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Feng Shui
Contributed by Hinda Abrahamson
Navigating Your Spirit Through Your Environment Using Feng Shui as a Guide
Partnership: The Feng Shui Connection
Feng Shui Intention: A New Notebook
Feng Shui: The Ancient Chinese Art of Creating Sacred Space
Contributed by Carolyn Vinup
Feng Shui: Frequently Asked Questions
Creating Sacred Space with Colors
Creating Sacred Space in the Bedroom
Navigating Your Spirit Through Your Environment Using Feng Shui as a Guide By Hinda Abrahamson
What is environment?
For every person asked, there is a different response. For some it is the natural world, our outdoors. For others it is social, cultural, educational or political. All are accurate.
Environment is defined as surroundings - the total of circumstances surrounding an organism or group of organisms.
Environment is all inclusive - the environment of our air, our water, vegetation, our garden, our home and work environments, the environment we feel sitting under the shade of a tree, the environment that greets us
when we awaken, enter a building, or look out a window. There is the environment of our community and our country, and our own internal environment.
>From the Tao on environment:
How can you live
With the constant noise of traffic?
The stench of garbage?
The sight of buildings instead of mountains?
The movement of streets instead of rivers?
The feel of pavement instead of earth?
We are bombarded by environmental sounds, smells, and sights, touch and energy, some visible, some invisible but ever-present. Daily we live, work, play, raise children, make love, and make choices in a thick soup of environmental microcosms. We must maintain spirit while we navigate through this flow, sometimes with it, sometimes against it.
What is Feng Shui and how does it impact our environment?
The practice of Feng Shui comes to our culture at a critical time. It assists us in defining our position in the physical universe in order to become more aware of and sensitive to our home environment, our neighborhood and workplace. It evaluates the individual and collective effects of placement, shape, sound, smell, vision, touch, and energy. It then
serves as a navigational tool to advise ways in which we can arrange our environments to enhance our quality of life. The goal of Feng Shui is to empower us to create personal environments that will nourish, support and encourage our spirit. It encourages us to be aware of environmental influences that may be blocking our journey, suggesting ways in which to remove physical and/or energetic blocks, when it is time to change course, and providing
assistance when we feel we have lost our way.
How can we utilize Feng Shui?
To use this tool we must understand the guiding principles of Feng Shui. Then we can begin the process of developing a truly intimate relationship with our personal and work environments. Intimacy allows for increased insight and awareness.
What are the Feng Shui Principles?
The four Feng Shui Principles are related to nature, energy, space, and intention. The first principle is "Nature serves as the model." Feng Shui means "Wind and Water" which serves as a powerful metaphor to remind us of the role nature plays in our lives. This truism is as important today as it was thousands of years ago. Once we understood that being in harmony with the seasons, rhythms and patterns of nature was essential to survival.
Our attempt to move away from our dependency on nature, assuming dominance, has created severe problems for the health of our planet. A contemporary anthropologist, Gary Bateson, stated, "An organism that destroys its environment, destroys itself." The practice of Feng Shui encourages us to replicate the natural environment in our manmade environments. When we use nature as our model, we begin the process of reestablishing that ancient connection with the natural world.
The second principle of Feng Shui is "Everything is Energy." The Chinese word for energy is "Chi". Defined as "breath", it is the life force that forms mountains, moves rivers, and pulsates through plants, animals and humans. The energy of your home and workplace including their location, shape, room placement, furniture arrangement, colors, patterns, and artwork has a continuous influence on the personal, internal energy of all its inhabitants. Feng Shui evaluates that energy and its effects and provides suggestions for maximizing its flow in our environments.
Feng Shui's third principle is "Your space reflects your life." From the Feng Shui perspective, your home and workplace are basic expressions of your life and represent nine life areas: career, helpful people, children and creativity, partnership, reputation, wealth, family, knowledge and health. Feng Shui assists you in identifying where each of these areas falls
energetically within your home, office, or business. This allows you to make changes in your environment in ways that can positively affect these areas of your life.
The fourth principle is "Intention is everything." Intention is to Feng Shui what "Location" is to Real Estate. Setting a Feng Shui intention helps you to focus specifically and in detail on what it is that you desire to change or call into your life. The power of Feng Shui is in your Intention.
With so many environments simultaneously demanding our attention, imposing with or without our permission, irritability, restlessness, confusion, fear and even powerlessness can creep in and dampen our spirit. As we attempt to meet the demands of our everyday environments, staying true to our spirit is an ever-increasing challenge.
The practice of Feng Shui reminds us that we have the power to create environments that reflect our values and support our journey. As our homes become places of retreat, reflection, beauty, safety and support, our spirit is nurtured and strengthened. A supportive personal environment nourishes our spirit, allowing us to bring the best of ourselves to our family, our work and our community. This in turn allows for an ever growing and expanding awareness of and respect for our connectedness and that begins a ripple effect, which is felt around the world.
According to an old Chinese proverb, "If there is harmony in the house, there is order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world."
May you create environments that nourish the expression of your spirit.
Partnership: The Feng Shui Connection By Hinda Abrahamson
“When we change our commitment to ourselves, we change our cellular vibration and therefore our magnetism and what we attract. We can then attract something different.” Marilyn Graman, Psychologist
February is the month for lovers. As valentine’s day approaches, thoughts of love, intimacy and partnering are heightened. We think about relationships with a significant other, perhaps with our friends, family and even our pets. Some may give thought to their relationship with a higher source or their relationship with themselves, reflecting on what they have learned about themselves from having been with a previous partner. Few, however, give thought to the possibility of having a relationship with their homes.
The beautiful art and science of Feng Shui encourages you to do this very thing: to develop an intimate relationship with the very structure which surrounds you and provides haven from the outside world; a place whose walls and energy are privy to our joys, sorrows, arguments, celebrations, births, deaths, hopes, fears and dreams.
The practice of Feng Shui teaches that the shape and location of rooms and buildings can have a profound affect on the occupants because of the way the flow of energy is received or blocked. The Chinese word for this energy or “life force” is referred to as “chi”. Feng Shui identifies that each part of your home symbolizes and relates to one or more of your life areas. It teaches that your home and work place hold energies of past occupants, which meld with your energies and the energies of every item you bring into your space to make it yours. Those physical energies, both seen and unseen, can offer insights into our psyche and can be used to our advantage when we become aware of them. Our home and work place can be sources of inspiration, supporting our journey through life if we learn to pay attention. When we understand the importance of developing an intimate relationship with our personal and work surroundings, we add a powerful tool to our understanding of how the world works.
To define our position in the physical universe, Feng Shui uses a tool called a Bagua.
This ancient tool originates from the I Ching, or Book of Changes, an ancient Chinese book of divination. Bagua means eight sided and describes the eight basic building blocks of the I Ching, called trigrams. Each trigram is associated with a specific area of life, such as health, wealth and partnership.
Think of the bagua as a map, a template used to establish how different areas of any building you occupy are connected to specific aspects of your life. It is an energetic overlay. Knowing where each area is within your home, allows you to honor it, which, in turn, positively affects that particular area of your life. This metaphorical way of looking at the world is vital to having a more intimate relationship with your space and its energy.
Below is a diagram of the Bagua with instructions for applying it to the main level of your home. It can also be laid over bedrooms, beds, offices and desks.
BASIC FENG SHUI MAP ( BAGUA )
WEALTH
(purple)
FAME AND REPUTATION
(red)
PARTNERSHIP
(pink)
FAMILY
(green)
HEALTH
(yellow)
CHILDREN/CREATIVITY
(white)
KNOWLEDGE
(blue)
CAREER
(black)
HELPFUL PEOPLE
(gray)
Measure your space from left to right and front to back. Include attached garage but not decks or balconies. Draw to scale and divide equally into thirds to locate each area. Remember to use your front door as your orientation point. Your front door will fall somewhere along the knowledge, career or helpful people line.
As February is relationship month, we will focus on the upper right hand corner of any space you occupy. This represents your partnership area. Which part of your home falls into this area will differ for each person. For some, it may be the garage, for others the kitchen, for someone else, this piece of their home may be missing.
If your master bedroom happens to be located in the partnership area of your home, it represents a powerful combination of energies. Regardless of its location, however, your bedroom is the room most connected to relationship and marriage in your life. It is your prime environment for rest, rejuvenation and intimacy and must be the most private and secluded of all the rooms in your home.
As a Feng Shui consultant, I am often called into homes where the one of the major intentions is to attract a new relationship. Because “intention” is the power of Feng Shui, time is spent discussing what this actually means.
It is important to ask yourself many questions as you hone a clear and precise intention of what type of relationship you want to manifest in your life. What are the qualities desired? What qualities are you willing to compromise? How would being actively involved with a partner affect your current life style? Your relationships with family and friends? Your freedom to come and go as you please? How do you envision the relationship? Does it involve travel, or cooking or cozying up in front of a fire, attending sports events or concerts? What activities are important to you? What can you give up? What activities are you willing to make room for? How do you feel about animals? (You know, “Love me, love my cat.”) What past relationship “clutter” might unknowingly be blocking potential suitors?
