Prosperity Attraction – you create your own reality

“If your love life needs a quick boost, you can use the art of placement to produce the romantic results you desire.” Heidi Richards

Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) is the ancient Asian practice of object arrangement and space planning designed to bring balance, harmony and well-being to your environment. Its purpose is to enhance prosperity, creative, health and romance. Feng Shui fortifies a home with positive energy known as chi. The attainment of positive chi is both an art and a blessing to those who manifest that chi. The word “feng” means wind and “shui” means water, each one associated with a good harvest and ultimate good health or good fortune.

If your love life needs a quick boost, you can use the art of placement to produce the romantic results you desire. Relationships need the proper environment to grow. They need the balance of the five elements, too much or too little will find the romance wither. Here are some Feng Shui tips to enhance your romantic space:

1. The first thing you must do is remove clutter out of your romance area (generally this is the bedroom). That means you must remove trash, dirty ashtrays, dead plants and nothing should be stored under the bed. Dust and cobwebs on the fans, walls, light fixtures and ceilings should be cleaned away.

2. Enhance your space with romance colors, such as shades of pinks, reds and whites. Guys, this does not mean it has to be feminine. You can use maroon, grayish tones of pinks and whites to achieve the same results. The key is to not use any one color so much that it overpowers the others. Other good colors include browns, beiges, lavenders, yellows and deeper shades of those are appropriate.

3. If you keep flowers in the room (an excellent way to attract romance into your life), make sure they are always fresh. At the first sign of wilting, toss them out. Silk flowers are an okay alternative, provided they are free of dust. Absolutely no dried flowers as they signify death. Also, make sure the roses are de-thorned. Nothing prickly such as cactus, unless your goal is to break-up.

4. In Feng Shui a Relationship Altar positively stimulates a relationship. Designate a special place in your romance area in which to put items that will encourage a healthy, loving relationship. Things to include in your relationship altar can include a heart shaped pink crystal quartz, a pair of candles, mandarin ducks.

5. Use the Pairs Principle to encourage love. That means two candles, two nightstands, two lights on top, two potted plants, two pillows, two chairs, etc. The Chinese symbol for love is Mandarin ducks. They signify love, romance, fidelity, affection, and loyalty in love.

6. Your bed should be placed in the commanding position of the room. This is to permit the widest possible vision. The door or entry to the room should be easily seen from the bed. And the head of the bed should be against a wall or against a corner. If you have nightstands, make sure one is on either side (a pair) and that the bed is accessible on three sides to attract and keep a partner. The bed should not be placed under a window.

7. The bedroom is for sleep and intimacy. No one should come into your room without your invitation. There should be no distractions such as workout equipment, a television, things that would remind you of work.

8. It is good to hang pink (heart-shaped) crystals and wind chimes in a sunny window to attract good love energy (yang).

9. Pictures of you as a child, your children or other relatives should also be removed from the bedroom or romance area. This space should be reserved for couples and should only display pictures of the two of you.

10. Dim lights will give the room a warm, inviting feeling. No harsh fluorescents or high wattage lighting, here.

While this is by no means the ultimate guide to Feng Shui for Romance, it is a good start. These ten tips will give your relationship area the boost it deserves and your romance the fulfillment it requires. Altar your space and you will altar your love life.

© 2005 Excerpted from the book, Romance on a Budget – www.romanceonabudget.net.

Heidi Richards is an Author, Professional Speaker, and Business Mentor. She is the owner of Eden Florist & Gift Baskets – www.edenflorist.com and the Founder & CEO of the Women’s ECommerce Association, International www.WECAI.org – an Internet organization that “Helps Women Do Business on the WEB.” BASIC Membership is Free. She can be reached at heidi@edenflorist.com.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics that is believed to utilize the laws of heaven and earth to help one improve life by receiving positive energy. I have been learning feng shui from some folks and now I will inform you the ones that I have either used myself and benefited, or adviced to some of my friends who have benefited. Some of the tips have not been tried but these are ones that almost all of the feng shui masters I have met swear by. I will omit the ones which either I have not found to work, or there were contradictive opinions from the masters.

1. There should be no obstructions outside your main door. If there is an obstructing wall or a staircase, you should alter the entrance.

2. There should be no mirrors in the house directly opposite the main door. Such mirrors result in reflecting back the good energy which enters the house.

3. Front door should not face a toilet door. Since toilet is a negative area, the good energy coming from the main door enters the toilet and gets drained away. If you have this arrangement, change the entrance of the toilet from another room or from another wall. If you cannot do this, construct a solid barrier between them. If the toilet is very near the main door, change the entrance.

4. Keep a bowl of regular unrefined sea salt in the toilet, preferably on the window sill, if it exists. There are lots of toxins in the toilet and salt absorbs it. You should also replace the salt as and when it gets soggy.

5. Avoid 3 doors in one line. If this happens, energy flows at high speed and adversely affects the occupants of the last room. You can change the middle door to avoid this problem.

6. Avoid top floor flats if the water tank is above the flat. Since water at a height is considered dangerous, sleeping below it is very risky.

7. Keep the front door free of obstructions. Since good energy flows from the main door, any obstruction like a shoe rack will stop or reduce the flow of good energy.

8. Never sleep on a double bed with two separate mattresses. This is very bad according to feng shui, because sleeping on separate mattresses lead to separation. Many difficult marriages on the verge of divorce have been said to have been saved, just by correcting this problem.

9. Do not keep mirrors in the bedroom, especially ones facing the bed. These days, couples have a fancy of keeping mirrors not only in front of the bed, but also on the ceiling! Such mirrors create major disturbances in the marriage and may even lead to a third person entering the relationship.

10. Avoid sleeping in front of the door. It is important that neither the head not the feet are directly in front of the door. This reduces the life of the person and also affects his health.

