Tag Archives: Happiness and Peace of Mind

Upgrade Your Vacation With Feng Shui

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“Surely of all the wonders of the world, the horizon is the greatest.”
– Freya Stark

Is an irresistible vista calling your name? We humans have a keen curiosity for distant horizons that only mobility can satisfy. If travel is on your current agenda for business or pleasure, romance or spiritual awakening upgrade your vacation with “Think Outside the Travel Channel” Feng Shui essentials. This collection of insights will help you experience your vacation in an entire new spirit. Learn how to play with the energetic field in far away places. Discover you can smooth out a difficult situation. Develop quick tools that help you enjoy the unfamiliar. Open your heart to the profound appreciation of foreign places (at home or abroad) and find yourself abundant with opportunities to form meaningful encounters.

Set Your Intention Imagine this experience to be all it can be. 27 days before your departure meditate daily. Visualize the feelings the vacation generates – the joy, the excitement and the flow. Visualize the places you listed on your itinerary. Hold that vibration for fifteen minutes. Your subconscious will take care of the details.

Make A Favorable Start Date selection is part of Feng Shui astrology. Choosing an auspicious date is a proper part of vacation planning. When your vacation incorporates Feng Shui principles, it has a higher degree of travel success. Helpful People show up easily to aid your journey and help you find your way when you are lost. Consult a Chinese calendar or email me (bette@shenmenfengshuic.com) for general auspicious dates. I will be happy to go over this with you for red envelopes (generally nine).

Travel With The Buddha One of my favorites. Purchase a small Buddha statue, one inch is good or it can be larger or smaller. 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 vacation to.

Start On The Right Foot The Red Carpet ceremony is performed when departing from 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 and time change can leave you overwhelmed quickly. Color influences how you feel. Make sure you feel good. Pack a scarf or ensemble that has the five elements-black, green, red, yellow and white or the rainbow colors. When you notice an overall weariness change to this. Visualize you are receiving vitality, radiance and balance from the color combinations and they are infusing your endocrine system with vital Ch’i.

Remove Stale Energy It might old, it could be negative. Don’t take chances with who or what resided in your room even if it is five star Hilton or private B&B. If you forgot to carry orange spray or a mister made with citrus essential oils, you can also use the peels of an orange to clear 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 The biggest influence maintaining an upbeat attitude and the good luck coming. If you are prone to tension and you speak before you think, 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 but strengthen your organs, in particular your stomach and spleen. Setting intention is the motivating factor to maintaining a great vacation experience. You will see heart-felt results.

Bring Home Only Good Memories and Mementos Think about what you want to gain from this experience and what you want to remember in the days ahead. Purchasing hand crafted items that depict a country, an artisan, and an experience create good karma. You are supporting the local economy and the creativity of the local craftspeople. Choose something you absolutely adore and will use.

Keepsakes are an ever-present reminder of your most fondest moments and they can also be used to reinforce the Feng Shui in your home. Here are a few suggestions. To enhance the power of Heaven and the continuous support of Helpful People gua purchase a relic or statue. If you want to amplify your wealth, shop for a gilded mirror to draw in resources or a gold container that will hold intentions and symbols of money in your Wealth corner. If you want to create good luck in your budding romance. Purchase your Chinese Zodiac animal and your partner’s too. Purchase a three dimensional animal made of jade, boxwood or bone for your Partnership gua. If you are not living together purchase two of each, one set for your home and one for theirs. Display together in your Partnership gua of the bedroom. 

Relax. Be Safe. Enjoy.

A well designed space allows you to access positive energy at all times. I am available to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation 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 Flowers That Whisper Good Fortune

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“Hear blessings dropping their blossoms all around you.”
– Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi

If we wish to attract what is good for us, flowers are a direct path to enhancing our feelings and elevating our sense of well-being. Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General. Hospital and her research team investigated the effects of flowers in the home and they concluded 1) flowers influence people emotionally; they foster compassion and kindness. 2) people feel less negative around flowers. Looking at them first thing in the morning dissipates anxiety or feelings of depression. 3) having flowers at home can carry over to work creating a frame of mind for happiness and enthusiasm. 

In the right place flowers in your home whisper their message, be joyful and blessings will fall like blossoms all around you.

Flowers have a long held importance and cultural significance in Chinese culture. They believe they communicate positive messages.

Here are five of my favorites that I give as Feng Shui adjustments and personally display during the Chinese seasonal festivals.

