Rock your Living Space with Feng Shui

Most of the time, your living room is also the “company” entertaining space. The family room is usually your family hang out space. When looking at your living room area, remember that this area is creating your reputation with others you are entertaining. Therefore, if the Feng Shui of the space isn’t very good, it affects your relationships.

The best shape for your living room should be a regular shape, either a square or a rectangle. If your only option is an L shaped or irregular shape you must fill in this space to complete a well maintained Feng Shui room. You can do this by adding “more space” with mirrors.

Feng Shui Tips for Your Living Room: 

• Utilize the elements, water, fire, metal, earth and wood in the corners of the room. You don’t have to use all of them within the space, just a symbol in the area will work fine. For example, the water element that is located in the South will support your career.
  
  
• When you have corners that protrude into the room, add tall plants to diffuse this negative energy.
  
  
• Check out your artwork to make sure that it is a symbol of positive energy. You wouldn’t want a picture of a large, aggressive animal in this space as it would sublimely create discomfort in the room.
  
  
• Lighting is very important to keep a “yang” energy with in the room to keep conversations lively.
  
  
• If you are looking to bring more wealth into your home, this is the space to work the Feng Shui magic. Place items that symbolize wealth coming into your home in the far left hand corner of the space. Combine the color of purple in your décor and it will also enhance the prosperity in this same space.
  
  
• You can also place the colors of the elements, red (fire), blue (water), green (wood) yellow (earth), silver (metal) within your décor on a coffee table. You can easily add these colors with candles on a tray or colored glass in a bowl.
  

Make your spaces work for you and your family by utilizing some of these tips and you all will realize the benefits of Feng Shui.

If you enjoyed this article and would like more tips, please connect with me on my Facebook page here.

Chinese New Year Tips to be applied before February 8, 2016

Chinese New Year starts on February 8 and lasts for 15 days.  This is China’s most colorful and important event of the year.  This year it is named “The Year of the Fire Monkey.”  There are a total of 12 animals and they rotate throughout the years.  There are many activities that happen during this time.  On the first night of the celebration, there are fireworks to let go of the old and bring in the new, just like we do here in the USA.  Also, on this night, they open all the windows and all of the doors in the house to allow the old year to go out!  They have large parades and the lion dancing sways back and forth to the beat of the drummers.    On the 5^th day of the New Year is the Chinese Lantern Festival and it is very colorful and beautiful.  You will see paper lanterns made of the animal of the year and also large lanterns that are displayed in their parades animal.  If you want to know your Chinese animal sign, click here: 

1. Clean your house well in advance of the New Year. Do not sweep or clean on New Years’ day or it will represent you sending your wealth out the door.  All brooms need to be in closets.
2. Wear red since it is believed to be a happy color and symbolizes a bright future.
3. Give red envelopes filed with crisp dollar bills to children.
4. Decorate your home with nuts and sweets on a beautiful tray.  You can also add chocolate gold coins to this mix as well.
5. Entertain your friends and laugh and enjoy the evening.
6. Open every door and every window on the stroke of midnight to let out the old year.
7. Clear your mind of “clutter” this day and keep your thoughts bright and optimistic for the coming New Year.
8. Don’t scold your children or cry on this day for if you do, it will symbolize what you are coming year will play out for you.
9. Postpone washing your hair this day as you will be washing out your good luck.
10. Display large bowls of oranges on the tables to give to your friends and family as gifts.

Feng Shui expert Grandmaster Too has shared her traditions with students and followers of Feng Shui during her training sessions.  She has told them that early in the morning of the New Year, she brings in a truck full of oranges and she rolls them from the front door straight through her whole house.  She is creating her own luck by following this ancient tradition.    

                                    

Chinese New Year Day

Wake up New Year’s morning to good music, friends, and partners and just be grateful for your wonderful life. Do all things on this day to establish habits for the year.  Make plans to do what you wish to do for the rest of the year.  Really enjoy yourself and keep a good balance in all things.

Call, text or email family members or friends with whom you wish to have contact with in the New Year.  This will follow you through 2016.

Wear something new and take care to look extra special that day.  Do not dress in black or white that day, because Chinese look at those colors as funeral colors.  Wear red for fortune when possible.  Do your hair & makeup, but do NOT wash your hair this day as it is symbolic to throwing your good luck away.

