Tag Archives: Feng Shui Bedroom Tips

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

Ten Feng Shui Wellness Tips For Burnout

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“Even though much of our doing (as women) is motivated by love, it does catch up with us when we don’t take time to care for ourselves.”
– Daisy Lee
Are these sun-kissed days enticing you to be on the go and from dawn to dusk you can’t say no? Are you at the point of exhaustion caring for loved ones? Overlooking your needs may have you tangled in commitments. What about a step back to refresh your energy before you burnout. July’s blog is filled with holistic tips that renew your spirit before summer fades and you haven’t had any fun. It’s time to fill your cup.

When I sought out Feng Shui I received answers from this metaphysical system that transformed my emotional and mental well being. As part of my journey I discovered the value of the Five Elements theory as a way to understand the subtleties and intricacies between seasonal change and human nature. Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal represent winter, spring, summer, late summer and fall respectively. Each has a function in the evolution of  a changing year. Each element has qualities and characteristics that support and assist the three elements while decreasing and checking the power of one specific element. To my amazement and delight the Five Ekements offer an insightful practice in self care.

Fire signifies Summer. Fire in balance is splendor, fulfillment and expansion. When Fire blazes too hot it looks like feeling overloaded, overexcited and overextended and it burns out its own source turning it into cold ash. We can gently control the amount of Fire we express by introducing into our homes co-elements that bring Fire into check reducing nervousness, anxiety and stress. These two elements are Water and Earth.

If you want to subdue too much Fire, seek out Water, it controls Fire. Like a lullaby for your nervous system the sound of a bubbling water fountain near the path to your front door or inside your front entry are an invitation to your brain to switch from beta (fight or flight waves) to alpha (creative waves). Smoothing the brain waves lowers stress and aligns the heart and brain. Wouldn’t you like to regain that feeling of ease y0u once had?

Steaming water: sip on a cup of chamomile tea lowers tension in the brain and body. The flowers of the Chamomile plant when made into a tea reduce your stress and acts as a gentle sleep aid.

Hydration: drinking 10 glasses of water can leave you feeling calm, satisfied and more positive. This practice improves focus, increases alertness and attention span. If  you are too tired to give  your significant other quality time, you could pour a glass of water and vow to support each other’s  water habits, toasting to more precious moments together. Drinking water not only helps your brain but strengthens your battery, your kidneys, your source, that keeps you going day after day.

Water distillation: diffusing clary sage, bergamot and lemon can be the ultimate stress buster. Clary sage reduces cortisol and regulates dopamine bringing on a feeling of contentment. Bergamot is a refreshing pick-me-up while reducing blood pressure and heart rate. It promotes a more balanced mental state. Lemon helps modify sadness, depression and lethargy with its bright, invigorating fragrance. It too is a mood lifter and compliments the other two when all are diffused together.

Water bath: add orange peels to a warm bath for oranges are an adaptogenic. Oranges offer what you need most. If’ it’s relaxation, they’ve got you covered. If it’s releasing stress, they’ve got your back. Relax into a dreamy bliss.
Water time: the subconscious is most active as you awaken in the morning. It’s easily programmable. Feeding it positive messages, visualizing what you wish to achieve and saying affirmations will elevate your emotional state. Begin with a mediation or write in a journal to collect your mind and energy before you begin your day.

Earth has the ability to steady any situation with its calm, grounded presence. It tames overwhelm, feeling scattered and exposed by stabilizing excessive thoughts that may lead to  emotional outbursts. In the Five Element constructive cycle Earth follows Fire. In its relationship with Fire it is the child of Fire. If you want to tone down excessive thinking and distraction, wear the colors of Earth in your wardrobe. Those are yellow, orange and brown and any variation in between.

Earth colors evoke grounding, helpfulness and being pliant. Adding earth colors like yellow, orange or brown to the center of your home creates stability, focus and calm. These colors cultivate a sense of trust in yourself, your ideas and feeling supported by those you love. As the well of trust deepens you become trustworthy.

