A Spring Ritual To Revive The Front Door

Posted on March 31, 2024 by bette

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the Pacific Northwest Spring arrives with undeniably glory. Cherry blossoms kiss the sky with their clouds of pink. Sunny daffodils dance among the tulips while hyacinth perfume the air. Earth’s life force is abundant everywhere. Spring seems to be saying: start fresh, life is limitless, welcome possibilities.

How do we step into the rhythm of this abundance? Nearly every culture with deep roots has a Spring ritual for the home. The door is the threshold between one’s inner sanctum and the outer environment which gives it the distinction of symbolizing new beginnings. The Spring ritual (Door Washing Charm with the description below) harmonizes and protects the loving energy of the hearth and home. When performing the Spring ritual, a spiritual space unfolds that encourages focus whereby one’s intentions can sflow. The use of the fragrance of orange is part of my Feng Shui tradition so this Spring ritual from the Goddess and the Green Man perfectly dovetails with the teachings I share.

This simple charm helps to safeguard the home and boost harmonious energies within. And who knows it might be a magical gift for your visitors too.

Materials

3 drops of orange essential oil. It invites good fortune, happiness and contentment.

2 drops of clove essential oil. Clove oil encourages courage and protection.

2 drops of lime essential oil for purification and love

Hot water

A white cloth

A bowl or bucket

Procedure

Place all the essential oils into your bowl and pour hot water over them. When the water has cooled stir well in a clockwise fashion. Next take your cloth and gently wipe your door starting in the center, work outwards in a clockwise movement. While you are doing this, say three times (either out loud or silently): “I protect this home and shield all within. Love, peace and harmony, I call you in…”

When you have completed the ritual, wring your cloth out under running water, dry it thoroughly and keep it for future cleansing. Where it is safe, pour your water outside. Feel the love and joy of spring.

Happy Spring

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: Pexels

Dragon’s Best Friend

Posted on January 17, 2024 by bette

“Friends are great riches.”
– Unknown

Considered the Angel of the Orient, the Dragon has long been revered for its greatness, goodness and blessings for the Chinese people. A symbol of charisma, decisiveness and transformation, this wise, powerful creature brings the essence of life in the form of celestial breath, known to many as “Sheng Ch’i”. It grants its power in the form of the seasons, bringing water from rain, warmth from sunshine, wind from the seas and soil from the earth. The Dragon is the greatest divine force on earth.

The Yang Wood Dragon will embark on its hallowed voyage beginning February 10, 2024. In Dragon years we perform our hero’s work. It is through our impetus that the wheels of motivation are set with resolve, inventiveness and courage and help us realize our soul’s plan. We can carry out our intentions when we strengthen our Ch’i with Feng Shui adjustments, Chinese New Year ceremonies and carry a three dimensional talisman for the duration of the year. “Chinese folk culture believes Dragon and Cock best of flock.” (Khadro Crystal Chu) Dragon’s Best Friend is honest, brave, lucky, and trustworthy. The three dimensional image of the Rooster reminds us to focus on solutions that will raise our status in the Wood Dragon Year. This lucky fowl favors jade, boxwood or bone. Enjoy the inspiration this match brings!

For you dear folks whose animal protector is Rabbit and Dog, carry the power combo charm (preferably jade for its life force) of the Rat and Monkey as your talisman. The smart, clever Rat and the mystical Monkey are friends to the Dragon. They will harmonize any taxing energies of the Dragon and Rooster during this year.

Why is Rooster Dragon’s Best Friend? Rooster lent its beautiful horns to the Dragon so he could attend the Jade Emperor’s party in grand style is one story. Rooster is brave, motivated, proud and with a magnificent tail like a Phoenix. How could the Dragon not notice him. But there are the virtues of the Rooster that make him a holy asset for this year. The five virtues of the Rooster by Tian Rao: ‘”The Rooster dons a crimson cap, a mark of literary sophistication! It claws its enemies, what martial prowess! It calls to its cohorts when food is available, a creature of compassion! It fights to the death with its nemesis, what bravery! And it never fails to keep time, a trustworthy soul.” What is unique about rooster is its ability to keep time for humans which leads the Chinese to the conclusion there is a divine spark, like the Sun that exists in the rooster which makes it capable of this unique task.’