11. Do not keep leaking taps un-repaired for long. Since water is considered wealth, leaking taps is said to drain your money.

12. Do not sit with an open window behind you, as it drains positive energy and causes stress. You are also at risk of being cheated.

13. Water and fire are opposite, so never keep the kitchen burners and the saink/water pot either adjacent to each other, or opposite to each other. Keep them away and facing different directions.

14. Try to have at least one meal together with your family. This enhances the relationship between the family members. Remember, a family that eats together, lives together, stays together!

15. It is a good idea to have a mirror reflecting the dining table. It creates an impression of double the food on the table, and proposes that the family will never lack food.

16. Never display pictures or paintings that depict scenes of war and violence. It leads to arguments in the family.

17. Avoid open book shelves; keep them covered. Open shelves create “killing breath” which is harmful to the occupants of that room.

18. If you have clocks, watches and other old appliances, remove them at the earliest or get them repaired. Keeping them at home or office brings bad luck.

Resource Box:

Nirjara Rustom moderates the Home Improvement Section of http://www.bharatbhasha.com at http://www.bharatbhasha.com/home_improvement.php

One of the nice things about summer is the richness of the colors of flowers that are abounding. Daisies, lilies, roses, petunias, and so much more. Even the most cynical among us is touched by the burst of colors.

Many people mistakenly think that plants and flowers are just something nice to look at. A female thing. If you’re thinking that way, you’re missing some of the most important benefits of plants and flowers.

Studies have shown that lots of green leafy plants help calm you and help relieve depression. This in turn helps you focus better and think more clearly. May be it has to do with the oxygen they give off?

Similar studies show that just looking at flowers reduces stress. The scent of flowers is also calming. Lavender is especially known for it’s calming qualities.

In Feng Shui, flowers are said to strengthen family harmony and keep the flow of affection in all directions. When you get deeper into feng shui, there are different energies produced by placing certain colors in certain areas of your home.

Green leafy plants in the entryway draw good energy into the house.

If you have a lot of arguments in your house, you may have too much chi energy in your home. Feng Shui suggests putting plants in rich black soil in the south portion of your home to calm things down.

Bathrooms in the south part of the house are believed to increase your chances of getting sued. Feng Shui prescription is to decorate with tall plants and wood.

Yellow flowers are said to have healing qualities in general. When you place them in the center of your home they keep you centered and balanced.

For financial harmony, surround yourself with red flowers.

Fruit bearing branches represent abundance and good fortune. To keep the berries from falling off longer, scrape the bark off the bottom of the stems before putting them in water so that more water flows up to them.

One of the hottest decorating trends this year is to put single buds in small juice glasses. Place them across a mantle or shelf, or at everyone’s place at the dinner table to keep things calm. Think that will look good in my Pokemon Welch’s jelly glasses?

Or how about a prosperity centerpiece?

1. Place a presoaked floral foam cylinder on a plate. For a small centerpiece, use a 4 inch cylinder.

2. Spread a little of that moss stuff around the bottom edge, or cover the bottom edge with a piece of yellow or red ribbon.

3. Cut your red or yellow (or combination of both) roses to 3 inches long. For the small arrangement, you will need 4 nice sized roses. Push them, evenly spaced, into the top floral cylinder.

4. Now fill in with flowers, leaves, and berry branches.

5. Stick a candle in the center.

For best energy giving results, use fresh flowers. (But Michaels has a 50% off sale on silk flowers pretty often too.)

If you’re looking for some fresh ideas for your gardens outside– here are more feng shui tips-

* Purple flowers planted in the south part of your garden increase passion. Petunias are a good low maintenance choice.

* Deep red flowers planted in the west part of your Garden bring success in business. I have red lilies, of course.

* Creamy white flowers planted in the north part of your garden (not the north side of your house) quiet anxieties. I like either lilies or fragrant roses.

* Ferns and grasses planted in the east part of the garden keep you feeling fresh and vitalized. I have Yucca. Not exactly a fern, actually it’s an evergreen, but I like it.

Next year I want a cutting garden so I can enjoy the benefits of flowers even more!

And for you men reading this thinking, I don’t want to mess with flowers…. I’ve known many manly men who have put together great gardens. My grandfather and my next door neighbor are two of them. And what about that funny guy who does the gardening show on HGTV? I love that show!

Whether indoors or out, and whether you believe in such things as feng shui, working with plants and flowers really is therapeutic. It can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want. It can be a large project, or a very small one. It can be in any colors. Get creative!

Gardening is not only a good mental exercise, it’s great physical activity too.

And then kick back in your easy chair with the beverage of your choice and relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

TIP - How important is a clean house?

According to Feng Shui -

The kitchen is the soul of the home. It feeds and nourishes not only your body, but your spirit as well. Keeping it clean and uncluttered keeps a healthy flow of energy.

Even worse, dust stops the flow of good energy. The act of dusting your home renews your energy, invigorates your spirit and stimulates your optimism. (Plus it can help you lose weight

Resource Box:

If that doesn’t motivate you to get the house clean, find the secrets to getting it clean and keeping that way without killing yourself so you have more time to play … Get Secret Confessions of a Clean Freak here >>> http://CleanFreak.CommonSenseLiving.com

Love is an essential element of many people’s life, without which they feel an absence of balance and harmony in their every day pursuits. The ancient philosophy of Feng Shui can bring a positive improvement to all aspects of your life, including love. Feng Shui and love may bring a sense of peace and understanding that will help you find success throughout life. Learning how to incorporate Feng Shui into your life one piece at a time may help you achieve greater love, both romantically, for yourself, and for others. The balance that love brings to your life is important in living healthily and successfully.