Nan called me to her home for a consultation. She had been clear when we spoke by phone that a major intention was to use Feng Shui to help her find a partner. When I arrived, Nan and Freddie, her Irish Setter met me at the door. Freddie had been Nan’s constant companion for eight years. As we walked through Nan’s home, I observed that her refrigerator was covered with pictures of her and her dog. When we went upstairs to her bedroom, I found it filled with beautifully framed photos of Nan and Freddie. His toys were there, and, she confessed, Freddie slept with her.
Nan was shocked when I called to her attention that she had no room for a partner. Freddie held the position. Without awareness, Nan had already filled her refrigerator door and her bedroom and her bed. If she truly intended to bring in the man of her dreams, she would have to make room for him. That would mean taking down all the pictures of her and Freddie on the refrigerator and from in her bedroom and retraining Freddie to sleep in his basket on the floor at the foot of her bed.
This was difficult for Nan to hear. We love our pets and they quickly and easily become constant, adoring companions. Being in a loving relationship does not preclude our wonderful pets, however, Nan’s space was reflecting her life. The message was loud and clear: “I am already partnered.”
When she removed the pictures and encouraged Freddie to sleep in his bed, not hers, her dating life picked up. Before long, she called to say that she was involved with “the man of my dreams”.
If you are serious about entering into a new relationship, then it is imperative that you get rid of anything that may be filling in for a relationship right now, such as stacks of magazines, bedside romances or beloved pets.
Remove all pictures of any family members or friends from your bedroom. If single, place a picture of a happy couple in your bedroom or a picture of you with a picture of someone who has similar physical characteristics of the type of person you are wanting to call into your life. If you are partnered, place only pictures of you and your partner in your master bedroom.
If you live alone, make some room for another person. Buy a second toothbrush or pillow or include objects that represent the type of person you want to meet. Check your closets and drawers. Is there any room for a partner’s clothes? It is not important that he/she may never physically place clothing there, rather it is the energetic intention that you are able to make room for a partner in your life.
Attract a partner by making sure there is space on both sides of your bed. If your bed is against a wall, you can be blocking partnership energy.
To bring a new romantic situation into your life, place a red flower in a white vase in the relationship corner of your bedroom. After placing this flower in your room, see in your mind’s eye a nicely blooming relationship coming your way.
About seven months prior to her Feng Shui consultation, Karen had ended a 3-year relationship. She was adamant that she was ready to call in a new partner. As we walked through her home, a large vase of dried red roses held a prominent place in her living room. When questioned, she indicated that they had been a gift from her previous partner. When questioned about why they continued to occupy a place in her home, Karen said that they remained as a decorative feature and that she never really paid any attention to them anymore.
Certainly, a Feng Shui “rule” is to have only what you love, or really like, in your space. Artwork, books, knickknacks or furniture should reflect your current journey in life. Having items that represent both where we’ve come from and support where we are going is important. They make up the tapestry of our lives. But when they become invisible they no longer serve to enhance our personal chi. Everything holds energy, so objects in our environment continue to affect our energy whether we “see” them or not.
Additionally, dead or dried flowers represent past, used-up energy and do not help attract a lively and vivacious mate. As you dispose of any dead (dried) or dying flowers from your bedroom or partnership area of your home, you can visualize that you are clearing out the past and freeing yourself from anything that is holding you back.
Karen was all too eager to dispose of the dead roses when this was called to her attention.
Avoid Clutter in any form in your bedroom and in the partnership area of your home. Clutter blocks your energy and interferes with the easy flow of your life. Remember that your bedroom serves only two purposes: rest and rejuvenation and intimacy. It is not a repository for exercise equipment, desks, computers, or the TV. If space is limited, intentionally separate your bedroom into specific working and sleeping areas using a divider, a rug or a crystal to separate the energies. Store nothing under the bed to allow for gentle chi to surround you when sleeping.
Another Feng Shui recommendation is to buy a new bed when a major relationship ends. The energy from old relationships is retained in your bed, the closest item of furniture to your body. A new bed is a powerful symbol of intention to bring in new, fresh partnership energy. Select the best bed that you can afford and you will see great benefit. Choose a bed with a solid headboard. It represents your psychological support system. If you are unable to buy a new bed, buy new sheets.
The above suggestions don’t apply only to those looking for a new relationship. Many people are asking how their home environment can enhance, or spark, an existing relationship by encouraging intimacy and open communication.
Buying a new bed can powerfully enhance your relationship, especially when the old bed is one that belonged to one partner prior to the relationship or if you were given a “hand me down” bed to help you get started when newly married.
How you place your bed in your bedroom is an important Feng Shui concept. The bed position should always permit the widest possible scope of vision. The more of your bedroom you can see when in bed, the more ease, expansion and control you will feel. This position builds self-esteem and gives you a solid foundation for life and for your relationship. The door to your bedroom is the main entry point of the energy for the room and is referred to as the Mouth of Chi. It should be seen easily from your bed, providing a feeling of peace and safety.
It is amazing how many people will spend time, energy and money on redecorating a kitchen, family room or living room and never consider their bedroom or place it last on the priority list. That is your room for intimacy. It should take priority. Do not feel selfish decorating your bedroom and surrounding yourself with sensuality. Add things that please you. Flowers, oils and candles have a long psychological association with romance. And don’t forget to use the color pink in some way to bring or enhance love energy, such as pink sheets or blankets.
Additionally, paying attention to what you and your partner first see upon awakening is important. Does one partner face a bathroom door and the other a blank wall? Try to create a vision wall at the foot of the bed that inspires both partners. It might be a beautiful painting that you select together or a framed photo of the two of you at a favorite vacation site.
Other bedroom suggestions for enhancing an existing partnership include removing the time-consuming computer and TV that tempts with 24-hour distractions. If removing your television is not an option, cover it with a lovely scarf or put it in a cupboard when not in use. Use round or oval shapes in the bedroom to promote harmony and unity. Use curved or rounded furniture when possible. Eliminate anything childlike, including pictures of children, in your bedroom. Bring in new, fresh chi by adding fresh flowers or plants. Don’t hang stuff on the back of your door. It blocks energy.
Identifying what room(s) of your home is located in the partnership area of your home, can also help you to make intentional adjustments to enhance your partnership.
For example, if your kitchen is in the partnership area, consider placing a bottle of message oil in with your cooking oils. When you are busy with food preparation, the presence of the message oil will keep thoughts of intimacy with your partner close at hand. If the partnership area falls in the dining room, you can intentionally place a pair of candles on the table to represent your “pairing”.
One client’s garage was in the partnership area of their home. They decided to build a small shelf at the end of the garage on which to place a picture of them on their honeymoon. This was the first sight that greeted them every time they arrived home. They reported that they were thrilled with how that simple adjustment to their space could so completely enhance their relationship.
Richard and Susan had just moved into their new home when they called for a consultation. They had been married for less than a year. They were excited about their home and were eager to maximize its energies to support their jobs and their relationship. On applying the bagua to the main floor blueprint of their home, it was apparent that the entire section of their partnership was missing. What was there was a large deck with a railing. Because decks and balconies and any attached structure that does not have all four sides or a roof cannot be included, the deck represented a missing piece. Newly married, they were disappointed to learn that the structure of their dream house was not supporting their partnership. We discussed how this might be corrected energetically. The intention with any “missing piece”, as identified by the bagua, is to complete in some way what is not present architecturally. After much brainstorming, Richard and Susan came up with a solution. They decided to place two ceramic lovebirds on the corner of the deck railing, which was at the exact place where the corner of the house would be if a room had been built there instead of the deck. Energetically, they were completing the missing space in their partnership area by placing a lovely symbol of their love and commitment to one another.
These are but a few examples of ways in which your relationship with your home can support your intentions and reflect what you most truly desire in life. Your home holds much information. It is just waiting for you to tap into it.
“Our surroundings, like mirrors, reflect every value in our hearts. As we change, so do they. And they change us in return.”
FENG SHUI INTENTION: A NEW NOTEBOOK By Hinda Abrahamson
As a child, I loved the beginning of the school year. I looked forward to receiving the instructions from school that listed the supplies needed for the year…new pencils, a new box of crayons, a ruler to name a few, but the best was the new notebook. An outside cover in blue, red, green or yellow, and inside clean, white lined pages…blank…just waiting to be filled with yet unknown knowledge. No matter how the past year ended, there was always the opportunity to start fresh. To begin again. To do better than last year. A clean slate. I carried this feeling all through my years in school, as the years changed to semesters, or to quarters, there was always that new notebook, that promise of a fresh start.
Throughout my years as a mother and my years working in health care, I often longed for a “new notebook”…a time of renewal. A time to start afresh, to do better, to wipe the old slate clean and bring to a new, fresh crisp piece of paper the best of what I had learned and experienced and from that vantage point, start over.
I periodically shared my longing for the new notebook opportunity with friends. They would smile indulgently. I know that our culture tries in a variety of ways to start a new notebook. We renew marriage vows, we celebrate graduations, we take trips, and we choose special dates like birthdays to quit a bad habit or to start a new behavior.
