Inhabit Paradise. Year of the Metal Ox.

Posted on February 6, 2021 by bette

“To live in a peaceful home is to experience paradise on earth.”
–Shri Radhe Maa

Coming off of the hard, tumultuous rapids of change into the gentle yoke of strength, stability and nourishment will feel like a breath of fresh air. February 12, 2021, the trustworthy Ox with its “Buddha” energy is ready to plow a path of good fortune for us this year.

The Year of the Metal Ox portends that good luck will unfurl when we apply Ox’s synergy of patience, determination, diligence and wisdom. Integrating these qualities into our actions will have a flourishing effect on our inner reality and we may expect to thrive in our relationships and goals in 2021.

What did the troubled waters of the Rat year teach us? To unite our efforts. To live in the present moment. To show compassion. To notice suffering and say a kind word. To lend a hand. This is the source of your wealth and peace of mind. Ox’s altruistic nature, service to mankind and ability to grant wishes (according to Feng Shui tradition) make it the perfect animal to shoulder our personal endeavors. We will prosper when we stay focused and organized while keeping our emotions on even keel.

In Japan the ox is rooted in Buddhist lore. Zen Buddhism specialist, Martine Batchelor says a parable depicts “a young ox herder whose quest leads him to tame, train and transform his heart and mind, a process that is represented by subduing the ox.” (Japan Times).

Relationships will be highlighted in 2021. Uniting our efforts under the calm presence of the Ox we will see improvements among groups, families, friends and tribes.

How To Inhabit Paradise In The Year of the Metal Ox
The fanfare, the food and family celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year create a tsunami of positive energy while chasing away negative Ch’i. Every year, the centuries-old traditions of displaying red lanterns, gold coins, mounting spring couplets on the doors of homes and setting off firecrackers are believed to guarantee financial success and family harmony. In the west we focus on individual achievement but in Asian cultures success happens because of the people who are in our lives. Success is based on Yuan–family unity. Yuan means roundness. The image of the circle, seen in many of the food dishes like fish balls and oranges, are associated with family unity, support and continuity. This suggests the attainment of the Five Fold Happiness – luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness and wealth. These symbols and motifs ensure the timeless wishes for harmony and goodwill among all.

Invite Success
Accessorizing with Ox’s lucky colors (besides white, the color for Metal), yellow and green, will magnetize luck, prosperity and success.

Meet Your Zodiac Year
In the Year of the Metal Ox, for the Ox it is your “Benming Nian”. You will need to take a few precautions to ensure the year is not a bad one. Traditionally it is believed that wearing red will bring supreme good luck. Red is one of the luckiest colors in Chinese traditions, standing for loyalty, success and happiness. You’ll see red all everywhere during traditional Chinese festivals and particularly Chinese New Year: red lanterns, red envelopes, red paper hangings. When it comes to decorations, just about everyone is red and ornamented in gold.

Add red accessories to every outfit. Or play it simple, wear a cute bracelet made of red interwoven Chinese knots around your wrist off bad luck. But maybe you’re not a big fan of red in your outer wardrobe. Red underwear is, of course, the answer. It’s an easy way to protect yourself against the hazards of benming nian. You can stock or ask your sweetheart to gift you with some new sets on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Those persons born with the Chinese zodiac sign of the “Ox” are the Yuan Chen Tai Sui or they are situated atop the Tai Sui (hot seat). The Horse is the most confrontational with the Ox. From the Yun Lin Temple, When the white Horse meets the Green Ox, it will get overwhelmed and intimidated by situations. The Ram sits directly opposite the Year God (Ox) and will suffer direct conflict relationship. The Dragon and the Dog are seated at right angle to the Year God and considered to be the offending situation. Take extra precaution dear friends if your Zodiac animal is one of these signs. Be sure to carry a three dimensional rat made of jade, bone or boxwood. If you have the following BTSB ceremonies: “Welcoming the Wealth Gods” into your home; “the Golden Cicada” ceremony and “Changing the Ch’i of the House and Transforming The Fortunes for Individual and Residences” you will improve your luck exponentially.

Carry The Golden Ox’s Secret Friend
“When the Rat and the Ox come together, the joy of this encounter is enough to offset any evil that the moment may harbor.” –HH Grandmaster Lin Yun
No matter what your Chinese Zodiac animal is (except for the Horse, carry the Rooster and Snake together), when you carry a three dimensional rat made of jade, bone or boxwood, it will supply you with auspicious opportunities. Feng Shui Shopper on Etsy has a nice selection.

Display Prosperity Fruit
Da Ju, Da Li
“May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.”
Tangerine or ju in the Chinese language is close to the word for auspicious or lucky. Ju also sounds similar to zhu fu, which means a wish for good fortune. Da ju, da li expresses, “May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.” It is customary to see two tangerine trees at the entrance of a home or business in many Asian countries, not just China. This represents an abundance of auspiciousness.

Bloom Good Luck
Displaying daffodils and narcissus during the New Year bring good fortune and luck into your home.

Enjoy A Fruitful Year
Add to your tangerine display other members of the citrus family. The word for orange (Chengzi) sounds like gold (Jin) in the Chinese language. Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits which mean “to have”. Pineapple sounds like wealth but its real strength is symbolizes fame, promotion and excellent fortune. You can display the fruit at the front entry, the dining room, even the kitchen.

