feng shui from fook.com

Q: Since a big part of feng shui is raising the energy levels of your living space, and since women’s energy levels regularly rise and fall with their monthly cycles, are there certain times of the month that are better or worse for practicing feng shui? I’m guessing that since hormones can have such a powerful affect on women’s moods, that must affect the power of their intentions too?

A: The best time for anyone, male or female, to do feng shui (i.e., move things around, place remedies/imagery, etc.) is when your energy is high, your mind is clear and undistracted, and your outlook is optimistic and enthusiastic. If your hormonal cycles, or a poor night’s sleep, or family/work stress, or whatever, put you physically or emotionally or mentally in a frazzled, low-energy state, it’s a good idea to wait until you feel “up to it” to implement feng shui changes.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

Two questions have come in asking if a ba gua mirror can be used inside an apartment or in an apartment house hallway, to deflect noise and/or “negative energy” coming from a neighbor’s unit.

The short answer is no: hoping that it will help with a bad-neighbor situation doesn’t negate the rule that a ba gua mirror should never be used in an interior space. That includes an apartment building hallway. The hallway is outside your apartment, but it’s inside the building, and it’s a space that you use on a daily basis. Be careful what you put there.

I believe that a ba gua mirror is only used appropriately as protection against inanimate sources of sha chi — such as a road aimed at your house, or the sharp corner of a neighboring building. Bouncing “behavioral sha chi” (noise, or other inconsiderate behavior) back at your neighbors with any kind of mirror may feel empowering, but I think it’s a bad idea. You want to defuse the situation, not add fuel to the fire.

A better solution is to find a way to send positive intentions to those troublesome folks next door — no matter how irritated or exasperated you may feel. Hang an image that conveys blessings of some kind (whatever religious or spiritual heritage feels right to you) either within your home or above your front door so it faces the neighbors and showers them with good vibes.

If your neighbors often play loud music at night, visualize them making lots of new friends and socializing with those friends at a bar or club… so they make noise in a more appropriate place than next door to you. Feel happy for them that they’re having such a good time, and happy for yourself that you now can enjoy some peace and quiet, even before it happens.

Truly aggravating neighbors may prompt you to wish the problem would be solved when they get hit by a bus. If you’re tempted to imagine that kind of fate for anyone, try to rise above it. Imagine instead that these irksome pests encounter great good fortune, such as getting a fabulous job offer in another city so their luck literally moves them out of the building to somewhere far away from you.

This will be much better for both of you than focusing on annoyances and frustrations, which is unlikely to result in a pleasant outcome for anyone.

I’ve had nothing but fabulous neighbors for many years now, and wish the same for all of you.

Stephanie

PS: If it turns out you’re the one who gets that irresistible offer to move, be sure to include “wonderful, quiet, considerate neighbors” on your list of what you’re looking for in your new home.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

I’ve received several questions recently asking about use of the ba gua and/or ba gua mirror, and whether or not it’s “bad luck” to have one in the home.

No wonder people are confused. There are many styles of feng shui (some much more superstitious than others) and a lot of conflicting or even misleading information out there. I’m wondering if this tip, which recently appeared in someone else’s newsletter, may be why I’ve been getting ba gua-related questions lately:

“The Bagua is an all-powerful tool to ward off bad energies and poison arrows from your home, and they are expressly created to be hung at the exterior of one’s home. Do not under any circumstances hang one inside your house as a form or decoration!”

This tip was accompanied by photos of various ba guas and ba gua mirrors as though they are the same thing. But according to the contemporary style of feng shui that I practice, the advice quoted above applies to ba gua MIRRORS only, not to the ba gua itself.

A ba gua mirror is a round mirror in an octagonal frame. The frame is usually yellow or red, with black and/or green accents, marked with the eight I Ching “trigrams” arranged like this:

The ba gua MIRROR is a powerful tool for deflecting negative energy, and yes, it should only be used outside the home.

