Tag Archives: Five Elements

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.

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.

Magic Is In The Details

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photo credit: Shutterstock

“Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

When Heaven Ch’i and Earth Ch’i conjoin there isn’t anything Human Ch’i can’t do. Such is the case with the July 31 celebration of the new moon entering Leo. The major themes are: broadcast big love, lead with heart and allow your creativity to soar. This is as good as it gets! Now would be the time to anchor this new paradigm into your home with Feng Shui design. You will enjoy the benefits well into the future.

Not only is the western zodiac playing host to Leo (rules the Heart), in Eastern cosmology the Fire element is lighting up the sky. Correspondingly in the Feng Shui Bagua the Heart is connected to the Fire element and its placement rests within the Fame gua, (the back of the house and center). Its Chinese name is “Li” meaning bright or radiance. This is your reputation, how you are known in the workplace, your neighborhood and community. The intention in Feng Shui design is to activate this area so you can broadcast your divine spark because the world needs to experience your gifts. For example how do you shine your light and encourage others to shine in their unique way too? How do you lead others to connect with their passion, their charisma, their warmth and interface with others? This gua is referred to as “rising yang”, the quality of expansiveness. How will you stimulate new ideas and expand your creativity in your profession, intimate relationships, family and friends?

I believe the magic is in the details so I’ve gathered five adjustments to help you anchor this paradigm into new awareness.

Activate the power to move with confidence
Hang the Chinese zodiac animals (three dimensional carved jade animals strung with a red cord) in the Fame gua. Visualize forming amicable bonds and correcting disharmonious relationships. This will help you build trust among coworkers, siblings, family and friends.

Minimize conflict and arguments
If there are a lot of doors in a small space in the Fame gua, (includes any place in the house) it can create conflict where family members or co-workers may quarrel. “It is a “noisy” place because all the “voices” of all the doors are “speaking” at once.” Bring quiet to the doors by camouflaging them or hang a crystal in the center or a light fixture with crystals.

Empower your leadership style
A home office or a family room in this gua is the perfect area to use color to quicken your reputation. Paint the back wall red. Red is symbolic of happiness, righteousness and virtuosity. According to H.H. Lin Yun, red is like “a red sun rising from the East.” When it first emerges over the horizon, it is red hot. It is the source of energy of the universe. Red is a very powerful color for it is an energy source; a stimulator; and a way of expelling bad Ch’i (Interior Design with Feng Shui). Benjamin Moore’s (Affinity line) Moroccan Spice has been a successful color with my clients.

Freshen the energy
The bright energy of an orange peel ceremony instils a more positive attitude and smooth handling of events. It’s warm sunny, sweet aroma conveys joy. Cut nine circles out of nine oranges and break those into smaller pieces onto a plate. As you break the pieces down see the orange pieces filled with positive Ch’i and spiritual light. This intention will bring blessings to your home and remove stagnate and predecessor energy. Say a prayer for posterity. Leave one or three days. Remove all the pieces and place in a folded red piece of paper. Compost or throw into the trash. You can use lemons instead, the smell should be strong and bright.

Clean and be clear
Windows are symbolic of the eyes. In the Bagua there is a direct link between the eyes and the heart. Clean your windows often and expand your vision to include acting on the messages from your heart.

Ritualize your intentions
The new moon is empty and ready to receive. Perfect time to promote blessings, to summon, to decide and to forge your intentions. To marshal your forces sit at your altar, light three sticks of incense and meditate on the themes present at this time: beauty, leadership, expansion, love and creativity.

Let the magic begin!

A well designed space allows you to access positive energy at all times. Call upon me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation 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.

Feng Shui Cures That Make A Place For Joy

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And Doors Will Open For You!

“The most fearless thing we can do is keep showing up with love, gratitude and joy in our real, right-now lives.”
–Sarah Bessey

The winds have let loose and leaves will soon cover the ground. September marks the time of getting everything in order and turning our attention towards eliminating what is unnecessary, simplifying our objectives and refining our surroundings.

As we draw inward the fluctuations in Fall make for a balancing act of minding our discernment, our emotions and our lungs. As we slow down to regain equanimity, big questions may surface. Have I accomplished what I set out to do? Do I have the courage to ask for what I want? Where can I find meaning that will bring me joy? If you’ve sought answers to questions like these but have only been stopped by obstacles, your home may have some answers.