What other reasons to have a Dragon’s Best Friend by your side? Ceremonies of protection use rooster feathers in BSTB Feng Shui. They guard the individual against scoundrels who may be agents for spirits. They have the ability to turn them into Helpful People. This is a carry over from ancient times when roosters were used in many kinds of rituals. In Chinese folk stories, all ghosts are scared by the rooster’s crow. Ghosts can only appear at night, but the rooster’s crow means the day is coming. So all ghosts fear the rooster’s crow, for ghosts lose their power at dawn. So if scoundrels are coming into your life, this ceremony has the strength to turn the situation around.

Roosters are beautiful, with its red comb, colorful feathers and golden tail. At first they were called ji (吉, meaning luck) because it was believed this animal would bring people luck like the phoenix.

The roosters suggest prosperity. They reproduce very fast. The Chinese believed this was synonymous with prosperity in terms of both population and wealth.

If you want to enhance your Rooster talisman to receive even more good fortune and good luck email me, bette@shenmenfengshui.com for details. Nine red envelopes requested.

Etsy carries Three Dimensional Jade Roosters. Start with Marina Lighthouse, Feng Shui Shopper. She closes her shop right after the new year.

This year I am offering the BSTB ceremonies so wealth and abundant good fortune are readily available: revel in “Welcoming the Wealth Gods” into your home; feel protected peeling away bad luck during “The Golden Cicada” ceremony and jump for joy when orange peels bless your home at midnight during “Changing the Ch’i…”.

Welcome the Wealth Gods
Invite the Wealth Gods right into your home with this midnight tradition. Face the yearly direction then walk the Gods back to your front door and enjoy safety, protection, better health and prosperity throughout the year.

The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell
In this ceremony remove all work problems, relationship problems, financial problems and health problems when you peel the shell from the egg. Your true self, your good Ch’i emerges from the crust of life’s difficulties allowing you to magnetize what you desire with a clear heart.

Changing The Chi Of The House and Transforming The Fortunes For Individuals and Residences
Wake up the house with fragrance and invite new beginnings, wealth Ch’i, happy Ch’i, prosperity Ch’i, and healthy Ch’i.

Receive two bonus cures + the Three Secret Reinforcements, the main amplifying tool for Black Sect Tantric Buddhist Feng Shui adjustments. It is a ritual way of adding extra strength to your cure.

The Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet is$27 + nine red envelopes. Email me at bette@shenmenfengshui.com for payment options. Nine red envelopes must be received by mail on or before Thursday, February 1, 2024 to ensure your mailing will arrive in time.

Xīn xiǎng shì chéng

May all your wishes come true

photo credit: Arib Neko. UnSplash.

Spring Festival Is A Hop Away

Posted on January 11, 2024 by bette

“Fluffiness makes everything better.”
– Anonymous

Feng Shui not only harmonizes your home and honors your relationships, it recognizes the influence of seasonal changes and the importance of beginnings and endings. January 11 new moon the truthful, confident Ox was ushered onto the zodiac stage which makes the Spring Festival (aka The Chinese Lunar New Year) a hop, skip and a jump away. In less than one month the Yin Water Rabbit will relinquish its reign. This brings up a word of caution. Every year between January and February beware of the Year God. The tactful Rabbit might turn tactics and with a “swoosh of its cute bob” send you flying. Instead of anticipating stress, end the year with lucky opportunities and good fortune. In this first of a series of short blogs I have included tried and true methods to ready you for an amazing beginning to the Spring Festival/Chinese Lunar New Year, February 10, 2024.

• Add insurance (accidents).

• Draw upon the super powers of focus, patience, stability and practicality to meet challenges.

• Exercise like yoga, tai chi or walking release excess tension.

• Recite a mantra such as “I am committed to my well being.”

• Look about before you walk or talk, “silence is golden”.

• Keep those protective talismans on (a blog for the Dragon’s BFF is coming).

• Do a good deed every day to ensure the best possible luck. This will enhance your Feng Shui cures.

Communication is key before Spring Festival. When explaining your point of view to others whether a co-worker, partner or child be sure to take the extra step, in fact it might be a good plan to ask them to repeat it back to you before you depart. Also be sure to communicate what is expected from one another and that you are on the same page.