New Years is, perhaps, the most significant example of a time offered us to change what didn’t work, what we aren’t happy about with ourselves, and to resolve to make and do things differently. A time for that new notebook.
When I began my study of Feng Shui, I realized that this ancient tool from the past reminds us that the power to change exists every day. We don’t have to wait for that special date or a new year to set change in motion.
An adage in Feng Shui is “Change your surroundings and you change your life.” This takes on special meaning when you understand the Feng Shui principles: Everything is Energy, Your Space Reflects Your Life and Intention is Everything.
We are impacted by the energy of everything around us. That includes the outside energies of the weather, especially here in Minnesota, and the energies of our indoor environments…placement of rooms and furniture, furnishings, artwork, colors and clutter. Every single thing we have in our environment affects our energy on a daily basis, even though we may not be aware of it.
Our personal and work environments are reflections of our lives. Others can tell a great deal about us by just walking into our home or office. They can identify what we have lost awareness of as we fly through the daily demands of our lives. If we could enter these spaces objectively with acute awareness, we would have the opportunity to see ourselves in a different way. How are we tolerating that unattractive piece of artwork that we liked 12 years ago, but no longer fits our life style or taste? How draining is the clutter from that closet despite our attempts to shut it out by shutting the door, pretending that “out of sight is out of mind.” Remember the energy thing?
And what about Intention?
During the last week in December I heard more people say that they had stopped making New Years Resolutions because they didn’t keep them anyway. I understand that. How many years do I tell myself that after the first of the year I am going to lose that 20 extra pounds that I’ve been carrying for the past ten years. Why are the gyms so full in January and February only to have attendance dwindle significantly throughout the rest of the year?
The practice of Feng Shui provides additional support for your resolutions or intentions by encouraging you to be, first and foremost, absolutely clear about what you want to change or call into your life.
In Gary Zukov’s lovely book, The Seat of the Soul, he says that a strong intention has to include three important ingredients. They are as follows:
1. Be clear about what you want
2. Possess a strong desire to have it
3. Believe that it’s yours
Given that you have these ingredients in place (number three is the tricky one), you are ready to set your intentions.
You can choose to do this at any time during the year, especially when something tells you, “It’s time.” I am certain that you’ve experienced that little voice that tries so hard to give you a message but is brushed aside because you’re too busy to listen. That little voice doesn’t know about special dates or New Years. You might have told it to wait, or tried to ignore it, but it can be persistent. The time is always right when you get that internal message.
So your resolution is to lose 20 pounds by May 1st, you know that you will probably have to change your schedule to accommodate exercise and that you will have to make changes in your diet.
With this intention, you are clear about what you want, your commitments to changing your schedule and eating habits to meet this goal support your strong desire and the use of visualization helps you believe the final result.
Why then do things seem to go wrong over time?
Well, as an example, perhaps your kitchen is the first room you see when entering your home. From the Feng Shui perspective, your intention is undermined by the subliminal message of food, or eating, each day upon arrival home. Your space and its energy are reflecting your life. By arranging to avoid seeing the kitchen first when you enter, you are arranging your environment to help support your intentions.
What if your resolution is a job promotion? You know just the job you want. You know you are qualified. You update and submit your resume. You believe you have done what you need to set this intention in motion. There is, however, an additional and very critical Feng Shui aspect. You never enter your home through your front door. Rather, you enter conveniently through the side door in the garage. In Feng Shui practice, the front door is a powerful metaphor. It is where all of your opportunities enter. Think of it as your calling card. By initiating the habit of entering through your architecturally designated front door, at least once a week, you are supporting the intention of that job promotion. You are energetically reinforcing the practice of inviting in life’s opportunities.
The power to change your life in ways that you could not ever have imagined exists every day. Incorporating the principles of Feng Shui as an additional tool to support your intentions allows you to utilize a powerful, untapped energy source…. your home.
Happy new notebook!
FENG SHUI: THE ANCIENT CHINESE ART OF CREATING SACRED SPACE By Hinda Abrahamson
There is a natural curiosity about this somewhat mystical while at the same time very practical art of placement. Through my teaching, I've been asked many questions about this ancient tool. The following is a sampling.
What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui is the study of how to arrange your environment to enhance your quality of life. It is an ancient and powerful tool used to enhance your life while deeply connecting you to your environment.
Feng Shui is a 4000 year-old practice new to our culture. Feng means wind and Shui means water. It serves as a powerful reminder of the deep connection we have to our natural world.
Feng Shui offers a common sense approach to help you express what you are already feeling intuitively about your environment. Some have called it cutting edge spiritual technology.
The practice of Feng Shui is based on the premise that by making intentional changes in your surroundings, you can change your life.
The goal of Feng Shui is to provide techniques to help you arrange your personal environment to reflect the harmony and balance of nature. The objective of Feng Shui is to create an environment that supports, protects and nurtures you growth and journey through lifecreating sacred space.
He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.
Goethe
How did this ancient practice begin and how does it apply to our culture?
The roots of Feng Shui are found in ancient China where showing respect for ones ancestors was believed to bestow blessings on the living. Showing respect meant that a gravesite was carefully selected and properly cared for. Graves were considered houses for the ancestors. The most auspicious location was on a hillside or a level plot of land, embraced and protected in back and around both sides by mountains or trees. A river or stream was nearby. The proper direction of the grave was also an important consideration. Over time, these principles were applied to homes and villages.
The social, political, and cultural practices of each dynasty in Chinas history have influenced the development of Feng Shui. Teachings from Tibet and India have also been integrated.
The constancy of Feng Shui is its established fundamental principles, however, the application of the tools, design and methods continue to evolve with the passage of time. This ancient practice remains current by its sensitivity to changing geography, ecology, technology and needs of society today.
Balancing the ancient and the new preserves this powerful science and beautiful art form.
Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself. Chinese proverb
Why do I get so confused when I read different books on Feng Shui?
Historically an oral tradition, its journey to the West has created a proliferation of books on the subject. It may be confusing because there are several schools of Feng Shui.
The Compass School of Feng Shui uses analytical methods, including astrology and numerology, and a special Feng Shui compass, called a Lo Pan, to identify the ideal placement of the home.
Form School emphasizes the interpretation of visible and invisible shapes and energies of the surrounding land. Landforms were symbolically interpreted as representing mythical animals including the dragon, turtle, phoenix and tiger. Optimal compatibility of the building and the surrounding land is emphasized.
A more recent school of Feng Shui, which contributed to this ancient practice becoming more accessible to our Western culture, is the Black Sect Buddhist Feng Shui. Black refers to a period in Chinese history when this color was symbolically chosen by a great Chinese Emperor of that time.
This school incorporates transcendental (referring to the belief that knowledge of reality is derived from intuitive sources over objective experience) solutions and integrates the ancient wisdom of Feng Shui with modern knowledge including psychology, architecture, aesthetics and interior design.
Regardless of the school of Feng Shui that is practiced, the goal remains the same, to create balance between man and his environment.
We are all architects of fate, working in these walls of time. Longfellow
How does Feng Shui work?
It works by balancing and harmonizing the flow of energy around our environments. It helps you to make energetically correct choices in architecture, landscaping and interior design.
In order for you to make Feng Shui work for you, it is important to understand the principles. This understanding empowers you to make decisions about your environment which will enhance your sense of peace and security, affirm your capabilities and support general well being.
Feng Shui Principles:
Principle 1, Nature serves as the model: Wind and water serve as a powerful metaphor to remind us of the role nature plays in our lives. This truism is as important today as it was thousands of years ago, or even in more recent time when many of our parents and grandparents were farmers. They understood that being in harmony with the seasons, rhythms and patterns of nature was essential to survival.
Our attempt to move away from our dependency on nature, assuming dominance, has created severe problems for the health of our planet.
A contemporary anthropologist, Gary Bateson, states, An organism that destroys its environment, destroys itself.
When we use nature as our model, we reestablish that ancient connection with the natural world.
The wind is mild, the sun is warm, the water is clear, the trees are lush. Such a spot has good Feng Shui. Ancient Chinese couplet.
Principle 2, Everything is Energy: The Chinese word for energy is Chi. Defined as breath, it is the life force that forms mountains, moves rivers, and pulsates through plants, animals and humans. The energy of your home and workplace including location, shape, room placement, furniture arrangement, colors, patterns, artwork has a continuous influence on the personal energy of all inhabitants.
Feng Shui evaluates energy and its effects and provides suggestions for maximizing its flow in our environments.
You breathe, frosting mountains white, exciting trees to verdant flame, dancing sparrows on your wing, swirling waves into long sighs. You breathe, and all things live. Deng Ming-Dao
Principle 3, Your space reflects your life: From the Feng Shui perspective, your home and workplace are basic expressions of your life and every part relates to and represents one or more of what are considered to be your nine life areas: career, knowledge, family, wealth, reputation, partnership, children and creativity, helpful people and health.
Using the knowledge of Feng Shui, you can identify where each of these areas falls energetically within your home, office, or business. This identification allows you to make changes in ways that can positively affect these areas of your life.