The Children gua (Bagua) is associated with Fall. In the Chinese Five Elements this season relates to Metal. Step over the threshold of your home and turn your body right at a 45 degree angle, look to middle area and there you’ll find Tui/Children. The I-Ching describes Tui like a smiling, clear lake. The quality is joy based on steadfastness. When we harvest what we have sown, it brings happiness, pleasure and satisfaction. However if every autumnal equinox you feel anxious; you cannot complete what you started; there are blocks to reaping the fruit of your labor and there is no spice in your life; what is going on in this area? Are there stairs? Is there a bathroom? Is there a stove out of command? Any one of these design features may inhibit your full expression of joy. Correct the Feng Shui in your home and you will open the doors to your bliss.

Design features in the Children Gua that could be limiting your joy.
Bathroom: energy drain. Adjustment: Program a 3 inch round mirror to collect the energy that is leaving the house via the toilet. Position the mirror on the ceiling over the toilet bowl with the reflective over the toilet. Set your intention that the mirror counteracts the energy that is dissipating through the drain.

Stairs: move up and down. They are a fluctuating energy that creates instability. Cure: Program a wind chime or 40 mm crystal with the intention to lift the inconstant energy of the stairs upwards .

Stove out of command: cannot tell what is going on around you. The experience is limited opportunity; feeling out of control and ill at ease. Correct: Place a mirror the length and height of the tallest person in the house on the wall opposite the stove. Seeing what is going on behind you calms your brain and smooths your senses.

If you have made the adjustments and still feel a lack of courage and childlike wonder, your Metal could be depleted. Add yellow to the Children gua in your home. In the Five Elements, Earth is the mother of Metal and feeds Metal. It is represented by the color yellow. Place an yellow object (your child’s watercolor of the sun, a set of brass candlesticks, silk sunflowers) in Children gua and visualize the Ch’i of joy spreads like a sunbeam over the lake. You can take this down when you have regained your bliss.

Each gua is associated with a body part. With Children it is the mouth. If a family member is critical and harsh or talks, talks, talks all the time to fill the air, this is a Metal excess. Bring in a healthy, lush green plant and set the intention that the Wood’s vitality provides a complementary rising life force to the shrinking, critical, chatty, demanding Metal personality. Or if you have received feedback that you are overly critical, wear a non-metallic ring on your third finger of your right hand if you are a woman and the third finger of your left hand if you are a man. Visualize that you weigh the impact of your words before you speak.

Though white is the color for the Children Gua, you can add light tones of silver, light gray, yellow and light browns. Metal objects or art work by children stimulate joy. Always set your intention for the optimal activation of this gua.

Every season serves a purpose and life will always present you with change. Make a place for joy in your home and know that the right doors will open for you.

Have you decided this will be your year? “Boldness has genius”… start with one hour of 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: @HaywardMedia, Dreamstime

The Restorative Power of Harmony

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“He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the Universe.”
– Marcus Aurelius

The hot days of August sweeten the landscape and the harvest yields its fruit with ample abundance. We are aware of the Earth’s providence and our senses are filled with peace and plenty. Earth follows Fire (in the Chinese Five Element Theory) just like the fruit forms after the blossom, for Earth it is the fruit ripening on the trees, heavy and suspended. This is the season of transition.

Earth represents our center of gravity. It is the axis from which everything else–our dreams, our career, our relationships–orientate from. When we amend the earth we create a proper and receptive soil that supports our roots and gives us a sturdy base. Our growth is sustained by balance and we gracefully manage a stressful world.

Summers have become more intense and 2018 was particularly stressful. The arrival of the passive, caring Earth season has been a welcomed relief. Like Mrs. Doubtfire, this time denotes generosity, kindness and feeling grounded, Earth’s qualities that help us find our balance again. If you have lost a sense of serenity, want to reestablish harmony, desire focus or aspire to feel whole and undivided, I have culled from Professor Lin’s wisdom the following five insights in the hope these teachings will you help you realign with your purpose and regain your peace of mind.