Peony Their elegant, full blossoms and delicate fragrance make them a favorite of bride’s bouquets and with good reason. The Chinese hold the peony in high esteem because it symbolizes prosperity and nobility. It also represents wealth, rank, female beauty and honor. Yellow and purple varieties are the most desirable. According to Feng Shui tradition, cultivate affluence by hanging either an image of a peony in a vase or placing an actual peony in a vase in the living room of your home. Either one expresses the wish for ‘prosperity and peace’, because the peony represents prosperity and the vase is a rebus for peace.

Orchid We all want someone special who is just right for us. The orchid represents integrity, friendship and nobility. Confucius compared the orchid to a virtuous man. In BSTB Feng Shui tradition to attract a refined and cultured partner place a pink orchid in your Relationship corner. The nuance to this relationship adjustment is visualize you are attracting the perfect person for you.

Lotus The Chinese believe the lotus symbolizes purity, long life, humility and honor. In Chinese Buddhism, Quan Yin is depicted seated on a lotus flower because it rises from the mud in beauty and symbolizes perfection and purity of the heart and mind. Mud represents a meaningful part of the lotus flower’s development. In Buddhist teachings, we humans are born into suffering, it is a vital part of our experience. The sacred lotus grows in the deep mud, far away from the sun. But sooner or later, it reaches the light becoming the most beautiful flower ever. If you’ve struggled to accept your fears. If you’ve felt your burdens have not brought you redemption. If despair reminds you that you feel you’ve failed, it may be difficult to see that these muddy waters make you the exquisite human being that you are, but you are. 

Chrysanthemum The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the Double Ninth Festival also called Chongyang Festival (this year it is October 17, 2018). Nine is a yang number (symbolizing forever). Celebrating the double nine brings auspiciousness to the household. “Double Ninth” is pronounced the same as the word “forever” so ancestors are also worshipped on that day. Chrysanthemum is a Chinese word derived from “Chu hua” meaning “October flower”. 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 the home and eating Chongyang (double yang) cakes (cake sounds like height so they are regarded as lucky) are popular customs honoring this festival. They lift the Ch’i of, not only individuals, but families and communities too.

Narcissus Narcissus is known as the “water goddess”. It is said this flower can rout out evil spirits. At Chinese New Year (The Year of the Water Pig is February 5, 2019), the Chinese believe daffodil and Narcissus bulbs when in bloom bring good fortune and luck to a home. The modern take: enliven your Ch’i through the sense of smell. This adjustment calms the nervous system and promotes a sense of well being.

The Flower Cure Many times the most unlikely Feng Shui adjustment has the greatest affect. If the valve between the stomach and the esophagus is not opening and closing properly and there is acid reflux, H.H. “Professor” Lin Yun suggested this cure (nine red envelopes requested). The essence of this cure is how the sense of smell affects the body, mind and spirit.

Photo credit: https://www.quitecontemporary.com/2017/01/diy-ceramic-vases.html

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.

Tis’ The Season To Get Engaged!

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“Every once in a while in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale.
– Author unknown

Tis’ the season to get engaged! 40 percent of engagements occur between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day with Christmas Day the most popular so when my client, Loretta Rossini, Wedding Officiant, asked me to share good luck wedding customs.

Start with luck. A 1500 year old symbol must have some good juju, right? The Chinese created a symbol for marriage that is as potent today as when the first two lovers used it on their wedding day. The character for happiness is set side by side. The bottom part looks like the number “8”. In the Chinese language the number eight attracts prosperity. It’s been a long standing custom to give double happiness red envelopes with money inside to the wedding couple.

Pick your flowers. Whether a Bridal bouquet or one flower, selecting the heavenly, fragrant peony as your wedding flower is auspicious. The flower is believed to be of divine descent, no wonder it represents wealth, rank and honor. If you use vases with a neck for your centerpiece, it expresses the wish for prosperity and peace because the vase symbolizes peace.

Wear a touch of red. Red is like “a red sun rising from the East.” When it first emerges over the horizon, it is red hot. Wearing a touch of red on your wedding day (it can be hidden) is a good fortune adjustment and attracts auspiciousness. It’s the traditional color for Chinese brides.

Let the stars decide. When Heaven and Earth line up it leads to a successful marriage so start out on the right foot by selecting a lucky date for your wedding. I can help.

Choose happiness. Keep the luck coming. Whether it is a grand reception or intimate dinner for two, pick eight dishes (not including dessert) for the word eight not only sounds like prosperity but “good luck” too.

