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Fall Into Autumn with Feng Shui
Ah, the fall, how I love thee. With the change of the season comes a definite shift in energy. It’s a shift we can feel, see, smell, and touch, and it’s amazing. In Autumn, our yang energy quiets down and our chi is now yin in nature. This makes it a perfect time to reflect, gather our energy, and slow it down.
Surprisingly, the element of metal governs the season of Autumn. Fall’s energy cold and contracting energy drives communication, creativity, inspiration, and symbols. Since the goal in Feng Shui is to bring our interior space into balance with the natural world around us, it’s important to balance the metal element in people this season. Metal is powerful. When we complete balanced projects on time, we feel a sense of ethics and justice and attract benefactors around us. Sound good?
Read on to find out how to harness the power of the metal element, release what no longer serves, and be open to new experiences this fall season.
A Cornucopia of Color
When thinking about fall, most people associate it with the vibrant colors seen in the falling leaves. The beauty of this season is unlike any other, so bringing those colors into your home decor can inspire you.
- Red: In Feng Shui, people see this color as abundant and healthy. It attracts attention, as well as new opportunities, making it a great choice for front-door-decor.
- Orange: This is a social color, and can help vamp up the conversations at your fall family gatherings.
- Yellow and Brown: People consider these earthy colors to bring grounding and comforting energy to your home.
- Silver, Gray and Black: These colors represent the element of the season, metal, which stimulates mental strength and intelligence.
Which colors speak to you? Tie in touches of the colors that you love to help with your fall Feng Shui.
Celebrate the Harvest
Add oval decorations to your home to translate the metal element, which stimulates mental strength. You guys, this is good news! Do you realize what fruit is widely used in the fall season? Pumpkins!! Pumpkins are oval in shape! They not only add a fall ambience to our decor, but they’re also lucky charms in Feng Shui. These orange, oval gems attract material goods and wealth. But, that’s not all, folks! Pumpkins are also seen as protection against negative energy, so putting a few outside your front door is a refreshingly crisp idea!
Apples are another great fall fruit that symbolize peace. Adding a bowl of red apples to your table this season also symbolizes your table never being empty, meaning you’ll have an abundance of energizing food all season long. Whether it’s pumpkins or apples, gourds, pine cones or acorns, they all represent good health and a long life. So, incorporate what you love into your home decor.
The Eyes of Your Home
Your windows are the eyes of your home in Feng Shui, and they warrant their own section in this week’s blog. Windows help regulate incoming and outgoing energy in our homes. Since the weather is cooling down, it’s important to keep this energy flow balanced. We want the keep the warm and happy energy in while also keeping the chi of the cool breeze flowing throughout the home. Avoid keeping your home closed up and stuffy this season by opening a window or two a couple of times a day to freshen the air with a cool breeze. On cold nights, keeping the windows closed will help guarantee keeping that cozy, warm air in.
Another important job of windows in Feng Shui is helping to bring in natural light. Light in Feng Shui represents the fire element which provides us with the strongest manifestation of energy. It has a dominant influence on the quality of chi in any home. You can read more about it in my blog titled, “Bright Light in Feng Shui.” Make sure you let the bright natural light into your home during the day. Since it’s getting dark early, make adjustments to bring more light into the interior of your home for dark, early nights. Switch to full spectrum light bulbs that mimic natural daylight, especially with winter coming.
Next Steps
Welcome Autumn! Bring on the changing of the leaves, the brisk days and cold nights, the cozy clothes, the wonderful taste of warm stews, soups, and of course hot chocolate on a cold evening. Bring on the seasonal gatherings with family and friends to celebrate and give thanks for the health and abundance in our life. Wishing you all a wonderful Feng Shui’d fall!!
If you need guidance on how to improve your space and your life, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
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Putting Yourself First with Feng Shui
The kiddos are heading back to school soon (happy dance!), which means a change in weather and in daily routine. If you’re like me, you spend the majority of your time making sure everyone else is fed, has what they need, and are relatively happy. But when is the last time you put yourself first? If you can’t remember the last time you did something you enjoyed before becoming a mom, it’s time to make adjustments.
Breathe!
Just as they tell you when boarding an airplane, before putting the oxygen mask on someone else put it on yourself first. Putting yourself and your needs first may seem impossible right now, but by making it a part of your daily routine and adjusting your schedule to make sure you have a healthy balance in the mind and body is critical and will benefit you and your entire family.
What is Feng Shui?
