Chinese New Year Rituals. Attune To Prosperity.

Posted on January 20, 2022 by bette

“Rituals are the formulas by which harmony is restored.”
– Terry Tempest Williams

You know the feelings when you’ve spruced up the house. You feel refreshed, revitalized, rejuvenated and your home beams with cleanliness. Well it’s that time again when the Chinese New Year offers the opportunity to clear last year’s dust and opens the doors to radiance and good fortune. With that spirit of inviting positive Ch’i and abundance into our homes before the year gets underway, here is your comprehensive guide to 18 Chinese New Year rituals you can easily perform on Chinese New Year eve and day (February 1) to attune to prosperity and joy in 2022.

Sweep away the old. The Chinese have long held the belief that a fresh start is essential to a successful year. The 20th day of the 12th lunar month is set aside for the annual housecleaning. January 22, 2022 brooms will come out of the closet, every corner is thoroughly cleaned and misfortune is sent flying. As you sweep imagine illness, obstacles, bad luck, negative attitudes and emotions are swept away. The meditative rhythm of sweeping draws in possibilities of a auspicious new year.

Place something at your entry that is red. Red in Feng Shui symbolism means: happiness, courtesy, respect, power and strength. Two of the front door’s attributes are your career and reputation. With that in mind visualize the red object activating Fame Ch’i.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Avoid cutting the luck of the year” by putting your knives and scissors away February 1. Schedule a hair trim or mani/pedi before Chinese New Year’s Eve. This admonishment is one of the most often overlooked of the Chinese New Year rituals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dress in “up-beat” clothing or new clothes. Wearing red underwear creates a favorable beginning.

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

Carry the Water Tiger’s secret friend (talisman) the Pig. “When the Tiger and Pig come together, the joy of this encounter is enough to offset any evil that the moment may harbor.” (This is one of the most important of the Chinese New Year rituals.) –HH Grandmaster Lin Yun
The exception is if your Chinese animal protector is a Snake then carry Horse and Dog as a pair.

After you have played games and eaten foods that attract fame and fortune, perform BSTB ceremonies to invite bountiful blessings. How to receive these ceremonies of the “Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet” is below.

After you have played games and eaten foods that attract fame and fortune, perform BSTB ceremonies to invite bountiful blessings. How to receive these ceremonies of the “Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet” is below.

Enjoy A Year of Good Fortune!
The “Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet” is back! $27 + nine red envelopes. Email me at bette@shenmenfengshui.com for payment options. Nine red envelopes must be received by mail on or before January 23, 2022 to ensure your mailing will arrive in time. 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 during “Changing the Ch’i….

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.

My apologies, due to a proliferation of spam posts, comments cannot be made.

Want Wealth? Mirror Abundance With Feng Shui

Posted on November 22, 2021 by bette

“The daily practice of gratitude is one of the conduits by which your wealth will come to you.”
–Wallace D. Wattles

Warmed with food and spiced with sweet greetings and joy, Thanksgiving day our homes mirror simple abundance. and invite a timeless grace to wash over us filling our hearts with love, laughter and appreciation.

We can reflect this feel-good abundance often. A mirror in the Feng Shui metaphor has many functions. It draws in auspicious Ch’i, expands an image, strengthens an image, reduces a threat plus much more. If we want happiness, a robust career, prosperity, success for our children, a loving relationship, time for travel…Feng Shui can support our desires. In deep gratitude for you I am sharing seven wealth cures I believe will bring you comfort and joy for the holidays.

If you want more wealth. Place a mirror on your office desk face up in the Wealth area. Your intention creates a deep well to hold the money you gain.

If you want draw money in quickly. Place a concave mirror in the Wealth gua of your home to attract money quickly. It may come in the form of a lump sum from a single source.

If you want to expand the range of money sources, place a convex mirror in the Wealth gua of your home or bedroom to expand the dimensions of offerings.

If you are working hard and are seeing no results for your efforts especially in the area of financial gain, you may have a contrary door (the door opens to a wall). Place a large mirror (do not cut off the head of the tallest person in the house) on the wall to dissolve the blocking wall.

If you have felt closed off and stifled check the placement of your bed. If the foot of the bed is close to the wall, place a mirror on the wall at the foot of the bed to broaden your thoughts. You may be inspired with big ideas about making big money.

If you and your partner argue about money, place a round mirror above the bed in the bedroom to soften harsh words between you. You may come to agreements quickly and plan how to use your finances more equitably.

If money comes in and goes out quickly, place a convex mirror over the door in the Wealth gua to absorb money that is leaking out the back.

If you are hindered by bad luck in your financial dealings, place a mirror on the ceiling above the stove. It will lift up your assets as the stove is symbolic of your money source.

Thank you for being here. I appreciate you! Please have a healthy and happy holiday season.

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.