The love center of the home is an important concept when it comes to Feng Shui and love. Learning the exact location of your home’s love center will enable you to invigorate the chi in this area, leading to better luck when it comes to love and better Feng Shui throughout your home. The love center of a house is in the far right corner as you enter. The love center can also be the far right corner of each particular room as you enter into it. Following the practice of Feng Shui, you should place an important earth object in this love center. An earth object includes items such as rocks or crystals. Other items that are appropriate to place in this area of your house and that can increase positive chi include decorative pots, candles, flowers, and depictions of the sun. Earth objects placed in strategic areas of your home such as the love center are believed to increase Feng Shui and love for the occupants of the house.

There are a few extra guidelines when it comes to placing objects in the love center of your home and increasing Feng Shui and love in your personal life. For example, wood is not considered a good choice of an earth object and should be avoided in the love area. Flowers and plants are a great choice, including silk flowers, but dried flowers should never be used. Dried flowers or plants can represent the end of a relationship and can have a negative effect on your home’s Feng Shui and love.

If you are trying to optimize the Feng Shui and love in your home and personal life, you should keep in mind a few areas of the house where you should pay special attention to levels of chi. The bathroom is an area of the home associated with negative chi. To combat this negative chi and promote positive chi here, place live plants or flowers in the area. You can also consider hanging chimes directly above the toilet. These simple steps will help to eliminate the negative chi that is associated with the bathroom.

Of course the bedroom is an area of the house that is associated with Feng Shui and love. In order to pursue successful romantic relationships, you want to create an area of positive chi in your bedroom. To do this, keep the bedroom free of clutter, including the closet. Unnecessary objects crowding your living spaces can produce negative chi. Also, remove any objects that point to a past relationship, such as pictures and other mementos. These items will prevent future loves to blossom into all that they can be. You may even want to remove the bed that you have shared with a past lover in order to have the best chances at a successful future love.

Other objects to keep out of your bedroom in order to find the best Feng Shui and love are items that promote activities that have nothing to do with love or relationships. These items may include the television, the computer, or exercise equipment. While live plants and flowers are good objects to increase chi in other areas of the house, they should be avoided in the bedroom. Plants and flowers are believed to bring the level of male chi in this room too high. What you are striving for in the bedroom when it comes to Feng Shui and love a balance of ying and yang. This brings harmony between the feminine and masculine components. To find this harmony, decorate with the masculine in mind if your are a woman and with the feminine in mind if you are a man. As a result, you will find an excellent balance of chi in the bedroom.

By incorporating all of these Fengh Shui and love tips throughout your house, you will be creating a positive chi environment that encourages love and relationships to flourish. Not only will you find yourself experiencing more successful romantic relationships, but love between friends, family, and others will be increased. By designing with Feng Shui and love in mind, such as paying attention to love centers and problematic areas for negative chi, you will be rewarded with long-lasting and loving relationships.

The feng shui tradition teaches that wealth and prosperity require the correct attitude and conditions. You struggle with prosperity when there are obstacles to the flow of chi in your home or workplace. Removing obstacles and freeing energy is part of applying feng shui. Prosperity is not just about having money or things, it is about achieving a consistent feeling of abundance and security. The spiritual view of abundance is not simply about financial wealth, but about abundance in all good things in life: family, health, balance.

Whatever your goals may be, feng shui is a tool to help you reach them. Your environment affects your thought patterns. If the environment remains static, you are likely to get bogged down as well. If you want to achieve wealth and prosperity you need an environment that works with you, not against you. This is where feng shui comes in. When energy is moving freely, it can carry you forward towards your goals. You want an environment that reflects who you are and where you are going, that embodies an intention to action. Your environment should be symbolic of the prosperity you want.

Ironically, one of the first steps in using feng shui to bring prosperity is removing clutter in your life and your environment. Extra stuff that blocks doors and windows, old clothes and furniture collecting dust mites, can stymie you. feng shui instructs you to remove these obstacles and free your space. Dead plants, broken furniture, unfinished projects do not contribute to expanding your wealth and well-being, but instead hold negative energy. Clutter is anything that is unfinished, unresolved, unused. Using feng shui, you address the clutter to free yourself. While clutter slows down chi energy, sometimes the energy in your environment can be moving too fast, like money flying out the door. Feng shui principles help restore balance between these two troublesome scenarios.

Feng shui involves not only removing obstacles but adding positive energy. Items that bring good energy contribute to prosperity. Positive inspirational objects and symbols of wealth, from coins to family photos, can contribute to creating the right kind of energy in your home. Feng shui principles guide you in adding the colors, objects and special features to your home and workplace that contribute to prosperity. Feng shui even identifies the “wealth corner” in your home, a place that needs to be kept orderly and clean and designed to bring positive, prosperous thoughts to mind.

In adding positive symbols and energies to your environment, you are not focusing on what you do not have, or on a feeling that you do not have enough. Wanting and feeling unsatisfied do not contribute to prosperity. With feng shui you are focusing on gratitude, which creates a sense of abundance. Feng shui shows you how to surround yourself with symbols of prosperity and wealth and full your environment with positive, forward-moving energy that will help you realize your goals.

Romance is in the air - especially during the month of February. But for many people, romantic relationships seem unattainable or current love connections lack the sparks they once created. Feng Shui, the ancient art of object placement to enhance energy flow through a space, is gain-ing attention as a powerful tool for improving all kinds of relationships.

“Feng Shui can make a marked difference in people’s lives,” says Linda Binns, founder of the Feng Shui Success Institute and author of Feng Shui for Your Relationships: Changing Your Envi-ronment to Create Better Relationships. “But before you start moving things around or making changes to your environment, it’s important to clarify exactly what you want to change.”