If redecorating your home doesn’t appeal to you but life is moving too fast, place a 50 mm crystal hung from a red cord either in the center of  your home or the center of your bedroom. The center represents the Earth element. This is the place of transition. Reflect upon the wows, the woes, the friends whom you love and the beliefs you had to let go. The ‘cure’ is your quiet connection with order, harmony and the abundance that has ripened your life. Come back to center, to your senses, allowing your soul to rest and release strife. And when you are fulfilled, gather up the muse from this nurturing space, step into the world again and wildly share your grace.

Stepping onto the Earth. Remember what it felt like after a summer rain? Relive that feeling by walking barefoot on the ground. Remove your shoes and plant your feet on the earth. Within five minutes the atmospheric static electricity that has collected in your body discharges. This practice counteracts the positive charged electricity that breaks down your immune system. Touching the earth, the body absorbs its negative ions and they charge up your immune system. Studies report that there are measurable health benefits with grounding beginning with feeling calm.

May these wellness tips offer unification of your mind, body and spirit. May these adjustments help you create an oasis of calm to get you through. May you feel ease, may you feel at peace.

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.

The Bagua: Build The Life You Want.

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“I’d always believed that a life of quality, enjoyment, and wisdom were my human birthright and would be automatically bestowed upon me as time passed.  I never suspected that I would have to learn how to live – that there were specific disciplines and ways of seeing the world I had to master before I could awaken to a simple, happy, uncomplicated life.”
-Dan Millman

You have an intimate relationship with your home. Every object within your space has been hand selected by you. What story are these objects telling about you? More importantly how are they talking to you? Are they reminding you there is something more waiting for you? Or knickknacks on the shelf?

Great filmmakers leave no room for chance when it comes to storytelling. With singular artistry, they shape their tale and bring their vision to life with lighting, sound, ambiance and placement. They create a super reality that transcends time and space. If your home isn’t reminding you that there is something more to your life, more wholeness, more joy, more creative expression, more adventure, you too can use your artistry with your home as your set to envision a new story; a story that transcends your current reality and builds the life you want to live.

The Cornerstones: Build The Life You Want.

Gratitude
Being grateful for the goodness that is already exists in your life fills you with wholeness, wellness, happiness and more of what you have. Develop a gratitude routine. Either write about or speak out loud five events in your day that you feel thankful for – especially if they set you on a trajectory to achieve a specific goal.

Intention
The universe is listening to every word you say and everything you think. Becoming still is a sacred space in your heart-mind where you create a place for your vision to unfurl because this allows your imagination to design a new reality in vivid detail without distraction. This intention stabilizes and transformation invokes the events and people who will help you manifest your intention.

Purpose
When you commit wholeheartedly to doing what your soul is here to create, “it comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force”. Your devotion and dedication create a momentum that cannot be denied. It is an immersion of joy and creativity. Let it take you places you could not have imagined if you chose a lesser inspired path. Take time to ask yourself questions and check your responses to each. You will know it is the right one as your heart will release a flood of endorphins and fill your body with love so build the life you want.

Elevated Emotions
Your heart holds the key. Expanding the energetic field around your heart through mindful meditation expands your capacity to attract magic – those synchronous events that cannot be predicted. The more you brand the emotion to the image of joy, abundance, and freedom, the more your brain pays attention to this elevated emotion and it begins to identify with the future. Build the life you want with a morning practice of breath work combined with meditation. These will release attachments, decrease distractions and enhance your awareness and receptivity of the positive experiences coming to you.

The Corners of Your Home: Build The Life You Want.

Knowledge
We know ourselves best when we find in our hearts home. The Mountain symbolizes taking the time to climb to the quiet heights within ourselves, to contemplate our experiences. There we find a lush verdant hill of knowledge that we can access any time we view the Knowledge adjustment. It could be a picture of a mountain that you once climbed or feel an affinity to. Or place a gong in this area to wake up your awareness. If you want to do well in the stock market, hang a wind chime from a red cord.

