Feng Shui

 

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui literally means "Wind and Water". Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art that has been practiced for over 5000 years in China and the Far East as a way to promote balance, harmony and fortunate blessings into our lives and environment. Both an art and a science, Feng Shui is a multi-disciplinary study which integrates philosophy, psychology, astronomy, astrology, geology, ecology, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, folk wisdom, architecture, interior design, logic and common sense.

The underlying principle of Feng Shui is Chi (energy) the life force of the universe and that everything is energetically interconnected and dynamic. Every moment of every day, whether we are aware of it or not, our environment is either supporting or draining us.

The goal of Feng Shui is to attune and align our personal and environmental Chi with the principles of nature in a more balanced and harmonious way. When we align and attune where we live, play and work to the energies of the universe we facilitate our ability to manifest our highest potential. We do so by implementing the appropriate Feng Shui principles and remedies to attract and enhance the positive Chi while simultaneously diminishing the negative Chi influencing our lives and environment. When we incorporate Feng Shui into our lives and space, we begin to experience the universal abundance and vitality that comes with "being in the flow". We experience a sense of being supported, blessed and in the flow with nature's universal rhythm.

What Feng Shui can do for You

• Increase wealth and prosperity
  
• Enhance your career &/or business
• Attract the future you desire
• Improve productivity and business performance
• Discover love and romance
  
• Enhance existing relationships &/or marriage
  
• Improve health and vitality
  
• Strengthen relationships with children, parents, and  relatives
  
• Inspire communication and creativity
  
• Attract fortunate blessings and mentors
  
• Live in harmony with nature
  
• Cultivate spiritual well-being
  
• Improve reputation, recognition and status
  
• Experience overall balance and harmony

 

 

 

The Bagua Demystified

The Bagua is a fundamental tool used in the practice of Feng Shui. It is shaped like an octagon. The Bagua is an energetic map of a space. It is composed of eight trigrams + the center; each corresponding to one of the 9 life areas and the applicable energies it influences. The Bagua is instrumental in determining and distinguishing between the 9 life areas. Each of the trigrams has certain corresponding colors, elements, shapes, seasons and so forth.
The nine life areas are: Helpful people/Travel; Career; Knowledge; Family; Wealth/ Fortunate Blessings; Health/Tai Chi; Fame; Marriage/Relationship; Creativity/Children.

Every “door” we pass through can potentially create another Bagua; for example each plot of land, building, house, each individual room, office and desk. One can place the Bagua over the whole space or in each individual room or even layer the Bagua in a combination of these depending on the needs, layout of space, and other variables-it’s up to the individual how in-depth they want to apply Feng Shui enhancements and cures.

Once the Bagua is correctly placed on the space one can go about discovering the life areas (gua) in need of more auspicious Chi and making appropriate adjustments.

To correctly place the Bagua you have to find the “mouth of Chi” this is the main architectural front door of your space. This is where the energy enters your space providing the meandering life force-Chi. In placing the Bagua in individual rooms use the main (most used) door leading into the space. The Bagua is always placed according to the main door. Although, in rare occasions one can place the Bagua using the back door or side door. But this is the exception never the rule or first choice. One would only use an alternate door if the architectural door isn’t and hasn’t been used in years, or if the front door is barricaded; in this cases use your intuition to access where the most chi is coming through or ask a Feng Shui consultant.

Correctly placing the Bagua is key to everything you do and to achieving the desired results. Although, in Feng Shui as in most spiritual practices no one area is more important than another because everything in this universe is interconnected. It is important to correctly define which area is which to apply or perform the appropriate adjustments. Each life area has corresponding attributes that can be used to define as “power spots” that are deemed the most powerful area to “cure”.

 

Fame

Location: back center area of bagua 

Color: red    

Element: fire

Meaning: This area is associated with fame, recognition, reputation, public attention, but it’s more than fame it is about clarity of mind, envisioning the future, illumination from within, personal enlightenment especially at the end of a cycle/life. This is a good area to enhance if you are setting goals, planning for the future/retirement, pursuing a dream, need clarity of thought, or to improve reputation.