Binns notes that this process, which she calls “setting your intention,” is a crucial first step that will guide your subsequent actions. ” Perhaps you want to strengthen or rekindle the flame of an existing relationship. Perhaps you want to attract an exciting new romantic partner to your life. Perhaps you want to find a life partner with which to share the future. While there can be a variety of issues or scenarios, it is important to begin by considering your current situation and recognizing what you would like to change.”

After setting a clear intention, Binns recommends a variety of actions that can enhance the flow of positive energy in the home, creating a more conducive environment in which to achieve your desires. A few of her basic tips include:

• To symbolize a close relationship, it is important to position decorative items in pairs. For in-stance, display a painting of a couple, place two ornaments together, or hang two pictures that form a set. Two flowers in a vase or two stuffed animals beside one another are other examples of pairs that you can place in your environment.

• If you already have a partner whom you wish to become closer to, it is important to display photos that feature you as a couple. Pictures of you with your partner and other individuals, whether family or friends, symbolize your propensity to give up time as a couple in order to become part of a larger group.

• Clutter and other distractions in the bedroom, such as exercise equipment, a television, work-related items or a computer, serves to bring unwanted distractions into your relationship. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary that feels romantic and invites you to spend time with your loved one.

• Make sure that the side of your bed is not against a wall because this position symbolizes only one way in and out of the bed and indicates that there is room for only one person.

• When you make your bed, keep it relatively uncluttered and create a space that will easily accommodate a couple.

• Master bedrooms ideally feature warm, soothing colors, such as cream, taupe, cocoa, or shades with a red or pink base. Such warm bedroom colors represent warm, close relationships.

• When you remove clutter, don’t move anything to a storage box under your bed. People store all kinds of things under the bed - fire extinguishers, ladders, guns, papers, books, exercise equipment and more. Remember that, based on the principles of Feng Shui, energy should freely flow throughout a space, including under the bed.

• Large bedrooms should feature cozy, intimate nooks, such as sitting areas. Again, creating an intimate space reflects an intimate relationship.

Binns says that these are among the basic steps that help set the stage for romance. She details these and other strategies in her new book and offers specific guidelines on which portions of a home are especially important when seeking to create or improve various types of relationships.

“Let’s face it, our relationships do not always go as smoothly as we would like,” she says. “Whether we’re dealing with our partner, children, coworkers, friends or even mailman, our interactions with others can be tricky. As we struggle to make things work, often spending con-siderable time and emotional energy to figure out why certain relationships seem so difficult, many people fail to look at their environment as a factor in the way they manifest their lives. Yet for those who become familiar with the principles and practice of Feng Shui, the results can be remarkable.”

Feng shui (say “fung shway”) is the art of creating a home environment that supports the life you wish to live. A key element of feng shui is creating a smooth flow of chi (positive energy) through your space. Chi likes to move through your home as though it were a gentle breeze or a meandering stream. Where it is blocked, the energy becomes stagnant–like a pond choked with algae and fallen leaves. You are likely to feel blocked in life, and your energy and enthusiasm for matters of the heart will be low. Balancing and correcting the chi of your bedroom helps encourage and invigorate romance. Here are some quick and easy ways to improve your love life by improving the energy of your home:

1. Clean up your bedroom

When your bedroom is cluttered and untidy, the energy in there will be low and slow. Clutter is a sure sign that chi is stuck, so roll up your sleeves and clean the place up if you want to jump-start your love life. Ring a bell, shake a rattle, or clap your hands loudly around the room to clear out old, stale energy.

2. Make room for love

If you want to attract a new romantic partner–or move a casual relationship closer to commitment–make sure there is space for that person in your home. Look at your closets, shelves, and dressers, especially in the bedroom; if they are all filled to capacity with your own stuff, make clearing some room for your current or future partner a priority. Aim to free up 25% of the space in your bedroom for someone else’s things. When you are done, take a moment to visualize your loved one’s belongings finding a home there.

3. Don’t work out in the bedroom

When you exercise in the bedroom, or store your sports equipment there, you bring the energy of hard work and exertion into your romance space. Do you want your relationship to feel like a tough workout? If not, move your workout stuff somewhere else; your relationship is likely to move along more smoothly.

4. Remove old relationship energy

Go through your home–especially your bedroom–and remove anything that reminds you of past failed relationships; this could be an ex-boyfriend’s old sweater you find in the closet, photographs of you with a previous partner, a gift that reminds you (unfavorably) of a giver with whom you are no longer in love–anything that reminds you of a love that went bad. No matter how incurable a romantic you may be, do NOT keep old love letters anywhere in your bedroom unless they are from someone with whom you are still blissfully paired up.

5. Remove inappropriate imagery

The images with which you surround yourself can have a powerful effect on your love life. Feng shui clients who complain of difficulty finding romance often have surrounded themselves with images of a person alone. Inappropriate imagery includes anything that represents solitude, loneliness, aggression, hard work, conflict, or disagreement in any way. That old photo of your Dad when he was in the army may be a treasure, but the wartime energy it carries doesn’t have any place in the bedroom; find another place to keep it.

6. Open the door to love

Make sure both the front door of your home and the door to your bedroom open easily and completely. Doors that stick, squeak, or that only open partway because of all the stuff stored behind them are blocking the flow of romantic energy and opportunity into your home. A loose doorknob on your bedroom door could mean you’re having a hard time “getting a handle on” romance; get out your screwdriver and tighten it up.

7. Create a path for chi

Walk slowly from your front door to your bedroom, pretending that you are a gentle river of chi. Look for any areas where furniture or other belongings are stopping or slowing the flow of chi, or where chi is diverted away from the bedroom to other areas of the house. Clear a path so fresh chi can find its way to your bedroom and nourish your love life. Make sure all the lights along this route are working, replace any burned-out bulbs, and be alert for dark or dingy corners where you can increase the energy by adding more light.

