A Touch of Feng Shui in the Garden

 

From the beliefs, culture and mythology of China, Feng Shui was born.

It is an ancient belief in the art of placement.Literally translated, Feng Shui means wind and water symbolizing the two major forces of nature. Feng Shui promotes a scientific and philosophical approach to design and site a home, public building and spaces to maintain harmony with the nature. This harmony is believed to allow light from the spiritual realm to shine upon those who believe and adopt the principles to their home and environment.

Interpretation of this belief has expanded into many directions. Over the past few years, Feng Shui has swept through the Western world/ culture according to what's practical, adaptable and suitable.

This is the wonder of Feng Shui- it allows for differences, and innovation according to the beliefs of a particular culture. It inspires personal perspective and creativity.It fosters harmony between man and his environment.

Adapting some of the principles of Feng Shui encourages a gardener to create a place which radiates more than beauty to please the eye. It is the visual attraction of a garden that draws people to it. But be aware of unseen and subtle energies taking place in the garden.

Today, a garden is an extension of the living space of a person or a family. It offers a place to entertain, a respite from the busy and chaotic world, a private space to relax and reflect, at times, a place to seek healing.

Sans the tools, a touch of Feng Shui, can enhance and actually generate positive vibrations outdoors and into the inner sanctum of the gardener.

With intuition, common sense and dedication,simple rules of Feng Shui can be applied. It promotes a garden that is friendly to Nature and ultimately infuse creative and vibrant energy and ensures the positive flow of chi.

Balance

Balance is a very important aspect of Life. It is the Yin/Yang in practice. It is opposing yet complementary.Tidbit: public parks exhibit the yang space, a private garden shows the yin.

A garden design that incorporates a balance of plants, ornaments and furniture is appealing to look at. If it's visually attractive, and it feels good, it is a gardener's pride and joy. The energy must be vibrant.

The Elements in Feng Shui

A little attention to the elements in a garden provide an atmosphere of peace and harmony.

Fire Color: red, and purple Plants with pointed leaves Structures/ornaments: pyramids, obelisks,lights trellis/ support for plants This is a powerful element, don't let it dominate the area.

Wood Color : green. All plants are wood element, it is the shape and color that suggest other elements. Trees and shrubs strongly represent wood element. Structures/ ornaments: decking, planters, logs, and furniture

Earth Color: yellow, orange, and brown Structures/ornaments: soil, rocks, stones, walkways, fences A walkway or fence that dominates the garden slows down the flow of chi.

Water Color: dark blue, black Structure/ornaments gravel, meandering paths, water features, glass.

Metal Color: white, silver Structure/ornaments: bowls, domes, and hammock.

Working with the elements

The natural world beckons. Gardening has ignited passion for creating a magical world of plants, colors, ornaments and design, with Nature as the canvas for the artist. A garden fills a space that would otherwise be void and saturated with stale energy.

It is with the shapes, colors and garden ornaments and structures that spells balance and introduce the elements to bring out positive energy.

Ponds are popular features, Perhaps unknowingly,ponds represent the lake, rocks and pebbles stand for the mountains. Water symbolizes wealth and a good collector of chi, so long as it is not stagnant. Careful choice of ornaments can create a balance of the elements in a pond.

Take a cue from Nature- it tries to achieve balance between shape and color. Whatever feature you add, proportion is important.

There are ways to remedy existing structures. Add some pots along a straight walkway to give it a feeling of meandering. Add a splash of colors to make it look interesting.

Appeal to the senses

Sight A visually attractive garden touches upon the sub-conscious .It is leaves an impression that can impact deep into the psyche. Clutter anywhere is annoying. It hinders the flow of chi. In the garden, it is important to keep it free of debris and clutter.

Arrangement of plants, mixing plants with a variety of color and blooming periods, and giving thought of the flowering season adds balance to a garden.

Sound No one wants to live in a noisy neighborhood.There are sounds in the garden. Bees and birds bring about welcome sound. Gurgling water can be soothing. A bamboo wind chime sends out gentle sounds resembling the rustle of leaves.Leave the leaves for a little while and listen as you crunch through in the fall.