The biggest room in the house is the room for improvement
Hazel Dawkins
Principle 4: Intention is everything. Intention is to Feng Shui what Location is to Real Estate. Setting a Feng Shui intention helps you to focus specifically and in detail what it is that you desire to change or call into your life. The power of Feng Shui is in your Intention.
Bless the moment, trust yourself and expect the best. Hunan Philosophy
Do I have to make my house look Asian to use Feng Shui?
No. Creating balance and harmony transcends specific design trends It is important to
use personal design preferences that reflect the life style of the occupants.
My husband/roommate isn't interested in Feng Shui. Can I make changes without
him/her?
While there are times when adjustments can be made when the intention is for the higher good for all occupants, it is always respectful to share your concerns/ideas with all others who share the space. That discussion begins the Feng Shui process.
With roommates, it may be possible to make changes in your personal space without imposing changes on the others.
What happens in a Feng Shui consultation?
The Feng Shui consultant will encourage you to be clear about your intentions for the consultation. You may have been asked to provide a floor plan or blue print of your home, office, building, or landscape, depending on what environment is being evaluated. You will be encouraged to avoid straightening your home, as the Feng Shui consultant will want to observe how you and your family live in the environment, not how it looks for entertaining. It is important to know that the Feng Shui consultant considers it an honor to be invited into your sacred space and comes without judgment. Privacy is respected.
Questions will be asked as observations are made and intentions and concerns discussed. You and the consultant will walk through the space, perhaps several times, focusing on concerns that the consultant observes; suggestions will be made. It may be helpful to take notes. A consultation generally lasts about 2-3 hours. Return visits are at the discretion of the client. The initial consultation is usually sufficient to provide ample information for creating change.
You may be asked for the payment to be placed in a red envelope. This tradition honors the information shared by the Feng Shui consultant.
How soon will I see results?
There are many personal stories of immediate results, however, it is important to remember that Feng Shui is a process, not a quick fix. Changes may occur but because they don't fit your preconceived notion of outcome, you may miss subtleties that are leading you toward your goals in ways you could not have imagined. Obvious shifts may not be noticed for months.
What can I do to get started now?
In beginning the Feng Shui process, first fix what is broken (the squeaky front door, the leaky faucet, the doorbell that doesnt ring) and next clear your clutter (if you dont know where to begin, start in your bedroom, the room closest to your personal chi). Once you have completed these two steps, you are ready to make intentional adjustments, such as placing a water fountain in the wealth corner of your home to increase your flow of money.
Take your time, be thoughtful as you go and enjoy!
For more information or to schedule an appointment or speaking engagement, Hinda can be contacted at 952-938-0894.
FENG SHUI HEALTHY
Feng Shui (fung shway) literally translates as “wind” and “water.” This ancient art of placement traces its roots back thousands of years to the beginning of Chinese agrarian life when early settlers recognized the need to seek harmony with natural forces in order to survive.
Feng Shui is about the flow (Wind) and the containment (Water) of “chi” in our environments. Chi is the Chinese term for energy. It refers to the energetic force that moves mountains and keeps us alive. Chi is the energy that pumps the heart. It is the life force spark that turns an egg and a sperm into an embryo. We feel the changes in the weather brought on by the change in the seasons, even though we cannot see the energy that causes the change.
It is the study of both the natural and man-made energy patterns that exist in the environments that surround you, and how those patterns affect all areas of your life.
Feng Shui is one of the eight stems of traditional Chinese medicine. The others include astrology, exercise, food energetics, herbalism, acupuncture, meditation, and message.
This ancient, holistic system is grounded in common sense, based on the simple premise that humans are affected by their surroundings. Yet it seemingly transcends logic as it provides suggestions for cultivating and maximizing positive chi and deflecting or eliminating harmful or negative chi.
When we are out of balance with our surroundings, both internal and external, we become physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually sick and wonder why our lives seem to have no purpose. We search for what the Chinese refer to as “The Three Great Blessings: Health, Prosperity and Happiness
But many of us have forgotten what a balanced life can be like.
We feel separate and disconnected from our environment, from the earth, from each other and from many of our basic sources of nourishment. In an effort to maintain the increasing daily demands, we are encouraged to “jump start” our system with stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and sugar, creating further imbalance.
The dictionary defines health as optimal functioning with freedom from disease and abnormality. The absence of disease (disease meaning an abnormal condition of an organism or part, especially as a consequence of infection, inherent weakness, or environmental stress, that impairs normal physiological functioning.) We know that illness (imbalance) affects us physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Although many factors govern why and how we get sick, working with the Feng Shui of a space can help create the necessary energetic foundation to support the process of health and healing.
Taking Responsibility
It is increasingly important to be aware of the environmental, chemical, technological and electromagnetic changes taking place on our planet and their effects on our health and many of the chronic diseases we face daily.
Our immune systems that provide our innate ability to defend ourselves against disorder and disease are slowly but surely being weakened by the ongoing devastation of our planet’s delicate ecosystems. Tens of thousands of chemical pollutants are contaminating our air, food, and water. Lifestyle changes are affecting our emotional and psychic well-being.
We don’t have the time to wait until the ozone hole is mended, the groundwater is purified, and the air is once again free from contaminants. We must initiate the change ourselves. Restoring balance and living in harmony with the natural laws of the universe is felt to be the secret to health and well-being. Feng Shui provides an important tool for helping us take responsibility for our health and the health of our planet.
The following are suggestions for beginning that process.
The first step is to evaluate your surroundings by observing with Feng Shui eyes; that is, objectively “see” what is and isn’t there from an objective “observer” perspective.
Begin with your exterior environment. Does the approach to your home feel uplifting or draining? Is the journey smooth? Notice if there is a “Dead End” sign that daily greets your arrival, conveying a negative, subliminal message. Is your yard colorful and well tended, inspiring and welcoming or neglected and discouraging? Are the trees, shrubs, plants and flowers alive and vital? Look for trees and foliage that may be blocking your front door, thus blocking opportunities. Assess for linear walkways and roads that lead directly to your front door, creating a stressful and aggressive flow of chi. Is there a wide, welcoming sidewalk to front door?
Assess for any oppressive buildings or structures that may tower over your home or apartment building or are designed with a sharp architectural shape that directs threatening knifelike energy toward your home. Can you see high-tension wires or large transformers nearby? These create exterior electromagnetic energy fields (EMF’s).
The impact of EMF’s on individuals who are exposed on a regular basis is just beginning to be understood. Studies show that frequent exposure to these potentially dangerous energy fields contributes to a decrease in immune functioning and a rise in the level of certain cancers.
Pay attention to any small waterways. Neglected pools, ponds and wells lead to stagnant water, signaling toxic or unhealthy chi in the neighborhood. This
What is the overall energy of the neighborhood? Is it thriving, active, friendly, helpful and vital? Is there a high rate of divorce or unemployment?
Step number two is the interior assessment. Learning how to evaluate the flow of chi throughout your house allows you to locate the areas where energy is blocked, stagnant, oppressive or flowing too strongly.
In Feng Shui entranceway doors are known as the “mouth of chi” for they bring life force into a space. Each entryway is a sacred place of transition that brings life support in the form of chi and oxygen. The door must be in good working order, open easily and all the way and the area around it must be kept well lit, uncluttered and welcoming. Ideally, all doors open to largest part of the room.
Note the size and shape of the entryway, foyer and hallways. The Feng Shui rule is when the hallway or foyer is longer that approximately 12 feet, it can accelerate the chi, causing it to be too forceful. A narrow layout can also constrict the flow of energy, triggering medical problems such as respiratory ailments, and anxiety. Make sure that the area is clear and the chi is moving freely.
If immediately upon entering your view is split in half by a vertical wall that divides your line of sight, the effect is similar to having one eye nearsighted and the other farsighted. It creates an imbalance of the optic nerves and throws off the delicate neurochemical balance of the body. This dynamic, repeated every day over time, can cause emotional vertigo, problems with equilibrium.
If, on the other hand, the chi is stopped dead in its tracks by a wall upon entering, physically cause headaches. The ability to speak out and advocate for oneself is greatly diminished.
After evaluating entryway, the next aspect to consider is the impact of the energy pattern elicited by the room that you first see upon entering. Think of the conditioning process that happens over time, every time you walk through the door, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Is it chi-enriching or chi-depleting?
Windows are the secondary way that chi enters a space. Just as doors oversee the mouths of the adults, windows oversee the voices of children. If the house has a ratio of three windows (or fewer) to every one door, this is a good balance of adult mouth to children voice and no major parent-child power struggles will emerge. The higher the ratio the more potential for problems. The windows also oversee the physical eyes and our ability to see things clearly. If they are broken, dirty or do not work properly, our eyes will suffer. Broken panes will trigger many small personal and business pains.
Lighting along with color, furniture placement, patterns, shapes, artwork, lighting, and window treatments, all contribute to the vital chi of your environment. If they represent you and your life’s journey in a way that feels abundant and pleasing, that energy will support your health and the health of all the occupants and provide energetic nourishment during times of illness. Without this feeling of vital chi, the occupants may battle bouts of melancholy or frequent cycles of depression. An absence of color can keep your chi depressed.
Notice the vitality and health of your plants and animals.
