Feng Shui for House & Garden

Lots of stones, not too many stones; more trees, fewer trees so many questions arise when someone wants to apply Feng Shui to their yard. To begin, orienting oneself with the Bagua will ground you in your approach www.creativecolordesigninc.com.

Determine the entry to your yard. Stand with your Bagua so that the bottom of the map is at the entry point. In general, this is the most auspicious location for your vegetables and flowering garden. You should fill it with a variety of vegetation and budding plants, as variation is a key element in FS. To your immediate left, you will want to add blue, such as cornflowers or yellow in the form of flowering bushes, sunflowers, varietals or shrubbery. Morning Glory and Hyacinth work perfectly. This placement will energize the flow of energies to allow knowledge to grow and your spirituality to increase.
The area to your right inspires helpful people and travel. Silvers and whites should adorn this area of your yard, as you want to energize this area. You may wish to locate your dog house or bird feeder in this area. Add metallic silvers of all kinds to this location in your yard, including wind chimes, sun dials and statuary.

The very entry to your yard or garden is the career spot. Remove any and all obstacles from this area. Cut all low hanging limbs and add dark blues and blacks to this area with embedded pavers, reflecting balls or windsocks. Water is essential to career as it represents life, flow and counters stagnation. Locate your bird bath or water feature in this portion of your yard. Avoid locating jagging plants such as black berry or raspberry bushes in this area.

In the middle and to your left side of your yard, plant a tree or add a wooden picnic bench, for wood is the essential element of family. Green should envelope this region. This area should be filled with lush grass. Toss a table cloth down here from time to time and share a family picnic in this spot.
In the center of your yard or garden, you want to foster the energy of self. Gold and yellow should decorate this area. Earth is the energy we are enhancing in this region, so allow it to remain as open and clear as possible. A small grouping of yellow tulips or marigolds is all you will need.
To your immediate right, fuel your creativity and create positive energy for your children. The metal element should be added. The whites and silvers of the travel area should carry over into this region of your yard. Add sculpture and perhaps a swing to this portion you your yard.

Wealth energy is encouraged by the color purple. According to the Bagua, your wealth area is directly to your left across from the family area. Add crawling vines such as Clematis along with wooden lattice and wealth energy will cascade.

Directly across from the entry point to your garden, place your fire pit. Fire element feeds fame and reputation energy. Add hedges as the backdrop and allow red plants to dot the landscape. Salvia, Japanese maple, or a red rose bush would be perfect to promote your reputation energy. Also, do not be afraid to get creative and sculpt round and square shapes in your hedging; this too fuels the fame energy.

Love is in the air directly to the right of the fame and reputation corner. Love grows from the earth element. Enhance its energy with Wild Hyssop, encircling a couple of cherry trees would maximize pink which encourages love energy. Focus on grouping your plants and trees in twos in section of your yard. Though it may be tempting to add a wooden glider rocker for two to this region – avoid it if possible – for love is of the earth element and as much earth as possible should remain open.
Energy will flow freely through your yard. You have not merely maximized the energy of your yard; you have maximized the energy of your life, mind, and soul. Have a tall, cool glass of lemonade and soak in all you have created.

Feng Shui for Your Landscaping

Creating an Outdoor Oasis of Beauty and Balance

As spring invites us to get outdoors again and spruce up our yards, why not consider going beyond the usual habits of gardening, and instead work with your landscape in alignment with the wisdom of Feng Shui?

With the summer months our yards can become an extension of our living space, and the garden allows us to feel connected to nature. Since the effective application of Feng Shui techniques do wonders for shifting the energy of interior spaces, it makes sense that the same principals apply to your yard and garden. A well designed Feng Shui garden landscape appeals to all the senses, delights visitors, and provides a calm and restorative environment to fully enjoy the summer season.

Landscaping that is energized with the flow of chi will bring life to your home, and attract an abundance of birds, butterflies and a feeling of wellbeing. By incorporating representations of the elements, you can make your garden a retreat oasis in alignment with the wisdom of Feng Shui.

•Remove clutter, weeds, dead plants, objects to trip on such as tools and hoses, and other strewn debris in order to clear the space and let the energy (chi) flow.

•Don’t overwhelm the environment with every dazzling color in the book, but choose a selection of uplifting colors such as orange and yellow, and calming colors like blue, purple and white.

