Tag Archives: orange ritual

Her House Not Only Talked, Her Feng Shui Got The Last Word.

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“A house is very much like a portrait, it gives an indication of the character at the heart of it.”
–Anonymous

“Your House Is Talking!” is an metaphor I use to explain the impact architectural details have on our health, family, career, happiness and degree of success. It never occurred to me that I might have the pleasure of hearing that a client’s house actually talked, let alone getting the last word. Dee called me last November and explained her home was a Feng Shui nightmare. She said, “Don’t get me wrong. I love my house. It sits on a quiet street, has a lot of light and the yard is a bird sanctuary but I cannot make out the Feng Shui. I need help!” I came over and saw straight from the curb the issues she was facing. Missing street numbers, missing front door from the street and the master bedroom three feet from the front door entry to the house. She admitted she was feeling vulnerable with this last arrangement and was losing sleep.“Could we make it work?” She really detested the idea of moving her bedroom upstairs. She also confided that she didn’t feel welcomed in the neighborhood. I could see in her eyes this was her dream home and the relationship wasn’t off to a good start. She had found my Chinese New Year segment on KATU AMNW and felt confident I could guide her out of her Feng Shui mess. She believed in Feng Shui and knew she needed my assistance but also yearned for reassurance that Feng Shui would be the answer. I assured her the changes would be reasonable, efficient and help her feel at peace. She nodded, took notes and as we moved through each room became more and more confident how Feng Shui would help her. When we finished she was beaming.

Whether it was her excitement to see the magic of Feng Shui work or the consultation inspired her to be her most creative, or both, Dee was zealous. She was proud of her accomplishments. She shared stories that were funny and amazing like after painting the bedroom and bathroom (her wealth gua) she received a lucrative contract for her business.

Dee worked tirelessly too, to make her home “Feng Shui” ready for the holidays. In celebration she invited her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren over for a little party. During the festivities, Matt, a big, husky guy, was standing in the kitchen and noticed the wind chime over her stove. As she told it, he screwed up his face, mimicking a comic he had seen on T.V. and said, “Oh, Feng Shui is stupid!” As quickly as he said it, a thunderous clap shook the entire house. He ducked, looked about frantically as if the walls would come down over him and said, “I promise, I won’t say that again.” Dee is a petite, demure woman with a wry sense of humor. And though she knew the house sent a message to Matt, she added with a shake of her finger, “Don’t you go saying bad about my Feng Shui.” 

Since this episode and my January follow up, Dee’s neighbors have cleaned up the jungle in their back yard and she became treasurer of the neighborhood association. She planned to refinance her house to a lower rate which meant having her home appraised. She completed all the rituals at 11 p.m. which corresponded to Chinese New Year ceremonies as well. As she described it, “Orange peels were everywhere. I was given a target and hit it out of the ball park which I owe much to you, so thank you again!” Her next agenda item is to triplicate the success and I will consult for her on her new office which is the realization of her goal to work in the city in which she lives. Dee’s story is anyone’s story and a great story: she moved into a home with Feng Shui design challenges but with perseverance, enthusiasm, TLC and Feng Shui cures, she’s feeling happy and right at home.

Epilogue:
H. H. Lin Yun would teach that every object, utensil, appliance, every furnishing in our homes are animate. “Every thing in the house and every part of the house has its own spirituality. This is true of every piece of furniture, and every system in the house.” So here is a ritual to perform in your home. “Touch the stove and visualize that the God of the Stove has become aware of you and raises its head to look at you. The God is “energized.” Then request the God of the Stove to bestow blessings upon your family, that everything you require will be made available and your resources will be abundant. You can do the same for the God of the Desk and ask for blessings for your career and that your dedication to your work will yield fruitful results. Go to the God of the Bed, touch it and visualize it listens to your request. You can ask for more restful nights or good health. If you have clutter, you can tell the object you are sending it on and thank it for serving you well. This precept gives you access to communicating with the Gods wherever you may travel, albeit your home town or a far away land. When you energize these Gods, in turn they will offer you abundant good energy.

