The Examiner

I have been focusing on writing for the examiner, so for more Feng Shui themed ideas, and a new mix of DIY articles, check out my column here.  Enjoy!

Office Feng Shui Tips

Hello everyone!  Here is an article from my archives that give easy tips to make your office divine!

For some fun and easy tips, check out  my Bay Area Business Woman article here.

Relationships and the Bathroom

The location of the bathroom is a hot topic in Feng Shui, and if you find your bathroom in your relationship corner the following ideas are ways that you can help keep the Chi fresh and healthy.  To locate the relationship area of your home, refer to the previous post entitled The Bagua.

• Bathrooms have a very strong downward pull (due to the drains.)  The classic Feng Shui way to deal with this is to keep the toilet seat down and to cover the drains!  This is a simple yet powerful way to help the energy in the room.
• Bring in plants, pictures of plants, or place fresh flowers on the toilet tank.  These all have an upward feeling that help to pull energy up.
• If you are getting a new shower curtain, pick one that has plant like designs.  This also has upward movement.
• Look for any broken items – broken toilets, dripping drains, chipped tiles, or anything that is not working fully.  Replace these right away!  Anything that is not in full working order calls in partners that are not in full working order.
• If possible, make the environment feel as spa-like as possible.   Create a space that feel stress-free by using colors you enjoy, delicious soaps, and bring in bamboo accents such as wastebaskets and shelves.
• Have good, flattering lighting.  The relationship area of the house starts with our relationship to ourselves.  If you find your own reflection unflattering, it will be harder to attract someone from a positive space.
• Decorate using pairs of objects.  You can have two candle, matching hand towels, two toothbrush holders, or two of anything.  The idea is to bring your items into relationship with each other.
• Good colors for a bathroom in the relationship area are purples, blues, green and dashes of reds for romance.  Stay away from using white and dark colors.

Overall, the bathroom has to go somewhere in everyone’s house.  We are all dealing with it, so dont worry too much about it.  Just make sure it is a place that you really enjoy, keep it nice and clean, and enhance it using the ideas above that resonate with you.  Enjoy!

Gifts and Feng Shui

The holiday season is in full swing, and it comes with so many attributes:  the smells, the people, the food, and the gifts. These are all very positive Feng Shui attributes – good smells, warmth, joy, a home full of people we love, and so on.  There are many natural changes that come with the season, it really is a wonderful time to take a Feng Shui look at our lives and see what is working for us, and what is a part of our past.

Gift giving is a huge part of this time of year.  As you inevitably receive new items, be true to yourself about what you really want to keep.  Have you received a gift that you really don’t want?  Karen Kingston has great advice for those of us who feel we have to keep it, especially for those of us who feel we have to keep things to show that we love the people that it came from.  Kingston suggest something very simple:  to get rid of it.  She goes on to explain in a beautiful way that the beauty of giving is in the giving,  and once we give something, we need to honor whatever that person would like to do with it.  Maybe they love it, and maybe they want to put it right in the trash.  Honor whatever choice they make, and let go of any expectation you may have of how you want them to act.  This opens up a lot of space for both of you!  By practicing this when giving, it starts to bring a new dimension to receiving as well.  When practicing giving with no strings attached, it starts to become easier to receive in the same manner.  It makes getting those funny gifts from relatives much easier to handle!

Another part of this season that affects the Feng Shui of a home is the sheer amount of consuming associated with it.  There is the food, the decor, the gifts…  our houses are filled to the brim!  This is a great time to see what is really working in your life.  A great Feng Shui and Clutter rule is to not let anything come into the house without letting something else go.  Notice what really lifts your spirits in your home, and notice what does not.  Our houses are only so big, so be sure there is plenty of space for those items that you cherish.  So for every new toy, look to see if you still enjoy the items you received last year.  If not, there are so many ways to give to the community, and there is someone out there that would be happy to receive what you no longer need!

So simplify your holiday season this year enjoying what comes into your life, and if your don’t love it, don’t hesitate to let it go!  Wishing you a warm and wonderful holiday!

Wealth and Prosperity in Feng Shui

Money!  It seems like all that anyone is talking about these days, so why not take a look at this powerful energy through Feng Shui eyes? I have yet to have a client that is not interested in bringing more energy to this space, so I have seen some great changes for them, and have had fun experimenting with my own financial flow in the money space.  To locate the Wealth and Prosperity Gua in the home, refer to the previous post called “The Bagua.”

Look to enhance this area if you are:

• Looking to bring in more money!
• Looking to start a savings
• Saving for an event or raising money
• Looking to increase prosperity in all areas of life

When working with this area, it is very powerful to start to shift from thinking of money as the only form of wealth, and starting to look at all of the ways that wealth shows up in our lives.  This is the best place to begin.  When we can see all that we have already, we start to shift our attention from lack to abundance.  This fits well with a Feng Shui saying that states, “Chi flows where the attention goes.”