In January the home begins to hum with sweeping, shopping, putting up decorations and planning the Reunion dinner for the Spring Festival/Wood Dragon Year.

January 18, 2024 Laba Festival: Making “Eight Treasures Porridge” is the essence of good fortune.

January 30, 2024 Sweep Away the Old: Clean misfortune from every corner.

Want to know what the Asian community does to prepare for the most powerful time of the year? Click on the link to start making your list for Chinese New Year’s Eve Rituals.

I am very grateful to you for following me on Facebook to discover more ways to align your home with Feng Shui. Thank you!

Wan Shi Ru Yi! (
May everything go as you wish)

Soulful Winter Solstice Rituals

Posted on December 21, 2023 by bette

“Winter is not a season it is a celebration.”
– Anamika Mishra

In deep darkness Winter Solstice holds the promise of the life-giving force of the sun. Sol’s radiance is celebrated on December 21/22 by nearly every culture in the world with simple rituals that ignite new beginnings. In China Winter Solstice is signified by the I-Ching hexagram, Fu, “Retuning”.

But whar does “Returning” mean for you? Winter Solstice begins the transformation of dark to light. This longest night is a tipping point where sunlight will now rise in prominence again. Setting aside personal time to immerse yourself in winter’s stillness will help you reap the benefits from shedding the old to feeling renewed. Partaking in soulful winter solstice rituals create space to contemplate your inner light and like the sun, to return to trust, to recharge and to carefully develop what is new.

Oh the Soul Loves Ritual
Welcome The Sun With A Solstice Altar
Creating a Soulful Winter Solstice rituals practice includes an altar. They create a deeply personal experience. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you wish. Search for foliage in your home garden or a neighboring green space that is meaningful for you. Gather branches and berries and intertwine these with candles or fairy lights. For the Druids red holly berries were a symbol of fertility and eternal life and were thought to have magical powers because the tree stayed green and strong. Branches and twigs were brought into the home to protect it from malevolent fairies and to shelter fairies from friction between them and the human occupants. Pine, spruce and firs, as well, represent eternal life because they remained green throughout the year. Adding an evergreen bough to your altar will give it a powerful freshness. In traditions long past they were considered to ward off ghosts and illness. Mistletoe, treated as a sacred plant by the Druids, is believed to not only give protection against diseases but is also a symbol of peace and prosperity. Hanging it on the threshold it was thought to ward off evil spirits and ensure vitality and fertility (so hang it from your door and maybe there will be a kiss coming your way).

Anything bright, shiny, gold and yellow symbolizes the sun. The colors of the season, red, white, green and gold come from ancient roots. These colors brighten the home during the darkness of winter and are a reminder that spring will come.
• Red, the color of poinsettias and holly berries, is a symbol of fiery passion and sensuality. It also represents the life force that endures in coldest times.
• Gold depicts sunshine and light and is a symbol of prosperity, abundance and the energy that fuels life.
• Red and gold together are the colors of fire which warms your soul.
• Green represents renewal, eternal life and Nature. It is a reminder of the continuous cycles of growth and rebirth.
• White is the symbol of purity and peace and the serenity of snow. It also signifies the blank slate you’ve created for the coming year.

Foods For Wintertide Warmth
A traditional Chinese winter solstice dish is dumplings while in Korea solstice is celebrated with Patjuk – glutinous rice balls in a sweet porridge made from adzuki beans. Koreans believe that color red wards off evil spirits. The red beans wish good luck for the new year. Pine needles (check for edible varieties) may be made into a hot tea. Pomegranates are a traditional winter solstice food of Iran’s Shab-e Yalda celebrations. Yalda means birth or rebirth. The vibrant red fruit symbolizes dawn and life. Gingerbread is a later yuletide tradition. It’s easy to prepare, warming and delicious. Shortbread from Scandinavian tradition made in round forms represents the sun. In Western European cultures soups, stews and hearty meals were prepared to drive the cold winter away.

Welcome Back the Sun
As early as 900s a tree was placed in the fireplace with the wide end of the trunk first so it would burn from on Christmas day until January 5. In modern times a specially chosen, decorated log is placed in a fireplace to bring luck and fortune to the household. The Yule log symbolizes the light returning to conquer the darkness. It is a ritual of welcoming back the sun and the warmth it brings. Sprinkling minerals or wine onto the burning log would make the log’s flames burn with color such as table salt produced bright yellow, potassium nitrate made violet, borax produced a vivid green.