A Good Fortune Cure For Difficult Times

Posted on October 27, 2021 by bette

“A wise man turns chance into good fortune.”
– Thomas Fuller

You know that ecstatic moment when you receive the call you were awarded the job or you won a mini vacation. That’s evidence you were in the flow of positive energy. The Chinese call it good fortune. It’s available to everyone at anytime, but there are times when life is stalled and difficult. How do you get opportunities knocking at your door again? Turning to the secrets of Feng Shui have been mine and my clients antidote. Here’s how a client flipped his story from fear of failure to good fortune. He had become so successful he outgrew his clinic. It didn’t take him long and he found the perfect venue, a Feng Shui jewel. He was excited for me to see it and advise him on the details. When I arrived at the location he looked anxious, that morning he had just receive bad news, a firm was vying for the same space too. Doubting he didn’t have the leverage to get the contract, he imagined every possible scenario of failure. I said there are BSTB Feng Shui cures for times like this and you will secure the suite. My client and I have worked together several times. He hired me to consult for his current clinic, later his home and he has sent referrals my way. After implementing adjustments for those spaces, the shift in energy from the Feng Shui adjustments allowed him to create the success he had dreamt about. Even with his doubts about the new space he believed in Feng Shui and yes, he secured the contract. Would you like to know what he did?

There were several but here is the one that is universal to most situations to help you be prepared when the opportunity of your dreams comes knocking.

Introducing A Desirable Dream
Materials
Pen and Paper (if you choose to draw your wish)
Your pillow
Procedure
• See your dream come true. How did it happen? See the steps you took to get to your goal. What was the first step, what was the last step? What are the steps in between?
• Choose nine steps which tell the story from beginning to end.
• See the nine images, in sequence, at your third eye, with the following exception: replace one step with a picture of an event that has already happened and is totally unrelated. This should not be the first nor the last step.
• To enhance your visualization, draw these steps in sequence on a sheet of paper, remembering the exception.
• Place the paper with the nine pictures where you will see it throughout the day.
• At least nine times during the day (once upon awakening and once at bedtime), visualize your dream coming true. Walk your mind, in sequence, through all nine steps. Remember to see the images at your third eye.
• Before going to sleep, stand at the foot of your bed facing the head, holding your pillow. Look up to your third eye and see the dream images at your third eye. Turn the pillow over nine times, making nine full revolutions away from your body. Then turn it over to the left nine times, again making nine full revolutions.
• Visualize your dream coming true within twenty-seven days.
• Repeat the visualization for nine consecutive days.

Nine is the number of completion and peak accomplishment. In the Chinese language it is synonymous with the word forever. It amplifies the intention and desire of the recipients wishes and intentions. Use it well and it will serve you well.

Allow me to help you create good fortune by arranging 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.

Fall Reset. The Benefits Of Letting Go.

Posted on September 30, 2021 by bette

“Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.”
– Eckhart Tolle

Do you love the radiance of an autumn day? Are you inspired by a vibrant landscape of deep reds and brilliant oranges? Do you relish cool crisp evenings of a physical richness that warms your bones like smelling crossed buns baking in the oven, you snuggled in a fuzzy sweater sipping on hot tea by a fire where you turn your attention to holiday preparation?

But did you know seasonal changes have a universal importance as well? Letting go in Autumn what you have accumulated aligns with Nature’s time. It aligns your mind and your body’s internal clock which is important to your mental and physical health.

In technology a reset “clears any pending errors or events and brings a system to normal condition”. I believe a reset to your house resets the karma of pending errors you may have inherited with your home. We see Nature resetting when leaves take their flight and trees reveal their fabulous bones in preparation for Winter rest and new life in Spring. This is humans visual cue to do the same.

At the root of a reset is release. In Chinese cosmology, Fall is the Metal Season, it is called Rising Yin and the time of year to nourish Yin energy. This season is for purging and purifying your home. The act of clutter clearing becomes elevated to a cosmological attunement that aligns with Fall in the Five Seasons. Its place is true and meaningful in the regeneration of life.

Opening the channels in your space and opening the channels in your mind, body and spirit elevate your emotional state and create a lightness of being. BSTB purification rituals and ceremonies avail you of living in the receptive mode (“to receive” is the meaning of Yin energy) where all possibilities manifest. Think back to the opportunities, objects and relationships that were beyond your grasp over the year. A reset gives you a second chance. Before the end of October if you would focus on self care and letting go of your stuff you would see with clearer vision what is right for you. Here are methods to help you get started.

Let go first in your mind. To create a smooth process of clearing closets, drawers, the basement and garage, clear worry and anxiety from your mind. Go to bed and in the drowsy state visualize a positive vision of what you look forward to–a trip, a funny movie–whatever lightens your mind. Then see the things you love but have difficulty letting go find their way into boxes and bins, perhaps going to a friend or neighbor whom you know would be excited to receive them. You will wake up with an energized mental attitude and be more able to face the day. Do this over a period of nine nights (the number of completion and peak accomplishment).