Pay attention to the placement of your desk, which oversees all issues pertaining to work, creativity and opportunities. Your stove oversees matters related to finances, health and wealth. The stove must be in good working condition and, like the desk and your bed, positioned to face the entryway of the room, but not in direct line with it.
Of all the rooms in your environment, the bedroom is probably the most important space in relationship to your health. We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, which, places us in the bedroom for more hours than in any other room of our house. As we sleep, our bodies become less guarded as our chi seeks to rejuvenate and replenish itself for the following day. While in this passive, reparative state, we become more susceptible to the surrounding Feng Shui of the room. The bed also creates an energetic atmosphere that can have profound effects on your health, and on the quality of your intimate relationships. When we are sick, the first thing we want is to be at home in our own bed, But having a bedroom with poor Feng Shui can become one of the main contributing factors to the development of illness. To reinforce good health or help support the healing process, keeping the bedroom as a comfortable and beautiful sanctuary for intimacy and rest and rejuvenation is essential.
The following Feng Shui interventions are recommended as we become more closely aware of and connected to the energy of our environments and better understand their effect on our overall well-being.
Doors and their hinges serve the same purpose in the home as the joints do in the body, in that they permit flexible movement. Joint problems related to the elbows, wrists, neck, hips, knees and ankles may arise from doors remaining in disrepair. Check doors and entryways for obstruction and clutter. Watch also for broken locks and latches, which affect our emotional security and wobbly doorknobs, which affect our ability to “get a handle on things.”
Repair and/or reopen jammed, old or paint-shut windows. If you need to become clear on an important situation in your life, clean your windows.
Reduce all high levels of electromagnetic fields in your home.
Electromagnetic represents 2 different energy currents: one electric, the other magnetic. Electromagnetic fields can be caused in your home’s interior by clock radios, TV sets, electric blankets, microwave ovens, hair dryers, and fluorescent lighting. For more information, go to info@createhealthyhomes.com
Increase chi by lighting up your life. Increase the wattage on all bulbs and add extra lamps and lighting fixtures. Use full-spectrum light bulbs, which produce the closest light spectrum to natural sunlight. Try to avoid all usage of fluorescent and halogen lighting as both create very high EMFs and can alter the alpha-beta brain waves, affecting moods, concentration, and one’s biochemistry.
Add plants and keep them alive and flourishing. Healthy plants increase and circulate vital chi. Replace any that are dead or dying, including the one that your Aunt Bea gave you 10 years ago.
Clear and clean all sewers, pluming, waterworks, air conditioning and heating vents. Systems that run through the house, or at least several rooms, oversee systemic body functions such as the immune, circulatory and nervous systems. Backed up sewers and toilets can cause “backups” in our physical bodies, ranging from constipation to growths in the colon and rectum such as hemorrhoids, polyps and cancer.
All the electricity that runs through your home resonates to your own body’s electrical system, your nervous system. When the electrical system in your home is in disrepair, it adversely affects your level of energy and your ability to stay direct, focused, clear and calm. It can contribute to burnout, creating tension, and amplifying the “short fuse” of anyone who has a short temper or is predisposed to stress or impatience. Any illness having to do with the nervous system, including depression, anxiety related disorders, nervous or emotional breakdowns, hormonal imbalances, thyroid problems, adrenal burnout, and difficult menopause can be affected. Check for frayed wires, broken outlets, socket or switches, unfinished electrical work, and fuses and light bulbs that often blow out. Also check for electrical gadgets or appliances that are broken. Either repair them or bless them and throw them away. Their presence, hidden or visible, is a major energy drain on you and your family’s life and health. Lampshades and coverings that are torn or have light bulb burn marks can mimic an irritated stomach lining or ulcers.
Repair all leaks; our bodies respond to the drain of energy, which over time can lead to fatigue and “runny” illnesses such as sinus problems, diarrhea and urinary tract infections.
Add soft, bold, or energizing colors. Color is an integral part of who we are and its vibrational energy has a significant effect on our well-being.
Now lets talk about the “C” word
It is essential to address the issue of clutter in any Feng Shui assessment for creating a healthy environment.
There is no stronger adjustment that can benefit your health and your overall well-being than clearing away clutter. It comes in many forms. There is the clutter of disorganization, unfinished projects, items that you no longer use or even look at, items thrown in drawers or boxes, items saved for those “just in case” moments, email clutter, a filled calendar, old newspapers, accumulating junk mail, outgrown clothes (be ruthless in assessing your closet) and the list is endless.
Ask yourself this question. Do you own your stuff or does it own you? Everything you own vies for your attention. Remember everything is made up of chi and the more you have, the more your chi is tied up in mundane matters. You begin to feel constantly bogged down in the details of day-to-day maintenance or the draining energy of avoidance.
Clutter can have damaging health consequences, creating stress, anxiety, depression and interfering with meaningful focus.
There is a Chinese saying, “If you want change in your life, move 27 things in your house.”
Just as it is healthy to purify and cleanse your body periodically, whether through fasting or other means, it is healthy to purify and cleanse your sacred space of items, which no longer represent you or your life’s journey.
In conclusion, it is important to be aware that any energy imbalance can lead to or trigger various illnesses. The assessment of chi in your home – its Feng Shui—will give you the information you need to make the proper adjustments to bring the chi back to its natural balance. Such adjustments may be as simple as moving your desk into a better energy position, adding extra light to a room, or simply changing the color of your bedroom. Feng Shui regards our homes as sacred places. It is critical that we maintain them just as we maintain the hygiene and well-being of our bodies. All repairs, refurbishing, redecorating and housework should be looked upon as labors of love, because each act of improvement is an opportunity for you to change and enhance the quality of your overall life and health and that of your family.
May your home continue to nourish the expression of your spirit and support you in good health.
Feng Shui Blessings!
Feng Shui: Frequently Asked Questions By Carolyn Vinup
What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of positioning and placement. It examines how the energy flows in your living environment. Energy flow is affected by the placement of things and objects within a space. Feng Shui is the art of creating environments that support our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.
Feng Shui means wind and water, the two elements we cannot live without. These two elements can enhance our opportunities for determining our good luck, prosperity and health.
Feng Shui's ultimate goal is to create sacred space within your physical environment thereby improving the luck and abundance in your life.
Brief History of Feng Shui
Feng Shui has been practiced in China for over 4000 years. People began to make observations about their environments. In some environments they experienced tremendous growth and success while in other areas their lives were in shambles and a mess. They made a connection between the physical environments in which they lived how those environments affected them both good and bad. One of the first ways this was used was in determining where their homes or towns should be located, and then they used Feng Shui principles to locate auspicious burial sites.
Feng Shui is both a science and an art form. Feng Shui consultants observe the patterns that you create in your physical environment and then interpret their meaning. It combines perspectives from psychology, physiology, ecology and geomancy, philosophy, astrology, interior design, architecture, science, aesthetics, artistry and folklore from India, Tibet and China and plain common sense.
Overview of the Different Schools of thought
Compass
Land Form or Form School
Black Sect Buddhist Tantric
Practical Feng Shui
Why do you practice Black Sect Feng Shui?
I chose to study Black Sect because the philosophy and teachings made sense to me. In my opinion it combines the best of all the schools. It taps into the wisdom and teachings from the past as well as acknowledging the challenges of our current day situations and our need to be flexible.
Black Sect uses the front door of your home or office as the starting point or the mouth of chi the front door will either be in Wisdom, Life Journey or Helpful People.
What are the 5 principles and why are they important?
When evaluating a space, Feng Shui applies the following 5 principles:
1. Everything is energy and everything is connected
2. A person's space is a reflection of their life
3. Clutter causes confusion and chaos
4. Space should be organized as it is in nature
5. Stating your desires allows your intentions to come forth
These principles are important because they provide the foundation from which a physical evaluation takes place. Using the first principle, everything is energy and everything is connected, doesn't it make sense that clutter in your home could impact the success at your office?
Who can benefit from a Feng Shui appointment or studying Feng Shui?
Everyone who is open to the benefits of Feng Shui Men, women, mothers, fathers, children, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, relatives, professional associates, business colleagues, corporations and animals.
What environments can I apply Feng Shui principles?
All environments: Home, condominium, townhouse, apartment, houseboat, cabin, tree house, tent, office, business or corporation, retail store, real estate, cars and trucks, educational, government buildings, desk, horizontal surfaces, room by room, personal body and other.
What are the 5 Key areas to evaluate a space?
Front Door, Center, Bedroom, Office/Desk, Stove.
Where do I start?
Clutter is a good place to start. As you process through your clutter you become aware of all the material items you own. At that point you can begin to make conscious decisions about what items remain in your home or office and what items you should let go. You begin to ask yourself questions like "Is this choice in alignment with my intention? Does this support what I am trying to accomplish or create in my life"? The answer is either Yes or No. It's that simple.
Why does placement and positioning mean the same as location, location, location?
As in the real estate market you hear the term location, location, location. Location is important and can play a key factor in the selling of a home or business. In Feng Shui we say placement and positioning play a key role in evaluating how your environment is supporting you.
