Tag Archives: split at the front door

Feng Shui. Mental Health. Take Action.

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“There is hope even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”
– John Green

May 20 is mental health action day. We may not always understand the underlying cause why a friend or family member struggles with a mental health issue. It could be a chemical imbalance in the brain, a childhood trauma, an accident, exposure to toxins, brain defect and/or tumor, genetic factors, seasonal changes, history of family origin, violence, stress, family abuse and poverty…. There are more than I can mention here.

As well there may be hidden factors in your home that exacerbate a mental health condition. It can show up in the form of confusion, anger, conflict, addiction and stress. I have never spoken about my sister’s condition to respect her privacy but I think if she knew she could help someone struggling with depression by sharing her story, she would say please share. This one Feng Shui detail had a critical influence on her emotional stability. She had a Mandarin Duck Stairway in her home. First hand I saw conflict and anger at the slightest comment. She was constantly exhausted and did not feel good about herself yet she was a beautiful, loving, extraordinarily talented woman. It was difficult to witness her personal struggles. Professor Lin described this design detail as destroying a person’s sanity. Sadly it’s true. 

Self awareness is key to creating change. For all who are struggling, patient and their family members who agonize over them, here is a short list of design features that can affect one’s mental stability. 

• Mandarin Duck stairway (learn more at the link)
Stairs that fluctuate at the front entry. One set go up to the next level while the other go down, the brain is constantly assaulted with this split. 

• Split at the front door
The brain is stimulated unevenly as one eye sees a long view and the other eye sees a short view. It creates an imbalance in the brain, illness along the midline, confusion, non-stop arguing and violence.

• Long hallway
A door at the end of a long hallway can create upset, not only for the digestive system, but upsetting one’s emotional equilibrium. You can easily misinterpret a simple comment from a family member or friend and it might set off a reaction that is out of proportion to the situation. 

Cleaver-shaped house
Think of a razor’s edge however this is a blade on the edge of a home. A master bedroom or office that rests on the knife edge of a cleaver-shaped house partners may cut each other with their words. Parents and children may lash out. A steely edge implies not knowing what might happen next, the feeling of insecurity becomes compounded and overtime there can be a mental breakdown. 

• Bedrooms with high electric and magnetic fields.
Your TV, smart phone, radio, computers all emit electromagnetic pollution. EMFs can increase stress and irritability.

• Windows that begin at a level with which it’s impossible to see out create feelings of limitation and loss of personal power. Many modern prisons and schools are designed with this feature.

• Tall buildings may oppress the Ch’i of a smaller building next to it. The occupants may not develop to their full potential, feel low self-esteem and suffer. 

We all deserve love and affection. Understanding there are multiple factors that may affect a person’s mental health, we are in a better position to support their recovery and help them find their way out of the labyrinth of despair. 

If someone you care about is afflicted and suffering, reaching out may make all the difference in their life. 

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 Design For Your Best Life

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photo credit: Paintzen

“Recent discoveries in Western Science now add to a growing body of evidence suggesting Beauty is a transformational power… Through our experience of Beauty, we’re given the power to change the feelings that we have in our bodies. Our feelings, in turn, are directly linked to the world beyond our bodies.”
– Gregg Braden

Moving a bed to take command in the bedroom, painting a front door crimson red to expand opportunities, positioning a desk so a voice will be heard…these mini experiences create beauty and offer peace of mind but they also are thresholds that beckon something extraordinary to happen. When we correct the structural deficiencies in our home’s design Feng Shui’s subtle positive power not only releases restrictions in our life but reflects a bigger vision of who we might become.

That vision begins at the front door. To discover who we might become we need to uncover the story our entry tells. The Feng Shui design metaphor of the front entry reaches into our career, reputation, the people who help us and the health of everyone in the household.  “…so place something attractive here so when you first enter your home you enter through beauty.” Louise Hay’s perfect action step is a great reminder to appreciate Beauty because we all have storms in our life. 

Plagued by headaches? Do you feel confused or lose stuff? You can open your entry to vitality when you place plants just inside the front door. They embody life force and generate a positive impulse. Green is soothing and can be viewed for a long time without causing eye strain. If one of your family members has an illness, place nine potted plants in the front entry. 