Clear away energetic residue next. The walls in your home retain predecessor energy unless a space blessing has been performed. Painting the walls is one level of energy clearing but for a deeper karmic cleanse I recommend “Changing the Ch’i Of The House And Transforming The Fortunes For Individuals And Residences”. The purpose is letting go the remains of old patterns, resentments and vendettas. Oranges, (lemon is stronger to expel evil spirits. Orange has a hint of auspiciousness that lemon does not have), mantras, your visualization and intention will evict any misfortune and replace it with positive, prosperous, auspicious Ch’i. Inquire with me how you can attain this time honored ceremony. Nine red envelopes are requested.

Seek balance. You too can benefit from the stringent yet refreshing quality of citrus. During the day stress accumulates in your energy. Before you can adequately release the things you have been holding onto, your mind needs to be clear. Bathe in an orange peel bath (where lemons calm, lighten and refresh, oranges are auspicious and bring good fortune). Cut nine circles from the skin of an orange, soak them in a bowl. Pour them into warm bath water and wash your entire body, even your head. Orange’s clarifying essence removes worry and uplifts your Ch’i, helping you to balance.

See new possibilities. Place a mirror on the wall at the foot of the bed. It will allow you to see all the potential resolutions to your problems related to letting go. Set it with this intention and you will feel energized and your results will reflect your enthusiasm.

Nourish your stamina. You live in the residue of yesterday’s thought. When you avoid making a decision hold your hands left over right, thumbs together and palms up over your tan’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 a mantra of your choice.

Ready to release. Start with five minutes at a time. This allows you to mindfully build the momentum. Give one item away a day, next day two and increase the number each day. Take the 9-9-9 challenge. Identify nine items you want to donate and nine items to be returned to their proper home. Use the four box method. One for trash, give away, keep or re-locate. Enter a room in your home and place each item into one of the following boxes. Don’t skip a single one. The Feng Shui methods I have shared will help you identify more quickly what you love and what someone else will benefit by.

Vitality for your utmost passions. Preparing your home and your mind, connects you with your senses. When the above methods are performed daily for nine days (think of creating a morning ritual with them), you by-pass the mental processes that keep you in a resistance loop. Your energy becomes liberated from your emotions. Your enthusiasm increases. Your mind is not detained by distractions. With an orderly home you can now focus your energy on the things you enjoy instead of what you worry about. Your health is optimized and the universal part of it, your subconscious mind, will respond to your will and requests.

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 for Feng Shui a La Carte are at 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. Feng Shui design rejuvenates and replenishes your Ch’i. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Don’t Let Bad Feng Shui Steal Your Joy

Posted on August 24, 2021 by bette

“One of the secrets of success is to refuse to let temporary setbacks defeat us.”
–Mary Kay Ash

What is bad Feng Shui? Let’s follow the Ch’i in these scenarios. Did you recently purchase a new home? Move into an apartment? Add a bathroom to your house? Was your joy upended (a fall that required surgery. Suffered a big cash loss. Were you by-passed for a promotion at work) by something like one of these events? Maybe you’re feeling cautious and wondering, can I handle the tension? Now if a wise friend steps in and says you need to look at the Feng Shui, would you take their advice? Bad Feng Shui design is a motivator to change the arrangement of your home with the bonus that it will help you let go of stress.

Intangible yet palpable, energy in our environment silently influences our motives, decisions and choices. Professor Lin would often describe Ch’i (energy) as the harmony of yin (invisible) and yang (visible). We may not see a tornado developing (yin), but we do see the destruction (yang). We may see political demonstrations, murder or hijackings (yang), but we don’t see the underlying intrigue of a political coup (yin). We may see someone fired (yang), but we must also see that his or her firing can affect the next “owner” of the job (yin). There is a yin side to every story.

Let’s start with a home purchase. If after you moved in money started going through your hands like water, here’s what you might see as bad Feng Shui in your home’s design. When the Wealth gua (Hsun) is missing either on the lot or the house, money has no place to land. You may be convinced you are inhabiting a money pit (install a light pole at the projected corner of the missing area). Sliding glass doors invite money to fly out the back (mount a round 3″ sun moon mirror over the inside of the back door with the sun side facing into the house to hold the yang energy in). A bathroom or a bathroom in an extension in the Wealth gua depletes the Ch‘i as you watch your finances spiral down the drain (place a round 3″ mirror over the toilet to counteract the drain). Money missing from your bank account? A closet in the Wealth gua suggests someone is squirreling it away. It’s a delicate situation but your partner might be the one (place a light inside the closet to “reveal” any miscreant behavior). A detached garage adjacent to the Wealth gua of the house suggests crooks (relatives or unscrupulous friends) are stealing your money (attach the garage to the house with a sacred ceremony). Avoid sharp or prickly plants at the front door, for they may invite scoundrels and other difficult problems that disrupt the entire family. A dining room is a secondary source of income. Too close to an outside door and you may lose not only money but friends and your health (hang a 40mm clear crystal or wind chime between the door and the dining room table). There is no need to despair over these setbacks. The aforementioned sacred objects (placed on your altar for nine nights with intention) harness the dynamic forces that adjust the Ch’i and balance your home.

