Mercury Retrograde and Spring Cleaning

Mercury is currently retrograde, and will be until April 23rd @ 6:04am EDT (Eastern US time). 


What does Mercury Retrograde mean? 


In simple terms, Mercury's orbit around the sun is faster than that of Earth. Periodically, about 3 times a year, Mercury catches up to and passes Earth in the orbit around the sun. At this point, it appears to stop, and begin moving backward. It does not actually move backward, but from our perspective on Earth, where it appears that the cosmos is moving around us, it seems to do so. So when we speak of planets being retrograde, it is in relation to Earth, specifically. There are lots of more detailed, in depth descriptions of this phenomena on the web if you're interested. 


Many people who don't necessarily follow astrology will tell you that they notice when Mercury goes retrograde and the effects it can have.


Mercury is said to be associated with travel, communications, and learning. During periods when Mercury is retrograde, there may be delays and complications in these areas. 


It's a good time to back up that hard drive, check out that funny noise the car is making, and in general slow down and allow extra time in your day (many of us could stand to do this much of the time anyway).


During periods when Mercury is retrograde it's best to avoid the following: 
beginning new ventures or courses of study, important correspondence and travel, placing ads and purchasing communications equipment.


Mercury Retrograde periods are good times to wrap us loose ends and incomplete items. Think in terms of finishing off projects, cleaning out old business, pondering and planning for new ventures and studies, and in general taking internal stock of what's working and what's not. Then wait for the retrograde period to end before taking action on these items.


With that in mind, as we think of Feng Shui, now is an excellent time for Spring Cleaning! Clear out the old, declutter, freshen up your spaces, take stock of the items in your home and office spaces and let go of those things that have outlived their usefulness.


If you haven't done so already (here in the US, anyway), wrap up your taxes and get them off a little early (remember, expect some delays now, so getting them done ahead of time is a good thing). Clear out last year's business and open up that space to really let 2011 get going.


On my list this week, is to tackle this:

Now that my taxes are off, it's time to put the office in order.


Have a great week everyone!


Note: It's been a long time since I've written here. Please forgive my absence...there are big changes in store for my family, in that a new little one will join us in late summer. Now that the heavy nausea and fatigue have passed, I plan to be here, writing, much more often.

Creativity, Fertility and Feng Shui

My last post was about Feng Shui support for Fertility, specifically around conception of a child. This appeals to a specific group of people, those who want to have babies now. But fertility can mean different things to different people, and at different points in our lives. 


A fertile life can mean a life rich with creativity, in however way that manifests for you. If you are crafty person, storing your art or craft supplies in the west portion of the room and/or western room in the house can enhance your creative endeavors.


To bring children into your life, also focus of the west segments of the house. Again, this can mean rooms located in the west, or westerns sections within a room. A Laughing Buddha with Children statue, such as this one is excellent for both attracting children into our lives and for enhancing their well being when they're here. This would apply equally to conceiving children and to those seeking to adopt. 


Hanging symbols of examples of your creativity or creative success can also be effective in the western portion of your creative work space.


To clear creative blocks, whether you want to free up your creative energy or invite children into your life, focus on these western portions of your home. Clear clutter from all of these areas, especially closets and storage areas.


Finally, the exception to these applications are bathrooms and adult bedrooms. Symbols of any sort not be located in bathrooms, and symbols in adult bedrooms should be limited to relationship and health enhancers.

Feng Shui for Fertility

Feng Shui, as it relates to Fertility, is an interesting topic, and one that is close to my heart. It took us some time to conceive our sweet girl, and I strongly believe that implementing some Feng Shui changes were a big factor in us ultimately conceiving. I wrote a little about this in my very first post. Unfortunately, the link to our Real Moms, Real Stories, Real Savvy TV appearance no longer works. I imagine the show is off the air, I never saw it air on TV but had found the link to the clip online awhile back. At any rate, it was a awful lot of fun to film (and nerve-wracking!). You can read a bit about our history with Feng Shui in this first post.


What I can say about Feng Shui as a fertility aid is very much how I feel about Feng Shui in general. I will not claim that Feng Shui works miracles, but sometimes the results of shifting things just a bit can seem miraculous. If you're working with physical issues related to fertility, I would not recommend Feng Shui as a solution by itself, but more as a support aid to lend positive energy to whatever efforts you're already making. Here are some basic things you can do which can help.


If you are the mother-to-be and have challenges with fertility, position your bed so that your head points in the direction of your Tien Ye,  or Health position. You need to determine your Personal Kua number to find your Tien Ye position. Read my post on Personal Kua numbers for more information and a link to a site that will help you easily determine your personal kua number. 


If you are the father-to-be and have fertility challenges, position your bed so that your head points in the direction of your Tien Ye, or Health position. 


If you aren't aware of fertility issues specifically and are just looking to support the conception process, go with the second positioning, that places the father's head so that it points in his Tien Ye position. The reason for this is that because the male has the more active role in conception, support for his health is considered more helpful when trying to conceive.


In our case, we needed to place our bed in the North East corner of the room, which placed it at a diagonal angle to the room. It was awkward, but we were able to make it work and it was only necessary for about 8 weeks. 


Once you've conceived, you can then switch the bed to the mother's Tien Ye position, which can lend support for her health through the pregnancy. This might also be useful positioning for mothers who have difficult pregnancies.

Seasonal Feng Shui: As Autumn Approaches, sun & air your bedding

Summer is winding down, especially for those of us in the North Eastern US (and of course many other areas!). But there are some bright, hot days in store for us before autumn is here to stay. 

