Feng Shui Miracles

“Always throw split salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck and fall in love whenever you can.”
– Unknown

Eighteen years ago Feng Shui opened my eyes to a world of energy that lies below our awareness yet has the power to impact our environment, our relationships, our attitude and our future. It also produces miracles when nurtured. How do I know? Barbara’s story tells it best.

Barbara had fallen in love with a craftsman style home here in Portland and wanted to get started right away on aligning the energy with her lifestyle. Before the sale was finalized she requested a Feng Shui consultation. I gave her ideas about her home’s design but before I left we stepped into the backyard. I saw the entangled Ch’i from the previous owner’s neglect: the dark, overgrown vegetation; broken, rotting fence and the presence of hungry ghosts.

Aware of how it looked she wasn’t aware of what it meant and when I shared this, her eyes got very big. Instead of reacting Barbara dug in (literally for ten months) to do what she needed to create the paradise she envisioned. Once she moved she asked me to return to perform space blessings. I brought my ceremonial bowl, rituals, mantras, prayers and she supplied the high proof liquor, the rice, the special powders and the intention to bless her property. Together we made what we call in BTB Feng Shui “sacred food” to feed the “hungry ghosts” because Barbara was determined to start on the right foot.

We walked the property, chanted blessings and offered sacred food all the while asking the spirits to be well fed and leave, or stay and be helpful friends. Pretty uneventful until we stepped into the backyard where I tripped on “air”, the bowl flipped out of my hands and the rice went flying. A trickster hungry ghost had no intention of leaving. Fortunately we retrieved most of the rice, I got my composure back and we persevered. It nearly happened a second time. This was definitely a tenacious spirit. After we completed the ceremonies, I suggested that Barbara perform this same one over the next two days to strengthen the work we had done.

Before I continue I believe it’s important to share a synchronous moment prior to my arrival. As I was driving to Barbara’s home a crow flew alongside my car at my head height for a good distance. After I left the consultation, I consulted the I-Ching and shared with Barbara what I had received: Hexagram 27, what Willhelm Baynes calls“The Corners of the Mouth” (Toltec I-Ching calls it “Trusting Intuition”)
The Judgement explained:
The corners of the mouth.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Pay heed to the providing of nourishment.
And to what a man seeks
To fill his own mouth with. 

Crows are shape shifters, their presence helped us shape shift the land. Barbara replied. “There was a really big energy shift right after I finished the last ceremony yesterday and in the morning crows were in in my front yard eating the rice! I got the sense they were taking it to another dimension, helping to shift and transform the energies.”

Over the months Barbara and her husband nourished the land with blessing ceremonies, cleared gnarly areas, removed invasive species, installed a new fence, met with the neighbors and planted their dream garden. Throughout they resolved to keep their hearts in the right place, be good stewards and be a positive influence for the neighborhood. 

And it worked!
Ten months later here are a few of what Barbara calls her “miracles”and what Feng Shui  would call “good fortune”. “We felt a huge shift once we put the plants in the area where the blueberries are. We met the owner of the apartments and it turns out we have a lot in common and he’s very much on board for cleaning up. During the time we were out of town, he removed the trees along the fence line and cleared out the brambly mess. He thought he might put up a storage shed but also mentioned selling the property. He told us it was his health that has kept him working on it. Another miracle: is before we moved here I wished that a yoga studio would be walking distance from my house. A new yoga studio opened nearby! And so far, I’ve liked every teacher. And it’s a few minutes walk from my house!”

I never underestimate the power of Nature to communicate and that all we need to do is open our hearts to Ch’i and listen with my eyes to discover miracles.

Happy Summer Solstice! May summer hold miracles for you.

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.

Five Holiday Giving Ideas That Reclaim The Spirit Of The Season.

“You’ve always had the power, my dear. You’ve had it all along. You are capable of more than you know.”
– Glinda, The Good Witch Of The North, The Wizard Of Oz.

I danced around the house the day of the TV screening of The Wizard of Oz. I fell in love with kindly Glinda. I wanted Dorothy’s dark curls and ruby slippers. Scraggly Scarecrow, the melancholy Tin Man, the silly Lion and scrappy Toto filled my child’s imagination. It was all I needed at the time, but the story said so much more. It took 40 years for me to understood the power in it: your rewards in life are not so much about the adventures but the characters who become friends. They do not slide into your life by accident, they have the one unique skill that will burn the witch when you are under fire. Because of their love, generosity, grace and good-heartedness you survive in this world. And you are this gift for someone too. The holidays are almost here. Will the spirit get buried in the hustle and bustle this year? I’ve put together five holiday giving ideas that, I believe, reclaim the spirit of the season.

A reminder of why.
“Some thoughts as we enter the holiday season…It is important to remember that not everyone is surrounded by large wonderful families. Some of us have problems during the holidays and sometimes are overcome with great sadness when we remember the loved ones who are not with us. And, many people have no one to spend these times with and are besieged by loneliness. We all need caring, loving thoughts right now. Share this to give a moment of support to all those who have family problems, health struggles, job issues, worries of any kind and just need to know that someone cares. Do it for all of us, for nobody is immune.”
–Facebook post

Do it for all of us.
Dorothy did have the power but it was the good heartedness of her friends that got her back to Kansas. The same can be said of our collective goodwill and personal abundance, they are dependent upon each other. Rather than keep the power, we stimulate more good when we give it away. We have an opportunity to turn one life or a community around this holiday season. These five holiday giving ideas keep everyone’s spirit up and our spirit alive.

  • Love
    Spread your heart. Fear and hopelessness come from feeling isolated. Giving your partner, family member or friend a twenty-two second hug releases the bonding hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin, which is nature’s anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drug. For a stranger, give them a grin, it’s a gesture they won’t forget.
  • Forgiveness
    Rewrite your story. Is there a grievance with a friend that hasn’t been resolved? Call or write them a letter. Sincerely express your feelings. Ask for forgiveness. You may change their heart and definitely you will have changed the past for a better future. If you need a prompt, here is the loving forgiveness prayer of  Ho’oponopono written by Dr. Joe Vitale: “I love you, I’m sorry, forgive me, thank you.”
  • Kindness
    Stop your humbug. Simple gestures performed with compassion create miracles. Pay a compliment, share your seat on the bus, play with a child or walk an elder across the street. This spreads a contagion of abundance and interconnectedness that is needed most right now.     
  • Generosity
    Give your time. Treat holiday panic by doing something for someone who could never repay you. Serve soup at a homeless shelter. Adopt an assisted living care resident for the holidays. Converse with them, read a story, bring a gift. Involve your children with making handmade gifts for the Christmas bazaar or prepare dinner once a week for a shut-in neighbor. Engaging your hands with your heart feels good.
  • Peace
    Calm your heart. You don’t need to take on the ills of the world nor even one person’s misfortune, but when you give a bit of loving kindness, your generosity, your time, your talent you give a bigger gift: you expand borders from your heart to another and you defeat depression and build community. Performing good deeds with no expectation creates peace and that makes things right with the world.

Gifts for you.
I received such an overwhelmingly positive response to these two blogs last year that I am sharing them with you: Take Back The Holiday. Look East To Savor Thanksgiving Dinner With Six Feng Shui Trimmings and Restoring Grace: A Ritual To Replenish Your Spirit During The Holidays.

Blessings for an abundant November!

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.