Set Your Soul Ablaze
One of the Winter Solstice Rituals I enjoy is musing upon an open flame in a fire pit or fireplace. However a burning candle(s) will work too. Gazing into a flame or flames and listening to the soft crackle in the dark evening hours is a beautiful underscore for the mind to contemplate the past year and makes plans for the future.

Time spent on reflection fosters peace, inner stillness and calm. These elements harmonize the body and mind and elevate your emotions. Then as the energy begins to rise in the coming year you will have the inner reserves to meet both opportunities and challenges.

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: Alena Kondrusik

Feng Shui Fall Decor

Posted on November 13, 2023 by bette

“When everything looks like a magical oil painting, you know you are in Autumn!”– Mehmet Murat Ildan

Spring and summer aren’t the only colorful seasons. Autumn’s story is rich with glowing crimson and vibrant amber hues. Squashes, fruit and flowers possess their summer blaze well into November endowing us with the strength to retain our radiant selves in this season of letting go. If you cherish autumn’s abundance, the following fall decor will enrich your home and your senses while promising hope and good fortune.

Pumpkin
In the tapestry of fall, pumpkins are the prosperity bearer. Align with good fortune when pumpkins are lined up at your front door. Equally you can display them in arrangements at the inside entry. The Chinese believe this edible squash creates golden opportunities. In folkloric tradition, farmer’s wives would carve out the belly and place items in them to attract wealth. You may expect to increase your prosperity, abundance, your good luck from your ancestors, insure your children will have illustrious careers and acquire an enchanting life. This fruit will even draw up the earth energy to manifest gold.

Persimmon
Round, brilliant orange, the auspicious persimmon has the same pronunciation as the word for “matters, affairs or events and also for an “official”or “gentleman”. A persimmon shown together with an apple forms the rebus “may your matters be safe”. Also known as date-palms or Chinese figs, when placed along side a mandarine orange these fruits together symbolize the following sentiment…“May you have good fortune in all your undertakings.”

In Buddhism, they are symbols of transformation. Six persimmon fruits are symbols of enlightenment. The symbolism reveals that green persimmons are acrid and bitter in their immature state, they represent ignorance. As the fruit matures, it becomes sweet and represents wisdom that comes after transformation.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates represent fertility but for the holidays their usefulness can bring happiness to the family as well as good luck for your descendants. Display pomegranates in a table arrangement either at the front entry or the dining room table. If you like the pomegranate’s color and shape, display it as art in your home to attract these qualities year round.

Orange
Filled with intriguing homonyms the Chinese language is a good romp with words. The meaning of the orange connects them with abundance. Orange is called chéngzi in Chinese which sounds like gold, (jin) and represents wealth. Place a bowl of nine oranges on your dining room table or design them into a centerpiece for Thanksgiving. They will incubate money ch’i.

Chrysanthemum
Enhance your Feng Shui Fall Decor with mums. White chrysanthemums represent nobility and elegance and attract good luck to the home and a life of ease. It is revered like the orchid, bamboo and plum. Displaying chrysanthemums in home lifts the Ch’i of, not only individuals, but families and communities too. If you want to cure for wealth, put together a flower arrangement with a lotus, chrysanthemum and plum blossom plus the peony. Together these symbolize “peace and fortune in the four seasons.”

Narcissus
Flowers are a direct path to enhancing your feelings and elevating your sense of well-being. Placing them where they are visible in your home calms the nervous system. This can carry over to your work place creating a frame of mind for happiness and enthusiasm. Narcissus is known as the “water goddess”. At Chinese New Year they bring good luck and good fortune. During other festivities such as Thanksgiving they enliven your Ch’i through the sense of smell.

I am deeply grateful for your presence and participation with Feng Shui. Sending you heartfelt wishes for a season that is bright and joyful. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Feng Shui Space Clearing Tips To Remove Clutter

Posted on October 30, 2023 by bette

“October and Autumn are quite the pair, stirring the winds to blow and conspiring with the leaves to let go.”