What design in the condo could have influenced a nasty fall? Believe it or not check the position of the stove. In the Feng Shui metaphor a stove that faces a door leading to the outside portends a lot of illness or unexplained illness. Being cut. Surgery. Constant worry and pressure may weaken everyone in the house. Family problems may be unresolved (place a wind chime or crystal ball between the door and the stove). Next look for stairs. Stairs anywhere fluctuate the Ch’i but in the center this results in a health problem. It can be illness, surgery, even a break in the body (place a large mirror at the top of the stairs to lift the Ch’i up. If you cannot place a mirror then a 40mm clear crystal will adjust the stairway). In the Feng Shui allegory the four corners of the lot represent the limbs of the body. The four corners of the house also relate to the limbs. The four corners of the master bedroom relate to the limbs. If someone breaks a bone, adjust the four corners of the house or the four corners of the master bedroom. Do not be hasty to cut down trees in your yard without performing a sacred ceremony.

If you have repeatedly felt setback by circumstances such as overlooked for a raise or a promotion what can your apartment tell you? The front entry represents the head, health, reputation and helpful people. Walking into a cramped, dark entrance depletes your Ch’i and suppresses your chances for advancement (a bright light on the outside will enhance everyone’s career, but if not possible then add a brighter light to the entry’s fixture. Include a large mirror or an image that has perspective, such as a landscape, to open up the space). Lack of command of the bed will rob you of opportunity. If your bed is on the door wall you may experience restless sleep, anxiety, heart arrhythmia and a murmur, even anger. Debilitated by your emotions, you may not be able to handle more responsibility that comes with a career advancement (place the bed where you can see the door but not be in line of the door). Feeling rudderless can be the result of a bed that floats in the middle of the room. If times are tough, place at least one side of the bed against the wall. You will reassure strong support and a feeling of security.

Tapping into hidden Feng Shui energies you turn probability into actuality, latent potential into reality, disappointment into joy, lack of confidence into courage. One design change can save your sanity.

Allow me to help you change any bad Feng Shui that is stealing your joy. 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.

Feng Shui. The Gift of Helpful People.

Posted on July 26, 2021 by bette

“Success is never accidental.”
– Jack Dorsey
21 years ago the Bagua spoke to me about my life’s journey and what it would look like through my home’s design. Its principles spoke of my values, my relationships, my soul’s purpose, my karma, my life story. Like a vision unfolding inside a sorcerer’s crystal ball, it revealed how I would handle situations, lose money, make money, create opportunities, find mentors, fall in love and develop my career. It paved the way for me to learned that intentional decorating with sacred objects generates a vibrational pattern that attracts the people and events that would bring to me satisfaction and success. I discovered I enjoy being a Helpful Person. Giving to others fits seamlessly with my sensibilities, sense of purpose and love of being a conduit for positive change.

Do you wish you could find an expert mechanic? Desire a business network that mirrors your dream for growth? Yearn for a massage therapist who can penetrate to your knotty spots or a wealth advisor who can astutely guide your financial plans? Cultivating the Helpful People sector not only gives you a sense that you will manage life changing events but also create:
• Good timing to grasp opportunities right when they happen.
• Increase synchronicity in your daily activities.
• Know there is help when you falter.
• Confidently pursue what matters to you most.

Let’s explore the meaning of this area which will give clues as to why it will benefit you to activate it. Helpful People/Travel’s domain is Heaven, the Creative Principle, where ideas and desires haven’t yet taken form. The Creative is the underlying energy that initiates momentum. If you have something you wish to manifest like purchasing a new house, it first exists in the subtle realm before it becomes manifest in the physical. When it’s an idea, a dream, it’s intangible and this is where you take it to the Helpful People to initiate what you wish to materialize. This area of the Bagua represents the father, males and in the human body it is the head (look in this area if you experience headaches). It will help you find the experienced realtor, the gentle dentist or the mentor – friends, experts and professionals who make life easier. When you immerse yourself in this energy, flow, serendipity, synchronicity and luck are ever present. Reasons enough to add a sacred object here to set this principle into motion.

What is in the front right corner of your home? What do you see? Is it even there? Could be missing? Is there a bathroom? Is there a garage? Are there stairs? Do you see clutter or calm?