Show Up In Style
Dress in “up-beat” clothing or new clothes. Purchase a new red pocketbook. Professor Lin suggests a black wallet because black, the color associated with Water, is the representative of money.

Ward Off Evil
If anything breaks, like a cup or plate during New Year say “Fall to the floor and burst into bloom!”

Refrain From Cursing,
This will affect your luck for the year. If you should curse inadvertently say “Tong yen woo chi!” to reverse the affect.

Sleepless In the New Year
Stay out of trouble by staying awake! The Chinese stay up for 12:01 a.m. for the sound of sleepiness in Chinese is similar to trouble. Sleepless means no trouble for the coming year.

Avoid Cutting the Luck of the Year
On the last day of the old year food is prepared for the next two days so that all sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors, are placed in the drawer to avoid cutting the “luck” of the New Year. The kitchen is not to be disturbed on the first day of the Year. Getting poked by pins, or getting cut can be a harbinger of surgery to come. Don’t even schedule your hair to be trimmed.

Eat Foods of Good Fortune
At Chinese New Year’s Eve families come together for the Reunion Dinner. They serve eight foods of good fortune (eight ”ba” because it rhymes with the word fa, ”to prosper” or ”to attain wealth”) to ensure good luck for the coming year.

– Shrimp in the Chinese language sounds like Ha, Ha, Ha and translates as merriment and well being. Joyfulness brings good will and a future of limitless possibility.

– Dumplings, jiao zi, look like the golden ingots. Serving them promises wealth and prosperity.

– Lettuce wraps are dished up because lettuce means rising fortune.

– Serving a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year season symbolizes family togetherness.

– Fish, “Yu,” sounds like the words both for wish and abundance. It is customary to serve a fish at the end of the evening meal, symbolizing a wish for abundance in the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and ending for the coming year.

– Sticky Rice Cake symbolizes a rich, sweet life. Longevity noodles represent a long life (an old superstition says that it’s bad luck to cut them) so keep them intact while you eat.

– Both clams and spring rolls symbolize wealth; clams because of their resemblance to bouillon and spring rolls because their shape is similar to gold bars.

– Veggies embody the freshness of “evergreen” and store good fortune in their roots.

Remove Traces of Bad Luck
Throw away china, crockery or glassware that are broken, chipped or have hairline cracks, these augur bad luck.

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

Keep Money Rolling In
Prepare enough food to have left overs because left overs symbolize that you’ll have money rolling into the next year.

Ward Off Danger
On the morning of the first day of Spring Festival, families first set off firecrackers before going out in order to drive away evil spirits.

Hand Out Lucky Red Envelopes
The custom arose that children were easily susceptible to harm during the changing of the year and that money would protect them from evil spirits. This lucky money also served to bring good fortune for the coming year. During New Year, coins or notes, are placed in red envelopes, hong bao. Children and unmarried adults receive the red packets from elders or married friends. The red envelopes are a wish for good health, good fortune, peace and safety for the coming year.

Share a Circle of Sweetness
The first New Year Day everyone dines on a vegetarian meal to honor one’s ancestors. Then the family dresses in their finest clothes and visits older family members, paying respect, taking along gifts of Mandarin oranges and sweets of all kinds generally offered in a “tray of togetherness”. It is also customary to hand out hong bao (red envelopes with new bills or coins) to family members and friends of any age, who are single and unmarried.

Exchange The Old For The New
Bring one new item such as furniture, décor or art into your home and business to stimulate prosperity Ch’i and to expand your sheng chi (bright, uplifting energy that is beneficial to your health and well being). In addition give away one item or more. You create space for new blessings. Taoist monks in their temples make this a practice in their temples.

Perform Good Deeds
Feeling a bit stuck? If you want your life to move forward performing nine good deeds a day brings good fortune. You will also stimulate success in your Feng Shui cures and improve your karma. Helping to change the world never was so easy than bringing a smile to a stranger’s face.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
May your joy be overflowing in the Year of the Metal Ox. May peace and prosperity abound throughout the year.

A well designed space allows you to access positive energy at all times. Please feel free to call upon me to help you arrange your home where you feel supported. I am available for a “Your House Is Talking” full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation, 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.

COVID And Divorce. Feng Shui for Pandemic Friction.

Posted on January 30, 2021 by bette

“If there is light in your heart, you will find your way home.”
– Rumi

According to The National Law Review’s October 16, 2020 article, the divorce rate among Americans is rising. “… (the) lockdown has exposed issues that run deeper and offered ample time for reflection, leaving couples to wonder about their options for pursuing separation during the pandemic.” This statement compels me to ask, Have you struggled within your relationship more than once this past year? Have you sought help but arguing continues? COVID and divorce are on a lot of couples’ minds. If conflict has exhausted your ability to cope, take courage, your home could hold the secret. The following Feng Shui details are underlying to marital strife and relationship problems. My hope is you receive benefit from these alternative solutions to replenish love in your relationship.