Find Your Axis With Color The “earth” beneath our feet locates us in time and space. When we worry and stress about events that are beyond our control or when we don’t feel supported, the center of our home helps us regain our inner composure. It is the center of our Universe. It is our domain to collect ourselves and trust that the sun will rise again. In the transcendental sense the center is your health. Create harmony, stability, focus and calm by adding earth colors like yellow, orange or brown to the center of your home. These colors cultivate trust in yourself, your ideas and feeling supported by those you love. As the well of trust deepens you become trustworthy. Rapport among family and friends becomes unified and harmony abides.

Create A Center of Gravity When life’s difficulties threaten to flip your world upside down, adjust Earth in your home to set things straight. It is represented in the Bagua by the Tai Ch’i symbol (Yang ascending, Yin descending). In your home it could be a very busy place where family members come and go without a care to what is happening here, yet this area requires everyone’s attention as it supports handling stress. If you are falling a lot, nervous, resistant to change or feeling off center, activate the center of the house Bagua with a 60mm faceted crystal. It represents the supportive power of the light of universal wisdom. Before hanging it, program the newly purchased crystal with your intention to stabilize the entire household. Visualize the energy spiraling to the floor(s) above and through the basement. See the Ch’i from the crystal radiating to all the rooms in the house.

Change Directions Without Losing Balance If you have taken one of my classes, received a consultation from me or if you have read a book on Feng Shui, you will recognize the Bagua, the eight sided octagon. The eight trigrams represent the eight directions (E, S, W, N, NW, NW, SE, SW) and the thousands of things in the universe. However not everything is covered. In the center you will find what you cannot find elsewhere. If life feels disharmonious or fragmented or if you are unsure about what direction to take and don’t know where in your home to correct this, you can be absolutely covered by adjusting the center. Remember the t’ai ch’i faces outward to all the trigrams and interacts with them. Visualize harmony is restored in your life.

Stabilize Your Relationships If you are asking too much from others and not giving in return or giving away too much, you may have an imbalance in your Earth element. Purchase a Yu bowl (flat and squat, it represents stability). www.etsy.com Place nine small round or oval stones in a shallow bowl (a Yu if you have one). Fill the bowl three-quarters full with water and it place outside briefly to absorb the daylight (the supportive power of the light of universal wisdom). Then go to your bed and place it under your bed or on the nightstand. Visualize the qualities of the earth: stability, security, gentleness, ease, nurturing, peace loving, supportive and reliability. Perform the body, mind, speech reinforcements known as the Three Secrets (red envelopes requested). Remove the water every morning and fill it three-quarters full. Take it outside briefly to absorb the sunlight. Do this for 9 or 27 days. After 9 or 27 days return the stones to the earth. Do not use them for anything else. To stop family members from quarreling, place the Yu on your nightstand.

Cultivate Focus Find time to be alone to know yourself. In my June blog I share tips on how to create a sacred space. The quiet enables you to tune into your inner voice, the voice through which your intuition speaks. Meditation, journaling and chanting will help you develop self-esteem and self-reliance. These moments in solitude help you tap into the restorative power of the Earth, harmonize your spirit and replenish your soul.

The yellow Buddha, Ratnasambhava is associated with giving and generosity. Six forms of generosity are: of material things ~ giving time, energy and thought ~ giving knowledge ~ Fearlessness ~ Life and limb ~ the Dharma

Have you decided this will be your year? “Boldness has genius”… start with one hour of 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.

How To Build A Fire Under Your Reputation

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“Let the world know why you are here and do it with passion.”
– Dr. Wayne Dyer

In April I shared with you the creative Power of Wood. Now we have reached the second phase of the Five Elements where we ascend to the fulfilling Power of Fire. In Summer Nature is at its peak and splendor. Spring blossoms are now summer fruit, their ripeness accelerated by the expansive light, warmth and radiance of the sun. It is a time where all of life develops to its fullest potential. Fire, the marrow of summer, is hot, vibrant and voluminous. It is the element that merges with all that comes into its path. In humans it is expressed through intimacy, passion, touch, sentiment, vitality, understanding, communication and community. When we merge our hearts with the hearts of others and realize our humanness, we thrive best.