Design Details
Missing area
There is no place to draw Helpful People into your sphere. You are not able to access all their benefits. No one may come to your aid.
• The color of the gua (gray for Helpful People), painted on the wall adjacent to the missing piece, can push the wall out to give back the missing piece.
• Or if you live in a home, then make the adjustment on the lot. Install a light pole or add a water fountain, bird bath or tall rock at the intersection of the missing corner.
• Or place a convex mirror and like the paint, push the wall out to give back the missing piece.

Extension
Folks would call you lucky and fortunate. You can invite more Helpful People to shape your life as you see fit with an adjustment.
• Hang an image of a place you love to travel or have traveled, a deity, a mentor, a time piece like a large clock (do not accept a clock as a gift or if you given one, do the following). When the giver gives a clock it sounds like “to bid farewell” – to see someone to his or her death. Collect a red envelope with money in it if you give a clock as a gift.

Bathroom
One of four inauspicious places in the home. The bathroom is symbolic of our expenses and our internal plumbing. As a result it affects the luck, health and wealth of the occupants of the home. The Helpful People gua is opposite the Wealth gua and the two of them work together. A bathroom in Helpful People gua will deplete that gua. It can drain away the Helpful People in your life. Helpful People bring you money and pay you money for the work you do and help you with your career.
• Mirror outside of the bathroom door. It brings to the bathroom door the reflection of whatever is opposite the mirror. It will appear the bathroom is no longer present and that it has become something else. Even if you leave the door open this adjustment is still effective.
• Or place a round mirror on the ceiling above the toilet. You can use a flat, convex or Sun Moon mirror. Do not use a concave mirror. The mirror counteracts the energy leaving through the drain.
(A bathroom in an extension to a Helpful People gua will deplete or negate all the good fortune of the extension).

Garage
Not an issue.
• Enhance this area with a power animal like a five-toed Imperial Dragon (but do not choose a red dragon because that is a cooked Dragon) to draw to your aid the power of Heaven. In ancient times, emperors wore garments with dragons on them. A civilian was not allowed to wear such garments. The leader’s ch’i was infused with the ch’i of the dragon which is symbolic of power. If you use the dragon design in business, you may attain both wealth and power.

Fireplace
Helpful People represents the Metal element, Fire melts Metal. You may find it difficult getting your ideas off the ground or attracting the right kind of folks who will support your creativity.
• Place a mirror over the fireplace, allowing the Water (symbolized by the mirror) to put out the Fire.
• Add water near the fireplace.
• Add the color black (also symbolic of Water) near the fireplace.
• Add wood, or the color green (symbolic of Wood), so that the fire burns the wood and not the family resources.
• Add an Earth element to put out the Fire. (the color yellow, a square bench, or a potted plant.)

Stairs
Stairs anywhere are a fluctuating energy. Helpful People could be unreliable. Your father might have an unstable personality. You might manifest opportunities only to have them disappear quickly.
• Lift the Ch’i with a mirror at the top of the stairs, a wind chime or a faceted crystal.

Life Situations
A Run Of Bad Luck
Activate Helpful People in the bed, the bedroom, and the office.

Intangible Stress
If there is something you can’t quite put your finger on, you feel pressure and you can’t quite understand what’s causing it.
• Make an adjustment in Helpful People sector. It could be in the house, the office, the bedroom or any Helpful People gua.

Heavenly Aid
If you are working on a project which requires lots of Helpful People.
• Make an adjustment on the lot, the house and the bedroom (all three). Some of the ancient images associated with the trigram Heaven, the trigram for the Helpful People gua, are: dragons, horses, lions, elephants, geese, fruit trees, meadows and plains with a prominent sky, the famous, the elderly, a dignified ruler, a dome and a clock tower, a skyscraper. For example, where there are horses there is success and a fruit tree displays its bounty in the season of Heaven, autumn (Five Elements).

Feng Shui! Build A Foundation For Joy!

Posted on June 15, 2021 by bette

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
– Maya Angelou

As long as you live you’ll never stop dreaming. So when you realize your home is the foundation for your joy it becomes fertile ground upon which your imagination can create your dream career, your dream partner, your dream vacation or whatever you are dreaming in right now. In BSTB Feng Shui it begins with the Bagua (Template of Life). It’s the most complete guide to revitalizing a home and activating one’s dreams. If you were to craft a room with color, texture, sound or smell or a combination of these using the Feng Shui principles of design and intention, you would find it invokes your imagination. As your home becomes harmonized you are stimulated by an awakening to possibilities; you harmonize with what you desire and this broadens the spectrum of what you can foresee and magnetize.

“The more detail and clarity you bring to your dreams, the more you will be able to attract what you want.” The form and intent of the Bagua is that it is a platform upon which you create something new, to accelerate your aliveness, growth and realize your purpose. As you activate creativity in one or each gua you tap into the energy of abundance and from that frequency you manifest.

