Feng Shui Tips That Keep Your Head Above Water

“Never bend your head. Always hold it up high. Look the world straight in the eye.”
– Helen Keller

October 20 new moon, curious, passionate, humanitarian Pig stepped onto the horizon. Amazingly patient and strong willed, they root through challenges without fear. When they put their mind onto a troublesome situation they stay with it until resolved. A shui (water) animal their keen resilience and survival instincts help them persevere in difficult situations.

Natural disasters have overwhelmed our trust in the future but we have a champion to lead us into new territory. A super curious zodiac sign, develop your super power of curiosity, in particular, the pursuit of new knowledge (a favorite Pig pastime). Look around. Look under the rocks. Creative people are making positive change with inventions that are of service to humanity. Compassion and commitment are calling upon us to make a difference. Will you accept the challenge? Enjoy the month!

Chinese winter will begin November 7. Nourish your Ch’i until February 16, 2018 (Chinese Lunar New Year of the Dog) with Feng Shui tips that keep your head above water.

Stay hydrated. Eat dark foods like black beans, black sesame seeds and black walnuts. Include foods from water like fish, shellfish, seaweed and kelp. Eat soup or drink broth. The Kidney is your natal battery and the root that fulfills your deepest needs: survival and reproduction. When Kidney Ch’i is strong, you are clear and able to articulate your thoughts and feelings. Life’s transitions are more easily processed.

Address stress in your life. Kidney Ch’i becomes easily depleted by stress. Practice any one of the following: Tai Ch’i, Qigong, yoga and meditation. Making time for water activities like a quiet bath will benefit your Kidney Ch’i and restore your equilibrium.

Confront life situations where you are fearful. Fear is the lower emotion of Water/Kidney Ch’i. Journal daily. Examine where you feel you need to be right. Make a commitment to live consciously and in the present moment.

Balance rest with work and daily activities will boost your vitality. Adequate sleep nourishes your Kidney Ch’i. Arrange the Feng Shui in your bedroom to help your body let down and rejuvenate. Place your bed in command position to the bedroom door. Remove unnecessary electrical equipment to eliminate electromagnetic energy. Choose bed linen colors that are health sustaining like green and soft blue.

Add nine plants to your front entry. Plants are life force and vivify your Ch’i. In Feng Shui, the front door, the mouth of Ch’i, represents your career, reputation, Helpful People and health. 

Chinese winter “Li Dong” begins November 7. Celebrate with dumplings and if you eat meat, prepare a dish of chicken, duck or fish. As you make ready for the cold months that lie ahead, this astrology guide can help you in your decisions and actions. Rat: you will worry as much as you are joyful. Be mindful of being overly proud and refrain from being arrogant in the happy occasions in your life. Don’t be greedy. Stay clear of gossip and dispute. Ox: this is a mutual offensive month. All your endeavors will be one step short of success. Examine your motives if you are being competitive or overly calculating. Stay away from gossip. Focus on relaxing your mind and you will be free, free to attract what you desire. Tiger: this is an auspicious month of three harmony. The stars are favoring your every move. Be humble and amicable, know your place and be content. By keeping your restraint in check and exerting caution, you will attract luck, peace and auspiciousness in all areas of your life. Rabbit: this is a six harmony month, you have lots of lucky stars guiding you. Helpful People will be at your side. You will have good timing and opportunities. Peach Blossom Luck is favored with the opposite sex, be mindful it does not turn into Peach Blossom Menace. Dragon: this is a “direct conflict” month and luck is scarce. Look around, stay aware, be cautious and mindful in your transactions.  Watch out for scoundrels. Stay away from gossip and rumors so as not to be blamed for something you did not do. Snake: there is an undercurrent flowing beneath the smooth surface. Accept negative circumstances with grace. Don’t blame yourself for circumstances. If you are suspicious of others it will be counterproductive. Avoid quarrels with your beloved this creates a vacuum for a third party. Horse: there may be unfortunate circumstances embedded in good fortune but don’t lose heart. Take care of your personal relationships. You will feel more supported. Don’t over think as it will cause worries about gains and losses. Ram: your plans are not going you planned. In your personal relationships try not to read too much into the behavior of the other. Relax and go with the flow. Watch for disasters. Host a celebration to ward off inauspicious events. Monkey: exercise caution with your money and finances. If you are seeking new friendship, be selective. Be patient when you face adverse situations. Rooster: the luck of the month is “mutually offensive”. Events in your life do not go smoothly. You may end up taking the blame, avoid that attitude. There is interpersonal disharmony among those you work with and your family. When you have confrontations, chant The Heart Calming Mantra. Dog: prosperity will be high this month where money is coming from common and uncommon sources. Try to hold on to it, you need not spend it because you have it. Don’t start gossip and don’t get involved with it. Pig: your luck is not favored this month. You will find not all of your plans will go as you expected. With your partner you may find your relationship has stalled. Be patient. This month don’t get trapped by details and lose sight of the big picture. If you request a cure from this forecast, I will ask you to honor the red envelope tradition. Have a great month, Zodiac friends! 