The Mouth of Ch’i
Let’s start at the front entry. The front door represents your career, your future, your reputation, your head, Helpful People and your health. You may suddenly develop a headache here or become confused. You might speak before you think which can incite anger. Possibly you’ve lost your job due to COVID and you are struggling to make ends meet. You and your partner likely have careers and this doubles your stress if your attention is on a career that is not going well. Here are some possible causes.
• A split view at the front door can adversely affect all eight guas, including Family. As the brain is stimulated unevenly, the two sides begin to lack coordination. An imbalance like this can create illness, confusion, and an inability to make decisions. There may be nonstop arguing even violence. Divorce within three to five years. A career downturn. Correcting the Feng Shui can “turn a life around.” You want “both eyes should hit the same target.” (H. H. Lin Yun). If possible place a large mirror then both eyes will be focused on the same thing. Or use real money ($100 bill ). This is a simple yet effective solution because we all need money and we can never have too much. Or hang a faceted crystal from the ceiling on a red cord. This will lift your head and your countenance may brighten watching the rainbow reflect the sunlight.
• Mandarin Duck Stairway is a type of split where one set of stairs go up to the main floor and the other go down. Use the same principal to focus the eyes on one object at the entry. Hang a faceted crystal on a red cord from the ceiling. The two hemispheres of the brain will then work together, accommodating an equitable and useful response to any situation.

Doors Talk
COVID and divorce seem to follow you from room to room? To keep two way communication open look at the doors in your home. In the Feng Shui metaphor a door is a mouth. The following door types can prevent or distort communication especially when they are in the bedroom.
• Arguing Doors are doors which bump up against one another when they are opened. The bumping creates conflict. The mundane solution is to re-hang the door or doors so that they do not touch.
• Biting Doors doors that are misaligned, they bite at each other. It is an imbalance in perception. It is headaches and other problems in the head. It is opinions that are deadlocked. It is situations that cannot be resolved. The effect is the same as a split at the front door.
• Double Doors – Partnership Ch’i can leak out of one of the doors and allow private matters to escape into the community, magnifying and/or distorting any problem.
• Empty Doors – no actual door at the bedroom entry or there isn’t an actual door between the bedroom and the bathroom. A partner may be lost due to an affair, divorce or an accident that leads to death. On the mundane level, hang a door. If not possible then a transcendental cure will work. Hang a faceted 40 mm crystal ball from a red cord at the entry. Use a red (represents power, protection and good luck) cord and you have created a more powerful adjustment.
• Door Leading To Your Bedroom At The End Of A Long Hallway. Chi might be building and coming down the hallway and it might be really hard to focus, especially if your bed is in line with that. 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. Hang a faceted 40 mm crystal ball or wind chime in the hallway.
• French doors can be viewed as two doors. If there are too many French doors in a house, the occupants may often bicker and argue. Minds will be closed, prejudiced and biased. Use the ousting mudra and visualize there is harmony in the house and arguing and bickering are at an end.
• Piercing Heart Doors are where three or more doors line up and you can walk through them a straight line. These create an invisible barrier through the house, which in turn, can create a barrier between partners. As the schism widens over time, it becomes exceedingly difficult to connect with your significant other. Hang one or more crystal balls or wind chimes in the center of the rooms between the doors to slow down the Ch’i, and break down the invisible wall. Or paint a different color in each room along the path to break down the barrier.

Design for Conflict
Does the stress from thinking about COVID and divorce catch you looking askance when your beloved says hurtful words because they are frightened?
• Run Through Kitchen. There is arguing between partners and loss of money for the household. Hang two 40 mm crystals from a red cord, one at each door to slow down the rapid movement of Ch’i.
• A Kitchen In Front Of The Front Door will drive a partner out of the house to eat in someone else’s kitchen. Or they will be distracted by events, activities or hobbies outside the house. Pull the kitchen to the back of the house with a convex mirror.
• A Bedroom In Front Of The Front Door, a partner will find love outside the house, perhaps leaving entirely.
•A Detached Garage in Partnership is when the garage or any enclosed detached building is set close to the Partnership gua of the house. One or both partners may seek attention, perhaps begin an affair outside the home.
• Extension In Knowledge suggests someone is not listening, they think they know more. Balance the house with an adjustment at the corner of Helpful People (in the yard) to complete the imbalance in the shape of the house.
• An Uneven House Shape, whether it favors either the male or the female will give one of the partners the advantage and the disadvantaged partner will harbor hard feelings and feel resentment.
• Beam Running Down The Center Of The Bed, the pressure can split a couple apart.
• Home at the end of a Cul-de-Sac, or near the end, the energy pools and does not circulate back out. Life may feel like a dead end. A couple’s luck, good fortune will diminish and communication will feel stuck in a loop.

The feedback from clients who have adjusted the Feng Shui in their homes say they love the spirit of cooperation when performing the cures. The process helps them feel more compassion for the needs of their partner, their communication improves and it engenders a deeper connection. Love resurfaces when couples make adjustments with the intention to cre

Simple Feng Shui Rituals To End 2020

Posted on December 29, 2020 by bette

“You can’t always choose what happens to you, but you can always choose how you feel about it.”
– Danielle LaPorte

Feeling unsafe and uncertain have been the big themes of 2020. Jobs were lost, spouses divorced, family members died from COVID-19, homes went into foreclosure….We had to make tough decisions. Yet there were silver linings too. Couples bonded in ways they had not before. Parents spent meaningful time with their children. We discovered what matters most. As 2020 draws to a close I bring to you Feng Shui rituals and companion rituals that I believe offer a different way to reflect upon the year. These might be new for some of you or they might be a helpful reminder that ending the year with a positive mindset quickly releases the past and brings what you desire with sure footedness.