My offering this month is imagine, create, design then receive your dreams and more!

Heaven/Helpful People
Not feeling inspired? Want more time to invest in the pursuits that make you feel alive and abundant? The Helpful People gua, represented by Heaven in the I-Ching is the gua of the Creative Principle. Heaven seeds Earth to create the abundance we see all around. Expand time with an adjustment.
Cure: Place a clock with hands and face to amplify time (to do what you love).

Career
Lacking motivation in your job? Do you daydream at your desk? It might be time to reexamine your goals to alter your belief that you can do what you love and make money at it too. Open your mind to the deep waters of your purpose with an adjustment.
Cure: Activate your intuition with the sounds of a water fountain.

Knowledge
Love to journal, doodle in the margins, play with words? Does it appeal to you to turn this into something that is more than a hobby? Visualize a mountain and each step is taking you to your dream. Reinforce your creativity with an adjustment.
Cure: Hang a wind chime to ring in writing a book.

Family
Feeling uprooted? Unable to direct your attention on that dream that keeps whispering in your ear, nudging you to start? Focus your energy like thunder that strikes the ground.
Cure: Place a windmill to get a new project started.

Wealth
Can’t make out what your inner guides are saying? Didn’t know you have inner guides? Feeling a bit anxious? The Wealth gua is represented by the Wind in the I-Ching. Our words, the words of our loved ones and our guides ride on the wind. Feel the wind support your higher good with an adjustment.
Cure: Hang a rainbow banner to catch the winds of good fortune.

Fame
Having trouble putting your heart into what you do? Feeling disappointment when something doesn’t turn out? Wishful thinking occupying your thoughts? Tap into your artistry. Let your heart pump happiness with an adjustment that takes you right into the present moment.
Cure: Install a bright light to illuminate your genius.

Relationship
Feeling ungrounded? Or stuck in the mud? Trying to do too much for everyone else and forgetting your needs? Imagine trees laden with ripe fruit on an August day with an adjustment that nourishes your soul connection.
Cure: Place a container of seasonal flowers to remind you of the joy of receptivity.

Children
Wonder if creativity bypassed your DNA? Having trouble being spontaneous? When was the last time you had a play date that felt meaningful? In the I-Ching this area is call The Joyous Lake. Drink in refreshment like dipping your toe into cool water on a hot summer day when you make an adjustment.
Cure: Hang a round mirror to remind you to be true to yourself and remember your bliss lies within.

Center
The center represents the Eight Trigrams and the Ten Directions. It covers the ten thousand things. When your life is in transition and you cannot quite grab ahold of your destiny, make an adjustment here to set things straight. The shape of the Chinese coin represents Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, The Tao of Creation. Place one here to hold the center together.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported and build a foundation for joy. 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.

Feng Shui. Mental Health. Take Action.

Posted on May 20, 2021 by bette

“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.

Your Home Is A Window To Opportunity

Posted on April 12, 2021 by bette

“An open mind is like an open window, it lets in fresh air.”
– Mike Hernacki

Clean the office windows prompted my inner voice. Such a mundane topic to begin a blog but experiencing the sunlight stream across my desk boosting my creative space (and my mind) with a much needed drink of Ch’i, I realized without my office windows I would be lacking in this joyful experience. We cannot live without light. It is essential to our minds, bodies, health and well-being. Light nourishes our spaces and this brilliant energy gets our ideas flowing and our Ch’i going. A well placed window can maximize the benefits of this creative life force.

What’s the perk for you? When architectural details are arranged in such a way that they generate an elevated emotions in you, the positive feelings attract positive experiences. Some houses need a little more TLC while others need a little tweak to stimulate more Ch’i. I’ve created a list of ten Feng Shui design features related to window placement, window care and window construction to help you create a life of opportunity.

Doors represent the voice of the adult where as windows represent the voice of the child. If your windows cannot open, old Ch’i is constrained. Every one in the house may gradually “suffocate”, unable to process clearly or not move at all. Life can be problematic for children.
– Fix the windows.
– Place a small round mirror on the inoperable window(s). This encourages the ch’i to circulate and revive the occupants.

Too few doors in relationship to the windows and the children may decree what happens in the house creating chaos. At work, there may be a strike by unhappy employees, mirroring an unruly parent/child relationship.
Nuance: Evaluate the size of the windows and doors. A very large window can give the children very strong voices and visa versa, a very large door can give the parents very strong voices.
– If there too few doors, hang a bell on the inside of the parent’s bedroom door (or on the doors of management personnel) to enhance their parental voice.
– Option: install panes in the large window. The mulleins soften the voice of the child. They then may be motivated to listen.