Wealth
Wealth is the Persistent Influence of Wind. When we take our time to shape our wealth through slow and steady persistence, adopting the yin qualities of patience, trust and self control we build a solid financial foundation. It is the quality of mind in this gua to be adaptive and bend with circumstances. A koi painting of eight red fish and one black bring Yin Yang balance to your dealings with others. The 12 Jade Zodiac animals strung with a red cord bring wealth because money comes from harmonious relationships. People you work with affect how you bring money into the household. Visualize that money comes from your relationship. The image of grasses blowing in the wind attract the qualities purity, subtlety, leverage and perseverance, investing you with the acumen to magnetize what is important to you.

Partnership
In the I-Ching this is Receptive Earth. It is associated with adaptability, devotion and unconditional support – qualities that we find in self love, true love and happy marriages. Cultivate the dance of responsiveness in this gua. Place a bowl, a cauldron or a ceramic container (in your garden) in this area. Visualize it holds all there is bringing an open heart, simplicity, nurturing (if you have a troubled mind) support and stability.

Helpful People
Benefactors and mentors are gathered by the energy of complete abandon with which you pursue your task because Heaven opens the skies for power, synchronicity, inspiration and confidence to flow into this area of your home. Cultivate grace and ease and accept all benevolent guidance that comes to you when you place an image of an animal associated with this gua. The Five-toed Imperial Gold Dragon will bring boons. Horses mean success. Lions bring courage and good heartedness. Heaven opens the door for opportunities to knock when you visualize your intention.

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.

Dragon’s Best Friend

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“Friends are great riches.”
– Unknown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

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

photo credit: Arib Neko. UnSplash.

Feng Shui Fall Decor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

What Feminine Energy Does For Your Home

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“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”
– Maya Angelou
You deserve every praise for creating a thriving work life; for being the rock for your partner and for sharing your vital wisdom with your children. I am delighted this day honors you and that we women have a month to be recognized.

The women’s movement gave a voice to feminine energy and its power. Today feminine energy is a voice as a creative influence in our homes. When we design with it consciously, it empowers us and gives us freedom. Feminine energy is embedded in the Yin (represented by the dark swoosh of the Tai Chi symbol). It is a subtle, unseen, soft, yielding and receptive power. In the world we live in  its importance lies in reestablishing harmony within ourselves, creating wholeness in our relationships and mindful balance in our communities. The natural world like plants, water features, light and color attune our spaces to the Yin and enables the feminine within us. I want you to have these five Feng Shui Yin cures that I love and believe will spread your shining light.

Worrying about events that are beyond your control leads to stress that may undermine family relationships. The center of your home (Yin) will help you regain inner composure. The feminine loves color. In the transcendental sense stability, focus and calm may be enhanced by adding earth tones like yellow, orange or brown to the center of your home. These colors cultivate a sense of trust in yourself, your ideas and feeling supported by those you love. 

Feeling weakened by illness or lack of energy for intimacy with your partner? The feminine loves green plants. Place nine lush plants in your bedroom. They will refresh your body, brighten your mood and remove clutter from your thoughts. They help you feel grounded, creative and calm. They are easy on the eyes and you can look at them for a long time and not experience eye strain. The color green has a stress-relieving effect. In color psychology, colors of shorter wave lengths relax and cool the human body and mind. Green invests us with tranquility.

Distractions from work may spill over into the home setting, call upon the Yin. The beauty of the bell is in its feminine shape. The clapper striking the hollow cavity inside (Yin) can penetrate your mind with its clear sound. Placing it on the inside front door knob on a nine inch red cord, this blessing may help understanding arise in your heart, helping you to transcend the path of anxiety.  

Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of softness overcoming hardness. (Lao Tzu) The feminine loves water features like a trickling fountain near the front door or a gazing pool in the back yard. Its softness may overcome harsh thoughts. A BSTB Feng Shui wealth cure from Professor Lin. If you have a pool of water and a door or window that views the pool you can pull the water energy (money) across your bed or desk with a mirror and money will flow like water.