Smell The natural sweet scents from a garden is superior to the most expensive perfume.Enjoy the fragrance from your garden wafting through the air, especially with the evening breeze.

Touch My four-year old great niece fascinates me when I see how carefully she touches things around the garden- from the little animal ornaments the leaves.and flowers. She does not pick the flowers, she tries to feel the softness with her little fingers. I have little colored stones at the bottom of a bowl that glimmers under the sun, she approaches these quietly as she timidly dips one little finger to feel them.No, nothing bites her little finger. She does this with so much concentration that anyone who watches her has to experience the sensation of "touching."

Other suggestions:

For focus, use smaller potted plants in a group or one large pot For abundance, fountains and water features

For illumination, lights for particular features

For stability use urns, large pots, rocks and stones

Show off your achievement or passion with art collection

Wind chimes to stir up energy and create movement

To receive gifts of the earth and the Universe, empty pots, dishes and urns.

This article barely touches upon the basics of Feng Shui. But, it's a start.

Bonnie Moss writes to inspire and motivate her readers to reach deep within their hearts and soul to find more meaning to Life .Visit her website: http://goldencupcafe.tripod.com

Feng Shui Mistakes To Avoid In The Bedroom!

 

While considering each individual's best sleeping direction and avoiding his or her "Lonely Pillow" direction. (Both are determined by your year of birth in relation to your gender.) There are several environmental factors to consider when choosing the position of your bed, such as:

Large MIRRORS - aren't recommended in the bedroom, because they aren't conducive to a restful nights sleep. Mirrors reflect light... light is Yang Qi, which is active energy. By reflecting light mirrors stir-up the Qi in the bedroom, where you want the Qi to be more Yin / still and restful. Besides, mirrors could reflect your bedroom activities to the neighbor. This wouldn't create a feeling of security and safety in the bedroom. Plus, if the mirror is in your "Lonely Pillow" direction, it will cause you to be single.

Headboard against a wall! The wall provides stillness of energy to provide a restful nights sleep. You want the Qi to be still at top of your head. If you angle your bed in a corner, there will be too much movement in the Qi at the top of your head for you to have a good night?s sleep. When there is a window above or behind the head-of-the-bed, be sure the window is closed when you are in bed, because a closed window stops the movement of Qi. After all Qi moves with Wind & Water.

Clear view of the bedroom entrance... without being in-line with door. If you're in-line with an OPEN doorway, you'll be hit directly by the Qi coming through the OPEN doorway. I emphasize OPEN, because the majority of Feng Shui books fail to mention that a door must be OPEN for the Qi to move through it. After all doors, like windows, stop the movement of Wind & Water. So if you have no choice but to sleep in-line with the door... CLOSE the door, or at least keep it ajar to direct the Qi away from the bed.

Bathrooms mustn't be seen from the bed. With bathrooms it is a sanitation issue. Keeping the door closed or at least ajar is the simplest solution. Moving the bed would be another solution.

Sharp corners , caused by oddly shaped rooms, pointed directly at the bed or bedroom door are considered an 'Angle or Metal Sha'. These cause instability and insecurity to the relationship as well as health problems. Some remedies for this type of sha (negative affect) are rounding the sharp edge off the corner, concealing it with molding, or positioning the bed in another location.

Avoid large exposed beams above the bed , which cause various problems depending on their position. Move beds and other occupied furniture out from under exposed beams. If it is impossible to move the bed, conceal them with an actual flat ceiling or use thick multi-colored tapestry-type fabric by stapling the cloth as if it were an actual ceiling over the bed.

* When the beam is chopping across the body, health problems in that area of the body will develop. Once again we are dealing with the harshness of a direct hit of Qi, which is being directed downwards off the sides of the beam.

* Beam dividing bed between two pillows , from head to toe, the harmony of the union is in jeopardy. The Qi coming down from the sides of the beam could cause separation or divorce.