So how does putting yourself first come into play when talking about Feng Shui? Feng Shui is more than just how you arrange items in your home. You can apply it to many different aspects of your life. You can also apply it to keeping yourself fresh and energized.
If you spend your time anxious and stressed, you’ll be feeding that energy into your surroundings and the people around you. It is necessary to care for ourselves before we can care for others.
Find Your Happy Place
The good news is that there are so many little things you can do to take care of you. Are you a list maker? First, sit in a place you love with your favorite beverage, and look around you. If it’s a quiet place, even better. After having the kiddos home all summer, the quiet is like music to your ears.
Take the time to breathe, and try to let go of that stress that’s been weighing you down. Think about the things you enjoy doing the most, that keep you both healthy and happy, and write them down. Once they are written down, it’s a lot easier to think about how you can fit a few of them into your weekly routine.
Decrease Your Stress
Having a healthy balance of mind and spirit is a great way to put more pep in your step. So adding things like eating food that is good for your body, maintaining a healthy space, taking time to exercise, and getting enough sleep are all important. Meditation, tai chi, and yoga are great relaxation techniques, or kick boxing and doing a bit of one or all of these each day will help you manage stress levels so you can maintain inner peace. I can feel my stress levels depleting already!
As your stress levels decrease, you can start to look around you with a greater appreciation of life’s basic pleasures and replace that with the “must have” items people seem to crave. You’ll find yourself doing things because you love them and not just for money or achievement. How rewarding that is!
Remember to do the things that make you feel pampered, as well! If you enjoy going to get a manicure and pedicure, or getting a massage, add it to your list. A great way to keep the energy flowing and help you feel great is to freshen up your image and look. Think about how good you feel after getting your hair done or when wearing that new outfit or even a new lipstick. Looking better will help you feel better and give you more energized confidence.
Improve Your Environment
While home, look around you and YOUR bedroom. Everything in your environment affects your energy — positively or negatively. So, surround yourself with things you love, that inspire you, that are associated with happy memories, or just things that make you feel good. The items you surround yourself with should express who you are and be beautiful. Let go of things that you don’t need, don’t use, are broken, or you don’t feel good about. Once they leave, so will the negative energy associated with them.
Check out these benefits you’ll experience when putting yourself first:
- Better health, making you feel more rested, more revitalized and more inspired!
- Extra energy, which means your to-do list is actually getting done, like today!
- Additional harmony in your mind and body
- More fun! When putting yourself first, you might find that it seems like you have more time in the day to really enjoy the abundance you have worked so hard to create.
Next Steps
Are you ready, excited even, to make your list and start doing the things YOU love to do? I’m excited for you! You’ve already mastered taking care of everyone else, it’s time to take care of yourself, too.
Do things because they make you feel good, inspired, inside and out, but not always for achievement or money. You’ll be able to better care for everyone else, and be happy to do it, if you care for yourself first. What is one thing from your list that you can do today? Your mind, body, and family will thank you for it! Cheers to a healthier and happier you!
If you need guidance on how to improve your space and your life, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
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Feng Shui for Teachers: Transform Your Classroom for Better Learning
Go back to school with Feng Shui!
Are you a teacher or room parent getting ready to go back to school? Interested in using Feng Shui to prepare your classroom for the fast approaching school year? Keeping Feng Shui principles in mind while preparing for the new school year can help set your classroom up for positive, supportive energy flow that will help guarantee success. Read on to find out more.
Stressful Situation
Each day, school becomes the home-away-from-home for teachers and their students. Oftentimes though, students feel a great amount of stress at school from peer pressure, the amount of homework, and from the amount of work being dished out.
Teachers feel pressure with the amount of work they have as well as from playing so many different roles for the students each day. Being stressed like this is the number one killer of productivity. Here are some Feng Shui tips to help you ease the stress and go with the flow (the positive energy flow, that is) to help achievement levels in your classroom.
Classroom Arrangement
The way you arrange your desk, and those of your students, can actually aid in learning and promote success. First, place the teacher’s desk facing the door with the back to the solid wall at the farthest point away from the door as possible. This is the commanding power position which means you don’t need eyes in the back of your head. You have the best view and the most control over your classroom here.
Now how should you arrange student’s desks? So many students, so little time. Desk arrangement here can make all the difference for student learning and your sanity! It’s a good idea to keep all the desks facing in one direction. Just as in a home study area or office, facing the desks towards the door but keeping away from the straight line of the door can help keep the students from feeling vulnerable. Let’s hope that’s in the same direction as the white/smart board. If possible, it’s also a great idea to keep the student’s desks in the natural lighting from the windows. More on this coming up.