Restless or having trouble relaxing at home? Having a room or a certain hour where it’s all your own, you may bring forth what you are. This is the “place of creative incubation” according to Joseph Campbell. He goes on to say “at first you may find nothing happens here. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen. Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again.” The feminine loves a meditation space, or simply an altar to fill its soul with beauty. Create a place to reflect and  just be.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

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

Feng Shui: Design A New Love Story

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“As the wind loves to call things to dance,
May your gravity be lightened by grace…”
– John O’Donahue, To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

Love showers the world in February. In the northern hemisphere the return of longer days brightens dreams and invokes a renewal in the heart. Our homes are the perfect space to create new beginnings. It is especially fortuitous to design a new love story. In the place of Wind we can call things to dance; in the place of Earth we can restore who we are; and in the place of Water we can shape our futures. In this blog I share reminders and you’ll receive new insights to take your creative genius to your home and author a distinct living space with Feng Shui. 

Love Yourself First
Let your personality shine in your bedroom’s decor while giving it a Feng Shui make-over. Place your bed in command. Move feet from pointing out the door. Think of color as something to savor. Reds are exciting but short lived sending you to exhaustion. What are your favorite colors and foods? Lavender, daffodil, meadow green, whipped creams, dreamy mocha and rich chocolate brown? They will soothingly stimulate your senses. Accessories with accent colors add joy. Leave the laptop out of the bedroom and relegate the TV, exercise equipment and computer to their respective places. Minimize cell phone/blue light activity. Your nervous system will relax and you will sleep better at night. Remove boxes or benches, (there is an adjustment for a foot board that is too high. Nine red envelopes requested if you ask for the cure) in front of the bed or you may find yourself in one accident after another. The space in front of your bed is your future and should be deep. Gather in good luck by placing a large rectangular mirror across from the bed. Don’t cut off anyone’s head or chin while sitting in bed and the road ahead will be bright and promising.

Invite A Partner
Now that you have a baseline of self care here are a few adjustments to attract a partner. Make sure there is a door between the bathroom and bedroom or you might not be able to find a partner. Want a variety of suitors to choose from? A convex mirror takes in a wide view so hang it in the Partnership corner of your bedroom. Not fond of pink? Design your bedroom with the Five Element colors (green, red, yellow, white and black) in balanced proportion –  you will have your bases covered. Go out of the house for this one. Find a wedding and grab the rice that has been thrown onto the ground (work but worth it) insert it into a red envelope. Place this in your car or on your desk. It is not only auspicious wedding Ch’i but auspicious Ch’i of all kinds. Visualize creating the good fortune, health and abundance that shine forth on a wedding day. Select a healthy pink or purple orchid (silk might be even better because it is ever blooming) for your Partnership gua. The orchid symbolizes a partner who is refined but more important just right for you. The nuance is that pink, the color of the Relationship area, adds emphasis, you know, mojo.

Cherish Your Beloved
You’ve got this. Here’s how to keep the chemistry flowing. King size bed? Wrap the mattress in a red sheet (measure from the head to the end of the bed then down to the mattress. Double this then round up to a multiple of nine when measuring the fabric). This joins the mattresses transcendentally. Watch discord melt away. Support your relationship with strength and safety, add a headboard if your bed is missing one. It holds the two sides of the bed as one improving communication. Nine lush plants will invigorate your life force and love life. In the I-Ching the Partnership gua is about receiving, being open, surrendering and allowing. To empower your love make the trigram for “The Receptive’ (the name for the Partnership gua). Cut out three broken (two lines across and three down) lines on red paper. Adhere these to a solid piece of paper and place on your altar for nine nights. On the tenth day place between your mattress and box springs in the top right corner. If the path to the bedroom is difficult (cluttered, dark, narrow or blocked) there may be lethargy and arguments. Do what is required to open the pathway and add beautiful items along the way like rose petals or an image of a place that you both love. Adding 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 mirrors the chakra system, the life force centers and creates homeostasis, giving you and your partner the energy to explore all possibilities in and outside the bedroom.