If clutter has accumulated in your space. If a melange has surreptitiously collected in your hallways, bedroom, laundry and garage, this holy mess carries a hidden energetic signature. Before you use space clearing tips know that it goes beyond stuff, it’s a vortex that:
gathers dirt
holds disappointment
incites anger
inhibits mobility
escalates unworthiness
muddles memories
spirals unhappiness
spikes disarray

When you see that its emotional magnetism holds you in a trance, it becomes easier to let it go and let yourself move beyond.

Feng Shui philosophy connects you to your own Ch’i and the Ch’i of a space. It’s essence enhances, shifts and corrects energy thereby you and your space coexist harmoniously. If you choose to use Marie Kondo’s thoughtful methods, before you begin, first clear your Ch’i. It will be easier to align your home’s energy then you can be properly committed to the process of asking yourself (as you are holding the item close to your heart), does it spark joy in your heart. You will definitely be clear in your etheric field to experience “your entire body responding with a thrill as if your body is somehow slowly rising up to meet the item, embracing it even.”

Here are five transcendental BTSB ways to help you get started.
• Nourish your brain. Feeling overwhelm? Using both hands, place all ten fingers on your scalp and tap 108 times. Nine is the vibration of completion. You are pulling excess energy (cul de sac thoughts) from your brain and releasing them to the outside of your head. Notice how clear you feel and the spaciousness in and around your brain.

• Lift your vitality. When you want to avoiding decisions, hold your hands left over right, thumbs together and palms up, over your dan’tien (at the level of your navel). Take in a deep breath in through your mouth and visualize universal light, positive Ch’i and good luck enter and circulate throughout your body and all your cells. Exhale in eight short puffs with the last one, ninth, expelling all the negative Ch’i, bad luck and obstacles. Repeat nine times and finish with the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum nine times.

• Alleviate exhaustion. Over thinking can lead to fatigue. Trying to choose which items to keep and what to let go, especially your sentimental items may create frustration. Beating the Heavenly Drum can relieve exhaustion. Put both of your palms over your ears and then put your fingers to the back of your head. Put your palms tightly over your ears and then you snap your pointer finger from your middle (third) finger down onto your head at the occipital bone of the skull. It makes a hollow drumming sound and it is a really good way if you are exhausted to bring your energy back. Perform this nine times.

If you still feel exhausted check for these design features which manifests exhaustion. Lack of risers on your stairs will “steal your chi”. Place a live lush plant (a silk plant will work too) underneath the stairs. The plant’s life force will lift your energy. A contrary door, especially your main door that opens you into a wall (into the small part of the room) is like it’s hinged incorrectly. This is a big part of exhaustion. You might begin to feel a little angry and a little resentful. Move the hinges to the other side of the door or place a large mirror on the wall to open the space (either or, not both).

• Release former Ch’i. Hold three sticks of incense between your fore finger and third finger, rest the bottom of the incense on your thumb to secure them. Light with a torch (not matches). Do not blow on the incense to get it started. Begin at the front door walk either left or right. Brush, in a circular motion, the incense up towards the wall where it meets the ceiling. See any former predecessor Ch’i leaving. Chant Om Mani Padme Hum continuously. See your prayers traveling to Heaven on the incense. With the opposite hand perform the ousting mudra (grab good Ch’i from Heaven with the third, fourth finger and thumb). Release any negative Ch’i to the floor. Repeat this gesture as you walk around the house. End at the front door. Any unburned incense goes into an incense holder at your altar below your deity if you have one.

• Clear old patterns. Between 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. open all the windows of your home and leave open during the ceremony. Cut nine circles from nine oranges or tangerines for a total of 81 orange peels. Break these down and visualize the light of the 10,000 Buddhas entering into the orange peel pieces. Begin at the front door and walk either left or right. Use the “feeding the chickens mudra”. Cast a few orange pieces and see the spirits moving on. Next use the “planting seeds mudra” and visualize new energy and projects coming to life. Finish with “throwing your wishes to heaven mudra” see the 10,00o Buddhas aiding you. All the while chant Om Mane Padme Hum. Walk the entire house, all levels performing the ceremony. End at the front door and finish with saying Om Mane Padme Hum nine times. For the complete version of this space clearing tip email me bette@shenmenfengshui.com. Nine red envelopes are requested.