We do this by evaluating the flow of chi or life force energy in a space. We ask questions and make observations for example about the front door; is it easy to find and is it being used very often. When you enter the home are you faced with stairs that lead your eye up and down or do you walk into a space that gently leads you into the home.
We evaluate the placement and positioning of the overall physical layout of the environment, your furniture and how you have placed your personal possessions throughout your home or office.
What are the tools that are used in Feng Shui?
Bagua, Colors, Elements, Symbols and Metaphors, Intention and Attitude, Intuition, Subjective and Objective Observations, Mundane and Transcendental adjustments and cures, Rituals, Ceremony and Meditations.
What is a Bagua? What is a gua?
The Bagua (pronounced Bagwa) is a tool that helps us to evaluate what is happening in your life and in your environment. The Bagua is shaped like an octagon and has 8 sides. The Bagua is an energetic map that is used to identify key areas in your environment that can be either adjusted or enhanced. This tool allows the environment to be divided into 9 equal areas, or guas (pronounced gwa). Each gua holds an energetic imprint that can be reflected in your space.
The Bagua can be applied or superimposed over the blueprint of your home or office or to any horizontal surface such as a kitchen counter, a dresser, a table or a desk.
In Feng Shui we say the Bagua is the compass inside your heart. If your experiencing some area of your life that isn't working or moving in the direction you were hoping for then this tool can be used to evaluate the areas of concern.
What are the 9 key areas or guas?
There are 9 areas or guas that are represented on the Bagua Life Journey, Wisdom, Family, Abundance, Fame & Reputation, Partnership, Creativity, Helpful People and Health.
In Black Sect Feng Shui the front door always lines up along Wisdom, Life Journey or Helpful People.
Why is the color red so important in Feng Shui?
Red is considered a lucky color. It is associated with happiness, luck and fame. It can initiate energy to move quickly.
What is Chi?
Feng Shui is based on chi (pronounced chee) or life force energy. Chi is in constant movement. It pulsates through all living things giving them life and vitality. The flow of chi throughout one's environment and physical body impacts every area of one's life. It can influence your health, relationships, decision-making abilities, opportunities and outlook in life.
What is Yin and Yang?
Yin and Yang are complementary opposites that depend on each other. Together they create a sense of wholeness or one. Yin and Yang make up all aspects of life and matter.
Yin and Yang reminds us that our physical and emotional environments are in a constant state of change. The story goes that in darkness there is a tiny spec of light and in the light there is a tiny spec of darkness. It reminds us that our life is in a constant state of movement.
Yin is dark, female, inside and passive.
Yang is light, male, outside and active.
Why is the number 9 so special?
This number represents the fullness of heaven and earth, completion, power and success. It's also considered to be a mystical number because when you multiply by 9 the sum of the two digits equals nine. For example 2 x 9 =18 and 1+ 8 =9.
What is the Red Envelope Tradition?
Practitioners or consultants receive payment from an appointment in a red envelope. It is considered lucky money. It honors the tradition of sharing sacred wisdom and information as well as protecting the consultant.
What are the 5 elements?
Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood.
Fire is red, Earth is yellow or earth tones, Metal is white or silver, Water is black or dark blue and Wood is green.
The five elements are another way to evaluate your physical environment. We examine the shape, color and then the material it's made of. When all 5 elements are represented in a space it is in balance and has harmony. It just feels right!
What are the main Cures and Adjustments used in Feng Shui?
Examples of cures that can be used in Feng Shui are mirrors, fountains, lights or candles, wind chimes and bells, bamboo flutes, crystals, plants and flowers, aquariums, rocks or statues, color, aromatherapy, incense and sage, pictures and animal totems or the 5 elements.
Examples of adjustments might include a handout with a meditation or making some physical change in the environment. When we do this, we perform a ritual called the three secrets of reinforcement.
How do you make an adjustment?
You need to get clear about why you are making an adjustment. Do you want something to change in your life or in your living space? We use the 3 Secrets of reinforcement to do an adjustment.
What are the 3 secrets of reinforcement?
Body, Mind, Spirit/Speech.
The body is the physical object.
The mind is the visualization of the change you want to make.
The spirit/speech is connecting to spirit and then vocalizing your intention through either a prayer or the 6 true words.
What are the 6 true words and what do they mean?
Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum.
This phrase is called the Jewel in the Lotus Mantra. It implies the blossoming of a lotus flower revealing a jewel in the inner most part of the flower.
What is a Mudra?
A physical gesture made with the hands. There is the expelling Mudra. This dispels negative energy. You place your first finger and pinky finger straight up. Then you place the middle finger and ring finger against your thumb. Then you flick the middle finger and the ring finger forward nine times.
What is a Mantra?
A chant or sounds that are repeated over and over again for a specific number of times.
The 6 true words are an example of a mantra, Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum.
Call Carolyn at 952-934-1853 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Other web site; www.creatingsacredspace.com or e-mail address cvinup@mbspirit.net
What is Feng Shui? By Carolyn Vinup
Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway) is the art of creating environments that support our emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. Feng Shui expresses the power of energy that is present in solid objects as well as the energy of one's own thoughts, words, and deeds. The words "Feng Shui" literally mean wind and water, the two elements we cannot live without. Some consider Feng Shui to be New Age, but this ancient art dates back 4000 years. It has stood the test of time and brought forth consistent and powerful change for many people who follow its teachings.
The ultimate goal of Feng Shui is to create sacred space. Feng Shui is a process that helps people understand how their physical environment shapes their inner landscape, their inner self. This physical environment can be anywhere: your home, your office, or your garden. It is simply wherever a person spends their time. One Feng Shui principle states, "Your space reflects your life." Therefore, the next time you want to "check in," look closely at all that surrounds you. Putting your physical environment "in order" will, in turn, benefit your inner self.
The Feng Shui journey is as individual and unique as each of us and everyone's experience will be different. Immediate results are often experienced while other changes may require more time and energy. The process is truly an unfolding of self-discovery. Each journey is expressed in its own perfect time within one's own unique wisdom and understanding.
How does Feng Shui work?
Feng Shui is based on chi (pronounced chee) or life force energy. Chi is in constant movement. It pulsates through all living things giving them life and vitality. The flow of chi throughout one's environment and physical body impacts every area of one's life. It can influence your health, relationships, decision-making abilities, opportunities and outlook in life.
It is not uncommon for one to feel the energy of a specific space. Haven't we all felt anxious in some environments while we feel safe and secure in others? This is the chi of a specific space. Children are particularly sensitive to this type of energy.
When evaluating a space, Feng Shui applies the following 5 principles:
1. Everything is energy and everything is connected
2. A person's space is a reflection of their life
3. Space should be organized as it is in nature
4. Clutter causes confusion and chaos. Clear the Clutter!
5. Stating your desires allows your intentions to come forth
Once there is an understanding of these basic principals, you are ready to start! First, evaluate your current environment. Using the first principal, "everything is energy and everything is connected", doesn't it make sense that clutter in your home could impact your success at the office?
Once the initial assessment has been made, you are free to state your true desires. Stating an intention such as clearing your clutter, rids you of material possessions and thoughts that were taking up space, it allows dreams and new opportunities to find you. Feng Shui helps people clear their minds and create the space they need so they can make decisions about what they want in their life. When an individual consciously places and positions personal items and furniture in their space, they create more balance and harmony in their lives. This active involvement in the decision making process can reflect and support their intentions.
Once the journey starts to unfold, you can begin to identify old patterns and then become aware of how they have been impacting you. It is at this point in the journey that you begin to experience "aha's". It's amazing when this starts to happen. You look back at the patterns that have limited you and now they seem so obvious! It is in that recognition that choices continue to be made and changes continue to unfold. You begin to ask yourself questions like "Is this choice in alignment with my intention? Does this support what I am trying to accomplish, or create, in my life?" The answer is either Yes or No. It's that simple!
Why then does the term Feng Shui elicit fear or disbelief in some? I know that Feng Shui is not magic; it's not hocus-pocus or witchcraft. It is simply recognition of one's truth and expressing that truth or energy within themselves and the environment in which they live. By beginning the Feng Shui journey, one is truly opening themselves to their own consciousness and greater connectedness in all of life. One could say that they are then truly open to their own heart and to the heartbeat of the world.
I invite you to experience your own heart in a way that you never thought possible. All that is required is an open mind and heart, recognition of Spirit and a desire to consciously begin living your own life, truth and self-expression. You won't be disappointed!
Call Carolyn at 952-934-1853 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Other web site; www.creatingsacredspace.com .
Creating Sacred Space with Colors By Carolyn Vinup
Feng Shui can be the catalyst for making changes in your life. Feng Shui is about intention. It's about your thoughts, your beliefs and your attitudes. As a trained Feng Shui practitioner I recognize that I am a change agent. I provide an unbiased evaluation of the physical environment and help people understand how the Feng Shui principle, "your space reflects your life" is impacting them. I can provide Feng Shui adjustments or enhancements that may bring more clarity, focus and energy into your life. I help people turn on their "Feng Shui Eyes". This allows my clients to live more consciously. Before an appointment, I have my clients state their intentions. This helps provide a focal point and purpose for our time together.