If you have longed to reach beyond your comfort zone; dreamt to share your vision in a venue the size of Yankee Stadium, improve the rhythm in your heart or find the clarity to finish what you start, these six BSTB Feng Shui cures may enrich your home with the luminous vitality to help you pursue what sets your soul on fire.

Located in the back of the house are three power spots, Wealth, Fame and Partnership. The Fame and Reputation gua is central, nestled in between the Wealth gua to its right when facing the door and Partnership to left when facing the door.

Rejuvenate Your Heart. Not only is Fame/Fire identified by a location in our home, it is represented by the heart that pumps blood through our vessels, instilling our body with mindfulness. In Chinese philosophy our constitution is strengthened through performing virtuous actions. If you need to rejuvenate your heart then build goodwill by doing good deeds among your family members, friends, colleagues and relationships.

Build Your Business. Your business will prosper when you foster interdependent relationships. Make a practice to give and receive support and assistance. You will become illuminated in your community with what you are famous. 

Polish Your Clarity. When the Fame gua is missing in your home it can manifest as a heart attack, insomnia, feeling scattered, burned out, lacking clarity, unable to focus, depression and unfinished projects. To complete the missing area, hang a convex mirror. As you place the mirror visualize the reflection of the house in the mirror and see it move into the missing area, filling it. See the individual tasks to complete your project fall into place. 

Restore Your Reputation. A bathroom in Fame will dampen the Fire element and deplete the gua. The heart may become weakened. We need the warmth of Fire to speak from our heart, to soften cold words, comfort grief from within or succor a loved one. We may also experience damage to our reputation, status and honor. Mount a full length mirror on the outside of the bathroom door and visualize it assumes the image of whatever is in front of it. See the bathroom disappear and your reputation restored.

Guard Your Health. Watch for design details in your home that will cause damage to your heart. Here is a short list: a stairway out the front door (illness along the midline); a kitchen in the center of the house (fire in Health); a bed on the door wall (heart arrhythmia); slanted ceilings (especially if you have low blood pressure); biting doors; a contrary door (where the door opens to the a wall), a blocking wall and any bed, desk or stove out of command.

Enhance Your Fame. Red is the color of Fire. Red is an energy source, a stimulator and a way of expelling bad Ch’i. If your reputation has been maligned, if you want to enhance your fame or if you desire to extend your reach beyond the city in which you work, paint a red wall in the Fame gua and set your intention accordingly.

Have you decided this will be your year? “Boldness has genius”… start with one hour of 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.

Feather Your Nest With Feng Shui

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“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the word
And never stops at all.”
– Emily Dickinson

Dedicated master builders, birds weave delicate straw and sprigs, coupled with found yarn and twigs into a durable foundation that provides a safe, hidden shelter for their soon to be born young. The final touch that feathers their nest is from their own soft, downy coat. These make the baby chamber warm and snug, protecting the fragile eggs so they can incubate in the safest environment.

Like the robin you can do the same – take the twigs of your desires, weave them with your intention and secure the warmth from your passion to incubate the best of who you are when you utilize the awakening power of “Wood” (from the Five Elements). Its upright energy, flexibility and expansiveness will empower not only your home to withstand outside forces, but build your vitality and strengthen your self understanding. Here are five best ever adjustments to show you how.

  • When you want your calling to be your profession, make an adjustment in the Wealth gua (Wood element) of your home. Paint the walls green. It represents Spring, vitality and uprising force. You will regenerate your wealth when you add red (Fire element). Red is associated with happiness, reason, enthusiasm, power and strength. Wood feeds Fire. Without the synergy of these two elements your finances would tap out and you may falsely believe you cannot realize your dream. 
  • When you want to incubate your best ever partner: plant a pear tree in the yard. The Chinese word, Li, “pear” sounds like partnership and symbolizes the act of sharing. You lay the ground for meaning, value and commitment. If you live in an apartment or a condo you can use a bonsai pear tree or hang a framed picture of a pear tree.
  • When you want to nurture a partnership that you have already created. Feather your bedroom with nine lush plants. The demands of work can deplete your energy. The plants’ vitality encourage  mental focusand stamina. Now you have desire fueled by strength to give to your partner. Nuance: if you desire, place a fruiting or flowering plants as they symbolize your efforts will bear fruit.
  • When you want to incubate your desire for more offspring: plant a pomegranate tree in your yard. It is an time honored Feng Shui symbol of fertility and fecundity. If you don’t have a garden, they also do well planted in a pot, provided they have adequate lighting, drainage and water.
  • When you want to cultivate the qualities of a charismatic teacher and create good teacher and student relationships: plant a plum tree in your yard. However be on the look out if the branches (apricot tree too) extend beyond the property line, one party in a marriage may break their vows.