If a window is behind you as you sit at your desk and it provides you with good light and good scenery, then you need not do anything. But if an arrow point at you from the outside, you need to adjust it. A concave Bagua mirror on the outside reflecting back to the offending building will soften (blunt) the arrow.

If the window is wider than your desk (or bed) and you feel nervous, make an adjustment. Drapes or blinds can be used to make the window appear smaller, feeling more secure.

Windows that begin at eye level making it impossible to see out, can create feelings of constriction and control. This feature is designed into many modern schools. Watch for a child’s basement bedroom where the windows are above their head. They may feel like a frog in the well.
– Hang a mirror in the affected room(s) at eye level.
– You can have a breakthrough by practicing the Six Stage Up-lifting Ch’i Method.

If windows are shorter than the tallest person in the building, that person may feel depressed or oppressed. They may internalize their feelings resulting in a loss of clarity and an inability to process thoughts and take action. If an entire office building had short windows, what madness might run through the hallways.
– Place a mirror in the room that is high enough to allow his or her Ch’i to expand. The center of the mirror should be at eye level.
– Hang a crystal ball in the short window(s) to elevate the Ch’i. The rainbow colors created will lift one’s Ch’i.
– Make the window appear taller than it actually is, by installing curtains that extend above the window.

Rare but still there is that one occasion when a stove is under a window (not good) and if it is barred (really disastrous) family members may end up in the hospital, in court, or in jail.
– Paint the window frame in the colors of the five elements (green, red, yellow, white, and black).
– Grow greenery on the bars.

If a family or business is separated from their community, standoffish and isolated, check to see if the windows open inward. If this is the case, the Ch’i is constantly being sucked into the home or office. The lack of connection can hinder opportunity, and create mental and physical instability.
– Hang a wind chime near the front door to activate a connection with the outside world.
– Hang a crystal ball near the window where the sun shines. The rainbow colors created by the faceted crystal will bring good luck, endurance and fortitude. Family members may be more willing to leave the house.
– Use colors in the affected room that are full of life force like green, blue, bluish purple and reddish purple
– Red and green can help a nervous adolescent come out into the world.
– A timid teenager may benefit from pink, red, blue, and green.

Professor Lin was once asked by a student in one of his Berkeley workshops about a broken window in the Knowledge gua. In his over arching vision he replied, did the person break their hand or their wrist? The answer was, Yes! The hands in the Bagua are related to the Knowledge gua (front left corner) of the home. Repair broken windows, replace inoperable windows, windows that are stuck and install energy efficient window panes before an accident happens.

The eyes are the body part symbolic of the Fame Gua (central back part of the house). If you seek clarity about your career, want to develop ideas that create a robust network, increase your visibility in your profession or community, improve your inner sight, keep the windows in this area clean.

Bonus: Any outlet to the outside is related to the eyes. Be sure your vents, fans, air conditioners, etc., are working properly. You will help protect the eyes from injury and illness.

Glass doors correspond to the eyes. Simply keeping them clean will help you maintain the clarity of your vision.

What can a window teach you?
• Keep your eyes open
• See things as they are
• Enjoy what you see
• Prepare to meet opportunity
• Enlighten your mind
• If something is broke, fix it
– Bette Steflik, Shen Men Feng Shui

Light Up Your Great Ideas With Feng Shui

Posted on March 25, 2021 by bette

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
– Walt Disney

Your home is not only a place to eat, sleep, grow your family and live out your life. Like a blank canvas waiting for color and inspiration, your home embodies a silent, subtle world that surrounds you. Intangible but palpable, it is the space that defines the rooms and encompasses your furnishings. It is the space that once is activated by turning the couch on an angle or painting a wall red or adding a bright light to the front door, is poised to help you light up your great ideas which one day may include taking a chance on something new.

I am hearing folks talk about the hard truths of 2020. They are passionate about telling their stories and up-leveling their purpose. They are writing books with compelling messages; developing brands to reflect a growing ecological kinship to the earth; planning service strategies that will support their new mission. They are trusting their higher guidance and they want to share it. If you are part of this mindfulness revolution or even dare to take your career on a new path, then let the details from the arrangement of your rooms, the flowers on your desk, the color of your walls, the images you have placed, let these personal items reflect the excitement, the dedication and engagement you give to your work everyday.

All it takes is calibrating your home to what you desire. Before launching your great idea, look around, does your home and home office reflect your value? A new desk placement can change your point of view and bring in a steady flow of income. The right color can inspire your creativity. Let your authentic self shine with Feng Shui.