Colors are one of the basic tools used in Feng Shui methodology. Color is one way Feng Shui practitioners integrate change in peoples lives. When you add color to your space this may change your perspective and it may even change your life. Integrating new colors into your physical environment can serve as a launching pad for you to make the changes you've wanted to make, but haven't been able to.
The colors in your life change as you do. What colors do you surround yourself with? What color is your home? What color is your bedroom? What color are your bed sheets? What color is your kitchen? What color are your plates? What color are the glasses you drink from? What color is your family room? What colors do you have in your office? What colors are in your pictures? What color is your furniture? What color are your drapes? What color is your car? What colors do you like to wear? What is the color of the food you like to eat? What color is your front door?
Feng Shui evaluates the colors you have chosen to paint your walls, selected for your furniture, selected for fabrics and draperies as well as taking a look at the colors in your closet and some of your personal belongings. The colors you have chosen to be in your life have served a purpose. The colors reflect where you have been and changing the colors in your physical environment is making a statement about where you are going.
In the book, "Living Color" by Professor Thomas Lin Yun and Sarah Rossbach, the founder and grandmaster of Black Sect Feng Shui, state four ways in which color influences our world:
1. Color defines for us what exists and what doesn't exist
2. Color discloses the status of our health and fortune (by evaluating the color and condition of your skin tones)
3. Color inspires emotion
4. Color also structures our behavior
"In China, the properties of color are both emotional and physical. The term for a funeral is "white event" while the literal translation of "honorable official" is "blue sky". Yellow has always been closely associated with the imperial household that the entrance to the palace is known as the "yellow door". Throughout the world, colors describe emotional properties. We feel blue, are green with envy, or describe someone as a yellow-bellied coward. There is a Feng Shui story about the color purple; the Chinese say that something is so red it is purple, meaning it is so hot it will stand out, bringing luck and fame."
Professor Lin states, "If you understand the relationship between color and human ch'i you can enrich your life: you can use color to improve the state of your ch'i. There are six areas of our lives that are affected by color: transportation, shelter, clothes, leisure activities, food and personal cultivation-the latter category includes meditation, education, mystical rituals and the use of color as a prenatal influence."
Color has a major impact on all of us and it affects all aspects of our lives. Color is one of the first things the brain processes. Color is a manifestation of light and energy. We can use color to heal, guide and express certain aspects of ourselves. We can use color as a Feng Shui adjustment or enhancement. Feng Shui typically works with nine colors.
The nine colors used in Feng Shui correspond to the Bagua (pronounced Bagwa). The Bagua is a tool that helps us to evaluate what is happening in your life and in your environment. The Bagua is shaped like an octagon and has eight sides. The Bagua is an energetic map that is used to identify key areas in your environment that can be either adjusted or enhanced. This tool allows the environment to be divided into nine equal areas or guas (pronounced gwa). Each gua holds an energetic imprint that can be reflected in your space.
In Feng Shui, we say the Bagua is the compass inside your heart. If you're experiencing some area of your life that isn't working or moving in the direction you intended, then the Bagua can be used to evaluate your concerns. In this article, we will use the Bagua to evaluate the color in your home or office space. Working with colors can be a lot of fun!
The key colors that Feng Shui practitioners work with are Black, Blue, Green, Purple, Red, Pink, White and pastels, Gray or Silver and Yellow, Orange and earth tones.
The Basic Bagua
As you can see from the diagram each gua has a color representing it. Let's examine what each color means and see how color can be incorporated into your physical environment. Don't forget you can wear and eat color too!
After evaluating the colors or lack of colors in your space, you may still have questions or concerns and an appointment with a trained Feng Shui consultant may be in order.
Before you begin, put on your Feng Shui eyes and walk from room to room. What do you see? What is each room is saying to you? Remember your space reflects your life. As you enter each room pay attention to how you are feeling. You can ask yourself some basic questions. How do you feel in each room? What colors are in each room? Do you have a positive or negative experience in a particular room? Is it time to make a change, if the answer is yes, what
color do you feel will support you at this juncture in your life journey.
The Nine Bagua Colors
There are positive and negative aspects for each color
Black:
* Represents the gua called Life Journey or Career
* Black is considered an auspicious color in China and stands for everything in the universe
* Water element
Positive aspects of Black:
Power, strength, authority, protection, magic, respect, absorbs energy, infinite, sense of awe, grandeur and depth
Negative aspects of Black:
Secretive, dark magic, mysterious, resentment, fear, anxiety, hatred, depression, lack of hope feeling dark and low
Blue:
* Represents the gua called Wisdom or Knowledge
* Earth element
Positive aspects of Blue:
Knowledge, peace, happiness, calming, relaxing, philosopher, claiming the right to speak your truth
Negative aspects of Blue:
Depression, loneliness, a mourning color in China
Green:
* Represents the gua called Family
* Wood element
Positive aspects of Green:
New beginnings, growth, energy, hope, new life, healing, abundance, generate new ideas, flexible, balance, tranquility, fresh, vitality, hope, heart space, claiming the right to love and heal
Negative aspects of Green:
Uncertainty, greed, miserly
Purple:
* Represents the gua called Abundance or Wealth
* Wood element
Positive aspects of Purple:
Spiritual, royalty, visionary, spirit, alchemy, humility, exploration, self discovery, respect, nobility, power, rich, fortunate, purpose, claiming the right to know
Negative aspects of Purple:
Obsessive, misunderstanding, compulsive
Red:
* Represents the gua called Fame and Reputation
* Red is considered a lucky color in China and is a call to action color
* Fire Element
Positive aspects of Red:
Activates, motivates, passionate, joy, fun, creates movement and change, call to action color, happiness, warmth, fire, fame, stimulates, strength, claiming the right to have your basic needs filled
Negative aspects of Red:
Anger, aggressive, impulsive
Pink:
* Represents the gua called Partnership
Positive aspects of Pink:
Calming effect, unconditional love, pure feelings, joy, happiness, heart space, marriage, relationships, soothes the emotions, reduces fear, romance, claiming the right to love and heal
Negative aspects of Pink:
Too emotional
White or Pastels:
* Represents the gua called Children and Creativity
* In China , white represents a blank slate. White helps create black from which white is born (Living Color, page 29)
* Metal element
Positive aspects of White:
Purity, sharing, truth, cleanliness, righteous, perfection, encompasses all the colors, enlightenment, infinite faith, angelic, claiming the right to be a spiritual being
Negative aspects of White:
Sterile, overextended, scattered, destructive, demise and death
Gray or Silver:
* Represents Helpful People
* Metal element
Positive aspects of Gray or Silver:
Neutral, initiation, imagination, can help to resolve conflicts, claiming the ability to dream
Negative aspects of Gray or Silver:
Uncommitted, secretive, empty, depression, frustrated, hopelessness
Yellow or Gold:
* Represents the Center, Health
* Earth element
Positive aspects of Yellow:
Optimism, inspiration, energizing, cheerful color, stimulating, clarity, focus, intellectual, stands for power, tolerance, patience, wisdom, ability to reason, health, claiming the right to act
Negative aspects of Yellow: critical, too driven, can over stimulate the mind
Brown:
* Represents the Center, Health (all earth tone colors)
* Earth element
Positive aspects of Brown:
Practical, earthy, stable, grounded, depth, strength, can be considered elegant
Negative aspects of Brown:
Unenlightened, lack of discrimination, muddy, stuck, murky
Orange :
* Represents the Center, Health
* Earth element
Positive aspects of Orange :
Creative, sexuality, drive, ambition, energizing, joyful, auspicious color combination of red and yellow, happiness, power
Negative aspects of Orange :
Prideful, worrier, anxiety, agitated
Peach:
* Represents the Center, Health
* Earth element
Positive aspects of Peach:
Great for a single person, very social color
Negative aspects of Peach:
Not good for married couples, may make the heart wander
Making some color changes in your home or office space, can manifest changes to your life. You may experience more energy and become more creative. Your attitude may change. When choosing the colors you're going to add to your physical environment make sure the colors look good on you! As Nike says in their ads "Just Do It"! Go ahead and make a statement. Take a risk, go and play, add some color to your life.
"As you walk this sacred path of life, may you color your sacred space".
Call Carolyn at 952-934-1853 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Other web site; www.creatingsacredspace.com or e-mail address cvinup@mbspirit.net or Carolyn@creatingsacredspace.com
Sources: Living Color by Professor Thomas Lin Yun and Sarah Rossbach, pages 11, 15, 16, 29
Creating Sacred Space in the Bedroom By Carolyn Vinup
The bedroom is the most important room in your home. This is the room where you want to feel nurtured, safe and protected. Creating sacred space in this room should be your top priority. Your bedroom should be your sanctuary. It has three purposes; rest, rejuvenation and romance. Just remember the three R’s.
Making your bedroom a sanctuary can be a fun activity as well as a personal journey experience. If your bedroom is not your sanctuary, ask yourself these questions. What do you believe the purpose of your bedroom is? What items or pictures could you add to your bedroom so it feels like a sanctuary? What items can be removed from the bedroom? Look at your space with “Feng Shui Eyes”, what message does the room reflect back to you? What is holding you back?