Thank you to Khadro Crystal Chu, Black Sect Esoteric Buddhist Feng Shui for your unfailing command of Feng Shui and Chinese metaphysics.

Have you decided this will be your year? “Boldness has genius”. Start with one hour of 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.

Year Of The Fire Rooster. Craft The Ultimate 2017.

“As the new year energy crosses your threshold there is a moment of transition, a pause, which will be an opportunity to place inspiration and good fortune on your path. Seize the moment.”
– Marina Lighthouse

Engaging, charismatic, compassionate and enthusiastic, the fearless Fire Rooster steps onto the zodiac stage January 28, 2017. Be prepared to awaken to your divine spark. This year you will be inclined to gather around the home fires, where you draw upon your insight, feel the succor of intimacy, quiet your busy mind with solitude and as the indigo night descends, harmonize with your family and friends.

Facing an uncertain year, cultivating diligence, reliability and strength stabilizes the ups and downs. We see these qualities in the crimson-capped proud Rooster who performs his diurnal dawn patrol. Flying to the highest peak, proudly throwing out his chest and with his kikeriki seizing the rosy dawn, he motivates his comrades to take charge of the day. The Chinese believe it is the Rooster’s crow that loosens the divine spark within us. A spark that awakens the virtues of courage, perseverance, efficiency, generosity and punctuality.

Inventing solutions that create a break through in energy renewal, real estate, construction, high tech, textiles, communication and entertainment will receive the green light. This is the year to emulate the Rooster’s virtues of commitment and hard work to get the payoff you desire.

Wasting energy in this reality-show-kind-of-year is not what you will find the Fire Rooster doing. Fire atop Metal is Fire conquering Metal. You will see drama, possible explosions, perhaps witness bigger than life conflict. However don’t let yourself be paralyzed by what is beyond your control. See the drama for what it is–a reshuffling of an old paradigm that is going extinct. In your personal life walk away from what no longer serves you.

Make this a year of balance between achieving your goals, living your values and enjoying your life when you seize the moment to craft the ultimate 2017. I encourage you to think outside your usual strategies and goal setting. Be generous with yourself: create moments of peace, seconds of hope, hours of stability and days of flexibility. For these are the building blocks of self-love and true happiness. When you take care of yourself, you can give to others. I have created the 2017 Fire Rooster Playbook of Feng Shui Strategies that I believe will invite good fortune over your threshold and good luck into your home.

Position Yourself On Solid Ground. – Improve Your Feng Shui
Your front door, bed, desk and stove are populated with your energy and your family’s. Because these areas receive lots of use, their placement and condition is important to your well-being. Here are some Feng Shui guidelines you may have forgotten or did not know. If you do not use the front door, it can cause a sense of suffocation in the house. And you will lack health Ch’i, wealth Ch’i and all kinds of Ch’i. Open your front door once or nine times a month. If shoes clutter the entrance, this attracts chaos. Purchase a cute cubby to arrange your well-heeled foot gear and start the year on the right foot. If you are prone to headaches or find you get overlooked at work, brighten your entry with the maximum wattage that won’t blow a fuse. Visualize you are receiving recognition for your outstanding job. Your stove represents how you attract money. A microwave, over your stove oppresses your wealth Ch’i. Remove it or place a 3″ round mirror on the hood, over the stove to lift up the hood. Lack of command at the bed and desk can create an inability to see both opportunity and trouble coming. You miss out on support and good advice. “Command position” places you where you can see what is coming through the door and take charge of your affairs. Nurture your partnership with a headboard, it connects the two sides of the bed and you and your partner. 