If you have bookshelves in your classroom, consider placing them in the near left corner of the room when looking through the door to enter. Having books in the Knowledge Corner here will help promote critical thinking and learning.
Just Say No to Clutter
I understand that classrooms are very limited in space. When you unpack your boxes, get rid of anything that won’t be used. If it isn’t useful, just get rid of it. Remember that piles of clutter, which include papers, workbooks, art supplies, etc., can make students start to feel overwhelmed. Clutter, in fact, is one of the most stressful and harmful aspects of a classroom. The good flow of energy in the room goes along with student learning successfully.
Just to be clear, stuffing the cupboards in the room just to hide the clutter away isn’t the answer either. Just because you hide it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Hidden clutter can cause stress when trying to find something you need right away. Inquire with school janitorial staff and/or administration to see if there are other storage options available. When it comes to the classroom, being a minimalist is a surefire path to success.
Classroom Enhancements
As I have mentioned earlier, replacing fluorescent lights with natural sun light from the windows can aid in student learning. Fluorescent lights give a claustrophobic, closed feeling, so planning activities in natural lighting, even if it means going on outdoor excursions to teach and learn, can make all the difference. If you don’t have large windows or can’t venture outside due to inclement weather, have your classroom walls painted in natural hues or put up a photograph or painting of an outdoor scene and bring in a few live plants to help the students feel connected to nature.
In Feng Shui, it is best to have a water feature in a learning place. Whether it comes from a small fish bowl, water garden, or a table-top waterfall, water symbolizes serenity and the flow of knowledge.
Providing soothing music for the students will help increase their concentration. Music also has the power to heal the mind, body, and soul. While doing independent work, why not provide the ideal classroom environment by playing the soothing, rhythmic sounds of classical music in the background?
Use Aromatherapy
Did you know that aromatherapy through the use of essential oils in the classroom can improve students’ focus, comfort and concentration? Diffusing 100% pure essential oils can even help support every system in the human body! Lavender and chamomile can help ease nerves before students make presentations to the class. Try citrus oils for a boost if students come back from lunch or recess looking hot and worn out. Diffusing essential oils such as peppermint and rosemary can help students stay focused so they retain the material. Purification essential oils can be helpful for when those kiddos come back from gym class smelling less than fresh.
Next Steps
The beginning of a new school year brings with it a nervous energy we all can relate to. Now is the time to start preparing yourself (and your students) for a successful year ahead. After incorporating all of these Feng Shui suggestions, don’t be surprised if your students never want to leave at the end of class.
If you need guidance on how to improve your space and your life, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know a teacher or parent that wants to start the school year right? Share this post with them on Facebook!
Notes: Don’t use certain essential oils around small children, certain pets, and anyone with allergies. I’m careful to link to products that I use myself and recommend to my clients, when those products are necessary. I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links, which enables me to produce and publish free content for you to learn from.
Summer Ready: Feng Shui Secrets to Transform Your Living Space
You know that feeling you get at the very beginning of summer? It’s an excited-to-get-out-and-socialize type of feeling that comes when the heat of summer begins. Our kiddos get it ten-fold.
Summertime, Feng Shui Style!
There’s a reason for that passion you and your children are feeling. That bright, hot sunshine is associated with the active and hot yang energy.
The tricky part is that too much of this “fire” can have the opposite effect on how we feel. It could make us feel tired, listless, and just burned out.
To keep this from happening, we need to find a way to balance out the yin, which is cooler and quieter energy, with the yang. Read on to find ideas on finding this balance at home, with kiddos, or in the office.
Balance for the Home
- Does this heat have you constantly using your ceiling fans to cool off? While these work for cooling things off a bit, they also create a cutting force bearing down on you. To help lessen this force, hang a crystal from the pull string of the ceiling fans in your home. This prism will help split light and send it radiating in many directions creating positive energy.
- When thinking of summer we often think of barbecues and microwave ovens to save from turning on the hot stove in our home. In Feng Shui, an unused stove often has the meaning of ignored opportunities or untapped resources. Doesn’t that just make you want to turn on your oven and cook a pizza?! Me too!
- If you have a lot of bright, primary colors in your home decor, cool it down with some lighter colors to help balance it out. Think light blues or pale greens.
