Feng Shui Tip of the Month: October 2009

To get back a bit to the topic of Symbolism, here's one for relationships.

To attract a new relationship, or enhance an existing one:

Place a pair of mandarin ducks on a small table or alter in your bedroom. Ideally, place them in the southwest corner of the bedroom. If this is impractical, at least place them on the southwest corner of the table. Have their tails pointing toward your Nien Yen direction. Rose Quartz ducks are my favorite. The stone carries a very pure energy. It is said to resonate with the heart chakra, and to clear negative energy.

You may ask, what the heck is a Nien Yen direction, and how do I know what mine is? The Nien Yen direction is that which is associated with good fortune in Love, Marriage and Family relationships. This and other positive and directions to be avoided for an individual are associated with the year of your birth. Google "Kua Number Calculator" and you can easily find sites where you can enter your birthdate and sex and they will determine your personal Kua number and the directions considered most positive for you.

Mandarin ducks mate for life, hence their use as a relationship symbol. There is lovely Japanese folktale about the mandarin ducks that is fun to read. Katherine Paterson has written a lovely version which we were able to get at our local library.

Feng Shui Tip: September 2009

Fall is just 2 days away. I can't believe how quickly this year is speeding by.

The approach of Autumn seems a good time to revisit de-cluttering your space. How have you done with that task?

For me, it's still a work in progress. I have pared things down a bit, more can be done on that front. We'll be moving in a few weeks, so that will give me another opportunity to re-evaluate my possessions and determine what still fits, and what needs to go.

This can be a very sensitive subject. The stuff of our lives carry memories. I had a recent conversation with an acquaintance about something he was selling, something that no longer fit, but had sat around for quite awhile before he was ready to part with it. One of the comments he made, which was really poignant for me, was that he was concerned that the memories associated with the item would go with it. That the visual stimulus of seeing it triggered those memories, and without it, the memories might fade.

In my March 2009 Part A post, I touched on the idea of letting the things in your space be those the evoke positive feelings. I'd like to talk a little more about that this month.

Several years ago we received a gift from some friends, some artwork. It didn't resonate with me. There was nothing especially wrong with it, I just didn't like looking at it. I even had it framed and hung it for awhile, but it bothered me when I saw it. I finally got around to asking my husband how he felt, and as he was indifferent, we agreed to let it go. I'm happier when I walk into the room now (our home office) and the artwork I see is pleasing to me.

As we move into the fall season, and for some of us, that means a lot more indoor time, I invite you to talk a slow walk through your house and notice how you feel about the things you see. Do it when you have some time to relax and look with fresher eyes upon the things that you see every day. Are they pleasing, do you like the arrangement, the contrast? Is there anything that causes you any distress when you see it?

Sentimental items, though emotionally valuable, can sometimes carry heavy emotional energy with them. If you encounter anything like this on your journey through your home space, take some time to consider whether you could let it go. Or perhaps, just pack it away, so that you can take it out occasionally when you're feeling strong and need to revisit that time, place or person. Be gentle with yourself as you think about the memories and feelings that an item may evoke, and consider carefully what would feel best.

The goal of Feng Shui is to optimize the lives of the occupants of the home or other space. This is a very simple, but powerful thing that you can do to create better energy in your dwelling. I want my home to be a place to rest, to play, to be inspired, to join with friends and family, to create. I want to same for you.

Happy Autumn 2009.

Feng Shui Tip: August 2009, Back to School!

Doesn't the feel of back to school time affect you, even if it doesn't actually impact you directly? It certainly does me. I'm not in school, and will be homeschooling our daughter this year, which does include a certain back to school energy even if the time frame isn't as strict for us. But it's all around me anyway. Living near a big college town, I'm aware of the return of the students from their summer away. The roads are fuller, the grocery store shelves are emptier as everyone restocks. Signs of "Welcome back Students" are all around. Back to school supplies are everywhere.

Some are already back to school, others are about to be. So, in honor of all of that energy, I thought I'd talk about some specific symbolism for educational success.

In classical Feng Shui, the North East direction is associated with knowledge, education, and learning new skills. Placing specific symbolic items in the North East segments of your home can support these learning endeavors.

Here are some items that can be used to support learning:

The Tribute Horse

The Tribute Horse is associated with the rapid achievement of goals. It can also be used to promote career success and legal success. The Tribute Horse carries strong yang energy, bringing with it strength, authority, energy, movement and perseverance.

Running Horses Statue

The Running Horses Statue is also associated with the rapid achievement of goals. You'll see various numbers of horses together in statues like these. I happen to have an examples with 3 Horses (which belongs to my daughter). If aiming specifically for educational success, I would choose a statue with 8 horses, as 8 is the number associated with the North East and with Education.

To use the either the Tribute Horse or the Running Horses statue for educational success, place it in the North East portion of the room. If you can, place the desk or other seating arrangement in the North East segment of the room. If this is impractical, don't worry about it. Just place the horse statue on your desk or other area used for studying. Place the statue on North East portion of your desk or table. You can also set up a small table in the room used to study, and place the statue on the North East portion of that table, or place it on a shelf.