What is your dream?

Have you decided this will be your year? “Boldness has genius”.. start with one hour of 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.

Harvest The Best In Your Life – Feng Shui Tips

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“To everything there is a season and a time and purpose under Heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Here in Portland, Oregon, the leaves are a blast of crimson and gold. The fields were harvested weeks ago and we’ve begun to set the table with hearty soups, squashes and vibrant root vegetables. Autumn reminds us to wind down. Mother earth is letting go. We pull in and stock up as the cool, crisp mornings prompt us to winter’s imminent arrival. For humans, we take into account what we have accumulated and appreciate what we’ve accomplished. The abundance of summer has been assimilated and now it is time to integrate the wisdom gained from the events over the year. Fall, the Metal element in the Five Elements, lays the space to refine your relationship to the Earth, to yourself, to your home and harvest the best in your life. Here are four tips to create a spacious, harmonized body, mind and home this Fall.

Conserve In Autumn your body wants to conserve energy. As you draw inward, you are being pulled outward by the same responsibilities as in other times of the year. Uplift your energy and harvest the best in your life by taking time to give some oxygen to your thoughts and emotions. This nurtures  your Ch’i and will place you ahead of the holiday triggers that stir up conflict. But if discord is already snooping about, create a spacious and clear mind with an orange peel bath. Cut nine circles (skin only) of one orange and wash your entire body, even your head. Make it a ritual for nine consecutive nights for good measure. The warm, fresh, sweetness of orange conveys joy and positivity, dispersing moodiness and irritability. Letting go in this positive way encourages peace of mind. This is what gives the orange its reputation as embodying “good luck”.

Clear out As the leaves fall and you are bringing out your warm, snuggly sweaters and rain wear, this is a good to time clear out unused items in your closet(s). If you find it’s not easy getting started, Professor Lin Yun shared this valuable piece of advice. “Speak to the item. Thank it for faithfully serving you.” Then say, “I appreciate you but now it is time to part ways.” By liberating the space in your closet(s) you send the message that you are in tune with the best in your life and ready for the prospects coming your way.

Clean Now that you are refreshed and have more energy, you can turn your attention to creating spaciousness in your home. You are probably familiar with spring cleaning but the shift from warm to cool temperatures encourages mold to propagate and your health is likely to be compromised. I encourage a good fall clean especially the stove the seat of our wealth and family unity. And what’s more, fall cleaning is an act of completion of the four previous seasons (winter, spring, summer and the middle season of harvest time). This could also be the perfect time to convert to green cleaning products, even make your own. Here is one recipe for an all-purpose cleaner from Rodale’s Organic Life: 9 parts water to 1 part white vinegar. I like to add rosemary essential oil to the cleaner. The plant is considered to “renew enthusiasm and bolster self-confidence.” As an herb of remembrance, it helps us not only to recall loved ones but to remember our own true path and for me, to remember to harvest the best in my life.

Consider Some folks live without a roof over the head nor sleep in a bed. Consider passing along some of your good fortune. Lend a helping hand when you see a person in need. Kindness ripples out and has a positive effect on the world.

Have questions about your home?  Feng Shui A La Carte, think of it as a fairy godmother for your home.

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.

Think Outside The Travel Channel – Feng Shui Travel Cures

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“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.”
– Maya Angelou

Minimizing stress on a trip makes for more relaxation and fun. I want you to have a great time so here is my Feng Shui A list that have worked for me. I believe these travel cures will help you experience an out-of-the-ordinary vacation, complete with feeling safe, at ease and when an unusual circumstance happens, you can respond with an open heart. 