Pay It Forward – Do Kind Deeds
If you do nothing else, this is the adjustment to perform. It comes from His Holiness, Grandmaster Lin Yun and it’s a great secret to a successful life: perform a good deed every day. By helping another person, you shift, not only their reality, but yours as well. A kind deed will improve your luck, lift your esteem and change your circumstances. This creates an opportunity to place good fortune on your path. For emphasis do nine good deeds a day and if you need a boost, perform twenty seven good deeds in one day. But remember that your sincerity is the most important part.

Awaken To Wholeness – Perform Sacred Rituals
BSTB Feng Shui ceremonies are an integral part of beginning anew. They remove the dust of past deeds, attune our hearts, call out our appreciation of the inner space and bestow blessings on what is to come. Taking time to prepare the ground of our home allows what is to come to fully materialize.

Bad Luck Cure: If an entire household is troubled by lots of inauspicious events, do the following: Buy a new black pen and red paper. Or purchase cinnabar ink and buy yellow paper. Cut a circle in 3 inches to 5 inches in diameter. In Chinese or English, write, “One good deed wards off one thousand evil spirits.” Place the charm in a conspicuous location. Complete with the Three Secrets Reinforcements (red envelopes requested for the Three Secrets Reinforcements).

Enact New Year Ceremonies – Invite Prosperity And Fortune
Cultural Chinese Lunar New Year Eve ceremonies: The Five Fold Happiness https://shenmenfengshui.com/articles/the-meaning-behind-chinese-lunar-new-year/

Join the party January 28, 2017. Besides making a “lucky eight” foods dinner, perform BSTB ceremonies to bless your home and invite good fortune. Revel in “Welcoming the Wealth Gods” into your home. Delight in peeling away bad luck during “the Golden Cicada” ceremony and jump up for joy when you throw the orange peel as the clock strikes 12:00 a.m. during “Changing the Ch’i…You will receive these + two bonus cures in the “Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet”+ Two Bonus Cures and the Three Secret Reinforcements. The packet is normally $36. I have discounted to $27 + nine red envelopes. My way of saying, “Thank you!” Payment by check and red envelopes need to arrive at my doorstep by January 19, 2017 to ensure your mailing will arrive in time. Contact me: bette@shenmenfengshui.com for details. 

Set Your Intentions – Make Known What Is In Your Heart.
When making Feng Shui adjustments to your home, visualize your intention for the cure. Calm your mind and see as many details as possible and create the process from beginning to end. This allows the cure to be more real. All things are created twice. First we create something in our minds, then we find a way to bring our creation into the third dimension. The clearer we can visualize our intention the more easily it is to bring it in. What is held in your heart is so powerful that even if you make a mistake with pronunciations or hand gestures the intention and visualization is still more powerful. Intention is always more powerful than form. As long as your intentions are clear your cures will work.

Carry The Animal Talisman For The Year – Offset Bad Luck.
The theory behind getting a new charm every year is that buying something new symbolizes a fresh start and new opportunities are coming your way. The ancient Chinese did not celebrate Christmas, but instead the Spring Festival which celebrates the importance of family. During the two week festival beginning at Chinese Lunar New Year they give little gifts for good luck. In the Year of the Fire Rooster, it is Dragon who is Rooster’s good friend, for it is said when Rooster and Dragon come together “the joy of this encounter is enough to offset any bad luck that the year may harbor.” As a transcendental cure: carry a three dimensional representation of a Dragon (made of boxwood, porcelain, bone or jade) with you during the year, either in your pocket, purse, on your wrist or around your neck.

Wan Shi Ru Yi – May Everything Go As You Wish!
H.H. “Professor” Lin Yun’s commentary on the 2005 Rooster year still applies today. He urges to keep the five virtues (literate, courageous, compassionate, trustworthy and punctual) of Rooster close at heart and to teach it to one’s young. Encourage them to be reliable and true to their word, to be fearless and to be devoted to their jobs. Encourage them to sober up as the Rooster announces the coming of dawn. However tumultuous the times, however great the setback, one needs to be encouraged to work hard and work one’s way out of the problems we face – hopefully this will be a productive year for all. 

Have you decided this will be your year? “Boldness has genius”…start with one hour of 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.