Tag Archives: autumn

How To Unearth The Gift Of Autumn

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“I noticed that Autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

In May I shared with you the power of fortuitous beginnings. In the Chinese calendar Autumn launched August 7. Hot will turn to cool. Fertility transforms into ripeness. Radiant greens fall asunder to sunflower yellow, crimson red, and radiant russets. Dew moistens the parched earth. By human standards everything remains the same from work schedule, vacations, promotions, school activities–but behind the scenes, Nature is changing as the wheel of time notches to the next season.

If you are a highly sensitive person, a lover of Feng Shui or someone who has an insatiable curiosity, these ideas offer uncommon opportunities to embolden your Chi and give you strength to embrace the shift into the cooler days.

Deepen the connection between you and your home  This mystical BSTB Frng Shui secret will smooth what may be out of sorts. It adds robustness. It draws success and resources to you. Professor Lin Yun would say everything in the house and every part of the house has its own spirituality. It’s true of every piece of furniture, of every system in the house and so he shared:

• When you touch the stove you can visualize the god of the stove is suddenly aware of you and that the god of the stove raises his head to look at you. And suddenly you’ve energized the god. And then you can ask the god of the stove to bestow blessings upon you and the family; that the family will have everything they need, that their resources will be bountiful.
• When you touch the desk you can visualize the god of the desk suddenly looks up at you. And you can ask the god of the desk to bestow blessings upon your career and your labor will produce really good results.
• When you touch the god of the bed visualize the god looks up at you and listens to your requests for blessings. You may choose to have better sleep or you may need healing as you rest in bed.
• When you hold a piece of “clutter” (Autumn is a propitious time to let go), you can tell that object you are retiring it and you are sending it away cause you are running out of room. Thank it for serving you well. Place it in the proper container which will go to its future destination.

Colors of Upliftment Fall is the perfect time to add touches to your decor especially if you live in a climate with more gray days than blue skies. This adjustment also helps with overwhelm and feeling afflicted. Design or accessorize with one of the three color systems. You could use the Five Element System (black, green, red, yellow and white), the six true words color system (white, red, yellow, green, blue, black  or the rainbow color system. Use the color, green, because it is a peaceful color.

Container of Abundance Baskets in your dining room or kitchen symbolize the gathering of crops (or in urban areas the gathering of ideas).

Circle of Happiness A wreath blesses, unites, insures harmony and offers protection. A circle suggests inclusion, enclosing that which is sacred and our homes are our sacred space. An autumn wreath may contain wheat, corn, gourds, sunflowers or fall flowers that grow in your region to celebrate the season. The Native Americans saw the sunflower as a symbol of holiness and fertility. Its color symbolized vitality and energy. In the Chinese culture it represents immortality and symbolizes long life and happiness. Its yellow color signifies vitality and intelligence. They are given on occasions to bring good luck to a student upon graduation or starting a new business.

Altar of Celebration A living altar adds vibrancy to your home. Add plants and flowers of the season. Whatever reminds you of the transition between summer and autumn. According to Ayurvedic tradition, holy basil/tulsi is high in sattva. It infuses the recipient with divine energy – body, mind and soul, it anoints one with lightness, clarity and warmth. A living plant in your home will bring good luck. The berries and flowers of elderberry boost your immunity with antioxidants and vitamins. They tame inflammation, lessen stress, and protect your heart and they show you  how to care for yourself. Goldenrod encourages to bring forth your unique healing in the face of adversity. Carrying the flowers in your wallet during the day brings money.

Keys of Joy and Life with Ease Helpful People make life easier. When present good fortune, abundance, lucky breaks, compassion and kindness are bountiful. Mentors show up and bosses see the best in you. It is related to the Metal element which encompasses Autumn. The  Children Gua (of the Bagua) is related to the Metal element. To enhance this area to  harvest what you sowed in the Spring, add either a metal sculpture, or a painting your child made  or perhaps a white vase with white flowers to stimulate your creative life force. If this area is missing there is no place for joy to express itself or your children may require additional help with their studies or they may be experiencing some other difficulty. Fill this in with a convex mirror. The visualization is very specific so if you need help, please contact me. Red envelopes will be requested.

I started writing my blog in 2013. I have written about the effects of Feng Shui design and what specific design elements and details to look for in your home such as conditions that create stuck Ch’i,  obstacles or challenges. If you are experiencing setbacks or you want to grow your business or improve what is already a good relationship with your home, family, your job or partner, I would be happy to help you with your space. I am available for “Your House Is Talking”  consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. The description is at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.
Photo credit: PNG Tree

Feng Shui. The Gift of Helpful People.

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“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).

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.

Color Your Life With Hope

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“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.

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.