BTSB Ceremonies

In general when you perform a blessing its important to remember to visualize that the blessings remain. It is not just the blessings of the moment. Your intention should be that these blessings remain. Before you begin: show respect to the items you use, treat the incense like it is a sentient being. Talk to it. Tell the incense sticks that the light of the millions of Buddhas is shining upon them. Their effectiveness is greatly enhanced and the blessing is strong and powerful. Talk to the oranges. Tell them they are being used in the best possible way. Great auspiciousness is created. Offer your thanks.

Feng Shui Crystal Cures For The Holidays

Posted on September 29, 2023 by bette

“Sparkle never goes out of style.”

– Chrishell Stause

The season is beginning to hum with what makes life sparkle. Parties, noshing, social commitments, holiday shopping and decorating your home (check out these Feng Shui holiday decorating ideas) not to mention caring for your family and maintaining your career – you need a super power to get you through. With that in mind I present the unwavering faceted crystal as your ally. I personally have experienced its beauty and strength. It symbolizes the light and generating power of the sun. It will fortify your energy to create a sense of harmony where your Ch’i needs to be uplifted. So if it’s chilly outside, make a warm beverage, have a seat in your most comfortable chair and pull up your most cozy throw. May these Feng Shui Crystal cures brighten your home and add sparkle to your day!

Frost covered windows, whirlwinds of golden leaves, nimbus clouds dominating the sky and the shrinking light can affect your mood, influence your focus and feeling centered. Your enthusiasm may become dampened and your health regime could take a hit. Go to the center of your home to regain your inner composure. A home with a strong center gives you a sturdy base. To feel balanced again hang a 50 mm faceted crystal (Swarovski preferred) in the center from a red cord in increments of nine.

When life is in transition anxiety may increase. Early fall is a transitional time. Autumn winds often disperse Ch’i. This causes your liver some degree of irritation and you could become reactionary and discontent. If support from family and friends evade you this could aggravate your disappointment. Go to the center of your bed and place a 50 mm crystal between the mattress and box springs to set things straight.

Need extra cash for holiday shopping or a long weekend getaway? Perform The Three Harmonies of the Wood element: Wealth, Career, Relationship. Draw a rectangle of your house. Identify Wealth, Career, Relationship on that drawing. If you wish to improve your finances, go to the Wealth gua and place a 40 mm faceted crystal there. Visualize there is an appendix in this area. See your visualization in detail that the Wealth gua protrudes beyond the house. You are creating an auspicious extension. This is the “regular” way to proceed.

However, if you wish to further empower the placement of the crystal in the Wealth gua, place two more crystals. Place one in the Career gua and one in Partnership. These guas are in a Three Harmony relationship with Wealth. This adjustment then becomes the Three Harmony of Wood (as Wood is the element residing in the Wealth gua). Now you have greatly enhanced the position of Wealth.

Feel like money slips through your fingers? Does fatigue cast a shadow over you as soon as you enter the house? Likely you have a stairway facing the front door. Not only will your wealth be affected but your health as well, particularly the organs along the midline specifically your heart. If you rather be with family than at the hospital over the holidays, place a 50 mm faceted crystal between the front door and the stairway. Visualize the crystal is protecting you and preventing precious Ch’i from leaving the house. The bonus: its beauty will dazzle your guests.

The holidays are hard on many people, especially those less fortunate, infirmed or elderly. Take every chance you can get to do something for someone else. Like making them a cup of coffee or brightening their day with a smile. It all builds up, the small and the steady and things are created faster and faster then if you just do an occasional big deed. Be persistent. Practice kindness.

A Feng Shui Sampler For Success

Posted on August 31, 2023 by bette

“The environment we immerse ourselves in profoundly impacts our journey.”

– Dr. Joe Dispenza, author, neuroscientist

When we’re on the verge of something unknown, we may feel like a racehorse at the gate – nervous, excited and not quite sure in what line up we will meet the finish line. Cleaning the mirrors and windows in our homes represent our visions and our clarity of sight. Simple movements calm the brain and engage our focus. Clean windows give us a clear view of the world and a view of the success we could capture.

