At the foundation of Feng Shui is the belief that everything in our home is alive and talking to us. This may seem like a stretch to many, but stop and think about it; when the first thing you encounter when you enter your home is the unrelenting pile of clutter, how does it make you feel? My sense is – not so great about yourself. And who needs that?
If the living room walls are filled with large severe-looking but expensive oil paintings of your husband’s dead relatives (like one of my clients) – your space is reflecting your inner psychology, which might be that you are afraid to be honest with your husband and don’t value your own needs to be comfortable in your own home.
Or, if your hallway is filled with pictures that your photographer friend gave you of depressing subjects, and you don’t have the nerve to tell him you dislike them, what is your space saying? Could be that you are more concerned with pleasing others than allowing yourself to have a living space that you love.
Feng Shui teaches that every object in our homes and gardens has a consciousness which is called energy or chi. It is interacting with us and we are interacting with it on subtle, and not-so-subtle levels.
As we study Feng Shui we learn to see our homes with a new pair of eyes. That being said, we can glean a great deal about where we are by observing our homes.
The client that found the nerve to tell her friend she loved his photography but couldn’t display it in her home because the depressing subject matter affected her moods, empowered herself and took part of her life back. Which, consequently, had a positive ripple affect on many other parts of her life.
The woman who saw by what was displayed in her living space that she was afraid to have an honest discussion with her husband about his dead relative pictures, spoke up and found her backbone, which created a better sense of equality in her relationship and a happier marriage.
There are invaluable messages embedded in our space that can change our lives for the better. Feng Shui teaches us to look at our space in new way which allows for many powerful ‘ah hah’ moments.
Our homes have a huge impact on our moods because of the amount of time we spend there. Subtle changes can therefore produce big changes in our general sense of well-being, or lack there of.
It’s quite simple really; when we feel better about our living space, we become happier people. Happier people attract others who want to spend time with them, who will often bring opportunities along as well.
A home that lifts your spirits and reflects your true tastes, loves and desires, makes you happy. In doing so it is amplifying the happiness quotient in your life. Consequently, a home that always drags you down because of the accumulation of all of the little things that bug you, will support keeping you in a more depressive and unhappy place.
According to the Law of Attraction, Like Attracts Like. If you are experiencing attracting the things you don’t like, the good news is that you have the power to change your experience by creating a living space that inspires you. This rapidly works on your energy field and positive changes start showing up in your life.
It is not magic, or woo woo, or about hanging mysterious crystals and wind chimes around in secret places. You will unfortunately encounter many books that try to make it mysterious, but the skinny on Feng Shui is that is is simple. By working on your home to make it a more pleasing place for you and/or your family to be, you are changing your energy. You simply feel better, hence are more enjoyable to be around and you start to experience a domino effect of positive things happening in your life.
I have written numerous articles for Care2 about how to work with every aspect of your home to create a home sanctuary that supports, uplifts and nurtures your soul and spirit. In this article I thought I would organize them for those of you who would like to start on your Feng Shui journey but are feeling overwhelmed as to how to begin.
I have listed them based on the most important rooms and/or issues to start with.
I hope you will join me on a transformational Feng Shui journey to bring your home to a place that you love being in!
Please document your progress and share with us!
Where to Begin on your Feng Shui Journey:
The Most Important: If this section is all you do, you will still transform your home and experience positive shifts in your life
Start with Quick and Simple Feng Shui Gems - to get a broad overview of western Feng Shui then go on to:
1. The Anatomy of Clutter: De cluttering is huge in Feng Shui and the first thing you will want to tackle to get the energy moving in your life. You will be astounded at the opportunities that start to unfold when you do!
2.Your Home is Attracting Your Future This talks more about the subject that everything is energy and everything in your space is affecting you in a powerful way.
3. Entryway Feng Shui The Entryway is considered the mouth of chi where all of our opportunities come to us. This will show you the importance of having a ˜greeting‘ area that is lovely and inviting at your front door and how important this is in attracting them to you.
4. Feng Shui for Adult Bedrooms The bedrooms are the most crucial part of the home because it is where we spend ¾ of our time. This is the first room you should fix up for everyone in the home. See Feng Shui for Children’s Rooms and Feng Shui for Teen’s Rooms.
5. Feng Shui for the Office If you work out of your home this will be the second most important room to get working for you, after you do the bedroom.
6. Feng Shui for Kitchens Kitchens are key rooms and affect our health and wealth in important ways. Make sure you have a kitchen that is organized, happy and works for you so that you love being there!
7. Feng Shui for Bathrooms, Dining Rooms, Family Rooms, Living Rooms, Attics, Basements and Garages, – Once you get the key rooms working for you tackle these rooms one by one in the order of the rooms that you spend the most time in.
More Advanced, for Those Who Want to go Deeper – This adds deeper layers of enrichment to your home and your life and takes you into the more esoteric parts of Feng Shui
8. Charting the Energy Centers of Your Home- The Bagua This is about what we call Environmental Affirmations and goes into the more esoteric parts of Feng Shui regarding the Bagua Map, which charts where the key areas of our homes are located. Once you have taken care of the clutter and safety issues and worked with each room, this will show you how to place affirmations into your environment that will give oomph to bringing in the things you most desire in life. For those who want to go into the deeper meaning and enhancements for each of the nine energy centers, you are invited to read my articles that address Wealth, Health, Fame, Creativity, Love, Helpful People, Career,Knowledge and being Centered.
9. The Feng Shui Five Elements This is a wonderful and important part of Feng Shui and will teach you to enhance and enrich your life using the important five elements of fire, earth, metal, water and wood. You will want to go on and do your own Nature Meditation that will assist you in charting the most personal elements that you need to work with in your home
10 Yin and Yang for a Balanced Home Understanding Yin and Yang as it pertains to your living space will teach you about how to identify and design the active and passive spaces in your home for greater comfort .
Additional Learning that will add Greater Enhancements to Your Home
11. Feng Shui Energy Enhancers This lists all of the items that will enhance the energy in your home and get the chi moving!
12. Feng Shui for Small Spaces, Feng Shui for Romance, Feng Shui for Gardens – More fun and informative articles specific to those interested in working with these areas.
If you are interested in more doing a more in-depth home study of Feng Shui or would like more information on how to create a career for yourself as a Certified Feng Shui Consultant , I invite you to my web site at www.ericasofrina.com