8. Move your bed

If one side of your bed is against the wall, the person who sleeps on that side may feel confined or disempowered in the relationship. If possible, place the bed so there is equal space on either side, so you and your partner can find equal enjoyment in the relationship. The ideal position of the bed will be on the opposite side of the room from the door, but not directly in line with it. If you can’t see the bedroom door from the bed, hang a mirror where it will provide a reflected view of the entry.

9. Bring romance chi into the bedroom

Be sure to place romantic imagery in these two key places in the bedroom: the wall opposite the foot of the bed (where you naturally look when lying in bed), and whatever area of the room you first see when you enter. Beautiful, romantic artwork is always good, as are fresh or silk flowers and anything in pairs (such as birds, cherubs, candles, or decorative pillows). A round mirror is also good for the bedroom, as the shape signifies completion and unity. Look around your home for whatever says “romance” to you, and find a good spot for it in your bedroom.

10. Clarify your intention

Make a collage of images that symbolize your perfect relationship, and place it where you will see it every day. If you are already in a relationship, invite your partner to make a collage with you, to represent your intention to build a joyful and loving future together.

Copyright © 2002 Stephanie Roberts

This article is based on information in the book Fast Feng Shui for Singles: 108 Ways to Heal Your Home and Attract Romance (Lotus Pond Press, Kahului, HI, ISBN 1-931383-04-9), also available at Amazon.com.

Get a Feng Shui Garden in 4 simple steps.

Feng Shui! The mind boggles! Directions… a compass… the bagua… different interpretations- where to start- and to finish- in making sure you’ve got good Chi?

It’s my intention, in 4 easy steps, to help you create a garden that welcomes new Harmony, Prosperity and success.

How to do this? Simply, by putting in place the cornerstones of what good energy is attracted to in the garden. The basics of good feng shui can be created in 4 simple ways. From this base, feel your way to creating your own garden of personal taste and beauty. You’ll find Universal energy working for you and smoothing your path.

1. The original elements- Wind & Water

Any positive space has recreated the actual meaning of Feng Shui- wind and water. Indoors, this means there’s proper airflow in the home (wind) and there’s movement in every area- even regular dusting of an unused corner ensures that stagnation doesn’t happen. Water in the home means fluidity- that there’s nothing blocking up key movement areas, like things left in doorways.

Outdoors, a Feng Shui garden will be tapping the elements Wind and Water, too. Wind can be tapped literally by hanging a windchime, using a windmill, flying a flag or using a weather-vane. But more importantly, the symbol of Wind present will mean that every area of the garden has a purpose and is busy doing something, or is regularly tended. Water literally means that a fountain, water feature, pond, birdbath, sprinkler system or swimming pool has a place in every garden. And symbolically, there will be a flow to the garden- garden beds and paths curved or rounded, not square, or straight and sharp.

2. The Polar energies- Yin & Yang

Have you ever seen a Yin-Yang symbol? The balance of Yin and Yang underpins Feng Shui principle, and is essential to create an environment that continually attracts good chi.

Yin is the female- the dark, soft, evening energy. Yang is the loud, hard, bright, morning energy. Before we bring in a windchime or a water feature in, Feng Shui reminds us that the balance of the polar energies, Yin and Yang, is paramount.

I want you to think of your own garden, at this time. A balance of Yin and Yang means that you’d have a mixture of small and large plants; hot spots and shady corners, plants that thrive in the harsh climate here and softer ones which you nurture in a different space.

Only once you have your Yin and Yang in order, are you ready to use accessories or bring in new objects to create balance.

3. The Welcome Mat

By a welcome mat, we mean a clean, clutter-free environment. This is as relevant in the garden as it is indoors. We all know what a clean house entails. A clean garden is free of weeds and pests, as you deem them, and is neither too dry nor too wet. Hedges and bushes are neatly trimmed, borders are tidy, there’s no debris hanging around and accessories are neatly organized.

4. Positive Plants

There are three reasons why a plant can be considered good feng shui; you may divide Feng Shui plants, then, into 3 categories.

There are plants that, through symbolism, represent good fortune to the Chinese, whether by word association or image; 2, plants that absorb pollutants and/or electromagnetic radiation, and 3, plants which offer Sheng Chi, or good energy, with soft, round leaves, as opposed to those which create Sha Chi, or poison arrows, with sharp leaves or spikes.

The first category of plants offers good feng shui because of their meaning in Chinese culture. Fish in feng shui are a symbol of abundance because, in Chinese, the word is Yu, which sounds like a similar word for riches. Oranges and tangerines are given as gifts at Chinese new year because the words for these fruits sound like “luck” and “wealth”. So a plant may be considered good feng shui by association. This is the case with the Jade plant. It’s recommended to place a jade plant at every door to your home to invite wealth chi in and encourage it to linger longer. The ancient Chinese believed the jade plant to symbolize emeralds; hence it’s association with wealth to this day.

The second category of plants can be considered good feng shui for a more modern reason. Particular plants have been proven to be especially effective at absorbing pollutants and electro-magnetic radiation in an environment, and because of their abilities to transform negative to positive chi, these plants can be classified as good feng shui. Some of the most effective include:

• Peace lilies- which absorb toxicity and electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
• Date palms- they absorb xylene, which can be omitted by some art supplies and petroleum storage
• Ficus plants- absorb formaldehyde, which all interior surfaces and industrial areas omit; they’re especially good in offices.
• English Ivy- thrives in a spot of high earth radiation and a good absorber of EMR
• Baby’s tears, aka Irish Moss, an excellent de-charger, and you’ll feel your tension dissipate as you hold your hands over it’s soft leaves.

