Fen Shui for Beginners

Today's comment is not a rant at all, but in fact a rave. A rave on Feng Shui practices and behaviors. I have been applying Feng Shui practices to my business and to my home and personal well being for over three years and can say it does work. It definitely does work and does wonders for one's personal spirit.

But that means you must be at one with yourself. So many of us are too tired to apply anymore energy into anything but the essential tasks at hand from getting the kids to school then running off to work, to dealing with the late report that was due a few days ago to a grumbling boss only to come home to a house that you thought you cleaned only a few days ago, and somehow a tornado has hit the inside of the house.

Well just reading and typing that last paragraph, I know I hit home with several of you, maybe you are experiencing more debt than you would like, a broken relationship, etc. I have found a variety of useful websites so that you can get your Fen Shui on the fly and not be bothered with spending the extra dollars and time that we barely have to expend ourselves with to help assist you with your Feng Shui well being.

I promise you will at least enjoy doing some of the so called exercises in and around your home, and will share where I got this information from so that you too can get the books I have found so useful and this article will probably be at least a three parter. You simply cannot begin to get all the details one needs to have a more zen-filled life that brings more harmony, health and prosperity into your life in one simple article, let alone let people understand the workings of ying and yang that I am sure people have done several dissertations on.

Some of these suggestions are going to be so obvious, you may think why bother? But everything is interconnected - and hey you learned that one in your Freshman year in college! - So here goes anything...and well everything.

Before you start - some pointers on Feng Shui

Feng Shui can be practiced by anyone and everyone. In most cases, it does not cost a thing or can cost very little investment. You can do a lot of the interesting practices to help bring a better balance to your life. I would certainly assure you that your attitude will certainly have a lot to do with the success as you practice some of these interesting 'chores'. Hey who doesn't need more health, harmony and happiness in their lives as we live in these trying times?

I will also note that some of these practices or 'rituals' is what they really are, are going to sound quite silly. But if it's to promote all things good into your life, why not give it a shot and a good try? What have you got to lose? Nothing!

1) For starters, as you start these tasks of clearing away the clutter in your home, wash your hands often, as you attack a pile of papers that need to be addressed or any other task suggested here, remind yourself you are ridding your home of stagnant chi and you are creating a harmonious energy flowing home environment. This will only help your momentum keep going.

2) I would also suggest to put on all the lights in your home while you do this. Brighten up your world. This also helps see what you are doing, to locate those dust bunnies that just have to go while literally enlightening your home environment. Isn't is amazing for whens it's raining outside how just putting on the lights makes you feel safer more lively in your home? This applies very well when you are clearing your home for a better energy of chi to flow smoothly throughout your home which is the whole point of this exercise.

3) Open your windows. Let the fresh air flow throughout your home. Use of a fan may help for those that only have windows on one side say like in an apartment. The idea here is to have the air circulate and be refreshed. This brings in fresh chi into your home, which is essential as you move things about.

4) I would also burn incense as well while doing these chores, use something like sandlewood that helps to purify the surroundings.

Chine New Year will start on February 5th of this year.
While researching this article, I learned a few things that people do and not do as the New Year approaches, and since some of us are behind in our tasks, I mention them here now in January so that we can get ahead on them slightly since some of the tasks at hand will take more time than you anticipated. But I assure you, as you start to do some of these things around your house, you will notice subtle differences in your attitude (it will become more loving and generous) the energy of your home will greatly change (happier and livelier energy creating a harmonious environment for all to enjoy) and lastly all this work will get easier as you progress.

Many people who follow Feng Shui practices, will do a complete clean up of their home from top to bottom for when the Chinese New Year hits. This includes moving even is so very slightly the furniture that hasn't been moved at all for a year. The main idea is to move the stagnant energy that might be lingering in your home from the previous year. And even moving them literally once inch one way or another will help change the energy.

Here are just a few of my fave Fen Shui Rituals to get the fen shui ball rolling for this New Year...


