Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A Feng Shui Primer By A Non-Expert

When I had posted about doing some Feng Shui in my house, my friend Sandy asked me to write a blog post about what I had done and why. I said I would, but I have to put a big disclaimer that I am NOT a trained Feng Shui consultant and don't pretend to be. But like actors who play doctors on TV, I'm a journalist who has written a few articles about Feng Shui and due to that have had a few experts come through my house, so I've got a little knowledge.

I'll back up for a minute and explain that Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art, or according to Wikipedia:

"A system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi - pronounced "chi")), and whose effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings."

There are several schools of Feng Shui - the Compass School which governs by direction, and the Black Hat Sect, the one I've used are two. Being math-averse, I like the simpler Back Hat system that uses the above Bagua.

As you can see there are different areas, a grid if you will, based on the bottom being your entrance at your front door. So, money and prosperity are in the far left corner, relationships are the far right, and so on.

What I've been doing in my home is a lot of decluttering, cleaning up and setting intentions. A big part of Feng Shui is your attitude.

Being in the process of trying to get a book published, one of the things I've been focusing on is clearing clutter in and around my office space. I hadn't even thought about the piles of books, newspaper clippings from my articles and other various sundry of junk possibly blocking energy!

The goal of Feng Shui is to free the flow of energy (chi) so you can live more comfortably and attract positive things like success, love and prosperity.

It makes sense that having piles of stuff in your house would make you tired and drag you down. That's just a fact. Having clutter-free clear spaces makes you feel better, and if you believe, will allow energy to flow more freely and support you in achieving your goals.

Here are some brief tips. For more information I love the book, "Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life." by Karen Rauch Carter. I've interviewed her and she has given me tips for my own house. Check out her site and book. She's also on Facebook.

1. Clutter - get rid of it. See where it's blocking energy from flowing.
2. Keep your bedroom a bedroom. Treadmills, elliptical machines and their ilk shouldn't be in your bedroom.
3. Get rid of clutter around your bed for more restful sleep.
4. Dead or dying plants and dried flowers have dead energy. Get rid of them.
5. Look at the Bagua for tips on colors. My prosperity area in my house is my dining room which I painted red - a power color.
6. Crystals can do a lot to stimulate energy. I have them hanging in various areas of my house, And they look pretty!
7.As your house has its sections on the Bagua, so does each room. So you can beef up areas individually in each room. Maybe the relationship area of your bedroom could use a little oomph!
8. One expert told me, when decluttering think in terms of keeping "Things that you love, and things that you need."
9. Bring life into your home with plants and real flowers.
10. Be aware of the entrance to your house. Keep it clean, decluttered and attractive.

These are just a few thoughts. So much of Feng Shui is intention, so as you do these things half the battle is thinking positively and setting goals for what you want as you do it. You're a lot more likely to attract what you want if you are clear and focused on it.

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