Discord in your family could mean there is a split view when you walk into your home. A split at the front door can stimulate the brain unevenly, you may think more and act less or act more and think less. There is a potential for illness along the midline from the head to the kidneys. When your eyes cannot focus on one object, you may feel confusion and it becomes difficult to make decisions. Everyone in the house may become impatient, anxious, out of sorts and not accommodating to one another. You At home you want to feel relaxed not harassed. Hang a beautiful chandelier to lift your eyes upward. If your stairway is causing the split, mount a crystal finial on the stair’s post, it will draw your eyes to it. Or hang a faceted lead crystal from the ceiling.

Conflict in your heart that you can’t put your finger on and is difficult to express suggests your stairway leads straight out the front door. This feature not only affects all the eight guas, especially health and wealth, but it can create conflict that is burns your heart and never gets expressed. Anger could take over your life. But there is hope. A planter outside the front door will catch the Ch’i that is escaping out the door.

Lack of risers can steal the Ch’i from everyone who enters your home. You may feel tired all the time and just can’t handle your responsibilities. As simple as it may look, it’s impact is debilitating. Plants underneath delivers vitality or uplight the stairs.

Restriction in your career might be mirrored by a blocking wall as you enter your home. Hanging a mirror or a beautiful landscape can expand your entry and give you a wider entrée. But here is an additional piece not widely known–sound–hang a wind chime on the door will open up the space. It’s lyrical quality can awaken your senses and clear your mind.

Need a boost to your career? A bright light at the front door is good for the career of everyone in the household so the brighter within reason.

Accent your entrance with a splash of red directly across from it. This design treatment can improve your reputation where you work. Red symbolizes happiness, virtuosity, power and inspire you every time you walk through the door.

Spring is a pioneering time, a time of great energy, tender shoots are breaking through the hard ground. I feel inspired by the vernal season and I am excited that winter has ended. It’s time to take up a paint brush, hammer, ceremonies, cures and start designing my own reality. Hope you’ll join me!

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.

Tuning The Heart Strings Of Your Partnership

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“The Heart is a thousand stringed instrument, that can only be tuned with love.”
–Hafiz

Your heart only knows love. But when you are in overwhelm, anxiety or feeling frustration then stress takes over your heart and you lose your sense of connection. It happens so quickly that not only do you stop listening to your heart but also the heart of your partner.

HeartMath Institute’s 19 years of research sheds significant light on how negative thoughts affect your brain and body. During stress “when the heart rhythm pattern is erratic and disordered, neural signals traveling from the heart to the brain affect your ability to think clearly, remember, learn, reason and make effective decisions.” This helps to explain when you act impulsively or make unwise decisions how conflict can arise. In contrast, positive emotions, joy, care and appreciation, create a stable patten and the heart’s input to the brain reinforces positive feelings and emotional stability.

If you find yourself in a constant spiral of negative energy, check for these design features in your home. I have selected common door details as a door symbolizes the mouth and that affects speech, communication and ultimately your heart.

Split at the front entry. One example: if you have a two level home and the stairway is slightly off to one side, one eye sees down a hallway and the other sees the stairs. It can adversely affect everything that is going on in the household as the brain is stimulated unevenly. This creates confusion and an inability to make decisions. Partners can move in opposite directions. An argument can easily get started. To adjust this, hang a crystal ball from the ceiling, directly over the railing post. Or place a plant on the landing, in front of the post.

Biting doors are doors that are slightly out of alignment. You may find them in hallways when two bedrooms are opposite or when a bedroom and bathroom are opposite each other. This design feature triggers conflict, anger and discord. To correct this, place an object on the wall next to the door frame so as to simultaneously draw both eyes to one spot as you exit either door.

Contrary doors open into a wall rather than the large part of a room (it can be any room but most common are front entry and bedroom) everyone in the house may be working hard. They may not be able to complete projects resulting in not enjoying the fruit of their labor. This feature leads to difficulty and relentless disappointment. Fodder for arguing or cold silence between partners. The Feng Shui cure is hang a mirror on the wall that is seen upon opening the door. It expands the space. If there is no room for a mire hang a crisp sounding bell on the door.

Arguing doors bump up against one another when they are opened (either the door knob or the frame). The bumping is like a clash of wills. It is especially detrimental at the front door sending  conflict into the interior of the home, affecting everyone who enters, and it even extends outside the house with whom they interact. The mundane solution is to re-hang the door or doors so that they do not touch. Or perform the Arguing Door Cure (nine red envelope cure).