1) Your Entry into Your Home/Apartment:
This space should be free of clutter. This helps good chi enter the home. This means no stacked piles of papers that need to be recycled, no pile of shoes littering the floor. In fact, haven't you noticed at least in the movies how people take off their shoes when entering an Asian house. You do not wish to bring in any "bad luck" or bad chi that came from the outside into your home. So start wearing slippers and shoes that are only used inside the house. The good part of this is that your floors will stay cleaner - that I am sure of.
The other reason besides helping keep your house cleaner, having the entry way into your home being clutter free is to help the good chi roam around this area. You will see this issue being pointed out again and again when it comes to applying feng shui practices in your home and in your office areas.
Now, some of us have kids and the entry way is where we leave all sorts of things that are needed for school, do your best to create bins for them to leave their school bags in or a sitting bench that has storage, etc.

2) Creating a Loving Bedroom Space
This one is interesting and is quite simple. Mind you I will be sharing many more tips about the bedroom and for each room in your house, I simply wanted to list a few tips here to help get you started. Make sure any mirrors in your bedroom do not directly face your bed. Now what you do with watching yourself and your partner on your own time is one thing. But when you are not doing "it" in this way (which is none of my feng shui business quite frankly) make sure you face the mirrors away from looking at your bed. This helps keep matrimonial faithfulness. Or in other words, having a mirror facing your bed can actually bring outside energies into entering your relationship.

Trust me, this one works. As I have experienced the mirror issue vs. marriage faithfulness personally. Hence, why I am mentioning it here first.

Also keep the bedroom clutter free. This is to be a restful space. Sweep under that bed and get all those cobwebs out from under it and just watch the change in your love life!

3) Keeping that Kitchen Clean and Clutter Free
We spend so much time in our kitchens, this is essential place to start allowing good chi to roam free around your living space. As this will help affect everything. Attack that fridge, I do this every week actually, and I really dislike doing the dishes, but as I look at the pile, I always remind myself of its positive energies if its clutter free and clean.

Always throw out old food that has gone bad, by keeping them in your fridge you are only helping stagnant chi remain and grow like the mold on that cheese that's been sitting there on the back top shelf of your refrigerator.

Do your best to create a space where all papers go and come. This would not be in the kitchen if you could handle it, my feng shui suggestion. Its amazing how we collect paper in our world. So create a place in your home where these will stay so that you have only one place to attack your paper pile - and cleaning this pile should be done weekly if not everyday.

4) Attracting more wealth into your life and career
There are so many rituals to help bring wealth into your life, but I will only mention a few here as I will list many more in the next part of this article.

1) I love this one: Take some incense, light it, and using a figure eight or rather an infinity sign on its side, go from one room to the next letting the smoke hit every corner of every room. As you go about the rooms in a clockwise direction you are to say a mantra for the things you wish to materialize. You are to do this seven times, and yes its going to be silly, but I tell you this works. It's been amazing when I needed more clients and had a cash flow problem, I would do this ritual and literally within hours I had results, in some cases, I had results in minutes as the clients would be calling me for orders....

The mantra can be something like this, and I quote: "I bless this house with loving energy for all that enters, and who live here, including (list occupants and don't forget the pets). I bless myself, and ..... with prosperity, health and happiness. The happiness, healthiness and prosperity comes to me now."

And as I mentioned, circle the inside of every room clockwise with the lit incense while saying this mantra. Remember the mantra can be anything (positive) that you would like in your life, say a new job, a better job, a happier home environment, etc. just make sure you know its possible, have faith, yes, faith regardless of your religion or lack of in knowing all is possible if you simply ask for it with the right attitude. Help yourself and you will receive help.

2) Another is using Sea Salt filled in a black or dark navy blue ceramic mug and placing it in your kitchen. Change this every ten days and start this on the new moon. This practice is to help kill any bad luck you may be having and is said to help seriously bring happiness to couples.

3) Lastly, and I love this one, get some dirt yes earth dirt from someone who is wealthy - or a pebble could work too, and place this in a little plastic baggy and keep it in your wallet. This is said to help bring you wealth like this wealthy person has.

Well what else can I say? But, Good Luck! And let me know if you tried any of these rituals and their workings on your life and career.