If you feel you have benefitted from this teaching, please support the tradition of receiving transcendental cures with a red envelope. Email me bette@shenmenfengshui.com for details.

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 Back The Holiday. Look East To Savor Thanksgiving Dinner With Six Feng Shui Trimmings.

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The Art of Dining Is The Art Of Living.

America has welcomed a smorgasbord of cultures to her shores for over three hundred years. She embraces diversity. At every table you can sample generations of blended families’ aromatic cuisines nestled next to roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie. But in 2013 even scrumptious sides and exotic preparations cannot mask that the praise and grace part of Thanksgiving dinner has been over shadowed by college football and Black Friday sales. To make everyone happy, we rush to get the food on the table and then we race to get it cleaned up and off to the next thing. And in all the dashing about, either we lose the spirit or feel too tired to revel in gratitude, delight in our family and savor the abundance. If this year meaningful connection is what you seek, invite into your home a three thousand year old “art of living” tradition. These six, auspicious Feng Shui trimmings may save you and Thanksgiving dinner.

Trim the turkey. Relish the magic. Create a new view of life. Start a novel conversation. In China, the symbolic meaning of peach is the wish for longevity. Peach is regarded as a magical fruit and offered as a birthday present. Moreover, Chinese ancient people believed that peach had the function of bringing auspiciousness and warding off evil, so peach has deep roots in the folk custom and aesthetics. The one who eats a magic peach will live six-hundred years more. Cling peach anyone?

Trim the table. Replace blues with beauty. Develop a nose for calm. Anxiety can keep everyone upset. A Harvard study showed that we feel less negative around flowers. Looking at them first thing in the morning dissipates anxiety. “The positive mood that results from looking at flowers is likely to transfer to others – it’s what is called mood contagion,” says Etcoff. This feeling pervades throughout the day. A narcissus plant is both fragrant and it attracts prosperity for the year to come. Adjusting by sense of smell calms the nervous system. Feeling relaxed smoothes your Ch’i and puts you in good spirits when Uncle Harry arrives.

Trim yourself. Feel empower(red). Pull out the gay apparel. Red in Feng Shui symbolism means happiness, righteousness, virtuosity, courtesy, etiquette, power and strength. If you want to put out a family fire, wear red. If you want to bring joy to the table, wear red. If your son or daughter are not paying attention or giving you a hard time, wear red. Red attracts auspiciousness and respect.

Trim the door. Invite good luck. Picture happiness. Nine days before Thanksgiving purchase a beautiful wind chime, one that pleases your ear. Put it in a special place and think about it every day. Visualize how it will bring good luck into your household. On Thanksgiving at 11:00 a.m. hang the wind chime from a red ribbon outside your front door. Say a prayer of grace, this reinforces your request. This enhancement takes your eye level gaze and preoccupation with worldly affairs and redirects them up. At this position, you invite the power of heaven to create joy, stability and forward movement.

Trim the house. Make harmony endure. Let the sun shine in. A week before Thanksgiving (or any holiday) buy nine oranges. At 11:00 p.m. open all the doors and windows of the house. Cut nine round pieces of orange peels from nine oranges. You will have a total eighty-one pieces of round orange peels. Break the orange peels into small pieces. The word for orange sound like gold in the Chinese language. Begin at the front door, take a small handful, toss the peel upward, visualize that all misfortune, illness and bad luck are leaving. All is well. Take another small handful and with palm down, sprinkle the peel, sowing seeds of auspicious light and visualizing any negativity being replaced with new growth of good fortune, health and positive events. See sunlight or universal light filling every corner of your house. The light will evict any bad ch’i and misfortune and replace it with happy ch’i, prosperous ch’i and auspicious chi. Leave in all the rooms of the house. Say a prayer of grace and you are complete. Leave the peels for one night, three nights or nine nights for greater emphasis.

Trim the Earth. Show loving kindness. Soften the stress of the holidays. A kind word, holding the door, buying a cup of coffee, letting someone in line, helping an elder cross the street or visiting a friend in the hospital builds community, defeats depression and inspires prosperity in oneself and others. Do one good deed in terms of the benefit of others and you benefit the most.

One thing 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.