- If you’re deserting your home to go on vacation, be sure to set timers to turn on lights around your space. This will help add yang energy to what could be passive yin energy that might bring negativity in.
Balance for the Kids
- I have three words for you: DO NOT OVERSCHEDULE! While you may think that exposing your kiddos to many different activities/sports in the summer is giving them wonderful opportunities, children need downtime to play at home or to just be quiet. An overscheduled child could, some day, result in an anxious and stressed adult.
- Just like us, our children need space. By cleaning out the clutter from their rooms you are helping them to find their center, allowing them to breathe.
- When decorating, consider sticking with pastel or soft blues and/or greens. These colors help create internal health and healing while also bringing a quiet sense of calm to children. If your child’s room is painted in a bright primary color and they can’t seem to sleep at night, it might be because the color of their room is too stimulating. Cool it down and help their psyche calm down, so you can all get a good night of sleep.
- Our summer schedules are oftentimes crazy busy, which means nothing happens when or how it normally does during the school year. Our children need, and often thrive on, routine. Mealtimes, as well as bath and bed times, should be at the same time every night. Keeping it consistent will help your child know what to expect which in turn can help bring calm to your day.
- Did you know that lavender essential oil is not only calming but is also anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and will help build your children’s immune system?! Get your hands on some of that goodness from mother nature stat, and diffuse or put it in the bath. You’ll be thankful you did!
Next Steps
While we are thankful for the adventures of summer that the yang energy can provide, it’ll be nice to cool things off and balance things out in the fall too. Summer is quickly approaching its end. Why not take the rest of the summer to just be together as a family? Enjoy every moment by keeping things low-key, and follow these simple Feng Shui tips to get the most out of your remaining summer adventures.
If you need guidance on how to improve your space and your life, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!
Notes: Some essential oils should not be used around small children, certain pets, and anyone with allergies. I’m careful to link to products that I use myself and recommend to my clients, when those products are necessary. I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links, which enables me to produce and publish free content for you to learn from.
Feng Shui Lighting Secrets: Boost Energy In Your Home
Correcting Overhead Lighting for Better Feng Shui
In Feng Shui, lighting represents the fire element and is the strongest manifestation of energy. It’s dominant influence on the quality of the Chi in your home means that it can help bring balance and harmony to every space you spend the most time in.
The light element needs to be harnessed in certain ways to make the most of its potential. Let us shine some light on this topic for you. Read on.
Identify the Problem
Balance is required for optimal Feng Shui. But, inadequate, poor, or harsh lighting can affect your mood, the way you feel, and your overall well-being. This is a problem. Before you can solve the problem, however, you need to be able to identify what the problem is.
A classic case of bad Feng Shui comes from homes that have a single overhead light as the only available light source in a room. This is the case for many homes and work spaces. Unfortunately, this is a huge no-no since this type of lighting makes it impossible to relax.
With the following lighting tips in your Feng Shui tool box you’ll be able to correct any lighting faux pas that come your way.
Optimizing General Lighting
If your home has rooms with that single overhead light we spoke about above, do not despair. You have options. Either remove them altogether or simply put them on a dimmer switch. This can help give you some much-needed flexibility. Try and create an overall glow to each room.
A torchiere or torchère is one type of light that can help you do this. They are large lights that bounce light off the ceiling which helps fill up the room. You can help adjust the mood by putting these on dimmer switches as well.
It’s also a good idea, crucial even, to consider how you use the space in each individual room. Use warm-toned lights (around 2700k color temperature) in restful places and cool-toned lights (around 5000k color temperature) in more active spaces. Doing this can help bring balanced and harmonious Chi to your space.
Natural & Ambient Lighting
Since ambient lighting sets the mood for any space, it plays an important role in the life or Chi of the home. It is a natural light that seems to come from all directions and encompasses an entire room.
Types of ambient light include natural light, accent lighting, or even candle lighting. It is light that supports relaxation and conversation and makes it easy to move about the space.
During the day, create ambient lighting by opening those curtains, blinds, or shades and letting the sun shine in. The greatest source of light energy comes from the sun. Sunlight brings an abundance of beauty and positive energy into any space.
If natural light isn’t available, full-spectrum lighting can be used here. Try placing table lamps around the room to create a triangle of light. Having three lamps balanced throughout the space can bring balanced Chi to the room.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is essentially concentrated lighting to help perform certain job(s). It’s lighting for a specific purpose like reading, working, or studying. Many times, task lighting are smaller lights placed in the vicinity of the couch, bed, or desk.