BTW: I have occasionally seen octagonal mirrors marketed as “ba gua” mirrors, but they’re not. It’s the octagonal frame and trigrams that make it a “ba gua mirror.” An octagonal mirror is just an eight-sided mirror. While the octagon itself is considered an auspicious shape because it references the ba gua, an octagonal mirror has no special qualities in and of itself.

However, the BA GUA is not the same as a ba gua MIRROR. The ba gua is a representation of the univeral energy qualities of a space, and as such is a HIGHLY AUSPICIOUS object that can be used anywhere in the home. It is particularly good to place in the center of the home as a symbol of good chi and good fortune. This includes a feng shui compass, because the compass includes the trigrams on one of the innermost rings.

The trigrams on the ba gua symbol or compass are in a different arrangement than they appear on the mirror. The ba gua map/symbol/compass shows the trigrams in the later heaven sequence (on the left, below), while a ba gua mirror should have the trigrams in the early heaven sequence (on the right, below).

So, to summarize:

Ba gua MIRROR: a protective remedy used only to deflect NEGATIVE chi, and only outside the home.

Ba gua (no mirror): a positive symbol that can be used INSIDE the home to add POSITIVE energy to your space.

As always, that’s my opinion, coming from the contemporary style of feng shui practice. Practitioners from other traditions may disagree.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

The Lunar Chinese New Year has arrived, ushering in the Year of the Ox. (Sorry this post was delayed; we had some technical difficulties with the FTP feed.)

If you would like to learn more about Chinese New Year, and how it is celebrated, Wikipedia’s page is a good place to start.

Those who want to know what the Year of the Ox might hold in store, will find detailed Chinese Astrological forecasts here. Note that understanding/using this page requires knowledge of Chinese astrological 5-element theory and your personal element strength/weakness.

For a beginner-friendly annual forecast based only on birth year, Suzanne White (author of The New Chinese Astrology) offers 2009 overviews here.

If you are looking for a daily Chinese Almanac for the 2009 Ox year, you will find a
good one (and lots of other info) here.

And there’s good 2009 Flying Stars information here. Note that the Flying Stars annual forecasts kick in on the SOLAR New Year (February 4th), not on the Lunar New Year (today).

Please keep in mind that these are all links to other sites’ pages. I am not an expert in Chinese Astrology and do not specialize in the traditional Chinese Flying Stars style of feng shui. Should you have questions/concerns about the Flying Stars or other Chinese astrology forecasts for 2009 please consult with the authors of these sites or other experts in these areas of study.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2009,

Stephanie R.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

As you move forward with New Year goals and action plans, keep in mind that Chinese New Year is arrives with the new moon on January 26th, 2009. These next few weeks are a wonderful opportunity for getting your physical space in order. Here’s a reprinted article from a past FFS newsletter with tips on preparing your home for the Lunar New Year.

One of the things I like best about Chinese New Year is that it provides a second chance to catch up on all those things we meant to get done before the Jan. 1 New Year, but didn’t quite get to. And, for those who have slipped a little on their New Year’s Resolutions, it’s an opportunity to refocus.

Traditional Chinese New Year celebrations focus on home and family, and on ensuring that the New Year will bring lots of good luck. Much of this activity centers on thorough house cleaning to clear out old energy and make way for the new. In the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the New Year marks the start of Spring, so it’s a good time for “spring cleaning” even if the weather is still wintry in your part of the world.

If you don’t have time to clean and de-clutter your entire home before the lunar New Year, concentrate on your kitchen. A clean, food-filled kitchen is the center of family life and a symbol of health and prosperity, so it is especially auspicious for the New Year. Here are some key things you can do:

- Clean out your refrigerator and freezer. Toss anything ancient, mysterious, or “iffy,” and refill or replace anything that’s less than half-full (such as condiment bottles and jars). Defrost the freezer and get the inside of the fridge sparkling clean.

- Clean off the outside of the refrigerator, too. If your fridge is covered with magnets, photos, take-out menus and grocery lists, clear them all off to create a clean slate (you can put any necessary ones back after the New Year).