Create Powerful Momentum For What Is To Come
Take Command Of Your Space
Command position is where you sit at your desk so you can see the door but not be in line of the door. And good desk placement is the mainstay in developing your ideas and services. Here are several distinguished nuances that could set your career on a trajectory for success.
– Face the door wall with your desk is in command This desk position suggests work will be steady.
– Face the side wall but still in a command position. Projects, clients, income, work will come in cycles. You may work hard for a few days or months and then have time for a vacation or simply to slow down. Ideal for a writer.
– Place your desk on an angle. If you want things to move more quickly consider moving your desk to an angled position. You can enhance this position by placing a light that shines on the desk from behind. You can also place a plant in the corner behind the desk. Or you can hang the Ten Emperor Coins with the two bamboo flutes from the Yun Lin Temple on each wall of the corner. However there is a caveat: if you do not have support to take the next steps or don’t have the financial backing to expand quickly, the placement may actually bankrupt you.
– Place your desk with a wall too close in front of you and your open-mindedness and creativity may diminish. Your learning may be slower and you may not acquire a broad range of knowledge. However if there are no other alternate choices, place a mirror on the wall in front of you or place a picture with depth or place a picture of your deity in front of you.
– Sit at your desk with a wall behind you, you will receive support and you will feel supported. You can enhance this position by sitting in a chair that has a solid back and you may receive solid advice from friends and advisors.
– Sit where there is not enough room behind you and you may not be able to turn things around when they get difficult. You may become cornered. You may lose your power and your perspective. You may not leave yourself enough room to turn around or change directions. Things may get very difficult. Make sure you have enough room behind you and if you don’t, move the desk forward.

Speak To Your Strengths
Launching a book or website you want all your forces to support you, that includes a strong front door (the mouth of Ch’i). If your front door does not face the street, it could be what is called a “hidden front door”. This position takes your voice away from the world. Opportunities do not come easily. Isolated is a manifested fear from this design detail.
– Light the top of the Hidden door with a light placed on the ground just opposite the door. It does not have to be turned on.
– Hang a wind-chime at the front door.
– Carefully mark the path to the front door, so there is no confusion.

Enhance Your Creativity
Every aspect of your profession, service or artistry is a creative endeavor. Add the colors, white, black and green to your home office or where you brainstorm and download ideas. Green plants, flowering plants but fruiting plants in particular will enhance your career.

Reinforce Your Career (Trigram)
Purchase either a wind chime or a 40mm faceted crystal ball. Place it on your altar for nine nights. On the tenth day walk the sacred object to each trigram position of the house or office. Upon arriving at the gua, spin the crystal or shake the wind chime. When complete, walk to the center then you will be assured you have life covered. Visualize all of life’s problems are covered. When you adjust the center you want to visualize that everything is covered. Then you can hang the crystal ball in the center of the gua that needs enhancement. If you are going to adjust Career visualize you are bringing the knowledge with you, you are bringing fame with you, you are bringing helpful people with you to the Career gua so you can move forward. Visualize all the auspicious chi, visualize in with the good and out with the bad, everything is getting better and better. Visualize you have more time to give to your Career and the appropriate salary or compensation, Visualize the color of the Career gua (black). Visualize your job offer is a good package and an appropriate salary. Visualize the color of the gua as you are adding the adjustment.

Steady Your Focus
Tapping the Head three times day (108 times per round) will help you steady yourself and concentrate. The excessive Ch’i is drawn out of the brain. This method is helpful to perform at night when counting sheep has failed.

Calm Your Mind
Calm is often underrated however it is the underpinnings of inspiration when offering your services and running your business. A calm attitude engenders new ideas and insights on how to execute them.
– Color speaks the language of the brain. Wear green to calm your heart. If you or a friend’s emotions are all over the place this refreshing color will help relax (always remember to set your intention) your heart. Earth colors like yellow, brown and orange are calming as well.
– Place a Yu bowl under your bed under your heart to build trust. It allows you to trust yourself and trust what is happening around you.
– Place a red circle that has your name that you wrote on one side with a new black pen and the word “stability” on the other side. Hold your breath while you write these. Next place the red circle either under your heart under your bed or under your office chair with the word stability facing the floor to stay more calm as you create and expand your ideas.

Follow Your Impulses
Place a windmill on your property in the Family Gua to stimulate ideas for new projects.

Build Your Reputation
Red is the color of the Fire element and the Fame gua. Red is an energy source, a stimulator and a way of expelling bad Ch’i. If your reputation has been maligned, if you want to enhance your fame or if you desire to extend your reach beyond the city in which you work, paint a red wall in the Fame gua and set your intention accordingly. If that does not work with your decor plant a conifer in your back yard, the triangle is the shape that represents Fire. Or place an affirmation in the Fame gua of your home that is framed in red.

Perform 9 good deeds in one day. And continue to perform one good deed a day for 27 days. This practice will enhance the Feng Shui in your home. Abundance is synonymous with giving. The key is to help another selflessly.

Enhance Your Feng Shui
When you perform a cure, envision that you are at the juncture between heaven and earth, this visualization enables you to receive universal chi to help you overcome all your obstacles.