 

 Helpful Tips:

• Bright light to ‘brighten’ up your reputation
• Also fireplace/candles-fire/flames
  
• Place mirror to attract auspicious energy (chi)
  
• Add the color red
  
• Objects that create sound stimulate and awaken positive Chi for example: bells, wind chime, stereo, speakers…
  
• Control Chi from escaping too fast out the back window or sliding doors by placing at the midpoint things to deflect the Chi for example: wind chime, crystal ball, mobile, plant, sculpture, small round table with adornment…
  
• Because water elements ‘extinguishes’ fire-remove all  water features from this area (fountains, fish tanks…) to avoid extinguishing your fame
  
• Great colors to use: red also green
  
• Ideal to hang a collage or treasure map of things you want in your future
  
• Burn essential oils or candles (fire)
  
• If you have heart issues place odd number of green healthy plants here
  
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

 

 

Marriage/Relationships:

Location: back upper-right area of bagua
Color: pink, red and white
Element: earth

Meaning: This area is associated with the status of marriage or significant other. Also with the quality and/or ability to develop and nourish a relationship whether it’s romantic, platonic, even professional. This area relates to all one-on-one relationships and are generally of ‘equals’ (marriage, friends, co-workers) rather than of superiors (employer/employee or parent/child). This ‘gua’ is the most feminine of all the gua’s. This is a good area to enhance if you are seeking to find or improve a relationship.

Helpful Tips:

 

• In addition to enhancing the marriage area of the whole space it is encouraged to evaluate the bed, and the bedroom-very important since approx. 1/3 of our life is spent in bedroom.
• The key number to remember here is to display things that represent the number 2 
• If married, relationship this is ideal place to put pictures of the two of you. Wedding photos, anniversary, special events…
• Place your bed in the commanding position-which is that you have the broadest possible view of the door but not directly in front of door and the top of bed should be nestled against wall to avoid being startled
• Choose the master bedroom location as far back from the front door as possible-for more privacy and commanding position
• If bedroom is difficult to get to or too hidden cure it by attracting positive chi with wind chimes, light, crystal balls, pleasant music…
• Strengthen relationships with a strong and solid head board and foot board.
• Hang a wind chime over bed to attract a new relationship
• Add romance to your love life with pink sheets
• Add passion to your love life with red sheets
• To attract relationships- wear pink
• Attract relationships with a red flower in a white vase-in bedroom
• In relationship area place a heavy stone or statue to strengthen it
• Remove clutter from under the bed and behind bedroom door to avoid obstacles/conflicts and release stagnant energy and being stuck in a ‘rut’
• Caution with the color peach-it initially attracts romance but soon after turns to conflict/tension-ok to attract-but after change color to pink or another color you find pleasing
• Caution with king size beds-two box springs in bottom can lead to division, separation-to cure place a red bed sheet between mattress and box springs
• Add pictures of couples, things, animals representing two’s of everything
• Add fresh new flowers to this area of space and/or bedroom, replace flowers once they start to dry-up
• Do not keep dead/dried flowers (relationship, even money ‘dries up’)
• Eliminate arguments and conflict by curing ‘clashing doors’=doors that ‘bump’ with another door- hang a red tassel from each doorknob (this should be done in all areas of the Bagua)
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

 

 

Creativity/Children:

Location: center right area of bagua                               

Color: white (also pastels)                    

Element: metal

 

Meaning: This area is associated with offspring; a child’s welfare, progress, health and happiness. It is also associated with all the things we create and innovate; creativity, inspiration, new projects, new businesses, inventions, imagination, writing, singing, planting a new seed-whether gardening or idea. This area symbolizes joy, carefree, fun, good-times, laughter. This is a good area to enhance if you are trying to conceive whether it’s a child, business, or an idea, also for clear communication and expression.

Helpful Tips:

 

• To empower your children you can enhance the children area of the whole space and/or the child’s bedroom 
  
• Ideally place child’s bed in children’s ‘gua’ of the space or bedroom
  
• Brighten the room with light to enhance child’s life
  
• The ideal colors for children’s bedroom is blue or green-stimulate growth and nourishment. White is acceptable. Avoid bright colors for example, red if child is too hyper rather use darker colors to calm child.
  