A bed positioned between two of the unseen energy patterns. To find these unseen energy areas, divide the width and depth of your entire home by three creating a tic-tac-toe type grid. If your body is divided you will have health problems in the region where the two energy patterns bisect your body. When a bed is divided from head-to-toe between the two pillows by an unseen energy grid line, the occupants are sleeping in two different energy combinations... which cause relationship problems. A couple described it best when they said "it's like we're sleeping in the same bed in different rooms." The solution is to move the entire bed into one section of the house grid. Hopefully, the section with the best energy combination.

P.K. Odle?s easy to follow Classical Feng Shui guidance shows you how to improve your Finances, Health & Relationships. Get more tips/articles in her FREE email newsletter, The Feng Shui Advantage MONTHLY! at http://www.fengshuiadvantage.com

The Unique Relationship Between Wind Chimes And Feng Shui

 

There is a harmonious marriage shared by wind chimes and the natural forces of nature. As air current moves against the striker or clapper of the wind chimes, it knocks against the tuned pipes, which in turn sends waves of a reverberating ?song,? carried along by the wind. The resulting delicate balance of peace, grace, and harmony isn?t as hard to achieve as one might think. Although there are many different schools of thought, the basic philosophies of balance behind Feng Shui, and recognized forces of nature, remain the same.

For centuries the Chinese have believed that there is a logical way to organize their living and discipline their thoughts, to better achieve harmony and live peaceably within the forces of nature. That same attitude has become increasingly popular in the Western culture. Feng Shui isn?t as much a religion as it is a state of mind.

Good, as well as bad, happens to everybody. But, it is the way in which we handle negative or bad experiences that will determine whether or not our souls are at peace and our lives happy. We can choose to live unhappily, in discord with the rest of the world. Or, we can seek happiness by accepting the bad with the good, while at the same time seeking to create a more perfect balance. What does this philosophy have to do with wind chimes?

Irritating background noise filters into our lives daily, causing distractions and stress that are incompatible with harmonic living. By incorporating an atmosphere of peace and tranquility with the use of a wind chime, we also add interest to our home d?cor or garden yard d?cor.

The greater benefit realized, however, is the inviting sense of calm that permeates our very being as positive energy flows. Many people even feel a sense of awe as they listen to the fluid music created as elements of nature connect.

Wind chimes are beneficial for covering over negative background noises such as traffic, barking dogs, and other unwanted sounds that filter into our living space from others less harmonious minded. They are as eye appealing a compliment to our landscape and home d?cor as they are stirring to our souls, providing a sense of well-being.

Wind chimes also make meaningful anniversary gifts, and make perfect gifts for Mother?s Day. Why? Because a wind chime is symbolic of peace and harmony. They are symbolic of the feng shui attitude of compatibility: working with the forces of nature to create a positive, tangible energy flow.

It doesn?t matter if your living space can be described as Southwest d?cor or a more unique home d?cor hard to define using conventional home decorating terms. There are so many sizes and styles of wind chimes, one is sure to enhance and compliment your home or garden yard d?cor.

Use wind chimes to increase your privacy by blocking out unwanted sounds, while inviting a positive atmosphere of peace and calm; one good way to bring the benefit of feng shui in your home.

Stephen Betzen is a loving husband/supporter/and friend to his wife Rachel Betzen. Rachel and Stephen are dedicated to socially and ethically responsible business practices. Lovers of gardening and simple living. Buy your wind chimes online.

Feng Shui tips for offices

 

What is Office Feng Shui? How can designing and decorating spaces in office with Feng Shui can produce a positive and productive environment? How Feng Shui can work for offices to have better prosperit?. Feng Shui Meaning "wind" and "water," is the ancient art of living in harmony with the natural world. Though the spaces that you live or work in differ the principles of Feng Shui remain the same. Feng Shui in fact is a traditional art of living with its philosophy strongly rooted in spirituality. Feng Shui for offices Money to you may seem like a material thing, but it has many spiritual and energetic repercussions that affect all aspects of your life. Money flows in and out of your life like the wind, touching everything as it passes by. It is important to make sure that this wind is a healing and strengthening force, not a destructive power that causes harm. It is equally important to ensure that the wind blows constantly, at least as a breeze, and that there is never stagnant, foul air (which symbolizes stagnant finances). Feng Shui for offices not only provides the guide lines for living harmoniously in your work environment it also tells you to how you can manage office spaces to yield prosperity.