Keep your love fertile. Have plans to bring a little one into the world? A formal tea ceremony is served by the bride and groom during the wedding festivities. The reason being is the words, “lotus”, “year”, “seed”, “child”, “date” and “early” sound alike but have different meanings. Dropping lotus seeds and two dates into the tea will help the newlyweds to have a baby early and every year. The sweetness of the special tea is also a wish for sweet relations between the bride and her new family.

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After you’ve said your vows, kissed the bride or groom and shared sweet pleasure on your honeymoon, do something extra for your love. Create a radiant space for your hearts to grow together.

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.

September 30 New Moon I Selfless Before Selfie

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“Did you know that there are over three hundred words for love in canine?”
— Gabrielle Zevin

September 30 the “selfless before selfie” Chinese Zodiac animal wagged its way onto the horizon. Every month the leading zodiac holds a super power that can help us expand our awareness and reach our full potential. Dog has a multitude of exemplar traits so which do we choose? Its friendly nature? Faithful character? Smart brain? Straightforward manner? Venerable composure? Responsible attitude? Or is it our four footed friends’ “bow wow practice” that they have mastered so effortlessly? Bowing to the divine in their owners and feeling the wow of devotion. This simple act of expressing unconditional love creates strong bonds and gratifying relationships that can help you through difficult times. And maybe too that caring about what happens to another is all you need to feel good throughout the day. For us humans it might be easier to understand the love of dog by watching this Tonglen Meditation of Compassion performed by Tulku Tsori Rinpoche.

Will this month be pets and praises or dog poop? Discover what the stars are saying and how they can help. Rat: what you are working on goes smoothly and as you planned. Your fame will be outstanding and both family and romance will go well. Consider refraining from verbal disputes and avoid communication that creates misunderstandings or you may experience unexpected disaster. Ox: a good month to remain low key in the areas of investing, career changes and hosting a grand opening. There is a larger margin for interpersonal disputes. Keep your impulses in check. Be mindful that others may see through your schemes. Tiger: it’s a Three Harmony month!  Your luck will be auspicious. Wealth will be available but do not be greedy. Let Nature take its course and then money will emerge. Maintaining a benevolent heart and doing good deeds benefits your family and you will gather in fame, profits and much good fortune. Rabbit: lots of money lucky bunny so take advantage of the full throttle Ch’i to support your investments or partnerships. Romance will be smooth sailing. Dragon: it’s a month of Direct Conflict. It there is money loss consider it as a way to maintain the peace. Be on the look out for car accidents, illness and refrain from associating with folks who will demoralize you. Perform a good deed a day and be willing to help others. A “single act of benevolence avoids a thousand evils.” It’s the antidote to disaster. Spread it around generously. Snake: “Heaven helps a good man.” Helpful People are at your assistance. Your endeavors demonstrate luck, prosperity and ease. If you establish a new business or take a trip abroad, both will be profitable. If you are offered a joint venture do not reject but rather go with the flow. Horse: gaiety and joy will be in abundance. Your career will flourish, your assets will rise and progress will be smooth in all endeavors. Keep a calm outlook and remember that matters can be resolved through good communication. Ram: a month of Mutual Offense with possible adversities so avoid going out for a walk at night and beware of thieves. If you come across a dangerous situation, chant the “Five Thunders” mantra for protection. Monkey: you are in a Mutually Offensive and the Most Confrontational relationships. You must be extra, extra careful this month. Do not take trips, purchase real estate, change careers, start a new business or host a grand opening. Though there will be an influx of money, monitor your expenditures in accordance to your income. Rooster: luck of the month is Most Confrontational. Rooster and Dog fight so you may expect disharmony in your relationships. You may quarrel with your spouse or loved one you are dating. At work you may experience personal disputes. Practice forbearance and see harmony as fundamental to your everyday interactions. Perform “The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell” at the beginning of the lunar month to avoid disaster. Dog: you will experience both bad luck and joy. Be mindful that sorrowful events and unexpected disasters are possible in your sphere this month. Keep kind thoughts and do good deeds in order to break through misfortune for “a single act of benevolence avoids a thousand evils.” Pig: your luck will be smooth this month. Monitor your expenditures in accordance to your income. Your health may give you trouble so watch what you eat. If you have a chronic condition perform “Changing The Ch’i Of The House”. If you request a cure from this forecast, I will ask you to honor the red envelope tradition. Have a great month, Zodiac friends! 

Thank you to Khadro Crystal Chu, Black Sect Esoteric Buddhist Feng Shui for your unfailing command of Feng Shui and Chinese metaphysics.

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.