•Steer clear of items with sharp and pointed angles; rather choose smooth rounded corners to all objects, decorative pieces, flower pots and furniture.

•Avoid placing a fence or large object in the middle of your yard or garden, as it will block the flow of energy and disrupt the positive chi.

Elements of Feng Shui in your landscaping:

•Earth - Keep the soil fertile and the flowers, trees and grass well maintained, as this enhances the earth element. Place round stones as a border around spaces, or as appealing and calming decoration to enhance the grounding balance of the earth element.

•Wood – Choose wooden planting boxes, or adorn your landscaping with decorative wooden pieces such as a carving, bench or bamboo pieces. As a lucky Feng Shui cure, bamboo is used to attract health, abundance and happiness.

•Metal - Place something metal in your landscaping to encourage the properties of that important element, such as wind chimes or planters.

•Water - Include still or slow flowing water such as a fountain, bird bath, pond or pooled water from a stream. It’s not encouraged to have a fast moving stream or river through your property, as this carries the positive energy away from your home, akin to “peace or abundance flying out the door”. Instead, have pooled or slower flowing water which can collect beneficial chi to stay in your yard.

•Fire - For the final touches of balancing the elements, fire can be represented in various ways such as candles or lanterns, or a fire pit.

You can easily create a feel-good and ambient garden patio with pillows, blankets, and outdoor music.

Just a few extra touches and working with the surrounding landscape brings restorative benefits and balance to the energy flow around and through your home. You’ll feel the difference and savour your time in the yard even more.

Create a Healthier Spring with Feng Shui

Ah, beautiful spring; sunshine, blossoms and flowering plants. How can this season be anything but positive energy?

But for so many of us, spring is allergy season, presenting a catch-22 situation of wanting to be outdoors more but suffering for it. From pollen, cut grass and ragweed, what can we possibly do to keep the allergies away? Besides offering a medical solution or the stand-by nasal spray, I would like to suggest a pro-active and natural way you can boost your overall health by working with your surroundings.

Utilizing the art and wisdom of Feng Shui, our homes can support us with our quest for good health.

The map of Feng Shui is called the Bagua, and the center area where the tai chi symbol is located is the Health area. Transferring this map to your living space; the center of your house and each individual room is the Health area, and deserves special consideration and attention, especially during allergy season. In analyzing the Health area of your home, or each room, you are working the center of that space, and consider the following for proper Feng Shui:

• Clear the clutter from the area and spring-clean with the art of Feng Shui in mind. You are in essence moving out the old energy and shifting into a new and vibrant one. This will assist with the goal of everyone being healthy in your home.

• If it’s an area that can be painted or have more color, choose an earth tone or yellow to support good energy for health.

• Add your intentions to this space by writing it down on an earth tone colored paper. Be specific and grateful, extending your wishes for vibrant health to everyone in your home; not just for yourself. For example; “I am so grateful that my whole family is happy and healthy”. Place this written intention in your center Health area, by either tucking it away in a book, behind a photo or plant, or simply placing it on the floor when no one will walk over it.

With the center Health area looked after, you can work with Feng Shui throughout the rest of the house for better health and wellbeing:

• Keep the air in your home clear of dust and pollen by regular cleaning and using an air filter or ionizer.

• Healthy potted plants or wind chimes around your home will disperse negative chi, as well as playing soft and uplifting music.

• Place a mirror directly opposite a window that looks out onto trees and the sky, which expand and magnify the positive healthy energy coming through the window.

Incorporate the five elements of Feng Shui into your environment to promote balance:

• Earth – Stones, plants and healthy soil to enhance the grounding balance of the earth element. Colors representing earth include brown or yellow.

• Wood – Wooden planting boxes, or decorative wooden pieces such as a carving, bench or bamboo pieces. The color representing wood is green.

• Metal - Wind chimes, planters or copper decorative pieces. Colors representing metal are white, gold or silver.

• Water - Still or slow flowing water such as a fountain, bird bath, pond or pooled water from a stream. Colors representing water are black or blue.

• Fire – Candles, lanterns, fireplaces or an outdoor fire pit. The color red represents fire.

By intentionally practicing the healing art of Feng Shui, you can uplift the energy flow in your surroundings, creating a calm, supportive and healthy environment for you and your family this spring.