2020: Your Soul In Focus

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“Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream that no one can see but you.”
– Enrique Iglesias

2020 is the year of conscious living. What this means is there will be a pronounced shift from operating via our intellect to living from our heart. We can take real advantage of this incoming energy when we marry our soul desires with our purpose. This alignment is the kind that incites our joy which creates good timing, prosperity and abundant opportunities. If you want to realize your dream for 2020, here’s your opening to envision “your future you”.

Beginning is not so difficult when you understand that physical reality is not fixed but malleable and can be manipulated for positive change. Now through the end of the year is a perfect incubation period for imagining, setting intention and seeing all the details. Explore the dynamic, prosperous person you are, first in the subtle realm, by writing out your day to day activities. See all the elements of the work you’ll be doing. Imagine what your good health looks like. Envision the high value relationships you will attract and muse over the opportunities you want to see happen. Invest in this daily and you will create a solid foundation for your future you.

Master this shift with four areas of the Bagua that enhance personal development. Blend Feng Shui design with self discovery and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the alchemy. Isn’t it time to go for what you want?

Knowledge/Self Cultivation
Self awareness is the foundation to understanding your potential. The Knowledge area, Gen, of your home (front left corner of the house) is referred to as the Mountain. It is the time to strategically withdraw and muse over your experiences. Hiking up a mountain trail and resting at the summit is a form of contemplation. The fresh mountain air stimulates deep breath and this activates the brain, opening the channels for your intuition to directly access your cognitive functions. Which means your decision making is direct, fluid and connected to your desires. Literally this may be achieved with spiritual breath work like the Nine Step Breathing. In Feng Shui design, place an intentional object in this area. It can be a wall hanging of a mountain you love; or paint the room or a single wall the color of this gua (blue, teal, turquoise); or hang a clear, faceted crystal for clarity. With proper visualization, anyone of these adjustments will encourage mental reflection and remind you to perform daily meditation. The gateway to your success is your intuition and meditating helps you connect to the world through it with a calm mind. Dedicate time to ponder your behavior, your choices and your experiences. You will be in sync with your goals and confident to release beliefs and behaviors that will not serve you in 2020.

Helpful People/Travel
Heaven is the complement of Earth, the Yang of the Yin. The duality of Yang and Yin creates balance. You can bless your endeavors with the help of Heaven. You can manifest your intentions with the ease of Helpful People. Chien is in the front right corner of the house. This area symbolizes the head. If you are experiencing fuzzy thinking, distraction, confusion, obfuscation and you really want a shift to occur, place an image of a person who is helpful. It may be a public figure you admire, a mentor who has helped you or a deity whom has assisted you in times of need. Set the intention to amplify a ‘clear head’ and laser focus. Also pay attention to a streak of bad luck with contractors, vendors or service people. If it’s taking longer for the work to be completed or materials are misplaced or stolen, this drama consumes your valuable time where you could be doing something else. This is another opportunity to place a cure in this area. But remember do not place two.

Fame/Reputation
In the central back area of the house is the Fame gua. Its Chinese name Li means ‘clinging’ but it also signifies ‘brightness’. The sun and the moon cling to the heavens brightening the world. Grass and trees cling to the earth prospering the world. The I-Ching (from which the Bagua derives) describes the intention of Fame/Li in the following. “It is advantageous to persist to clinging to the right object; then what is intended can progress smoothly. When clinging to the right object, one must act with tenderness. i.e. remain steady with it and nourish tenderness….(iching123.com).” In the Bagua metaphor the eyes symbolize (the light that shines through them) Fame. If you are stymied by inaction, if you are ruminating and cannot access what your heart is telling you, if you are searching but your eyes cannot perceive what you truly desire, place an adjustment here to carry out your aspirations for 2020. The color is red and the triangle shape represents Fire. Remember this is the area where your reputation shines onto your community.

The Center
As you prepare for a transition in your life, call upon the Center of your home to provide support. It is the center of your Universe. It is your domain, your place to collect yourself, poise your thoughts and absorb life events and to pull it all together. In the transcendental sense it is mental, emotional spiritual and physical health. When you are experiencing a shift or growth, life may feel unstable. Create firmness here. Add yellow (orange or brown work too) if you need to feel safe and trust your ideas. When the fruit of our labor have been harvested we are ready to push on. Place an adjustment in the center for a harmonious conversion to the next stage. With change disarray may suddenly appear. Go to the Center, pause and let Earth support you as you move through the life lesson. Because the four sides are equal and it lends soundness, the shape is the square.

We all carry the initiative to awaken our heart and identify our purpose which lifts everyone on this planet. My hope is you find this time insightful, fertile and rewarding for however you choose to fulfill your potential.

Want to get started right on designing your future you? A well designed space allows you to access positive energy at all times. Call me, 503-232-2543 and I will help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation https://shenmenfengshui.com/services/consulting/ 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.