- Declutter your pantry shelves, and use or toss anything that’s been in there for months. Wipe down the shelves and clean the cabinet doors.

- Clean your oven and stovetop, and replace burner pan liners if they’re no longer shiny and new-looking.

- Replace worn and/or grubby oven mitts and dish towels with new ones.

- Get out a broom and thoroughly sweep the kitchen, and then from the kitchen out the nearest door. This symbolically sweeps out the old energy and any lingering not-so-good luck, to make room for better luck to come in with the New Year. On January 26th, make sure your broom is hidden away in a closet out of sight, and don’t do any sweeping on that day. This will ensure that all the new luck (especially money luck!) that comes into your home with the New Year stays in the home and is not swept back out.

- Do a big grocery shop a day or two before the New Year, so your fridge and pantry will be filled with bounty when the New Year arrives. Make sure any canisters (flour, sugar, rice, etc.) are full.

- Buy nine of the biggest, most perfect oranges you can find, and place them in a bowl on the kitchen counter or in the center of the kitchen table. Or, on New Year’s day, roll the oranges one by one through your front door to symbolize luck coming in to fill your house. Then gather up the oranges and place them in a bowl in your kitchen or living room.

- Prepare some of your family’s favorite foods the day before, to serve on New Year’s Day. Plan ahead, because using sharp knives on New Year’s Day is thought to bring bad luck, instead of good! (This is more superstitious than symbolic, but it does mean you can enjoy a good meal with the prep-work already done.)

If welcoming in greater prosperity is high on your wish list, add these steps to your New Year preparations:

- Pay all your current bills before January 26th this year, and pay off as much as possible of any debts you may have. Even a small additional payment on a credit card bill symbolizes your strong intention to prosper and become debt-free in the New Year.

- A day or so before New Year, stop by the bank or ATM and withdraw an amount of cash that’s more than you usually carry around, so you enter the New Year with a fat wallet. If money’s tight, fill your wallet with one-dollar bills and your change purse with pennies. Having many pieces of money around for the New Year is more important than how much it adds up to.

- In addition to the nine oranges mentioned above, place more bowls of fruit and nuts around your home and in your office, as symbols of abundance.

- Buy a new red garment and wear it on New Year’s Day. You don’t have to dress from head to toe in red, so long as you wear something red and new – even a small accessory will do, if that’s all you can afford.

Remember that Chinese New Year is a time to celebrate family. Even if you don’t bother with any of these preparations, it’s a good time to pick up the phone and call your friends and loved ones to let them know they are important to you.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and joyous 2009,
Stephanie R.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

Q: In my present home the stove is facing the dishwasher, which I only use a few times a year. It this the same as the sink facing the stove?

A: A dishwasher that you rarely use is much less of an issue than the kitchen sink, even if it is directly across from the stove. Yes, there’s water involved, but when in use that water is not only fully contained (vs. an open sink), but is swirling and swishing around quite vigorously during the wash cycle so there’s an active quality to the energy compared to the more draining effect of a sink.

Stephanie

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

Q: I am considering moving into a new place that has some Feng Shui challenges. First, the position of the bathroom is in the Family/Health bagua location. I worry that this would be a problem because I have some minor health problems and a very old sick doggie. I don’t want to make things worse. [here a list of other minor issues was edited out--SR]

Do you think there are too many challenges for me to tackle if I decide to move here? I am pretty happy at my present place except for my annoying neighbors upstairs. I would really appreciate your response. I have written to you before and your answers have always been very helpful.

A: If you stay put until you can find a place with fantastic feng shui you will probably never get out of where you are now. Some feng shui issues are more difficult than others, but all of our homes have bathrooms somewhere (hooray for indoor plumbing!), plus all kinds of other stuff going on like poorly placed stairs, inconvenient doors and windows, beams of one kind or another, missing corners where you’d rather have an extension: the list goes on and on and on. EVERY place has feng shui issues of some kind: that’s why there are so many different ways to correct, deflect, diffuse, or remedy them all.

