and calm. These colors cultivate a sense of trust in yourself, your ideas and feeling supported by those you love. As the well of trust deepens you become trustworthy. Rapport among family and friends becomes unified and you might find harmony abides more easily. 

Replenish your soul.
Claim an area in your home. Make it just for you. Size does not matter. It could be a room or a chair, it’s your sacred space to get away from everyone and everything and let go, let down, retreat into your inner sanctum to recharge. “Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again.” – Joseph Campbell. Choose soft fabrics to hang or drape. Create an altar with candles, incense burner, essential oil diffuser and natural objects like feathers, rocks and shells. Choose what is meaningful to you. Consider placing an object that is related to your spiritual practice. Color is essential. What will you choose? Purple transforms on a higher level. It relaxes the nervous system and has a calming mental effect. Pink opens the heart. Green refreshes your body and spirit. It can help you feel grounded, creative and calm. Yellow enlivens your health. Display an image or images of the ocean, mountains, lakes, meadows, gardens, spiritual teachers, mentors, deities or angels and you’ll create an ambiance for harmony and reverence that will help you cope.

Grow your relationship with extra oxygen.
A plant’s life force is their gift to us. The respiration they share is subtle but palpable. Sit in a room where there are plants and get quiet. They emit sweetness. Their community is dependent on the interchange of energy among each other. Ever notice that a grouping of plants thrive better? It is a value we humans also share. Needing help with your relationship? Want better communication and more love? Place fruiting or flowering plants in your bedroom. Nine is a favorable number, it’s a synonym for longevity in the Chinese language.

Freshen the airways of your home.
Another self care favorite to bring more Ch’i into my space is citrus for its bright, clarifying qualities. A natural citrus (orange or lemon or lime) air freshener can shift your mood immediately. And if you are having a discussion that is getting heated have a bowl of oranges on your dining room table or nearby. Orange has a hint of auspiciousness and brings good fortune. When you slowly peel the orange, the zest will emit its essential oil from the skin and lift emotions that are spiraling.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Photo credit: Vitacost