De-clutter your home. Clarity.
This first of the Feng Shui rituals might seem counterintuitive however the magic of de-cluttering is it wakes up the brain. It engages both the left and right hemisphere of the brain. In BSTB Feng Shui Professor Lin would say to move 27 things in your house to bring good luck. If you wish, move 27 things out of your home. Marie Kondo’s simple and gentle advice for releasing the physical things that no longer serve you honors the object and the process. First hold the object in question. Ask yourself does it bring me joy? Do I feel love? If not, thank it with sincerity for the time it served you and find it a new home.

Reflect and review. Release.
Another one of my favorite Feng Shui year end rituals. Purchase a new white candle(s). Find a place in your home where you will not be disturbed. Best times are 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. If this is not doable, perform this ritual when it suits your schedule. Orange or lemon essential oil are perfect for purifying your space. Pour a few drops onto the burning candle or in a diffuser. Or cut circles out of the zest of an orange or lemon and sprinkle around your room. Reflect upon the highlights and what brought you low points. Declare how you felt about each situation. Write these down on several slips of paper or just one page. Say out loud what you want to let go. Throw the paper into a small fire-proof cauldron or cooking pot or let the candle burn them. Feel the burden lift off of you. Feel your breath deepen in your tan’tien (belly). Feel the transformation in your heart. You have exited one portal and entered a new phase of your life.

Shift your focus. Forgive.
Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian art of healing, which developed as a social practice, is a way of resolving conflicts between people, families and groups. Ho’o means to cause something to happen so ho’opono means to cause something to be pono – to be right, to be good, just or caring and/or in alignment with all people, places and things. By duplicating pono the word ho’opono, is full of achievement, goodness is accentuated.

To do the four phrases practice, we can use anything as a focus. We can use an emotion, a tendency towards certain kinds of action (e.g. impulsive buys or self-blame), a person, a place, an event, anything. We first choose our focus and then we formulate statements about it using the four phrases as guidance. Inwardly, we say: “I’m sorry that __________.” Then “Please forgive me for ____________.” Then “Thank you for ___________” and end with “I love you.”We offer this “I love you” both to the focus of the practice and, ultimately, to the greater ‘something’ beyond.
– Adam Pearson

Complete the challenges on a high note. Chant.
“A mantra is a magic formula that, once it is uttered, can entirely change a situation, our mind, our body or a person. But this magic formula must be spoken in a state of concentration-that is to say, a state in which body and mind are absolutely in a state of unity.”
– Thich Naht Hahn

If you are having trouble with reflecting, forgiving or letting go, a mantra or an affirmation when repeated again and again will release your mind of the burden that is distracting you. This seed language is like a reminder note to be compassionate with yourself and open to what your heart has to say. I recommend the Six Syllable True Words Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum or from Chinese Buddhism, The Calming Heart Mantra, Gate, Gate, Para-Gate, Para Sam Gate, Bodhi Svaha. Multiples of nine (the number of completion and peak accomplishment) are suggested. Nine means forever so you are setting your intention into stone, so to speak.

See the good in the past. Appreciate.
There is no one perfect or right way to say goodbye. There are ways that make the process of ending 2020 with “You got this! You are the eagle soaring into the sky.” Whatever you do as this week winds down to January 1, 2021, these Feng Shui rituals may initiate insight into the gifts of 2020. While you are sipping your tea or coffee, give yourself a big hug and lots of love for all the ways you made the year yours.

Winter Solstice 2020. Dreaming In A New Era.

Posted on December 19, 2020 by bette

“If you can see yourself as an artist, and you can see that your life is your own creation, then why not create the most beautiful story for yourself?”
― Don Miguel Ruiz

Winter Solstice 2020 heralds the return to light but this year is exceptional. We will experience an astrological phenomenon of a grand design. Saturn and Jupiter in a rare, dynamic rendezvous will ascend upon the horizon just after dusk. Their massive, celestial bodies will appear like starry lovers embracing on a dance floor. Look to the west-southwest and you will see the coupled planets shining through the twilight.

What does this mean for humanity? Compared to the Christmas star that guided the wise men, the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter means old, tyrannical ways will be released. Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius will help us dream in a new era where humans will experience an expansion of consciousness, compassion and concern for the well being of the eight billion people on this planet. We will become global citizens. We will see more humanitarian policies set in place. Climate change will be addressed in more aggressive measures. Technological advancement will seem beyond miraculous, so buckle up.

What it means for you personally? There will be a greater impetus to realize your purpose. If you want to write a book, change your career or begin a project, this conjunction is fresh with innovative ideas. It’s the best time to tune in. Meditate and the small, still voice will whisper with clarity. Hold your thoughts in sincerity and devotion and you will be set on a trajectory to create something new and meaningful. Give it your full expression and heart, and it will receive the support it needs.

This conjunction is considered the beginning of the Age of Aquarius. We will use empathy to change the world. “Everyone will feel encouraged to embody the highest vibration in the form of social and progressive social activism.” Gandhi’s quote will be more relevant than ever, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.