Feng Shui for Women of this Century

What we read and have heard throughout our lives from the women who came before us seems to confirm that mid-life for the typical American female is time of extraordinary stress. Not only are the physiological challenges at times hard to manage and understand, never mind mediate, the confluence of responsibilities for children, aging parents and career are enormous stressors assumed at a most vulnerable time in a woman’s life. How can women best create within their environments the clarity and flow that enables and amplifies optimal strength, health and adaptability to the many shifts within and without? Feng Shui (FS) has many answers to this question and will provide for spaces and lifestyles that can more easily accommodate fluctuation, provide stability and magnify support and well-being.

When managing a household with children, particularly teens and college-aged kids, the key is defining space in a way that allows for privacy and retreat for over-worked moms. Firstly, clear your space of all unwanted clutter and broken or damaged items. Do not allow the excess items to sit within your home, even if the piles are intended for charitable donation. Remove unwanted items immediately.

Decorate your bedroom and bath with subdued and calming colors, avoiding shades of blue in these as well as other areas of your home, as it gives the effect of “drowning” and too much “water” element within a home, including a blue exterior or roof, is considered very poor FS. Focus on green hues and pale earth tones, and confine children’s and family photos for other areas of the home, keeping the bed and bath a sanctuary of relaxation and intimacy. Pictures with the kids can find the perfect place in the family corner of your shared living areas, as defined by the bagua map www.creativecolordesigninc.com. Set the tone even more by adding your favorite music, mementos and creating a spot within these spaces where you are surrounded by favorite scents and items of comfort and indulgence.

Your commitments may extend beyond children and spouse by middle years, so creating a true retreat atmosphere is of paramount importance. The fire element can be placed at the middle rear or back of your space, the fame and reputation area of the bagua map by implementing candles and creating a romantic spa environment within your bedroom or bath. Finding a balance between being a nurturing support to aging parents and creating opportunities for self-nurturing is critical during middle-age.

Transitioning from work to home can be eased through proper FS and careful consideration of the energy in the entry to your house. Be sure it is tidy and free of shoes and other cast-offs. Free your porch or front steps of any items that block the energy leading to your door and remove all debris. Draw the eye to areas of beauty and cleanliness and clear all pathways to the two most important areas of the home, the kitchen and bedrooms.

FS will de-stress your spaces and enliven your sense of stability and well-being by creating positive flow and conditions which support the body, mind and spirit as they move through the many demanding arenas of our life passages.

Animal Signs by Grandmaster Lillian Too

This past December Grandmaster Too flew to the USA to support her students for 2012. If you need to find your animal sign, please click on this link: www.grassrootsdesign.com/zodiac


Keep in mind that a Secret Friend can assist you in your year! Here is the information that she shared with her students regarding the 12 Animal Signs for the year:

Rat
Secret Friend-Ox
Very strong year, new opportunities. Wealth & Health Luck Good!

Ox
Secret Friend-Rat
Good long term luck, but will face some conflicts. Powerful Wealth Luck, but needs to be patient!

Tiger
Secret Friend-Boar
Success luck increase this year. Wealth & Health luck very good!

Rabbit
Secret Friend-DogWealth improves and Health luck is average.

Dragon
Secret Friend-Rooster-Wealth & Health luck is average.

Snake
Secret Friend-Monkey-Wealth & Health Luck are not so good. Take good care of yourself!

Horse
Secret Friend-Sheep-Wealth Luck is very good. Health Luck is not so good.

Sheep
Secret Friend-Horse-Good Wealth Luck & Health improves this year.

Monkey
Secret Friend-Snake-Wealth Luck is not there this year. Health is ok, but watch for over-working.

Rooster
Secret Friend-Dragon-Fabulous New Year! Wealth & Health Luck very good.

Dog
Secret Friend-Rabbit-Watch the flow of your money this year. Health needs attention.

Boar
Secret Friend-Tiger
Wealth is good, Health needs attention.

How will Different Industries Do this year?

• Publishing & Agriculture are the best in a long time!
• Property & Real Estate are very good.
• Banking & Transportation will have an average year.
• Airlines and Computers are average and slow to make money.
• Stock Market & Restaurants recover in the summer and go down in the fall.

If you would like further information regarding the quality of the year you are going to have in 2012, please call for a consultation at 412-215-8247 or contact me at yvonnephillips1@aol.com