Which Method is Right?

Five elements, Ba Gua, compass directions, Energy Flow, Yin and Yang!  When I read feng shui books these are always discussed but it is so confusing!  Do I use them all? Only one?  How do I know which one to use for my home!?

This is an excellent question.  On the surface Feng Shui seems like it should be simple; move your couch and your life will be instantly changed, right?  In reality, Feng Shui and Intuitive Living is much more complex.

First, understand that there are two ‘schools of thought’ for Feng Shui and most authors, consultants and experts will either go with one camp or the other.  Put simply, the traditional, ancient feng shui-ist will use compass directions in their evaluation and the western feng shui-ist does not.  In intuitive Living we use a combination of both, plus many other types of intuitive sciences.  So when you read a book on Feng Shui make sure you understand which camp your author is coming from because the topics you list above may or may not be discussed differently. 

Second, there isn’t any one tool that is used. If a Feng Shui consultant comes to your home and uses only one resource then you should look elsewhere for help.  Feng Shui is the careful consideration of many different aspects of your home and therefore your questions should be answered using all resources available to your consultant.

Third, when doing your own consultation I always recommend having an objective friend with you.  It is very difficult to determine your own remedies.  Although you may know that you want such as an improved family life, but it may be difficult for you to recognize what is causing the problem yourself.

Lastly, start with just one tool to make the process less complicated.  Just the way you do not mix all the ingredients at the same time for a recipe, try taking feng shui one step at a time. Most people like to use the Ba Gua because it is the most revealing and telling of the tools available to you.  Below is a simple Ba Gua layout. 

I generally start with aligning the Ba Gua with the front door of the home.  Be sure to note missing gua’s and don’t forget to include the entire area of your home (including garages if they are attached).  Once you have overlain the Ba Gua then learn how to use the other tools which will reveal how to implement the remedies you may need.

Life suspended?

This is a question from a recent client that I thought everyone could benefit from reading the answer. I look forward to hearing your opinions.

I feel like my life is in limbo, as if I am always waiting for the second shoe to drop. It is difficult for me to make major decisions right now because of the economy. I definitely feel my life is on hold. I don’t have a lot of money to make any significant changes to my house but I desperately want to do something to help me move my life forward. Can Intuitive Living help?

You are certainly not alone. The entire nation is living somewhat as you are, all of us holding our breath waiting to see what will or will not happen. This mass emotion only furthers our individual unease.

With the seemingly never-ending bad economic news, most people are living life on pause, suspended in space, waiting for something to happen, good or bad before making any decision on a daily basis. Being in suspended animation leaves us feeling anxious, stressed and tense. On the outside we all have smiling faces and re-assure one another that everything will be fine. But on the inside our minds are going a mile a minute of the potential catastrophe that lies ahead. This leaves us living a daily life that is not full of its true potential. Below are seven steps to clear your mind, help you live each day to its fullest and to enjoy the moment of ‘now’.

1. Unclutter at least one area of your home or office: doing this will give you a sense of accomplishment and renewal of energy flow. Removing clutter removes the dam that is holding back your creative mind and aspirations allowing them to move forward. Be sure to pick an achievable space to unclutter (such as a closet, desk, or kitchen drawer) so that the task gets completed in one sitting and does not become yet another item on your to-do list each day. If you finish it with ease, pick another space to unclutter on another day.

2. Sit still for five minutes each day and listen to your thoughts and answer them: We are running in so many directions these days that we forget to listen to ourselves. If we sit still for five minutes each day we begin to recognize a pattern of thought, whether they be positive or negative. You cannot undo negative thoughts until you realize you are having them, to realize you are having them you need to be still. If you sit and hear yourself saying: “I shouldn’t be sitting here, this is stupid, I should be out looking for work because I have no money.” Answer this thought with “I can allow myself five minutes out of 24 hours to just sit still and relax, I work hard all day, I deserve these five minutes”.

3. re-arrange your room: You may not be able to afford new furniture, carpeting or even paint, but the simple task of re-arranging the furniture in a room can completely change your outlook. It is refreshing to the mind to see something “new” in a room, to have a different movement pattern, or even just to clear the energy in a space. Whenever I am feeling mentally ‘stuck’ I start moving all my furniture around. My husband and children think I am insane but after it is done they always tell me how much nicer and ‘better feeling’ the new arrangement is. Try it! The worse that can happen is you move the furniture back to its original location.