Now, what is happening in your wealth corner?  The first place to always start with any Feng Shui cure is looking at clutter.  Clutter in the wealth area can block cash flow and cause stagnation.  Look for anything that you do not use or do not like.

Now that your space is squeaky clean and ready for the next stage, what can we do to help call in lots of abundant Chi? First, a personal story about my money space.  I have been practicing Feng Shui for 6 years and I have read stories from books and heard from clients and friends about getting checks in the mail after working on this area.  I have enhanced this space so many times, but had yet to ever receive money in a physical form.  Something clicked recently, and I realized that I had been approaching this area with deep gravity, with an attitude that it was very important and must be taken seriously.  Now it is an important place, but I can see now that I was intimidated by putting the wrong thing here.  In other areas, I would play and try new things, and my results would be fun and abundant.  When I got clear about my fear, I decided to have fun.  I hung a shelf, put my favorite crystals on it, hung some items that reminded me of people that I had in my life (abundance in the human compassion form), lit some candles and now I look at this space and feel very wealthy in my life.  I also hung faceted crystals in all of the money corners in the home, which all happen to have a windows, so the sun shines on them at different times.  I really enjoyed the creativity that it took to turn this space around.

A few days later, I got a letter in the mail from an employer that I had left over a year ago.  It turns out that I had over $1000 in a 401K through them.  I had no idea, and was surprised at the timing!  I had finally gotten my mystery Feng Shui check in the mail!  At first I did not make the connection, but when my partner got $1300 in the mail unexpectedly that day, I put it all together.  It was wonderful to enjoy changing the Chi flow in this area.

Try these tips to bring in more abundance to your life!

• Fountains or pictures of flowing water represent a steady and abundant flow of money coming into our lives.
• Wind chimes call energy to this area and help to symbolically catch opportunities as they blow past
• Keep your piggy bank here (or some sort of fun place to store wealth)
• Bring valuables to this area, such as a prized sculpture or art piece.  The fact that it cost a lot of money can bring abundance to our awareness
• Art that shows desired possessions that you would like in your life, such as a car, home, ect.
• Healthy plants such as bamboo or plants with soft, round leaves.
• The colors purple, red and blue
• Fresh flowers work very well here, just be sure to change them the minuet they start to wilt.
• Mobiles to keep the energy moving and flowing

If you are looking to really change the wealth area of your life, I invite you to enhance all of your wealth corners in each room of the home.  This will create a powerful web of intentions!  I guess the most personal information that I can pass along is to have fun and be creative while working here.  We have a tendency to be very serious about money, and for me, all it took to change the energy in my money space was a change of attitude.  Enjoy making changes!

Travel, Helpful People, and Syncronicity in Feng Shui

I love this area of the amazing Bagua, as it seems to hold so many layers of intention in it.

This is a great space to look at if you are:

• Planning on any upcoming travels
• Wanting to travel
• Moving or getting a new housemate
• Looking to bring in more clients
• Having more inspiration
• Increasing communications with the Divine
• Attracting more helpful people to your life
• Enhancing synchronicity
• Feeling like you are alone, without help

I know that seems like lots of different applications, but I have had fantastic success with many of them all by enhancing this area. One quick personal story is the last time that I was moving, I could not get a clear idea of where my next home would be, I just knew that I was about to move. Since I didn’t have much direction, I started in the Helpful People and Travel area of my home – which happened to be my kitchen. I cleaned the area like I was cleaning to move out, and I brought in lots of order to the space. It felt great!!

Within a week, a very seemingly random friend had mentioned that he had a great home for below renters price, in a beautiful neighborhood. No one had been living there for a few months, and after viewing it, it seemed as thought it was waiting for my partner and I. The whole experience had a deep air of synchronicity and helpful people to it! I now live in a wonderful home, that I could never have imagined. It was a lesson in getting out of my own way to attract what I was asking for!

There are many ways that you can enhance or change the feelings in your life around travel and helpful people. First, locate this area on the Bagua map. For information on how to do this, see the article below labeled “The Bagua.”

Next, the first important step in any Feng Shui cure is to give the space a very thorough clean out. Ask yourself questions such as – are these objects needed and worth bringing into your next stage of life? This is especially relevant if you are moving or going traveling.

Now that you have located this areas, and given it a good once-over, here are some easy to use tips to bring the Chi of Travel, Helpful People and Synchronicity to your life. Pick any of these that jump out to you, and that are appropriate for what you would like to create!

• Poster, pictures or paintings of Spiritual guides that are meaningful and helpful to you
• Poster, pictures or paintings of places that you have traveled and loved, or places that you would like to go to.
• Images or objects from mentors in your life
• Items in the colors white, grey and black
• Items pertaining to mentors, clients, partners, teachers, benefactors that you either want to attract to your life, or to attract people with similar qualities.
• Mementos from places that you have traveled – pictures, rocks, shells, ect.

These simple, yet powerful tools can help to unlock energy that can be used to enhance all sort of areas of your life! For an extra strong change, enhace all of the Helpful People and Travel areas in each room of your home, too! This calls in a very strong intention.