Consider the following if you want to align with the momentum of the Winter Solstice 2020 and the new energies of Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius. Plan time to meditate and perform rituals. Engaging your senses with your psyche you will nourish your body and spirit. These practices will help you hold your life’s vision while you “write the most beautiful story of yourself”.

Straighten your house. Begin with the front entry. Remove clutter, especially shoes (or organize them). When they are in disarray (in the Chinese language it means chaos or evil reside here) the mouth of Ch’i becomes unruly. Bad luck follows.

Wash with orange peel. Cut nine circles from the skin of the orange. You will only want to use the zest (one of the reason oranges are used is their roundness means is not only as a symbol of gold but also completeness). Break down the peels to release their essence. While you are breaking the peels into smaller pieces, visualize the light of 10,000 Buddhas is emitted into the peels. Or visualize a deity of your choice. Chant Om Mani Padme Hum nine times or say a prayer. Draw a warm bath and drop the peels into the water. Let it sit a few minutes to infuse the water. Step in and wash your body. Do not forget to wash your hair. Feel the purification. Feel your Ch’i revived and refreshed.

Purify your space. Purchase nine oranges. The night before the Winter Solstice, this year, Sunday, December 20 at 11:00 p.m. open all the windows in your home. Cut (as you do with the orange peel bath) nine circles out of each orange for a total of 81 circles of orange peel. Break down the peels to release their essence. Nuance: talk to the oranges. Tell them they are being used in the best way possible. While you are breaking the peels into smaller pieces, visualize the light of 10,000 Buddhas is emitted into the peels. Or visualize a deity of your choice. Chant Om Mani Padme Hum continuously (at least 108 times) until the last circle is broken down. Begin at the front door. Quiet your body, mind and spirit. Walk around the house either clockwise or counter clockwise. Take a very small handful and scatter the peels out, as if you are feeding chickens. This mudra feeds “the hungry ghosts”. At the same place take another very small handful of the orange peels, cast them straight down. You are ”planting auspicious seeds”. Stay in the same place and take another small handful and throw up into the air, chant Om Mani Padme Hum in excitement. You are sending blessings to heaven. Move throughout the house, upstairs and downstairs until you have covered the house. As you are scattering the peels visualize that tens of thousands of Buddhas’s light are filling every corner of your house. Stand at one open window, take a deep, deep breath and exhale while chanting Om Mani Padme Hum nine times in short puffs (use only one breath – do your best). See the mantras cleansing the room of any negative ch’i such as illness, bankruptcy, death, etc. See the room filled with positive ch’i and good fortune. You and the room receive the blessings of Heaven and Earth. Close the windows and end the ceremony at the front door with the Calming Heart Mudra and chant Om Mani Padme Hum nine times. You are complete. If you are experiencing digestive issues do this adjustment. It will remove old patterns, resentments and vendettas.

Meditate to focus. Find a comfortable sitting position. Hold the ‘gyan’ mudra, (The Mudra of Knowledge). It will improve your mental and physical health – increasing your memory power, pituitary gland production and improves the nervous system. Touch the tip of your index finger to your thumb. Hold the other three fingers straight and stretched. Be sure they are parallel to each other. Do the mudra with both hands. Rest your hands onto your knees. Close your eyes. If you can open them slightly and focus on your nose bridge if that is comfortable. Breathe in for the count of five and exhale for the count of five. Keep your spine straight during the mediation pose. Let your mind become empty just watching your breathe (in and out). If you choose you can chant Om or Om Mani Padme Hum at least 108 times to 216 to 324 times. Hold this for at least 15 minutes if not 30 minutes. The posture will promote the flow of prana; improves focus; enhances memory and promotes of sense of balance.

Journal after meditating. The flow of Ch’i will be enhanced and your mind will be open to channel ideas and insights not available to your rational mind. Write whatever comes into your consciousness. Do not censor. Appreciate the stream coming to you and the ideas for your new project, new career or new book will flow.

If you are looking to build a new home, remodel, plan a wedding, purchase a home or sell one, when you begin has tremendous influence on the outcome of your event. Beginning on the right foot with an auspicious date and time will bring success to your endeavor. Contact me, bette@shenmenfengshui.com for details of how I can assist you with getting started.

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.

Photo credit: Daily Express

The Thanksgiving Gift

Posted on November 23, 2020 by bette

“May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.”
– John O’Donahue

We’ve been through more than we knew we could handle and though the struggle has been challenging, I believe we have been given this year to birth something new in each one of us. I admire your courage to overcome the obstacles that came your way and your fortitude to grow in love. The signs tell us we are coming into a state of grace and it begins with the Thanksgiving gift.

Wealth is a reflection of good-heartedness, trust in the future and generosity. Here is my Thanksgiving gift to you as “something beautiful to hold in your heart to survive difficult times and enjoy good times.”

The Three Harmony
If a house is square or rectangle and there are no extensions you can magnify this shape with the Three Harmony. It’s a method from Professor Lin to create auspicious extensions in your home. If you wish to improve your career, go to the Career gua (middle front) and place a mirror. Visualize a projection and in your visualization, the mirror becomes an auspicious extension. You may stop here OR enhance the mirror placement in Career, by placing a mirror in Wealth (far back left) and one in Partnership (far back right). These guas harmonize with Career and this adjustment is The Three Harmony of Water (water is the element of the Career gua). Complete with the Reinforce with each adjustment with your body, mind and speech.