4. Give, and expect nothing in return: give of yourself, just a smile, a hug, an understanding nod, a little extra tip to the waitress, helpful advice, a phone call to someone you haven’t spoken to in awhile, a small token of appreciation, or even a card. Do not expect a return smile, or gift, just leave with the satisfaction that you gave a bit of yourself to someone else who may have needed it. Doing this without wanting payment back liberates us to express our true emotions to those around us and makes the giving mean that much more to the receiver. If you do this often you will find that you will begin to be on the receiving end of such good intentions.

5. Re-affirm your aspirations: Take a good look around your home or office. Are you reminded constantly of the negative state of the economy? Do you have newspapers and magazine laying around with headlines that scream out to you? Do you have rejection letters, old resumes, and sticky notes all over your computer monitor reminding you of every task to be done or want ads lying around. Keep all these daily reminders out of sight, and better yet toss them in the trash. Place items around your home of only positive things such as fresh flowers, pictures of you with loved ones smiling and laughing, a travel magazine, or a book by some one that inspires you. The important thing is to remove the negative reminders and replace them with positive ones. This does not mean that you can never leave yourself a reminder note or look through the help wanted ads. Just don’t leave them lying around day after day. If you must keep them, file them away neatly.

6. Armor yourself from negativity: All of us know at least one Eeyore in our lives. Those people who always say, “what’s the point?” “do you really think you are qualified for that job?” “Why would you even try? You know you can’t do that.” Armor yourself against these people. They serve you no good. If you are like me and take what people say to heart, you might want to try this exercise. I was taught this exercise by an acupuncturist and have found it to be very useful when dealing with negative people. Take a very deep breath in, as you inhale, slowly picture yourself being covered in gold armor and the words coming at you bouncing off your armor. As you exhale, the voice you hear becomes muted and dull (to entertain myself, I hear the words coming at me in the voice of the adults in Charlie Brown cartoons). Your armor protects you from those negative thoughts entering your brain. If this is too much for you or you just can’t visualize this, you might try to envision that with each exhale you are blowing the words away from you. I have found another quick solution that works well: while your Eeyore is talking to you, smile, a lot! It tends to confuse them and they will leave quickly and you are left with a smile on your face.

7. Remind yourself to be happy with what you have: You have, right now, exactly what you need. It is the wanting of more than you need that causes anxiety. Love what you own, want what you have, and you will be a wealthy and happy person.

In times like these it is important to keep your mind clear and focus on the now. You do not know what lies ahead on your path, you only know what is underfoot now, you can only do what you know right now.

Enjoy the moment.

Change (not the small shiny coin kind)

The world is constantly changing. We cannot stop the change. With each breath you are another second older, with each step you are in a new location, the world around changes with every decision made by you and those around you.  Intuitive living is the ability to recognize and adjust to the change as it happens.  To accommodate for the change, you must adjust your surroundings.  Non-movement during changing times will always create issues.  Picture a river flowing.  The water is constantly moving changing the shape of the river’s bank and the material flowing within it.  If a dam is built to hold back the river, this impediment may withstand for awhile but eventually the river will find a new course, either through eroding the dam, overflowing the dam, or going around the dam.  It takes an extreme amount of effort for us to hold that water back.  Life is like a river and if we do not “go with the flow” our lives will slowly erode or reach a breaking point.  Intuitive living will teach you how to identify the changes as they occur and how to adjust for these changes.

Bruised or bummed?

Energy affects us constantly and moves around us at all times.  Energy can be compared to water: sometimes your energy will be low like a stagnant pond, other times it could be racing like a raging river.  Just the way our bodies have energy levels, our surroundings can also exhibit energy levels.  For example there is certainly a difference between a high school gym and a library, between a beach and a cemetery.  It is important that the energy in your environment matches how you want to feel.  In your home are your kids running, people shouting or arguing and do you feel you cannot relax?  Are you always bumping into furniture or tripping?  Then the energy level in your home may be too high.   In this case you need to create spaces where energy can meander, flow slowly, and have small quiet areas to relax.  Conversely, do you find yourself completely unmotivated to get off the couch, generally depressed or down, have stomach aches and/or headaches? Then the energy level of your home is too low for you.  You need to bring in light, sound, and even actual water (fountain).  

Remember it is important to balance energy levels with areas of active energy and areas of low energy.