• To avoid disciplinary issues the children’s rooms should be smaller than the parents.
• Remove outgrown beds-may hold a child back physically even emotionally 
  
• To improve health place odd number of healthy plants in child’s bedroom
  
• To activate creativity & alertness add sound here-bell, wind chime, radio…
  
• For uplifting spirit add crystal balls &/or crystal figurines they energize & brighten up area
• Eliminate arguments and conflict by curing ‘clashing doors’=doors that ‘bumps’ into another door- hang a red tassel from each doorknob (this should be done in all areas of the Bagua)
  
• Minimize dark, heavy furniture and clutter, instead use light, bright object and clean up clutter
  
• Place light in children area of the whole space/your bedroom to improve creativity and communication
  
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

 

 

Helpful People/Travel:

Location: right front area of bagua  

Color: gray, white, and black

Element: metal

Meaning: This area is associated with philanthropy, charity, heavenly gifts of compassion, love, support, volunteering, helping others, good neighbors, ‘angels’ donating time, energy and money, as well as people who help you. This area also relates to travel, safe journey. This ‘gua’ is the most masculine of all. Enhance this area if you are traveling or travel a lot for safe and happy journey. Also, to benefit from relationship/helpful people.

Helpful Tips:

 

• Invite helpful people by hanging/placing a mirror 
• Invite helpful people by hanging a mobile object for example: flags, banners, pinwheels by window or just outside in garden
  
• Add pictures of people who can ‘come to your rescue’
  
• Stimulate movement with a water fountain
  
• Add sound, for example: metal wind chime, bell, soothing music
  
• An empty metal vase or bowl-great for a man who needs to start a new career
  
• Add pictures & paintings of areas you wish to visit
  
• In metal or white ceramic bowl place candy &/or nuts to encourage giving and receiving and friendships 
• Add representations of angels for example: figurines, pictures, dolls, statues...
• Ideal colors white (cleanliness & metal energy);  yellow (gathering); blue (finances)
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

 

 

Career:

Location: front center area of bagua
Color: black and blue
Element: water

Meaning: This area is associated with work, career success, making a living. It is more than just work, it is your life journey, life path, the freedom to live and work and play as you desire. To be in the flow of life, natural rhythm. Enhance this area when you are looking for a new career, promotion, or to improve work related relationships.

 

Helpful Tips:

• Add a water fountain-facing into the space-never facing out you want money and career to come in-not to leave
• Stimulate career with metal wind chime
• Add an odd number of healthy plants
• Install mirror to attract and brighten career prospects
• Keep area bright, light, free of clutter, repair broken items
• For harmonious environment remove hidden obstacles behind and around door to have easy access to you and your career (It is important to do this for every area of bagua)
• Add crystal ball or crystal chandelier to attract prosperity and career
• Add lights that are uplifting (facing up to ceiling-not pointed at floor)
• Add representations of water-pictures, paintings, illustration, statues….
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

 

 

Knowledge:  

Location: front left area of bagua                                    

Color: blue, green and black     

Element: earth

Meaning: this area is associated with mental, self-knowledge, learning, information, school, diplomas, college degrees, but it’s more than that. It is about inner-knowing, meditation, spiritual growth, wisdom, contemplation, and introspection. Enhance this area if you’re interested in learning, in self-improvement, and spirituality. 

Helpful Tips:

 

• Add a bright light to enhance learning and intuition
• Tap into intellectual power by hanging a wind chime
• Attract new information & enrich existing with a mirror
• Cultivate new ideas with an odd number of healthy plants
• Stimulate your mind by placing mobile objects for example wind chime, flags, banners, pinwheels, wind socks
• Improve spiritual and mental energy by hanging crystal ball
• Great area to display books, desks, lamp and soft chairs to inspire learning
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture orbuildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

 

 

Family:

Location: center left area of bagua                                 

Color: green and blue                                 
Element: wood

Meaning: This area is associated with family, relatives and ancestors/elders. This is the area of those that are our superiors-such as parents, grandparents, bosses, elders-those that are to be respected. This area also relates to the interpersonal dynamics of the nuclear/extended family even the extended family of ‘business’ relationships. Enhance this area if you would like to resolve family conflicts or improve family harmony.

Helpful Tips:

 

• To improve family relationships you can enhance the family ‘gua’ of the whole space, in addition to areas where the family spends a lot of time together for example the family room, living room, TV room, den….
• Ideal colors for these ‘family’ rooms are green &/or blue 
• Strengthen family area with sound for example wind chime, bell…
• Improve family health and harmony with the color green
• Family unity, growth and health with healthy green plants
• Strive for harmonious, bright, open, cheerful decor like the attributes desired in most families
• Display photographs of families in groups together rather than mostly photographs of one.
• Great for displaying family tree & photo albums
• Tall rectangular shaped green candles-represents growth, transformation and healing
• Shine light/lamp upward-rather than facing floor (down)
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

Wealth/Fortunate Blessings:

Location: back upper-left area of bagua
Color: purple, green and red
Element: wood

Meaning: This area is associated with wealth, money, prosperity and abundance. But it’s more than just financial status, it’s also about being at the right place at the right time, about being fortunate, lucky. It is about being blessed not just with cash but also healthy, lucky, harmonious, and acknowledging and being grateful for all your fortunate blessing. Enhance this area if you want more fortunate blessing to come your way-and who doesn’t! 