Three Harmony of Water

Photo credit: Jack Hood, Flickr

The Creative Power of the Pumpkin

Posted on October 27, 2020 by bette

“I’d say the first thing you need is … a pumpkin.”
– Cinderella

For centuries the Chinese have displayed pumpkins in their homes in the fall believing this edible squash has the alchemy to create golden opportunities. It began with a folk tale. A scanty village girl named Huang Hua lived with her sickly parents who were unable to care and feed themselves. One day searching for food she came across an oddly shaped melon in a field and took it back to her thatched cottage. She figured out how to prepare the large melon and fed it to her parents. Not long afterwards they made an inexplicable recovery. Since it was found near South Mountain they named it “south melon” or “nangua” which is the Chinese word for pumpkin.

Since that time eating pumpkins have become an integral part of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival that is held at the full moon (the 15th day of the eight Chinese Lunar month). The tradition started in ancient China. Poverty stricken families living south of the Yangtze River ate pumpkin because they couldn’t afford the fancy ornamental mooncakes.

In folkloric tradition, farmer’s wives would carve out the belly and place items in them to attract wealth.

Their symbolism is as generous as their size. You may expect to increase:
• Prosperity
• Abundance
• Attain good luck from your ancestors (this quality derives from the ‘flood myth’).
• Insure your children will have illustrious careers.
• Acquire an enchanting life
• Draw the earth energy to manifest gold.
No wonder they are so revered around the world.

Welcome prosperity Ch’i and good fortune with pumpkins lined at your front door or incorporate them in arrangements at the inside entry to magnetize abundance.

How did the old couple survive just eating pumpkin you ask? Pumpkin has high levels of carotenoids, proteins, antioxidants and vitamin C. It health benefits are as massive as its size: it will boost your mood, keep your eyes keen, help you repair after a work out, assist in weight loss, reduce your cholesterol and advance your immune system. Its even thought to reduce the risk of cancer.

Color Your Life With Hope

Posted on September 29, 2020 by bette

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
– Albert Camus

Going for walks in the northern hemisphere, these late September days, I marvel at the trees shimmering with hues of vermillion, titian orange and marigold that light up the landscape. If you are like me you are enjoying the autumn rhythm of shorter days. And yet I have heard from some of you saying you feel isolated by COVID-19 sheltering in place and/or fearful about the unstable political climate.

Let me share a few things that could help. Worry and unease contract our Ch’i. “When our Ch’i is weak, we are more open to absorbing negative external factors–bad luck, bad Feng Shu, and bad Ch’i –that may come our way.”(H.H.“Professor” Lin Yun). So despite external conditions we can brighten our outlooks by creating our own invincible season. Color is one of many Feng Shui principles that strengthens our Ch’i. Making color adjustments in our homes, wardrobes and offices revitalize our mental, emotional and physical energies. I see this often after a client adds color to their home or wardrobe. They express confidence, they feel they are in a better place and hopeful about the future.

Fall for the color that makes you happy.
For your office
Red color has a stabilizing effect on the eyes (which are connected to the heart). Place a red object in the area directly across from your entry. This focal point allows the mind to get clear before you move on to your office tasks. A side note: red, symbolic of happiness, is a colorful antidote to anxiety.

Purple color has a calming, peaceful influence. It enhances visualization. If you meditate it will enhance your meditation practice and that improves your decision-making at work. Make a red and purple pillow and sit on the purple side to minimize anxiety. Or if you need to change your luck to good, sit on the red side, it raises your Ch’i.

Green color is associated with vitality. If your desk is too close to the entrance to your office or cubicle or your desk is in line of the home office door this diminishes your energy. Place a lush, leafy green plant on your desk. Its life force dispels negative Ch’i that may enter.

For your wardrobe
Red amplifies your reputation. Wearing red with the proper intention will increase your visibility both in a mundane sense and the transcendental scope. It will build your career and increase your options for success.

Green is associated with springtime, a fresh start and hope. You can look at green for a long time and not experience eye strain. Wearing apple green or blue can help minimize anxiety. Excellent for children in the first year of school or a child who daydreams.

Black, Green, Red, Yellow and White, the Five Element colors, help you interact with a person who isn’t listening, who thinks only of themselves, who argues with you and has “Yes, but Ch’i”. These colors do not change their behavior but help you respond to them with equanimity because they strengthen your Ch’i.

White color if you stress eat. Professor Lin said that when we wear white we are afraid we will spill food on our clothes so we slow down, are more careful and our stomachs will fill up faster.

For your home
Red paint for the front door for in Feng Shui symbolism, red means happiness, etiquette, power and strength. Though it protects against negative energy the main reason to paint your door red is it will continue to gather auspicious energy over time.

Green (any shade) in the kitchen can turn your finances to flowing again. Keep in mind the stove is symbolic of your finances. A vent or microwave over your stove oppresses it. Applying green above your stove will lift the energy, creating more opportunities for money to come to you: 1) easily 2) without pressure 3) and relieves worry.

Apple Green helps to deal with depression. If a friend or family member is feeling despair paint their bedroom an apple green to give them hope that a new beginning is around the corner.