There are some time tested office Feng Shui practices which can be used for enhancing your workplace. Practicing the following Feng Shui Tips can make office Feng Shui work for you and you would start noticing the changes.

Feng Shui tips for offices Remove clutter

Your office must be organized and arranged efficiently. Clutter according to Feng Shui stimulates negative Chi (energy) and should be kept to a minimum. Remove whatever extraneous materials are lying in your office. By clearing away the physical clutter that you have been confronting on a daily basis, you free up your mental, emotional burden and feel light, cheerful and optimistic in your reinvigorated working space.

Position of the desk

Keep your desk in the commanding position. The commanding position means a position of power, where you have a direct view of the door, a pleasant view out the window and a wall behind you for stability. This position of the desk according to the Feng Shui office offers you the maximum control.

Shape of your desk

Shape of your desk can affect your mood and level of productivity in the workplace. Rounded curves are flowing, encouraging the flow of creativity. A kidney-shaped desk follows the natural curves of the human body and is said to give you a subconscious feeling of inner alignment.

Placing the plants

Place plants in your work and help you stay connected to the natural world. Since the green color spurs creativity and new ideas it helps you to have creative element in the office. In Feng Shui practice keeping plants helps to have positive Chi flow in corners which other wise are neglected spaces devoid of any energy. Green plants also act as a filtering system, reducing toxins and circulating stagnant air.

Choosing the correct light

The best light is natural daylight, so move your desk close to a window but never have your desk directly in front of window or fluorescent lights which cast a glare, causing eyestrain and exhaustion. You may improve your mood and energy dramatically by replacing fluorescent lights with warm lights that don't cast a glare.

Use of Feng Shui colors

Making use of Feng Shui Colors can help you achieve balance in your office. Different colors have different properties some colors can help people feel grounded and secure. Blues, purples or reds are supposed to enhance the wealth and prosperity area of your office. Office Feng Shui and bagua

A Bagua map can help you to make your office a "Feng Shui-friendly" environment. Bagua can help you in placing objects or placement of furniture in your office in areas which in Feng Shui are said to stimulate your discipline, prosperity and creativity. Once you determine the connections between various spaces in your office and 8 different guas of the bagua map, you start to develop a much stronger sense of purpose and focus about the changes you would like to implement in your life. You can make use of Feng Shui Elements for creating a balance between yin and yang energies.

According to Feng Shui for offices you can have: * Your desk and computer in the "career" area * Reference books in the "knowledge" and "self-cultivation" areas * A crystal bowl in "wealth and prosperity" * You can have reception, phone systems/communication system in area marked for helpful people. * You can have a picture of your father or other relatives in the family area if you have an inherited business. Feng Shui and home office The tips mentioned above can also be applied to your home office. But if not possible you can at least take care to change your home office to a Feng Shui office.

For example if your home office is full of creative and dream-inducing objects, get rid of some of them and introduce more logical, work-oriented elements that will help you get right down to business.

Or if your home office is like the other rooms of your office it is having beige or white curtains can be dramatically improved--and the energy invigorated--by using the guide lines of Feng Shui for offices. Something as simple as adding a tall red vase on the floor or atop a table or windowsill can help you have more yin energy. An impersonal office space can become suddenly personalized and imbued with character when you hang a print of your favorite painting on the wall. A stale room will be immediately freshened when you light a scented candle in an aroma you find particularly pleasing.