Piercing Heart doors are three or more doors through which you could walk in a straight line. Together they act like an invisible barrier through a space, which in turn, can create a barrier between partners. The barrier can widen the longer the couple lives in the home. They may not be able to touch the heart of one another. Views become discordant, there may be illness and the family can disintegrate. To change the flow of strong Ch’i hang one or more crystal balls or wind chimes in the center of the rooms between the doors to slow down the energy and break down the invisible wall. Another option is available (nine red envelope cure).

Years ago Berry Kruijning of Crowning Communication shared with me valuable communication advice and I have never forgotten how powerfully effective it was and still is. There are three levels of listening:
Fake listening
Listening for facts
Ask open ended questions, listening for your partner’s feeling and needs. Listen at the heart level. When you are an empathetic listener, you are getting into the other person’s feelings. Be genuinely interested and you will break through the barrier of your conflict.

Relationship expert, Liz Higgins, shares that conscious communication, curiosity and creating a cozy ambience for intimacy (that gets a Feng Shui thumbs up) keeps love alive.

Feng Shui design increases life force and expands positive energy. When you and your partner sync up with the new space you’ve created, you entrain with each other. You also communicate at a higher frequency that helps nourish the intimacy that began as a flutter in your heart.

What could be better than doing something extra for love when you Double Your Happiness With Feng Shui Tips For Everlasting Love.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Have you decided this will be your season? “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.

How Emotions Are Decorating Your Space

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“An interior is the natural projection of the soul.”
– Coco Chanel

Decorating should be the fun part of moving and home improvement but if everyday something comes up, you feel anxious, some event triggers an unhappy thought and you just can’t get started…your emotions are decorating your space. Here is what Jeanette discovered. Her family decided to move across country so her husband could take a new position and they could be closer to her parents. She had one week to choose a home for her family. The home she fell in love with had vaulted ceilings, a view of the back yard from the front door, a large master suite that stretched from front to back, a three car garage…it was certainly the right neighborhood and the school was perfect for her children. Once they settled into the new house she thought everything would be as before. But the stress of moving never dissipated. A barrier progressively developed between she and her husband. They were silent at the dinner table and he stopped coming home at reasonable hours. Her 13 year old son did not like sleeping in his room. It was so good before the move, what happened? 

Wanting to find the husband she had lost, to help her son stop his nightly wandering and bring some happiness to herself, she called me for help. Jeanette’s story is a powerfully moving scenario and not unlike the stories clients share expressing their profound loss and disbelief over what has happened to the life they once had. She had read several Feng Shui books. She suspected the emotional issues between she and her husband, her son’s distraction and her moodiness were stemming from her home. And she admitted she didn’t feel good being there. When I shared what I saw, my words immediately resonated with her. She had no trouble making a plan and her next step would be decorating using Feng Shui design.

I believe design education goes a long way in creating awareness that our home influences our well-being. With that in mind, I composed this Feng Shui guide to help you make better choices when deciding on your new nest. And if you are already settled in your space, you might recognize one or two design features that may be limiting your freedom and curbing your peace of mind. 

Want a picture? Here is a helpful companion blog on floor plans, “Unraveling Your Home’s Floor Plan With Feng Shui.

 Depletion That Paints You Into A Corner
• A hidden front door is when you cannot see the door from the street. Feelings of isolation can develop over time. What Professor Lin would call “strange chi.” At an office there may be loss of income, feeling frustration, depression and loss of motivation.
• An obstacle (blocking tree, wall, utility pole or column) at the front door can limit opportunities.
• Double doors can create confusion, especially if the door to enter is not marked properly.
• A slanted front door creates a slant on daily interactions that explode into unexpected events related to all areas of life.
• A blocking wall inside the front door can impede the forward movement of everyone in the household. Everyone may struggle with their career. Faith in the future may be lost.
• Front door /back door alignment may possibly create a split through the whole house. The closer the doors the worse this patten is. Parents may feel a barrier between them and lead separate lives. Parents and children lose touch. Money may leak and opportunities dry up. Money, motivation, reputation, health and good luck may fly out the back door.
• A split at the front door can affect all areas of life dramatically. The brain is activated unevenly and the two sides will start to lack coordination. The inhabitant may act more and think less. Or think more and act less. In either situation there is an imbalance. As a result illness along the midline can development. Also confusion and the lack of sound decision making can cost a family their health or business. Non-stop arguing and violence can result with a split at the front door. Extreme marital, family and business interactions can take place here.
• A split stairway (typical of split level homes) aka Mandarin duck stairway creates an environment where everything begins to fall apart; it can even shatter a person’s peace of mind. The different levels affect partners where they are more likely to experience miscommunication or not speak at all; children have difficulty feeling accepted; finances fluctuate wildly. Invariably health is unstable. When it is a company and affects all the employees, the consequences can be disastrous.