Since this is a day to be festive in your mood with a joyful atmosphere, you should not argue with others on this day.  Say ONLY nice things and do not lose your temper.  It sets the pattern of peace & harmony for the year.  Try not to use many sharp objects (like knives & scissors) on this day as it is symbolic of cutting into your luck. 

I am available for Feng Shui consultations, speaking and coaching and can be reached at 412-215-8247 or yvonnephillips1@aol.com

Wealth comes to you in Many Different Ways

Your concept of wealth depends on your level of satisfaction and varies depending on your personal priorities and belief system. Although wealth does imply material gain, it’s important to note that people’s needs are different. In general, the ancient Chinese felt wealthy if they had an abundance of food, shelter, and livestock. Prosperity not only included health, family and love it also indicated an increase in resources.

For example some might feel wealthy as long as they have enough food on the table and a protective roof over their head. Others only feel wealthy if they can buy a Porsche. Examine yourself and determine what wealth means to you—careful introspection will tell you where you may need to make adjustments. However you measure Wealth, it’s important to make sure it does not become a prison that locks you away from generosity and love.  Self-cultivated and enlightened persons are aware that money is not the purpose of life.  A simple life of contentment is true wealth. 

The concept of Prosperity has a wider scope. Although it can refer to increasing your material possessions, its main focus is health, family, love and personal growth.  To prosper means to gain much more than material possessions. It means having the things that money cannot buy. Almost often Prosperity brings a feeling of security and contentment.

The elements are out of balance this year of the Fire Monkey-not so good! Water is missing and you need to add a lot of it bring in this element to your environment. Many of the symbols of Wealth and Prosperity are related to water. However there are sub-meanings as well.

Here are three of the many relevant symbols:

Goldfish— not only because they live in water, but also because having plenty of fish to eat was something the ancient Chinese considered to be evidence of prosperity.  The Goldfish do not have to be live; you can have pictures or a likeness of them in art.

Fountains— flowing water represents Wealth and Prosperity flowing into your life. Clean drinking water and water for agriculture was a necessity for the ancient Chinese, so the availability of it was a large part of what the ancient Chinese considered prosperity. Flowing water brought abundant crops and health. Fortunately these days you can purchase a miniature fountain that is practical for almost any living space. 

Plants and Foliage— successful agriculture was essential to the concepts of Wealth and Prosperity to the ancient Chinese.  Water was and is essential to having an abundance of food. Additionally, the complimentary element to Wealth and  Prosperity is wood, so you’ll want to include some objects representing the wood element as well.

The contemporary methods of Feng Shui associate Wealth and Prosperity issues with the back left corner of any space. If you stand at your front door facing into the house your wealth area is at the back of the house on the left-hand side. Face any room from the doorway of the room and the wealth area is the back left corner. These are usually the places you’ll want to pay attention to this year.

Finally, there are things you can practice and actions you can take that will help you maximize the opportunities the year offers.

Eliminate clutter in your house. Clutter represents stagnant energy and disorder—two things that will inhibit any opportunities for Wealth and Prosperity. Although you should keep a clutter-free and orderly house, pay particular attention to the Wealth and Prosperity areas of each room.

Fix things that are broken—especially the Wealth and Prosperity areas. Anything that doesn't work as it should is a sign of something wrong in the area of your life that corresponds to that part of your space.

Organize your finances. Think of this as removing financial clutter. Clean out and organize your purse and wallet. Start handling your money as though you value it. Keep your checkbook balanced and pay your bills on time. If you neglect your money, it will neglect you.

Practice generosity. Wealth and Prosperity needs to flow through your life, not just into it. If you don't yet have ample money to share, give as generously as you can of your time, energy, compassion, and appreciation.

Finally, remember that it’s too easy to focus on financial and material increase than it is other forms of Wealth and Prosperity. Unfortunately this is largely due to our current culture’s concepts than the ancient truths of Feng Shui. If your family is safe, secure, healthy and happy you may already be Wealthy and Prosperous.  In that case, practicing Feng Shui correctly can not only help you keep that, it could even increase it!

                                  yvonnephillips1@aol.com      412-215-8247