Creating Sacred Space in the bedroom does not need to be complicated. Before you begin your journey look at the bedroom consciously and be open to the messages that are conveyed to you. “Your space reflects your life” is one of the basic principles so, what do you see?
These questions raise important issues. After evaluating the bedroom you still may have questions or concerns and an appointment with a trained Feng Shui practitioner may be in order.
• When you walk into your bedroom be aware of how you are feeling? This is called your first impression. Do you feel tense, anxious, bored, empty, comfortable, relaxed, romantic or sensuous?
• How is the bed placed in this room?
• While lying in your bed can you see the door?
• While lying in your bed what is on the wall in front of you. This is called your vision wall
• Do you have a bathroom in your bedroom?
• Can you see it while lying in your bed?
• Do you have a solid head board?
• What message do the pictures on the wall say about you and your partnership? Are you a single woman looking for a mate? Are the pictures in your bedroom keeping you single, one flower, one woman sitting by the ocean etc?
• How organized is your closet? Have you made room for a partner? This also relates to individuals who are already in a committed relationship, have you made room for each other?
• Are there two night stands?
• Are there two lights?
• Are there two clocks?
• Do you have an even number of pillows?
• Does the furniture have round edges or sharp corners?
• Do you have any beams over your bed?
• Do you have a vaulted ceiling?
• Is the box spring a solid piece or two separate pieces?
• Do you store items under your bed?
• Do you have TV’s, computers or exercise equipment in your bedroom? If you do this confuses its purpose
• How many mirrors are in this room?
• How are the mirrors positioned?
• Take a look at your night stand, how many books or magazines are piled next to your head, this impacts the quality of your sleep
• What side of the bed do you sleep on?
• What color is your bedroom painted? You want this room to make you feel protected and safe so you can go into a deep slumber where your body is nourished and rejuvenated for the next day. Skin tone colors are the best choices for bedrooms and skin tones come in a range of colors so get creative.
Simple Solutions for Creating Sacred Space in your bedroom
• Paint the walls a new color
• Add a healthy plant (silk is fine) to the top right corner of your bedroom, this is called the partnership area
• Add plants to the top of your armoires to add vitality to the room
• Keep the night stand free of clutter and have only 1-2 books out at time
• Place a picture of the two of you on your dresser, put this picture on the top right corner
• Remove all items placed underneath the bed, it’s important to keep ch’i moving in your space
• Remove all pictures of children, friends, grandparents etc. The metaphor is “whose sleeping in the bedroom with you”
• Purchase new bed sheets, get creative, pink or red. What makes you feel beautiful? Choose colors that look good on you
• Purchase candles and use them (pink candles would be perfect)
• Use aromatherapy to set the mood
• Play soothing or romantic music
• Share your day with each other by candlelight
• Tone a crystal bowl or ring a bell in this room to get the energy in the space moving and shifting
• Make sure telephones, radios and clocks are at least 4’ from your head
• If you have computers or TV’s in the bedroom cover them with a cloth or place in a cabinet. This is considered YANG energy and is too active for sleeping
• If you have exercise equipment in the room place a screen in front of it to block it’s energy from your view
• Resolve any unfinished business or issues between partners before retiring to bed
• Don’t go to bed angry, this energy will expand into the entire room and be felt by others, we’ve all heard the expression, “it was so thick in there we could have cut it with a knife”
• Clean out your closet and drawers. Get rid of or give away any clothing you haven’t worn in a year
• Add romantic art work to the space
• Splurge and buy yourself or your partner fresh flowers, but be sure to remove them after three days. The life energy of the flowers is drained after three days
• Set an intention in this space, what are you trying to call in?
• Create an affirmation for yourself or as a couple create one together
• Write the words love or romance on your vision wall
Now evaluate your experience. What did you see as you explored your bedroom? Is your bedroom supporting your partnerships or relationship? Is your bedroom a sacred space? Can you truly call it a sanctuary? What simple solutions can you incorporate to make your bedroom your sacred space?
Our space does reflect our lives. The great news is that we have the ability to make changes to our physical environments as well as making conscious changes in our attitudes and beliefs. By making some very simple adjustments our lives can begin to shift. Remember, as you transform the outer environment, the inner space changes too. Making simple changes can place you on a new path.
So now you’re ready! Go! Create! Make your bedroom your sacred space!
Fill your heart
with love and light
when you give
you can receive
go now and find your sacred space
create your Sacred Space
Sacred Space
Call Carolyn at 952-934-1853 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Other web site; www.creatingsacredspace.com or e-mail address cvinup@mbspirit.net or Carolyn@creatingsacredspace.com
Creating Sacred Space By Carolyn Vinup
Creating sacred space is about making choices. Its about priorities and boundaries; its about gaining clarity around whats important in your life. Its about taking the time you need to create a home environment that supports you mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Its about taking the time you need to slow down and live in the moment- right now. Its about creating rituals. Its about celebrations and remembering traditions and establishing new ones. Its about remembering your life purpose. Its about breathing. Its about laughter. Its about love. Its about your intention for manifesting good luck, opportunities and abundance in your life. Take a look around you, what are you creating? What is your intention?
Creating sacred space is simply finding and acknowledging that place within each of us where our soul can dance. I help people open their eyes and their hearts to this amazing discovery for themselves.
When you incorporate the Feng Shui principle "Your space reflects your life" you begin to make conscious choices about what you will allow into your environment. You make clear choices about what items will stay and what you will give away. By simply applying the basics of this ancient tradition we begin to see how the flow of energy, referred to as chi energy, changes. It is not uncommon for immediate results to be experienced both internally and externally in your life.
So what does Creating Sacred Space mean?
To create; means to bring something into being
To make something sacred; means you treat it in a very special way, it has significant meaning to you and you honor it
So when you say you are Creating Sacred Space you are creating a space that you honor because it has a deeper meaning, you are connected to it and it responds by supporting you better.
You are creating a place of honor
The ultimate goal of Feng Shui is to create sacred space. Feng Shui is the process of creating environments that support us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. When you create sacred space, you are creating an environment that supports you, you can embrace it and it makes you feel better. One of the benefits of integrating Feng Shui into your environment is to experience the three blessings, good health, prosperity and good luck.
My mission statement is that I help people create sacred space where their soul can dance. I do this by integrating rituals, traditions and celebrations into their daily lives. When you take the time to create sacred space in your home you can experience more joy, peace, happiness, compassion and love. You are more fulfilled because you will be living more harmoniously.
Creating Sacred Space connects our inner and outer selves. It opens up space which allows you to experience your personal journey inward, where individuality is honored and your own creative style can begin to unfold. By understanding that our inner and outer experiences are connected, it makes sense to begin creating sacred space in your home.
When a Feng Shui consultant evaluates your space, they are assessing the flow of chi or life force energy in your environment. We begin by evaluating the placement and positioning of your furniture, the condition of your rooms, closets, garage and basements as well as your personal items.
One of the principles of Feng Shui states that Everything is energy and everything is connected. This is an important concept to understand. Basically this statement means that everything you own is connected to you. For many, thats a disturbing thought. Do you have closets that are bulging? Do you have stacks of unread magazines and piles of books on your night stand? Do you have clothes hanging in your closet that havent been worn in three years? Do you have stuff from Grandma and Grandpa stored in the attic? Do you have broken equipment taking up space in the garage?
Everything you own affects your chi. When chi is blocked or constricted by things that arent used, loved or needed, you may find yourself stumbling through your own life. Clutter sets up obstacles and this may be impacting your ability to get a new job, a promotion or having time to spend with someone special. Unfinished business and/or unresolved issues can drain your energy and cause dis-ease. Emotionally, it can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, confusion and create chaos.
Creating sacred space does not have to be complicated. Put on your Feng Shui Eyes and look at your space consciously. Be aware of the feelings in your body as you walk from room to room. Take a mental inventory of the items in your space? What do the pictures on your walls tell about you? Take a look at your front door? Does it make people feel welcome? Find the center of your home. What state is it in? This is your center point. What is it reflecting back to you? Take an honest look at what items in your home can be donated, sold or just thrown away. This process will begin your journey into creating sacred space in your physical environment and begin the process of clearing your inner chi.
Implementing some simple Feng Shui rituals can shift your energy. You could develop a ritual of lighting a candle every night for dinner. You could sit in your favorite chair and read a book. You could state a prayer of gratitude in the morning and at night. You could create an affirmation, tone with crystal bowls or walk outside to connect to natures energy. It can be the simple experience of cuddling with your child as they fall asleep in your arms.
Creating sacred space is about allowing your soul to dance. Begin with your home and the inner journey will start to unfold. Allow the flow of chi to move freely through your home and this will open your life to new opportunities. As the Chinese believe we create our own luck and integrating Feng Shui principles allows us to live a more fulfilled life.
As you walk this sacred path of life, may you create your sacred space
Fill your heart
with love and light
when you give
you can receive
go now and find your sacred space
create your Sacred Space
Sacred Space
Call Carolyn at 952-934-1853 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Other web site; www.creatingsacredspace.com or e-mail address cvinup@mbspirit.net or Carolyn@creatingsacredspace.com
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