Travel With The Buddha Purchase a small Buddha statue, one inch is a good size. Place it in a container that holds heat such as an incense holder or a cauldron. Place this in a private area like the top of your bedroom bureau for nine days. Each day offer incense, visualize this is your “Traveling Buddha” and it will protect you when you travel and bring good luck. Let the incense burn down and allow the ashes to fall onto the Buddha. On the tenth day take out the Buddha, do not brush off the incense and carry with you. See you are protected wherever you travel.

Start On The Right Foot The Red Carpet ceremony is performed when departing your home for an business appointment, wedding or trip. Create auspicious opportunities and safety by placing a six-foot red cloth over the threshold of your front door. As you step down onto the carpet (cloth) with your left foot, visualize your trip is accident free and negative energy is cleansed. Make eight steps and end with the ninth step, your left foot, stepping of the the carpet. Fold and take with you. Do not go back into the house.

Boost Your Immune System Jet lag, time change, activity fun can catch up pretty quickly. Color influences how you feel. Make sure you pack a scarf or ensemble that has the five elements-black, green, red, yellow and white. At the first notice of overall weariness change to this and start to feel the vibrance, radiance and balance of these colors. Visualize you are receiving what you need and paid heed to what advice your intuition is giving.

Remove Old Energy It might be old, it could be negative. It could be whatever. Don’t take chances on who or what has resided in your room even if it is five star Hilton. If you forgot to carry orange spray or mister made with true essential oils, you can also use the peels of an orange to clear out stale or negative energy. Cut nine circles, rubbed them in your hands then place them under your pillow for a great night’s sleep.

Use Insight Over Anger Probably the biggest influence keeping the trip upbeat and good luck coming. If anxiety flairs quickly for you: before you say something you will regret, step back and “Swallow Your Saliva”, nine times. First create the saliva with the tip of your tongue on the upper palate of your mouth by moving your tongue back and forth 27 times. Then swish the saliva around your gums and teeth. While doing this think whether what you have to say will cause harm. Swallow then speak. It connects all the meridians in the body. Not only will this create positive relations with your family and travelers but strengthen your organs, in particular, your stomach and spleen.

photo credit: Bubo Blog, A New York City Dad

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 Cures “I Have Nothing To Wear!”

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I bet you have a few all time favorites from your closet that make you feel super comfortable, right? Yet they aren’t your “go-to” kick-ass ensembles when you have an important engagement. Nor when you’ve received a quick phone call for an interview or a spontaneous dinner date, same ole, same ole, won’t do. You want an outfit that makes you feel put together, dynamic and you don’t want to purchase something new. Step out of panic, you are in luck! You can take those favorite black pants or little black dress and go “3 for 3” with the Five Element Colors. These colors may be placed in specific sequences to balance your Ch’i, give you confidence and help you feel your best. Yes! Color plays a huge role in how you look and feel. And that’s the secret you can pull out of your closet in a moment’s notice.

The Five Element Theory derives from Chinese cosmology. Each element shares a corresponding color. Water is black, Wood is green, Fire is red, Earth is yellow and Metal is white. There are two cycles and they either feed or control the other. In the Constructive Cycle an element feeds the next element. You must choose at least three colors to make the cycle work. A CC sequence is: water (black) feeds wood (green) and wood (green) feeds fire (red). Begin at your shoes or feet and work upwards to your head. Feeling a little tired when you get up? You can rely on this sequence to brighten your mood, strengthen your Ch’i and support your mental capacity. The Containing Cycle controls or destroys an element. For example: wood (green) chokes earth (yellow) and earth (yellow) absorbs water (black). Why use this sequence? Because there are times when life is coming at you fast and you need to feel stable. Or if you have experienced a trauma and you want more security. Begin at your head or throat and work down to your shoes.

Now that you have a bit of Five Element savvy you will be spot on for an important presentation and brilliant when negotiating a transaction. And as you know a picture is worth a thousand words. I am delighted to share two, one minute videos for when those words fly uncontrollably out of your throat,  “I have nothing to wear!” 

Feng Shui Cures “I Have Nothing To Wear!” Constructive Cycle

Feng Shui Cures “I Have Nothing To Wear!” Controlling Cycle

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.