And when “something isn’t happening”– such as feeling perplexed by our relationships or our career has stalled and solutions fail to materialize, there is 5,000 year old evidence that Feng Shui transcendental adjustments create a shift in our perception. Mercury in its retrograde motion is creating a pause in life. Maybe some confusion too. If you are asking for answers to your concerns you could try any one of the following. Just ask for clarity. This sampler comes from Master “Professor” Thomas Lin Yun of BSTB Feng Shui. It is meant for you to access your success potential. I hope you enjoy. I would an email to hear how this works for you, bette@shenmenfengshui.com.

• Hang a wind chime just inside your front door.

• Hang a wind chime just above your head as you sit at your desk.

• Place books just inside the front door, the office door, or the door to the study.

• Work and sleep so that you can see the door.

• Place a small round mirror under your pillow.

• Hang a bell from a red cord on the inside doorknob of your front door, office door or bedroom door. Choose the bedroom door if the lack of clarity concerns your marriage. Choose the office door if the problem is affecting your career.

• Create open and available horizontal surfaces. Your busy mind will have a place to rest. You can do the same thing by creating strong centers, like a flower in the center of a room. Insights will come, so listen attentively to the ideas that speak to your success.

How To Create A Feng Shui Blue Space

Posted on July 31, 2023 by bette

“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.”

– Isak Dinesen

Childhood summers weren’t complete without two weeks at the beach. My sister and I spent everyday composing an imaginary life on a deserted, tropical island as we walked to the ocean. At the shoreline we discovered exotic treasures cast off by the tides from another continent, however most of the time we tiptoed over the hot sand to plunge into the cool, frothy foam of the ocean where we swam with the waves and peered into its watery depths for more aquatic mysteries. Happiness was synonymous with blue.

What we knew then science has researched in the past decade: blue space exposure (views and visits) has many “positive effects upon our physical and mental well being from higher levels of vitamin D to better social relations.” The sea, coastline, rivers, lakes, canals, waterfalls, even fountains are the good for the body and mind. They are where we go to let go and let down.

Studies further identify that the presence of water fulfills the need to connect to ourselves and it’s water that restores us like no other Nature experience. We feel happier in a blue environment.

There are three notable markers when one is by a body of water:

• Generally there is more sunlight and less pollution.

• Those who live by aquatic environments tend to be more physically active.

• Water has a restorative effect, reducing negative moods. Although large bodies of water have been rated high in terms of positivity, any body of water will do, this includes retrofitting or creating a blue space in your home.

– Dr. Matthew White, University of Exeter

If you are seeking a natural way to minimize stress and should the coastline or a lakeshore not be possible for you to visit with regular frequency, a blue space in your home will offer you a way to recalibrate and relax. The following Feng Shui design can have a positive influence on your outlook and your future.

• Place a water feature at your front entry. Select a water fountain or water tower that is appropriate to the size of your space, You don’t want to be splashed upon but you do want to feel the essence of water as you enter. It is desirable that it pleases your eyes and ears with its beauty and sound. You are establishing ambience. The effect is to create a palpable shift in your energy when you open the door. The visual appeal, the lilting sound and the water’s ions will lift your mood plus (and this important) will enhance your mental clarity as well.

Now the Career gua (front and central section of the house) is represented by Water element (Five Elements). If the front entry is in this location and a water feature is here, it is a natural placement. A water feature in this location is referenced as Dynamic Water. In Chinese Feng Shui Dynamic Water is related to your career, your network and the helpful people who assist you in doing your job well. Having a radiant water fountain will improve your career and if it’s already great it will enhance it even further. Visualize you are forging a new path of discovery. Set your intention to receive its full effect.

• Create a mini water fall or fountain in the back yard for you and for wildlife. Water is a source of healing and peaceful energy. The sight and sound of flowing water is soothing and will bring energy to your backyard. Likely you will be taking more weekends off and staycations just to enjoy its splendor and the birds and animals who show up will enhance your backyard paradise.

• Set up an outside water feature that is opposite from your bedroom or your office or your kitchen. You want to be able to see it from the bed or the desk or your stove. If you can see it from all three so much the better (but do not over do it with setting up three water features). If the bed in the your master bedroom has a view of the water feature, place a round, fashion convex mirror on the opposite wall from the view. Visualize the mirror is pulling the water across your bed. Since water represents wealth and abundance, the mirror is drawing money across your bed. See how your luck and your finances change.

How To Create Feng Shui Heaven Luck

Posted on June 15, 2023 by bette

“…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.