The third category of plants reason for being auspicious takes us back to the underlying principles of feng shui; creating a flow of positive chi. Feng Shui believes that negative energy is created in an environment through the presence of poison arrows- sharp corners, exposed edges and pointed objects. These sharp corners cut into positive chi and create friction. Hence, plants such as Cacti, with their spikes, and sharp-leaved varietals, are not considered good feng shui for the poison arrows they create. Conversely, all plants with soft, rounded leaves are excellent feng shui, such Banana or Rubber plants.

Outside, citrus trees are auspicious because of the fruit they bear. Plants with spiky leaves should be kept well away from doors to the home where they may “cut up” the positive chi that enters. In addition, every home seeking luck should have a bamboo plant- for bamboo

sounds like “prayer” in Chinese. Its flexible stalks also represent good health in old age, making it a welcome symbolic (as well as a low maintenance) gift to somebody elderly.

Not one of these three steps is rocket science; it’s almost obvious that to have a clean environment and healthy plants throughout garden will promote balance.

So, just to recap:

1. Get your yin and yang- dark and light, in balance.
2. Get your Feng- wind, or movement- and Shui- water, or fluidity- present.
3. Make sure your garden is tidy and clutter free, and,
4. Have the above-mentioned auspicious plants working for you.

With these priorities, you will be the proud owner of a garden which relaxes the eye and soothes the soul of all who enter. Now that’s feng shui in action!

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By Samantha Honey, director of Feng Shui By The Sea in the Gulf. Sign up for Feng Shui By The Sea’s free monthly e-newsletter filled with positive life attraction and home style tips! Register here: http://www.fengshuibythesea.com/contact.htm

A growing number of people across the nation are exploring the ancient art of Feng Shui as they design both interior and exterior spaces. This centuries-old practice involves using color, materials and object placement to enhance positive energy, or “Chi,” in homes and offices.

“People are often surprised at how incorporating Feng Shui into their design choices can have a positive impact on their lives,” says Linda Binns, executive director of the Feng Shui Success Institute and a certified Feng Shui practitioner. “By considering how various objects and colors affect the environment, we can direct energy to work for us in supporting our life goals.”

Binns notes that use of color is an important, but often overlooked, consideration in creating a space with plenty of positive energy. “There is a whole science that focuses on how color affects us. Certain colors are stimulating while other colors are calming,” she says. “We also have to bear in mind that the use of colors in one culture may be completely different in another.” For example, white is often a key color at weddings in Western cultures because it is symbolic of purity and new beginnings. However, in China white is associated with death and is worn at funerals. In India, red is the most prevalent wedding color.

Personal preference and cultural norms are important considerations when working with color in Feng Shui. Colors that have any sort of negative connotation for the building’s occupants should be avoided in decorating. However, some general rules do apply when choosing colors for various parts of a home.

There are several ways to think about color in Feng Shui. The first is in terms of color’s connection to the five elements - fire, earth, metal, wood and water. Feng Shui practitioners work to balance the presence of these elements in order to bring a sense of balance to a home, and each element is associated with specific colors. “We instinctively feel most comfortable when all elements are present in a room, often through a combination of using items that are composed of the elements themselves and using the colors that represent them,” Binns says.

The colors associated with each element are: red spectrum for fire; yellow, gold and earth tones for earth; white and pastels for metal; blue and green for wood; and black or very dark tones for water.

Binns advises her clients to make sure they do not overdo any one element in a particular space. For example, bathrooms, by their very nature, contain an abundance of water. Using black or very dark colors adds even more elemental water to the space, which can result in a sense of passive fluidity and lack of structure for the home’s occupants.

Another example is the overuse of wood. Many new homes feature hardwood floors, which create an overabundance of wood when paired with wooden furniture, predominantly blue or green furnishings and lots of plants. Feng Shui practitioners warn that too much wood in a home can cause the occupants to feel overwhelmed. “Creating a good balance with all five of the elements will not only help us to feel better, it can help us to be more successful in life as well,” Binns says.

Another way to use color in Feng Shui is to focus on enhancing specific life areas with the colors that represent those areas. For this, practitioners use a “Bagua,” which is an energy layout of a space that identifies specific areas that correspond to various parts of the occupants’ lives. (See illustration.)

Wealth & Prosperity Colors: purple, green, blue, red Fame & Reputation Red Love & Marriage Pink, white, red
Health & Family Blue, Green Unity Yellow, earth tones Creativity & Children White, pastel colors
Knowledge & Self-Cultivation Blue, green, black Career Black, very dark tones Helpful People & Travel Gray, black, white

ENTRANCE

Although each area of the Bagua corresponds to a complementary color, simply using one or more accents in the appropriate color may be enough to enhance the area and encourage the flow of Chi, Binns says. In fact, the best color choices often combine the personal favorites of the occupants with the colors used in Feng Shui.

When assessing spaces with Feng Shui in mind, it is also important to consider color choices in relation to a room’s primary purpose. For example, adults’ bedrooms are for rest and relaxation. Therefore, the best bedroom colors are calming, muted tones. Green and blue are good choices for children’s bedrooms because these colors encourage growth and development. However, hyperactive children often do better in rooms that use earth tones and muted yellows, which have a grounding effect.

Red is often considered to be the color of choice for a “Feng Shui-friendly” space. But Binns cautions against tossing around too many red throw pillows. “It is true that red is often used in Feng Shui as an ‘activating’ color,” she says. “It is a high energy and very auspicious color and therefore may be recommended. But it’s definitely not always the only option. For instance, you may have heard that it is good to have a red front door. This does not mean that you absolutely must have a red front door in order to create positive energy. Red may not be your favorite color and may not match the rest of the house.”