Yellow, orange or brown in the center of your home helps you collect your Ch’i. Often your Ch’i is depleted from work, raising children and overextending yourself. The center represents Health. Placing an adjustment here will help you respond to emergencies with surety and know that you can trust your decisions.

Rainbow colors in the bedroom (from my chapter in Recipes For Living Coloring Journal), “Stress creates a host of emotional burdens on your heart. If you add a complete color system to your room, for example, the rainbow colors, (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) you carry the frequencies of these seven colors. This spectrum creates homeostasis in your body. It mirrors the chakra system, the life force centers, that are the gateway between your endocrine system and cosmic forces. I love this strategy for peace. I find that displaying a scarf or a quilt invites a sense of serenity and a feeling of calm washes over me when I enter my bedroom…” Good choice for a man searching for a partner,couples who are having disagreements or a child who may need help with their studies.

Sun Moon Good Fortune Feng Shui

Posted on August 11, 2020 by bette

“Yeah we all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun.”
– John Lennon

Mid morning walks in August are invigorating. I point my feet south and start absorbing all the sights and sounds that make this life technicolor brilliant. It’s also a potent time to observe the heavenly bodies. The Sun and the Moon share the same sky (it’s also an early evening phenomena later in the moon’s lunation). I couldn’t be more “over the moon” because in Chinese Feng Shui this celestial pairing has two meanings. It can be a good sign for the collective or a personal gift that a positive shift is coming. If you’ve been staying home and staying safe that’s a wise decision but I wouldn’t want you to miss your shining moment in your career or your relationship. The timing is perfect to illuminate your projects and manifest good things.

Rainbows, colorful clouds, hail, lunar halos, shooting stars, sun moon in the sky at the same time, all of these can have consequential actions for us. In his workshops Professor Lin’s would teach, “Climate and natural phenomena have an effect on humans, both their physiology and psychology.” When the sun and the moon are visible during the day, it is a sign that the country (or area) will see great progress. If you see the sun moon during the day, it’s a personal advancement. Here’s what you may experience.
• Increased intelligence is available.
• Improved lifestyle; good things will happen for you.
• Advanced placement in your career.
• Purchase real estate for a good return or enhance your family relationships.
• Book a ticket or tune up your car for a trip.
• Begin a book.
• Make an investment.
• Declare a wish.
• All good things will happen genuinely. Actually if you do not see the sun and the moon it will still have positive effects. This auspicious phenomena can influence making a lucky investment. If you do see both (the sun and the moon) the gain may be more particular to you.

A secret within a secret
Catch the moment when you see the sun moon at the same time. Envisage the light of the sun and moon shining upon your children, your home, your office. Imagine the light shining upon a new project, a business deal, or upcoming event. See the blessings plentiful.
Warning: Do not hesitate. It must be split second timing. Focus on one thing otherwise the good fortune from this ritual will be diminished.

Take Your Dreams To Heart

Posted on July 16, 2020 by bette

“One moment can change a day, one day can change a life and one life can change the world.”
– Buddha

You have an amazing heart and for that I have a special blog for you this month because I know it’s been a big job to hold strong, to have faith, to practice your best self when Covid-19 has pulled the rug out from under your plans and your future feels hijacked. You’ve got this and I want you to get more. I want you to know there is a benefit to the reality that is shifting before your eyes. These are fertile times for personal illumination and destiny is calling us to live our dreams through our hearts.

Recently I have been enjoying a beautiful meditation by Gregg Braden. It opens the heart to the extraordinary feeling of bliss because this is the space from which dreams come true. And I am supplementing this opportunity for expanded intuition and creativity with four Feng Shui adjustments that correct and enhance “Li” the gua related to the heart.

Gregg shares we have 40,000 brain-like cells, ‘sensory neurites’, concentrated in such a way that they are called the ‘little brain in the heart’. They can learn independently from the neurons in our brain. They can think and remember independently from the neurons in the brain. They communicate separately to us from the neurons in our brain…When we marry the heart and the brain together, when we harmonize the heart and the brain together, this extended neural network makes us different from all other forms of life. This is where our deepest empathy, compassion, intuition comes from. When we harmonize the little brain heart with the big brain in the head we can process information very quickly. Really fast information recall. Here is the reason why: when we access with our heart, using our intuition we don’t go through the logic and the fear, self esteem and all the doubt that we have in our brain which defends with ego resistance nor are we slowed down by our mental functions.

Our heart doesn’t work that way. Affirmations are powerful tools to implement change in our lives at any time. They are especially potent when we are communicating with our subconscious in a language that our subconscious recognizes. When we harmonize our heart and our brain, this is the hot line to our subconscious. Our affirmations of our perfect relationships, our healing, our dreams begins in our bodies. Extraordinary states of deep intuition are available through harmonizing the heart and the brain. There are three steps to creating this harmonious awareness that come from ancient traditions. (This can be performed just as you awake or go to sleep because these are excellent times for intention setting and opening the channel to the subconscious. Enhance the meditation with background music, lighting a candle, burning incense to clear energy, diffusing sandalwood or frankincense essentials oils. – Bette Steflik)

• Simply and gently place either one finger or your hand or your palms or the prayer mudra on the sternum of your heart. Your awareness will always go to the place in your body where you feel the touch, the sensation. Allow your awareness to move there.