Have a great time playing around with these tools, and if you have any stories that you would like to share, please email them to me! Cheers!

Creativity and Joy in Feng Shui

Most of us are familiar with the feeling of being so involved in the creative process that it seems like pure joy. It is like all of our worries fall away, and all we know is what we are doing in that moment. Use these tips to bring fresh, Spring inspiration and joy to your creative world.

Please refer to the article below about the Bagua to locate the children and creativity spot in your home.

Are you creatively blocked?

• Give this section a good clean out – look for literal stuck objects like stuck windows.
• Clean out your art/writing/creative supplies.
• Organize your supplies!
• Make time to finish projects that are waiting – set a time limit, and if you do not finish in that time, let it go so you can move on to fresh and new ideas!
• Bring in art that has joyful, alive qualities.
• Hang your favorite art here that you have created. Hang it all over your house. Celebrate your creative abundance and individuality!

Looking to bring in more joy?

• Use whimsical decorations in this area. Stuffed animals, posters, and toys all speak to joy.
• This is a great spot for picture of children playing, or images created by children, or pictures of your children.
• Bright colors add to joy, and the colors for this area are white and pastels. Use these in fabrics, art and decor.
• The element that supports joy and creativity is metal, so this is a great spot for metal frames, sculptures, of metal objects, especially if you love them!

Go forth and create more joy in your life and in the world, by brining it to your own home. By starting to make changes in the home, they ripple out into our families, communities, and the world. Count me in for a more joyful world.

Feng Shui and Romance

I have seen some amazing results with my clients when enhancing this space. The tips are very simple, so have fun and have a wonderful Valentines day! Please refer to the article below about the Bagua to locate the love and romance spot in your home.

Single? Try these tips to find someone to love!

• One of the most important steps is to let go of past relationships. Go through your home, and see what reminds you of past lovers. Items that you bought together, won in a divorce, or just remind you of them all fall into this category, especially if there are hard feelings. By letting these things go, creating space for new love.
• Bring pairs of objects together – group candles, decorations, and hang pictures of people or animals together. Look to see if you currently have lots of single items in this space – this helps to reinforce staying single.
• When picking loving art to hang, make sure that it does not have people being lonely in it. Find art that is playful and representative of the kind of relationship that you would like. If you want a fun and passionate relationship, look for art that has people acting like that. Sometimes and abstract painting will feel the most passionate to you. This is great! Find your style of love, and art!
• Bring in a healthy plant. The plant represents the joy of growing in a relationship, and the nurturing the relationship needs to survive.
• Also, burn candles here! Fire is a classic representation of love and passion, and by burning candles you are calling these in! Try burning candles everyday for a week, and when you see them, think about how your fantastic love is coming your way. Treat them like a beacon, and see what shows up!

In a relationship? Use the tips above and these tips to bring in more passion!

• Add passionate colors if you are looking to step up you passion. Reds, Pinks, and Yellows will all bring this in.
• Burn two red candles for you and you lover.
• Add photos or you and your partner to this area. Create this space as an homage to your relationship. This is a great place for wedding pictures.

In the bedroom…

• Make sure there is room on each side of the bed, even if you are single. This represents having space for your new lover. Try to create equal side tables with lamps as well.
• If your bedroom is blue or green, and you are experiencing a lack of passion, bring in red!! This will start to light a fire with all of those dark colors. If you are looking to repaint, choose a color that is a flesh tone – from reds, browns, yellows, maroons, and tans. These are comforting to the body, and support love and romance.
• Minimize books and electronics in the bedroom as well. Cover your TV with a cloth, and only keep a few books by your bed. These distract us from our partners, and can hold passion back.

Have a wonderful Valentines day, and enjoy bringing in more love to your life!

Cheers,
Mira

Feng Shui and Money

Please leave any comments about your experience using Feng Shui to change your money space!

The Bagua

    The Bagua is based on the I Ching, and translated to “the eight treasures.” It is like a treasure map. Chi is the Chinese word for energy, and the Bagua is a way to map how this is flowing in a space. Chi flows through the front door of a space, and swirls around in different areas of a space. When we lay the Bagua map on the space, it is a way to draw a line between the physical (the actual space) and the non-physical (chi and energy flow) world. If you are experiencing challenges in a place in your life, what a Feng Shui practitioner will do is come in, lay the Bagua map, and look at what is happening in that space.

    To lay the Bagua map, draw an outline of your room, home, yard, or office. It can also be laid on a desk. Put the entrance of the room (or space) at the bottom of the page. Take the Bagua map, and stretch it out until your whole space is inside of it. If your room is square or rectangle, this will be straightforward, because the map will lay right on the walls of the structure. Lets say your space is shaped like an “L.” Stretch the map so the all spaces are covered. Some areas of the Bagua will be outside of your space. Fear not, these are not lost spaces, but they will take special attention.

Now you can see where treasures are kept in your home!