However, it is not a bad idea to have at least a splash of red by your main entrance. This can be achieved with red flowers, a welcome mat with red accents or a wreath with a red ribbon on the door. “Remember, the most important thing is personal preference when it comes to color - do not use a color that you do not like just because you think it would be ‘good Feng Shui’,” Binns says.
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Linda Binns shows you how to be more successful in all areas of your life by working with your environment. Get FREE Feng Shui Success Secrets. These powerful and practical secrets can help you transform your life. Go to www.fengshuiexplained.com now. Linda Binns is author of Feng Shui for Your Relationships: Changing Your Environment to Create Better Relationships. She has been a Feng Shui Practitioner, Author, Speaker and teacher for over 10 years.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui (pronounced Foong Shway or Fung Shoy) is the ancient Chinese art of luck management, which works by maximising the flow of energy (known as ‘Chi’) in your environment. Every object, inanimate or living, possesses its own energy field and also has an affect on the flow of Chi in your environment.

The orientation and layout of your home, garden or business and its contents can impact your career, personal relationships, health and wealth. Whilst observing the basic rules of Feng Shui can greatly enhance your lifestyle, ignoring its principles can similarly bring misfortune and sorrow.

Feng Shui is a complex art which, when studied in-depth, uses birth dates, colour and numerology when assessing how best to organise your home or office. However, there are simple rules that everyone can observe to help bring harmony into their lives by increasing the flow of positive energy in their environment.

Intuition
I am a firm believer in intuition, which also plays a part in Feng Shui. How often, for example, have you instinctively chosen a house or positioned a piece of furniture just because it ‘felt right’. How often have you sensed an atmosphere of happiness or discontent, simply by walking into a room or judged a person on your initial meeting? In general, first impressions are always right. Even if you go against those feelings, they will eventually prove to be correct. So, the first rule of Feng Shui is:

Always trust your intuitive feelings. Your inner voice is probably the most important tool you possess.

Remove Clutter
Perhaps one of the most important rules of Feng Shui is to remove clutter from your life and that also means negative people who only serve to surround you and your family with negative emotions. Clutter and dirt create stagnant Chi and impede the flow of positive energy. Therefore, the first step is to be ruthless and go through cupboards and drawers and clear out everything that is no longer of use, as well as cleaning everything as you go. Too much furniture in confined spaces can also block the path of beneficial Chi, so minimalism is the key. The actual process of cleaning and clearing can also be very beneficial as you are symbolically removing unwanted elements in your life and creating order out of chaos.

Assessing your Home or Business
There are several different schools of Feng Shui, but here we will concentrate on the compass method.

The Ba Gua
The Ba Gua, an octagonal, nine-sectioned diagram is at the core of Feng Shui. Each section corresponds to a different aspect of life such as Marriage/Relationships, Career and Wealth, the central point containing the Yin and Yang symbol being the centre of your life force, your personal energy. The idea is to draw up a floor plan of your house and place the Ba Gua diagram over the plan, which will indicate which room falls into which sector. Enhancing the flow of positive energy in any sector can improve that particular area of your life.

The Ba Gua is always aligned with the wall containing the front door or main entrance to the premises, with the compass points corresponding to those of the house directions. For example, if your front door faces South West, then you should place the Ba Gua diagram on a plan of your property with the South West sector (the Marriage sector) aligned with the front door.

Obviously, not all properties are a regular shape and some sectors could be missing, which will become evident once you have placed the Ba Gua diagram over the plan of your house. This means that depending on the area to which the missing sector corresponds e.g. marriage, the owner could experience problems in that area of their life. Steps would have to be taken, therefore, to employ one of the Feng Shui cures to help overcome any ill fortune caused by the missing sector.

The Five Elements
Feng Shui is based upon the relationship between the Five Elements; Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. There is a productive and destructive sequence of these elements and it is important to place objects together that are in harmony with each other and in harmony with the sector in which they are placed. For example, it would not be a good idea to have a water element e.g. a sink or fish tank in the Southern sector of your home, which relates to Fire, since water extinguishes fire.

Poison Arrows
Sharp angles in any form are very damaging and are known in Feng Shui circles as ‘Poison Arrows.’ They can appear in all guises such as corners of pillars, furniture, sharp leaved plants, roofs of buildings, church spires and so on. Again, the negative effects of a poison arrow can be neutralised by, for example, strategically placing a soft-leafed plant to conceal the corners of a sharp-angled pillar.

Colours
Again, each sector corresponds to a particular colour and ideally that colour should be followed as closely as possible. However, everyone obviously has their own personal choice and it can be just as damaging to your personal energy to go against your natural choice, just because a Feng Shui practitioner told you to employ a different colour scheme! The alternative would be to place a small ornament in the ‘correct’ colour, which is far less intrusive than painting the entire room in a colour that you dislike.

Feng Shui is all about balance and harmony, equal measures of yin and yang, and each colour has yin (calming) or yang (stimulating) properties. Red, for example, is a yang colour whilst blue is a yin colour, so again, it is a question of finding that balance whilst keeping in line with your personal taste.

Feng Shui ‘Cures’
For every Feng Shui ‘problem’ there is generally a Feng Shui ‘cure’. These include:

Wind Chimes, Crystals and Bells: These attract and invigorate ‘Chi’ and help to dispel negative energy

Plants and Flowers: Preferably round-leaved, since spiky leaves and plants e.g. cacti, Yucca Palms, can create a ‘spiky’ atmosphere. Remove dead flowers or plants and avoid dried flowers as these emanate negative energy. However silk or plastic flowers are fine

Mirrors: Mirrors have the effect of ‘doubling’ up whatever it is they are reflecting. Therefore, care has to be taken when placing them. You should never, for example, place a mirror so that it reflects a toilet. On the other hand, placing a mirror opposite a cash till symbolically doubles up the money! Mirrors should also not reflect your bed, particularly if you might see your reflection upon waking. This can lead to sleeping difficulties and also symbolically doubles up the number of people, which can signify infidelity