• Slow your breathing. Five seconds on the inhale. Five seconds on the exhale. This sends a powerful signal to your body, from your mind to your heart that says I am turning my attention inward. You are telling your body that “I am safe”. That frees your body to let go of the stress hormones and the feelings of stress. When that happens the healing chemistry begins….Now the body is awakening to its powerful immune response and anti-aging hormones. Breathing slower you are telling your body it is safe.

• Create a feeling in your heart where you feel the touch. Feel one or some combination of the following four feelings: care for anything or for anyone. Appreciation or anything or for anyone. Gratitude or anything or for anyone. And compassion for or anything or for anyone. Researchers have found these four key words will trigger the experience between our heart and our brain to create that coherence .1 Hz. To the best of your ability feel those feelings and breathe from your heart center. Do that for 60 seconds. This ritual is ancient and primal. It is the key to the deepest truth of who you are in this world. The positive vibration you created will hold for six hours after you open your eyes.

Why do this? This is where the super learning comes from. Or when you are working to solve or create something new: a book, poetry, music. Your creativity comes from this deep space.
– Gregg Braden

In the Bagua formation, Li, the Fame gua is connected to the Fire element of the Five Elements. The heart which is known as the Emperor in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the organ that represents this phase. When standing at the front door facing into your home, the location is the central back section of your house. It rests between Hsun, the Wealth gua to the left and Kun, the Partnership gua to the right.

If this area is missing or depleted by a design feature such as a bathroom it may be difficult to excel in your career, pass examinations, receive recognition for a promotion, improve your status, and connect with networking groups that can enhance your visibility and that affects your sense of esteem and well-being. Physically you may develop eye disorders. Mentally your clarity, whether it’s your goals, being self directed or your vision of your future, may be obscured. A side note when Fame is enhanced this activates and improves your career. Want more name recognition? More heart in your relationships? More joy in your life? Here are four Fame tips to increase your influence.

Correct A bathroom in the Fame gua depletes this area (see above). Place a mirror on the outside of the door. It will reflect whatever is in front of it and the bathroom will transcendentally disappear. The nuance from Professor Lin the door may remain open and the cure still works.

Color Red is associated with Fame and Fire. Color may be used to fill in a missing area. Painting the wall red with the visualization that the color is pushing the wall out will transcendentally correct the missing area of the house. The added bonus is you’ve added your “Wall of Fame”.

Center Stage Li means “bright”. When you project yourself from a place of courtesy, professionalism and regard, you raise your esteem and others will view you as confident, considerate and connected. This place of power raises your status. Activate this area with diplomas, awards, and recognitions. The triangle shape is associated with this gua. Animals that represent Li are the tortoise, crab, pheasant (from The Form School) and shellfish. Illumination is a quality of this gua. A framed sunset or a rainbow are suitable for this gua as well.

Credit Believe in you, find your mantra and light your fire with an empowerment. Place an affirmation in this area, such as “I am so grateful and happy that I am now…(fill in the blank) or I am endlessly abundant with talent, skill, intelligence and joy that I utilize everyday.

Black Lives Matter. Let Us Rise Together.

Posted on June 4, 2020 by bette

“We rise by lifting others.”
– Robert Ingersoll

I am reaching out to you because black lives matter more than ever. If you’ve watched the tragedies unfold these past weeks you must be struggling, suffering, angry and hurt. I feel the same. What has happened shouldn’t have. They are reprehensible, damaging to our hearts and scary. Though it may feel the world is careening off a cliff, you, me, we can steady ourselves. We can seek community, solace with our friends, solidarity with our social media tribe and we can help change the future by what we think, how we speak and what we do.

The black community has suffered injustice, racism and inequality far too long. There are Ch’i adjustments for the house, the property, the individual and the natinon. An important transcendental Ch’i adjustment for humans from BSTB Feng Shui master, H. H. “Professor” Lin Yun is perform good deeds daily. Nine, 27 or 108 magnify the intention and smooth out scoundrel Ch’i. These ripple out into the world in full, broad, beautiful waves of love and can offset forces off lesser intent. They give us back our humanity and we transmute hate by doing good. If you have been searching for ways to be helpful and to show loving kindness to the black community here are five links beginning with George Floyd Memorial Fund. At the bottom of those is Glaad.org where you will find more organizations who welcome your donations. Thank you!

Money, time or a smile. Each or all build a hope filled tomorrow.
George Floyd Memorial Fund: The official GoFundMe to support the Floyd family.
In Memory of Tony McDade: The official GoFundMe to support the McDade family.
Justice for Breonna Taylor: The official GoFundMe to support the Taylor Family.
The National Bail Fund Network: A national project that works with organizers, advocates and legal providers across the country that are using or contemplating using, community bail funds as part of efforts to radically change local bail systems and reduce incarceration.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: America’s premier legal organization fighting racial justice through litigation, advocacy and public education.
Ways you can support black community and fight racial discrimination. Glaad

Thank you for stopping in. I am open during shelter-in-place. I have added Zoom consultations to on-site. My services are Feng Shui a La Carte, one hour or Your House Is Talking, full consultation. I wish you well and calmness during this extraordinarily difficult time. I look forward to having a conversation with you.