Adding a sturdy brown desk to the home office where bills are paid promotes practicality in a person who used to be a spendthrift. These are just an introduction to some of the Feng Shui practices. You can have a number of Feng Shui design ideas for your office or home office to increase the balance and harmony.

Discover the secret to happier living by knowing yourself better! Read the e-book on Feng Shui to get in-depth Feng Shui information and practical guide to lead a meaningful life.

Mike Z. Wang is an expert author on feng shui related topics and eminent feng shui consultant

Feng Shui Horoscopes

 

Feng Shui Horoscopes

A great tool to help you find out more about yourself.

Chinese feng shui horoscope is based on twelve animals which represent you depending on the year you were born. Feng shui horoscope is an ancient reading of people's personalities and the influences which nature forces have on them. According to this, each year is represented by an animal and its characteristics.

Each one of us has a feng shui horoscope animal representing us according to the year in which we were born. Our personalities and the way we interact with others will vary according to this, since the way different animals interact will vary according to their nature. Each animal representing us is based on characteristics of the real animal which is applied to the human beings.

The twelve Chinese feng shui horoscope animals are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and pig. Each one of these animals have a specific personality type, and you could find many of your own features reflected in the description of the animal which represents you, as well as you can find descriptions of the people who surround you through the animal representing them too.

Besides providing you with information regarding your inner being, feng shui horoscope tells you about with which other persons represented by their animals would you tend to have harmonic relationships and with which others not. Some animals interact harmonically and some tend to have problems in their relationships.

The feng shui horoscope animals can be grouped as opposites. Each animal has an opposite and they are: rat is opposite to horse, ox opposite to goat, tiger opposite to monkey, rabbit opposite to cock, dragon opposite to dog, and snake opposite to pig. This does not mean that animals which are opposite could never have an harmonic relationship, but that they might tend to it.

Feng shui horoscope can provide you with a very interesting resource of knowledge about human behavior and their relationships. It is based on traditional knowledge, which has anciently been consulted in the oriental world. Therefore, feng shui horoscope is a very important resource to have into account at the time to learn about ourselves and the way we get along with others.

By Jakob Jelling

http://www.fengshuicrazy.com

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.fengshuicrazy.com. Please visit his website and learn all the feng shui tips you'll ever need!

Feng Shui Colors And What They Represent

 

Feng shui colors knowledge can allow you to choose the right colors to create harmony in any living or working space as well as it can be used with anything that involves choosing colors. According to feng shui colors specifications, colors should not be used randomly but according to what they represent.

Each one of the five elements, water, wood, fire, earth and metal are represented by different colors and that allow us to create feng shui colors based harmony. We will detail the colors each one of the elements represent through the next lines in order to help you choosing the right colors for your home or office decoration as well as the look for harmony within anything involving the use of colors.

The element water, according to feng shui colors representation chart, is represented by the colors blue and black and all their shades. This means that if, for example, you need to add more of the water element in a room, you could do so by adding these colors to it.

Next, and according to feng shui colors spectrum, wood is represented by all shades of green. Therefore, by painting a room green or adding green objects you would be including more wood in it. The next element, fire, is represented by red, pink and maroon and adding any of these colors within a space would be as adding that element.

The last two elements symbolized by feng shui colors are earth and metal. The feng shui element earth is represented by the color orange, yellow, and brown. And the element metal is represented by color white, silver, gray and gold. Using any of the colors within these last two groups would add more of the element which they represent.

A house position also determines the color which we should ideally use in its exterior. A house facing south should be white, gray or blue, facing SW should be in red or earth shades, facing west should be in blue or green or if it is facing north it should have green shades or red. A house facing NE should be painted in earth shades or red, and if it is either facing east or SE it should be in metal or earth shades.
http://www.fengshuicrazy.com

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.fengshuicrazy.com. Please visit his website and learn all the feng shui tips you'll ever need!

Feng Shui, One Man's Self-Discovery

 

In this time of stress and fear of the unknown, with companies imploding and war and terrorism all around us, it's important to have good tools to remain centered and focused.