Water Features: A fish tank or fountain in the Water (North) or Wood (East & South East) sectors of a property are superb good fortune enhancers

Tips
Two of Everything: Keep objects such as ornaments of animals in pairs, particularly if you wish to enhance relationship success. Single items, especially photos of yourself on your own, could signify loneliness

Position of Bed: When you are lying in bed, your feet should not directly face the door, since this is known as the ‘coffin’ position and is very inauspicious

Regular Shapes: Regular shapes such as squares, circles and rectangles are preferable to irregular shapes such as triangles. This rule applies also when designing a company logo

T-Junctions and Straight Roads: Try and avoid purchasing a house or business premises that lie opposite a T-junction or at the end of a long straight road. If this is not possible, try blocking the negative energy by planting a row of trees, building a wall or some placing some other barrier between the end of the road and your property

Fireplaces: The best position for a fireplace is along the south wall of your home. The East, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest are also good locations. The worst position for a fireplace is in the northwest and in this case, it would be best to close it up or re-position it.
Family Pictures: Place happy family portraits on the Southwest wall. Alternatively, they can be placed in South, Southeast or Northwest

Cramped Areas: Any area of your home that is cramped or narrow, such as long, tight corridors or rarely used corners, should be well lit and preferably painted white to prevent ‘Chi’ from becoming stagnant and potentially causing harm

Sitting: In the office, always sit with the wall behind you if you seek co-operation and support of colleagues. Sitting with your back to people or a door can signify ‘back stabbing’, betrayal and lack of support.

Lucky & Unlucky Numbers: The most auspicious numbers are 8 (becoming rich) and 9 (longevity). Other lucky numbers are 2 (easy), 5 (in harmony, 6 (wealth) and 10 (certainty). These numbers can be used in combination with one another to create a positive meaning. For example, the number 26 would mean ‘easy wealth’. The numbers 1 and 3 are neutral and the only number that is considered to be unlucky is 4 (death).

Seeking Advice
If you are not sure that the changes you are making are correct, then you would be well advised to seek the guidance of a professional Feng Shui practitioner. In theory, anyone can call himself a Feng Shui expert, so it is important to contact a reputable organisation such as the Feng Shui Society (in the UK) who can direct you to a genuine, fully qualified practitioner.

Excellent Reading
Lillian Too’s Complete Guide to Feng Shui
Sacred Space by Denise Linn (Enhancing the energy of your home and office with Feng Shui)

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Jan Andersen E-Mail: anneliese928@yahoo.co.uk

Master Lin Yun, founder of Black Hat Tibetan Feng Shui, has
stated that making Feng Shui enhancements without
intention, is only 10% effective. However, add intention
and you’ll get a 120% improvement!

If you listen to successful people talk about what makes
them successful, one of the elements is being clear about
what they want. And it’s not just a vague idea, like to be
happy, or to be wealthy. Their goals are SMART goals, they
are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and
Timely. So, what’s the outcome you are going for? How
will you know when you reach it?

Everything around you affects you. Whether it’s a pile
of clutter, a relationship that is dragging you down, or a
broken doorbell - everything is part of what you are
creating, whether you are conscious of it or not.

Learning about Feng Shui will give you a heightened
awareness of how you interrelate with everything in your
environment. That’s quite a responsibility. So, the
question becomes - do you want to go through your life
hoping things work out, or do you want to design a
fulfilling and passionate life for yourself? Do you want
to be the cause or the effect?

Applying Feng Shui with intention will set your life on an
altered course. You’re making a commitment - it’s
powerful. I’ve seen clients begin Coaching, or Feng Shui,
feeling stuck in an aspect of their lives, and within one
week had several options magically open up to them. They
unleashed a series of opportunities and opened up a pipeline
to possibility. It’s also about focus. What you focus on
expands, and when you move from focusing on feeling stuck,
to a wider view of focusing on outcomes, the Universe steps
in to support you.

And why not go for some BHAGs? they are Big, Hairy,
Audacious Goals. Live your life as a daring adventure.
You have the opportunity to create whatever you choose for
Your life, so think big!

The clearer you are about what you’re choosing to create,
the greater the chance of having what you want, and the
more effective the Feng Shui. Clearing clutter, or placing
enhancements with intention is extremely powerful. It’s
the difference between making a 10% improvement or making a
120% improvement.

Maximizing the Power of Your Enhancements

Use these tools to create an environment of success that
will support powerful outcomes for yourself. Make your
self a priority and design the life of your dreams.

1. Get clear and very specific about your desired outcome,
and write this down.

2. Remove the clutter and clean the area.

3. Choose an enhancement - something that represents the
change you would like to create, and place it in the
appropriate area of your home or room.

For a visual representation of the Bagua Map and how to
find where different aspects of your life are represented
in your home go to:
http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/BaguaMap.html

4. Visualize or imagine your outcome as if it’s already
happened - how does it feel?

5. Speak your desired outcome out loud, in the present
tense. Always add, ‘this or something better, for the
Highest Good now occurs’. An example is: “I now have 2 new
clients who are a perfect fit for me. This or something
better, for the Highest Good now occurs”.

6. Start taking action towards your outcome.

Sometimes your Higher Power, sees a much bigger picture
than you do, so don’t place any limitations on what you
might receive.

Feng Shui will move you towards the next step in designing
your life.

© 2003, Vicky White. All rights reserved. May be
duplicated with attribution and copyright notice intact.
http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/

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Vicky White is the go-to-gal when it comes to Feng Shui and the Law of Attraction. With her expertise and gentle nature, she helps women feel empowered and clear about what they’re doing in their lives - even during difficult transition periods. Get her free report, “The 5 Biggest Attraction Mistakes: and How You Can Avoid them” and see what manifests in your life! http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/freestuff/newsletter.html