If you love the new place in spite of a few feng shui challenges, and feel that you will be happy and comfortable there, go for it and plan to remedy/correct what you can.

Hopes this helps you make a decision you’ll feel comfortable with.

Stephanie R.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

Q: I am moving to a new office and my bookcase will go with me. My desk will face the door. Should the bookcase be on the wall beside the door where it will face me, or should it be behind me where I won’t see it while working? These are the only available locations for the bookcase. I do have constant reference to the bookcase.

A: If you need to access the bookcase frequently throughout the day then surely it would be more convenient to have it behind you, where those items are within reach. Inconvenient furniture arrangements are not good feng shui.

However, it’s also not good feng shui to have anything but a solid wall behind you at your desk, so it would be a good idea to sit in a cushy “executive” style chair with a high back, so the padded back of the chair is a buffer between you and the shelves.

You’ll want to take the overall size of your office into account. Top priority should be given to placing your desk so you have ample room to move around behind it and to sit there without feeling hampered or cramped. You may have to try it out to be sure: if your chair bumps into the bookcase every time you get up or pull the chair out to sit down, the space there is too small and the bookcase should go beside the door.

Wishing you success in your new office,

Stephanie

Q+A POLICY
The purpose of this Q+A service is to clarify modern feng shui principles and remedies, and to help you make sense of contradictory teachings you’re likely to come across. If you are new to this blog, please read the Q+A Guidelines (see sidebar on left) before sending me a question. Do expect that I will edit your message for clarity and focus, and that it will be several days (often longer) before I post a reply. Keep in mind, too, that you’re getting my personal opinion on the topic. If you ask someone else, you might get a different answer.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

Q: We are currently remodeling the bathroom of our Victorian house. My husband wants to close off a door to a closet with drywall in order to create new wall space in our too small bathroom. This would mean that there would be an empty space in the center of our home that is completely walled off. Imagine We do have plans to eventually open up that space into another room, but that could be a year or more in the future. In the meantime I am worried that closing off this space this could have some negative effects. I would be so thankful to have your input on this. I have not been able to find an answer for this after many months of searching.

A: In feng shui terms, closing off an area in the center of your home is a truly terrible idea. My advice: don’t do it.

Surely you can put up with the minor inconvenience of not enough wall space in the bathroom until you are ready to do more complete renovations? Closing off the bathroom access to that space at the same time as you open it on another side isn’t going to cause any problems.

Hope this helps you and your husband reach agreement on an approach,
Stephanie R.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog

Q: I am moving soon and I am concerned that packing may disturb my chi. Any advice you could give me about the ideal order of packing things or which items should be moved in first would be appreciated.

A: In my opinion, worrying about how your packing process or method or sequence might “disturb your chi” is way overthinking things, and implies a reluctance to shake things up that you might want to reconsider. Moving is a big deal, it should be a disruption and upheaval. Otherwise, why bother? If the move is not by your choice, then I suggest you see it as the universe giving you a solid nudge in a new direction and accept that as a good thing.

You can’t grow and prosper without change, and we have a choice to embrace that or fight it. The fact that you asked me this question implies that you see the natural stress and mess of moving as something you have to guard against. Why not embrace it as part of the process of getting from where you are to where you are going? Have you considered that maybe your chi could use a good shake up?

I do recommend, if possible, that you declutter during the packing process, so you don’t take unnecessary stuff with you. Other than that, just box the stuff up and move it.

Enjoy your new home!

Stephanie R.

Q+A POLICY
The purpose of this Q+A service is to clarify modern feng shui principles and remedies, and to help you make sense of contradictory teachings you’re likely to come across. If you are new to this blog, please read the Q+A Guidelines (see sidebar on left) before sending me a question. Do expect that I will edit your message for clarity and focus, and that it will be several days (often longer) before I post a reply. Keep in mind, too, that you’re getting my personal opinion on the topic. If you ask someone else, you might get a different answer.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Fast Feng Shui Blog