 
Helpful Tips:  

 

• Ideal for stimulating wealth; place a water fountain
• Attract wealth with an aquarium or fish tank/bowl
• The number 9 (and it’s multiples 9, 18, 27,…) is very auspicious (lucky)
• Repair all plumbing leaks-to avoid loss of wealth-(this is important in all ‘gua’ areas of space)
• If it’s impractical to put a water fountain in this area, then hang pictures, photographs, illustrations of waterfalls in wealth area &/or career area to attract wealth
• If impractical to buy aquarium, hang fish mobile
• Activate wealth with a metal wind chime
• To increase and attract wealth place a mirror
• Store wealth in this area to attract more-place a bank savings book, gold coins, 9 or 27 crisp dollar bills
• Decorate using wealth colors; green, red, blue, &/or purple
• Wear the wealth colors to attract more wealth
• Place odd number of healthy plants
• Create a money collage-gold-colored picture frame place red background and place representation of money for example draw a money tree, glue gold coins, or tape crisp dollar bills
• The stove is pivotal to generating wealth-keep stove clean
• Use all the burners on the stove to attract more and different streams of income
• Protect the cook (avoid being startled & negative energy) with a wind chime or crystal ball if the cook’s back is to the door
• Place a mirror behind stove to visually double the burners thereby increasing your wealth
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

 

 

Health/Tai Chi:

Location: center area of bagua                                         

Color: yellow and earth tones                                            

Element: earth

Meaning: This area is associated with physical health and the self. It is at the center of the space, just as in the center of the body and it affects every other life area, because all the other areas are connected to the center. Precisely why it symbolizes the center, the self, and unity. Enhance this area is you want to be healthier and have more energy and vitality.

Helpful Tips:

 

• Keep this area clutter free, clean and organized
  
• Preferably keep this area as neat and free of things as possible
  
• Wear green or yellow to assist in health issues
  
• Enhance health and energy with living things-plants
  
• Invite health and vitality with earth objects such as: pottery, terracotta sculptures, vases…
  
• Use the color yellow, orange, brown, tan, and terracotta
  
• Promote spiritual and physical healing with a religious, spiritual figure, painting, image that you feel an affinity for
  
• Or promote spiritual and physical healing with photographs, paintings or images of natural scenes that inspire and nurture you such as; lush gardens, waterfalls, oceans, forests, mountains…..
  
• Burn aromatherapy scents for overall revitalizing and invigorating chi
  
• A bright clean lamp in center-preferably used often for strengthening health
  
• Place jade in the center or wear/carry as talisman if traveling for longevity and general health
  
• Keep all bathroom doors closed and toilet seats down (this apply to all areas of bagua)
  
• If you make only one cure in the whole space-hang a crystal or crystal chandelier in the center of space. If you can’t, then add an odd number of plants
  
• Caution with ‘poison arrows’ this are sharp angles (whether from walls, furniture or buildings) that are pointed at you or your space. You can cure it by deflecting the negative energy. What you do is place in front of the ‘poison arrow’ a plant or tree, hang crystal ball, hang a bagua mirror-only if placed outside-it’s too powerful to place a Bagua mirror indoors (ideally cure poison arrows in all areas of bagua)

A few tidbits about cures:

With all cures you perform, it is of vital importance to determine and visualize the outcome you truly want. For the cures to be effective is crucial you visualize, have faith and expect your desire to come to fruition. Rather than second guessing or performing the cures half-heartedly (which may have no outcome, or not what you originally desired for) really add emotional intensity, expectation and faith that this cures do work. 

It is very important, whenever feasible and pleasing to the decor, to hang cures with a red chain, string or cord that is cut in multiples of 9 (9,18, 27.…). Red is a power color symbolizing the fire element and energy of maximum expansion and protection. 9 is the most powerful & auspicious number in Feng Shui. It is the number of peak activity & achieving completion.
You can use one cure or a combination of cures, in the whole space or in individual rooms depending on your needs. Just remember to set your intention and visualize what you want to activate the cure.

 

 

Remember my motto:  “The more attention you place on your intention the more your life will flourish”