Perfect examples of rooms that need brighter lights are a kitchen or office/hobby room/art studio. Think cooler-toned lights, at around a 5000k color temperature, in these spaces since so much activity occurs here. These will help you balance the Chi and get the job done.
Next Steps
From today on, always think of lighting as an essential Chi adjustment to your space. Use different types of lighting to help serve the purpose and adjust the mood of any given area. When in doubt, using ambient lighting can always help you achieve better Feng Shui.
If you need guidance choosing the correct lighting for your space, I’m always available to help. Learn more on my website today and book a consultation. Better Feng Shui can help you in profound ways on life’s journey.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!
Feng Shui and Home Maintenance: Boost Energy in Your Living Space
Feng Shui teaches us how to balance the energy of our surroundings to positively influence every aspect of our lives. No surprise then that the place we call home is at the top of our Feng Shui checklist.
To-Do Outdoors
Let’s break it down like this, from the outside in. On your way back in from taking your dog for his nightly stroll, pay attention to the walkway leading up to your front door and the surrounding landscaping.
- Keeping your walkway clear and free from damage can greatly improve the chance that new opportunities will come into your life. What kind of shape is your mailbox in? How about light fixtures, doors, and porches? It’s the little things that most people don’t think of or care about that can make the difference financially as well as in your health and vitality.
- Take a good look at your landscaping while you’re at it. Severe financial hardship can result from letting your grass grow too long, or by keeping dead plants or weeds around. Keep your front and back lawns well maintained by keeping the grass short, removing dead plants and leaves, and planting colorful flowers.
- One other aspect that could make a huge difference is water. First off, make sure there are no leaky hoses or sprinklers around your home. Do not over or under water your landscaping as this can cause emotional and financial troubles. Consider adding a water feature to your landscape design, such as a water fountain. Water is a sign of abundance and represents life energy or chi, so treating it with the care it deserves should never be underestimated.
To-Do Indoors
When it comes to Feng Shui, the cleaner your home is, the better. A clean house results in better energy and a stronger life force. So… clean! Clean like you’ve never cleaned before, from top to bottom.
- When it comes to what you have in your home, less is more. Keep only the things you love and use often, and get rid of the clutter. Make room for good things to come, including prosperity. Keep the money flowing in by getting the clutter out.
- Clean and/or replace any walls or doors that are dirty or damaged. If they aren’t attended to, you could feel hopeless and miss opportunities. Doors are where your chi enters the home; so make sure they are well maintained, and keep the walkways clear to keep that positive energy a flowing!
- The windows in your home are considered it’s eyes. They’re how we take info in, so clarity is key here. If you’re having trouble focusing or making decisions, try cleaning your windows.
- Air quality in your home is super important! Studies show it can be more toxic to breathe inside than the air outside. Yikes, right? Use certain indoor plants can help purify the air you breathe. Some great air-purifying plants: Aloe Vera, spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), gerbera daisy, snake plant, English ivy, and Chrysanthemums. Thanks, Mother Nature! Just make sure to keep those plants out of the bedrooms.
- Here’s another nature element found inside your home: water. Time to fix that leaking pipe or faucet, and keep your water, and life force, flowing.
- Light is powerful in Feng Shui, and it needs to be addressed in your home maintenance checklist. If you want the ability to see life clearly and lift your financial energy, then it’s important to clean light fixtures, replace burned out bulbs, and keep lights bright (no dim bulbs).
Next Steps
Taking care of your home, inside and out, as things are needed or come up will greatly improve how you feel and the energy balance of your abode which can only bring great things into your life. Keeping your home both clean and well-maintained just might be what you need to bring happiness and prosperity into your life. Seem overwhelming? Let me help. Schedule an in-home consultation with me, and I’ll gladly guide you through the process!
As you’re maintaining your home, you’re taking beneficial steps to allow the flow of positive Feng Shui energy called Chi to flow through your home. Make sure you are attracting it into your home and that the flow is optimal by following some steps on my website.
If you are interested in improving your life through Feng Shui, I can help.
I am a 3rd generation Feng Shui expert and have helped thousands of people add harmony and balance to their homes and offices without making it look like a Chinese restaurant exploded.
I can help you attract the life that you deserve with Feng Shui. Contact me today!
Know of someone about to go on a trip? Share this post with them on Facebook!