 Bad Luck That Colors Your Morale
• Seeing a cemetery, a morgue or a deserted house from your front door may bring illness and sudden expected disasters.
• If your home is at end of a “double T” intersection your luck may dwindle in all areas but in particular health and finances.
• A narrow driveway or path. The opportunity to expand your heart and mind may never happen. And if you see opportunity you won’t be able to grasp it, feeling shut down.
• A toilet over the front door brings bad luck to the entire household or business.
• A stove that is backed up to the toilet that is on the other side of the wall affects your luck to the point it may run out.
• A dead door is a door that is nailed shut or that cannot be opened. This feature may stifle’s one’s voice completely. If the original door has been closed there can be a sudden downturn in fortune or slow loss of resources.

Details That Design Conflict
• Arguing Doors are two doors that when they are open bump up against one another. The clashing is jarring to the senses and disturbs the inhabitants equilibrium. Conflict results. It may run throughout the house.
• Biting Doors are doors that are out of alignment with one another. Visualize walking out of your bedroom and seeing part of a door entry and part of a wall. This design feature creates a split and has the effect of a front door split. Biting doors create discord between parents and parents and children. In a child’s room it can create a bully. You may lose friends and neighbors can turn into enemies. In an office setting there may be gossip, back stabbing and power struggles. Biting doors at the front door are especially detrimental as the conflict and verbal fighting can reach into the neighborhood.
• Piercing Heart Doors are three or more doors which you could walk in a straight line. They create an invisible obstacle through the house which impedes relations between partners, partners and their children and between siblings. Alienation and separation tear the family apart.
• Many doors opening into a small space. I think we all have this one, especially around the bedrooms and bathroom. A door is a “mouth”. This area can be especially noisy because all the voices are trying to speak at once. Listening is difficult and family members may end up quarreling. This design feature is the underpinnings for health issues, particularly the digestive organs.
• Too many doors in relationship to the windows and the adult voice may be too powerful. This ratio may silence the voice of the children. In a business situation management (the adult) may not heart the feedback of employees (the children). There may be a conflict of wills.
• Too few doors in relationship to the windows and the children may create havoc. On the job, employees may strike or rebel.

Architecture That Exhausts All Your Emotional Resources
• A door that is below the level of the street make every movement feel like an uphill climb. Time becomes altered and energy depleted. There is an inability to follow through and complete projects.
• A contrary door is a door that opens to a wall instead of the main part of the room. Everyone who lives in the house may find they are laboring and not enjoying the results of their work. They may feel exhausted and disappointed most of the time.
• If a stove is in line with the front door, family problems may never be resolved. There is constant worry and pressure which can exhaust everyone who lives there.
• If a bedroom is the first room an inhabitant sees when entering the house, they may be too tired to take care of their responsibilities and daily duties.

 Exterior And Interiors That Are Blueprints For Illness
• An industrial park or factory next door may be overwhelming. The distraction and pollution create physical and mental imbalances. Being empty at night they create a yin presence. All of this affects your ability to concentrate, be clear and effective.
• A bathroom in the center of the house or office can deplete all life situations. Poor health can plague every inhabitant year after year, effecting succeeding generations.
• A fireplace in the center of the house can burn up money, create infamy and heat up passion so it is burns outside the house, drying up your creative juices. The flow of your career may come to a drizzle and your inner growth may be non-existent. Your vitality is depleted and your emotional capacity to lift your life to joy is severely restrained.
•A stairway that ends too close to a wall may impede the flow of Ch’i in the building and the bodies of the inhabitants. You may feel blocked physically, emotionally and in your career.

If you want to receive a cure for any one of these design features, I will ask you to honor the red envelope tradition.

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.