I had heard a lot about Feng Shui, it sounded interesting but was skeptical. I went to my neighborhood Feng Shui supply store to see what I could learn. I met a rather knowledgeable woman named Fee Lo Mee, she obviously wasn't Asian. She said the name helped her online sales of Feng Shui paraphernalia.

After she got a little background on me she determined the most important thing was to get a Chinese Dragon and a little water fall. I was to display this in the Southeast corner of my room to bring me maximum wealth luck. Also, since I need all the side income I can get, she advised getting a three legged toad and put him on my desk. She also tried to get me to buy windchimes and some fish figurines, but I told her I wasn't so concerned with career luck I just wanted more money.

As we chatted about her online business, I mentioned I wrote for a website. When she heard that it was all I could do to escape the store with just a small crystal globe. You see a crystal globe brings great success, wealth and recognition in literature, publishing, media and communications. I guess that sums up what I do--especially the literature part--so I was sure to put one in my shopping cart.

I hope the wealth luck works because the merchandise was over $100, which included a few I-Ching coins tied with red and gold thread to keep in my pocket for added luck.

At this point, I must admit, I was pretty excited to get home and properly place my new "energizers" in my home and office. But Ms. Mee was not done with me. She pulled aside and softly mentioned, "Feng Shui is not only about symbols and placement, it involves the whole person, including their dress." I looked at my clothes and looked back at her and she nodded slightly with that "yes I'm talking about you" look in her eyes. So I let her begin.

First thing, never ever wear faded or worn jeans like I did, it attracts poverty and bad luck and she let me know it (oh so that's what the problem's been!). Next, make sure you're always well groomed. You don't have to dress fancy, but make sure it's balanced and harmonious. And of course dry your clothes outside in the daylight to absorb purifying yang chi energies.

She started to tell me about kua numbers and elements and colors and shapes and how I should add these into my wardrobe. I told her I was pressed for time and I'd come back again to pick up that information. I really had nowhere to go, but I felt I had all the feng-shui information I could handle for one day.

Well it's been a few days since my trip to see Ms. Mee and everything is properly placed. I feel excited about the new me. Of course nothing has really changed, like anything I have to give it time. Now I'm thinking about learning about how to feng-shui my whole house. I don't really know anything about it, but I hear it really is great.

Using Feng Shui to Embody Your Inspiration

 

Who inspires you, who makes you envious? The answers will
help you design your life!

If there's someone who inspires you, or someone you envy -
that is your heart giving you a clue as to what you want
more of in your life. These questions will help you embody
your inspiration.

1. Who inspires you?

2. What is it about their life that resonates most
strongly? Is it what they are doing, or is it how they are
being?

3. What could you do to incorporate more of this into your
life?

4. The Helpful People & Travel area of your home or office
is a good place to put symbols of people who inspire you.
It could be a photograph, you could place their name on a
piece of paper in a silver box, use an example of their
work, or place something symbolic there.

5. The Children & Creativity area relates to projects and
creativity. Place a symbol of what this person represents
to you there.

6. The Knowledge & Self-Cultivation area represents
awareness and knowledge. Place a symbol of the inspiration
you would like to embody in this area of your home.

You can place these enhancements in that particular area of
your home, or of a room, such as your office or bedroom.
Those two rooms are where people usually spend the most
time, so will have a greatest impact on you.

For a visual representation of the various areas of the
Bagua, what they represent and how to find them in your
home, see:
http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/BaguaMap.html

Maximizing the Power of Your Enhancements

1. Get clear about what you want to create.

2. Make sure the area is clutter free.

3. Place your enhancements with intention - it makes them
much more powerful.

4. Make space for insights, awareness and creative ideas to
come to you. You can do this by taking time to just 'be' -
no errands, emails or to-dos!
http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/

Vicky White is a Certified Feng Shui Consultant and Life
Coach who works with clients both locally and
internationally. Get your FREE 7-part e-course Your Secret
Weapon: Powerful Feng Shui Tips To Give Your Business The
Competitive Edge at http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/