Now is an excellent time to air out your bedding and other lounge items and let the sunlight cleanse it. Sunlight can kill mold, fungi, bacteria, virus', dust mites and more. Sunlight also stimulates chi flow and removes stagnation. So drag those pillows, blankets, feather beds, and comforters and let the sunlight freshen them up for you. Don't overlook throw pillow and blankets. Even small easily moved upholstered furniture pieces can benefit from a day in the sun. 

As a funny aside, my daughter thinks our bedding laid out thus, looks like "a flock of sheep."

Seasonal Feng Shui: As Autumn Approaches....dig through your closet

Fall is in the air here in upstate NY..I know it's cooling off for others too, while in some areas summer weather is still in full swing.


Whenever it happens for you, the switch to warm clothing is an excellent time to dig through your wardrobe and weed out that which isn't really working for you. 


Do you ever notice that your taste in clothing can change subtly over time, as you make changes yourself? I do. I have some skirts that I wore regularly each summer for the past 5 or so years, and this year I just didn't want to put them on. So it's time to box them up and pass them along to someone who will make good use of them. They still have plenty of life left in them, they're just not for me anymore.


Before you pack things away until spring, consider those which got little or no wear this summer, and why? Are they uncomfortable (too tight, too loose?)? Don't feel right anymore? Maybe never did? Or remind you of an unhappy time (especially important to let these things go). Then let them go and make space for new things to come in. Your local resale shop will be happy to receive them, and this is also a great place to replenish your wardrobe, saving resources both natural and financial.


Everything carries energy, clothing included. The things you wear should make you feel good, and reflect who you are now. Don't be held back by clothing that makes you feel like you used to be, rather than who you are today. You might be surprised by the changes that occur when your clothing is really right for you.

Feng Shui, not a religion, & Space Clearing in Bali

I have been working on a consultation report for a Muslim client. One of the things I love most about the work I do is the diversity in clients I work with. Feng Shui is sometimes mistakenly called a religion or spiritual belief because it has roots in Taosim and Confucsianism. Feng Shui is not a religion, but simply a way of working to optimize the energy that exists in the spaces we occupy, much in the same that acupuncturists and energy healers work with the energy in our bodies. And Feng Shui can be used in conjunction with any religion or spiritual belief.

I am learning more about cultures and spiritual beliefs different from my own then I did in my college Cultural Geography course (my favorite class, in fact!). It's exciting for me to expand my knowledge and understanding of others as a side benefit of what I do.

But I digress. While researching ways to incorporate my client's spiritual beliefs, I came across this article about Space Clearing in Bali on the day of Nyepi, the Balinese New Year. It's an interesting read,and what I like most about it is that it is a day of total silence. EVERYTHING stops. The airport closes, visitors are asked not to leave hotel grounds. No communication, no transportation.

How utterly appealing that sounds to me. To have a day of quiet and contemplation, and be surrounded by quiet.

May you find your own quiet spaces in this busy life.

Space Clearing in Bali.

More Here

Clutter, Money, Abundance & Happiness

I'll have to ask you to forgive the possible random stream of consciousness style of this post. Lots of things in life lately seem to be leading me to ponder Clutter, Money, Abundance and how they tie in to Happiness.

I'm in a fairly intense de-cluttering phase at home. It's coming along more slowly than I'd like it to, but then slow changes are good in terms of Feng Shui. Read more about that in a previous post here.

I tend to be overwhelmed by the clutter, and I'm very aware that I function and thrive so much better in fairly orderly environment. All of this lends credibility to the Feng Shui concept of keeping your home fairly clear.

But there is a mindset to clutter, beyond just what we see. I get weary, sometimes, often really, of digging into the why of things, and would rather just move forward. At times though, it's still helpful to understand why we hold onto the things we do. Here are some recent theories of mine:

1) We're somewhat conditioned to do so.
It seems to be a very American idea that more is better, that bigger is better, that "if I get that (whatever that may be), I'll feel better." I have grown up steeped in this culture, and can admit to all of these ways of thinking. There is much bashing of this kind of thinking in "green" circles, and although I understand that we're at a point globally where dramatic changes are need, I think that an approach to change that includes gentleness with self is the most useful.

2) Things hold memories
Especially if we're very visual, then the things around us remind us of things we want to hold onto. Happy times, people who have passed on, feelings we had and hope to get back.

3) It's just too hard to sort through it all
This one speaks for itself, and I can definitely relate. Looking at stacks and piles can be so overwhelming that I want to shut the door (and do), but those things still take up the same amount of space in our homes, offices, and psyches, even though we choose to ignore them.

So there are some of my thoughts on why. Here are the benefits of letting some go.

1) Better Energetic Flow
When the spaces we occupy are uncluttered, energy flows more smoothly, bringing in good things and clearing out the unwanted.

2) More Time
Less time stumbling, tripping over, avoiding, searching through and navigating around extraneous stuff means more time for the things we love. Time with family, time with friends, time with self.

3) What you don't need may help someone else & is Green
That thing that is just sitting there unused may be of good use to someone who really needs it. And it cuts down on the need for another, and another, another, to be manufactured, which reduces strain on our already over-tapped environmental resources.

4) More Money
Energetically, the less we hold on tightly to, the more flows to us. And in a tangible, concrete way, if we're more aware of our spending and choosing to buy less, we have more money available for intangible things. For experiences, for sharing.

I read this article recently, and another similar one. It's worth a read on your own, but in a nutshell, it states that once we have our basics covered, how we spend our money has a stronger impact on our happiness than how much money we have does. People who donate regularly are generally happier than those that don't even when they can only give a small amount. People who spend money on trips, meals with friends and family, and theater tickets are happier than people who spend it on stuff.

I'll leave you with these thoughts, for now. And the reminder that gentle change can have immense results.