Here's the key detail: Make sure to position the statue so that the horse appears to be entering the room. This is the critical piece. Once you've located the horse on the table, desk or shelf, the tail of the horse should be pointing toward the door, so that the horse is entering the room, not leaving it.

Other symbols which can be used for this purpose include the Cicada, an Abacus (specifically for studies in math or computing), Carp on Waves statue, Books, Globes, Diplomas, pictures of the school or university, and anything else related to the field of study.

Here's to a successful 2009-2010 school year for us all!

Feng Shui Tip of the Month: July 2009

Use Symbolism for Health

After last month's introduction to the topic of Feng Shui Symbolism, I thought Health was a great place to further expand the discussion. Many of us dream of increased prosperity, of finding the right partner to share our lives with, but without health, we can't properly enjoy anything else.


In general, the bedroom is where we focus our attention when looking at enhancing health with symbols. The bedroom is where we rest, recharge our batteries and generally spend the largest amount of time in one single place (hopefully we're all getting our 8ish hours in each night).

One of the more popular symbols for Health is the Chinese Bottle Gourd, or Wu Lu.


This can be set on your nightstand, or hung on the wall near the side of the bed where you sleep.

The peach tree or the peach is also a symbol of health and longevity. A photo or painting of a peach tree could be hung on the bedroom wall to bring in this energy. Place a bowl full of peaches on the dining room table to signify health for the family.

East is the direction associated with health and longevity. Locating your health symbols either in the east section of a room or of the house can increase their potency.

Until next month (only days away!), to your health!

Feng Shui Tip of the Month: June 2009

A recent conversation inspired this month's topic, but more about that later....

Use Symbolism to Bring Specific Kinds of Energy and Luck into your Life

Symbolism works on multiple levels. Symbolic items carry energy or chi, which can charge your environment with the type of energy you want to bring into your life. Placing symbolic items in your environment can also work on the subconscious level, helping you subtly focus on that which you desire.

For these reasons the strategic placement of symbolic items are an important part of the practice of Feng Shui. This is a simple, and at times very powerful way to bring about changes in your life.

A very popular symbol is the 3 Coin Prosperity Energizer.

These are used to attract money, and can be placed in many locations. Carry them in your wallet or checkbook, attach them to your cash register, computer, phone, fax machine, or to anything associated with how you generate income.

The coins used here are old style Chinese reproduction coins and the color red signifies life giving energy.

They can be found in Chinatowns and through many online sources. The wonderful instructor I trained with has them in his online shop.

I'll get more into symbolism for the home over the next few months, but until then, enjoy the last few days of June!

Feng Shui Tip of the Month: May 2009

May is nearly over already as I write this...life has taken a dramatically positive twist for my family, which has absorbed a lot of time of late....

Tip: Avoid poison arrows in places where you sleep or sit often.

First of all, what the heck is a poison arrow?

Poison arrows in Feng Shui, are simply defined as sharp edges that point at sitting or sleeping places. The reason to be concerned about these are that energy, or chi, which moves everywhere in your space, tends to gather along edges and then shoot in the direction of that edge. This energy is much too sharp and direct, and can be destructive when pointed at you.

Some examples of where you'll find these are: where you have two walls coming together in a point, and along the edges of furniture where to pieces are joined and create a 90 degree angle.

Poison arrows are common throughout your home and work space, and in most cases do not present a significant problem. They are, however, an issue when they point directly at your bed or regular sitting place. To determine where the energy is pointing, follow the point from a 45 degree angle out. If it intersects your bed or chair, you'll want to take steps to break up that flow of energy.

Some simple cures are:

1) In the case of a sharp point where two walls join, hang a faceted crystal or windchime from the ceiling in front of the corner. This will difuse the energy that is pointing at your place of work or rest.

2) Place a large vase or plant stand in front of the corner to block the flow

3) Tack a piece of fabric from the ceiling down to the floor in front of the corner to block the flow of energy.

4) Drap fabric over sharp edges of furniture that point toward your bed or chair. In bedrooms especially, using furniture with softer, more rounded edges is ideal. Round nightstand tables are highly recommended.

Enjoy the last few days of May, I'll be back in June!

Feng Shui Tip of the Month: April 2009

April's topic: Feng Shui Bathroom Etiquette

While etiquette is not really in the realm of Feng Shui, dealing with our bathrooms appropriately is an important Feng Shui topic.

Because the drains in the bathroom deal with waste and are therefore, of necessity, strong, they can become culprits for the escape of good energy from your dwelling as well.

To avoid this, keep your bathrooms doors closed and toilot seats down when not in use.

Because energy drains quickly in the bathroom, it's not an appropriate place to locate good luck symbols or other important decorative items. Bathroom decor should be kept simple.

Ideally, bathrooms should not be above bedrooms, kitchens, or front doors, and should also should not face the front door.

Happy April....Spring is coming, really!