Quell Conflict
You love each other but have difficulty living under the same roof? Feng Shui indicates design and lot shape plus landscaping influence your love life. If the kitchen is in front of the front door, you or your partner may be away a lot or distracted by things outside the house, (soccer mom, playing golf). Or one of you might be eating in someone else’s kitchen. Place a convex mirror in the back of your home to pull the kitchen to the back. Place bamboo anywhere in the house to promote fidelity. Piercing Heart Doors are three or more doors that line up. You can recognize them as entrances to different rooms in the house. A couple may be sleeping in the same bed but dreaming their own dreams. Use color to break down the barrier, like paint the interior door frame a different color or hang two 40 mm crystals, one in each room, along the visual line created by the three doors. Plant a pear tree for it sounds like “partnership” in Chinese and symbolizes the act of sharing love. A beam over your heart crossing the bed places pressure on the heart that can lead you and your partner to argue, even over seemingly insignificant details. Move the bed if possible or hang nine 40mm crystals (either 9 or 18 inches from the bottom of the beam) to lift the beam off of the bed. Sound can be very effective where there is conflict. If your relationship has escalated to feuding, place a wind chime in the bedroom to get the “sounds” of conflict and discord out of your systems. If your home office is in Partnership, it can harm both your relationship and career. You might work too much and not pay attention to your partner. Business may suffer because, as Professor said, “others may come to tell you how pretty you are rather than concentrate on business”. Place a vase and flute (together these are a rebus for peace and prosperity) in the office. Make sure the root end is in the vase and the mouth piece at the top. Visualize that business is business and partnership is partnership. Avoid planting a weeping willow in the backyard. In Wealth money may be lost. In Fame power may dissipate. In Partnership a marriage may come apart. In Chinese weeping willow sounds like “to slip away”. Your wealth or spouse may exit the back door.

The Wind loves to call things to dance…place a windmill or large pinwheel in your yard in the Wealth gua to help get things moving. Place a bench or a lovely container with seasonal pink flowers in the Partnership gua, the Earth gua. Spend time there and you will reinforce your grace and connection to yourself. Place a fountain in Career gua (Water) in the front of the house with the water facing inward (into the fountain). Shui, water, stimulates positive Ch’i and this attracts opportunities for your you, your partner and family.

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.

The Creative Power of the Pumpkin

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“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.

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.

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.

Take Your Dreams To Heart

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“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. 

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.

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.

Building Design Affects The Human Body

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“Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.”
– Victor Hugo

Our home’s building design is an active participant in our homeostasis. It affects our health and mental outlook on a daily basis. When a client comes to me with a health condition, depending on the ailment, I will look at anyone of the following systems of the house and inquire into its condition.

An example of how the mechanical, electrical, plumbing – all the building design works together. If you are sick or a family member, look at the mechanical, electrical, plumbing – all the systems of the house. Draw an outline of the body onto the house and put the head (face down) at the front door then locate the heart in the house. Where the heart lands in the house correct that system, not just the plumbing which is associated with the circulatory system. Address  flooding in the house, even the basement because these will affect the circulatory system.

• Main Entrance and foyer correspond to the head.

• Electrical wiring corresponds to the nervous system.

• Plumbing corresponds to circulatory system, circulation of the blood.

• Sewage System relates to the urinary tract, guts, digestive system–stomach, large intestine.

• Respiratory corresponds air conditioning, ducts, chimneys, sky lights,

• Roof and Beams correspond to the spine.

• Four corners of the house or lot correspond to the four limbs. Front corners would be the arm, the back corners would be the legs and feet.

Free International Health and Wellness Summit, Saturday May 9, 2020
“Healthy Home. Healthy Body. Keys To A Better Mind, Body and Life.”
Sign up for my blog and you will receive an invitation link via Eventbrite.

I will throw open the doors and speak truth about health and Feng Shui. Journey with me through a home’s arrangement and discover the unfolding story of how placement can radically influence your well-being.

The International Health Summit was generated to showcase natural, leading-edge processes to grow a healthy you. Chosen from the best in their field, the presenters’ expertise include: Dowsing, Huna (ancient Hawaiian spiritual practices), Psych K (Psychological Kinesiology; methods that change your subconscious beliefs), Restorative Hypnosis, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming improves communication skills), Aromatherapy, Nutritional Counseling, Feng Shui, Body Code (energy balancing system that uncovers root causes of discomfort, sickness and suffering), Herbs for our times, Reiki (a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing) and more. Check out details on Facebook

Covid-19
Thank you for stopping in. I am open during shelter-in-place. I have added via Zoom besides on-site consultations.  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.

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: Getty Images