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

4 Fengshui Ways for an Unforgettable Door Appeal

 

Sell homes with Fengshui door appeal. Or, you could be missing potential sales and profit. The front door is the mouth of the chi. A handsome door brings good health, wealth, and longevity. Although houses come with many door, there is just one door which is use more often. Fengshui encourages the use of the front or main door. Passing the front door, you are leaving the outside world. Once you are inside, you can see the true color or personality of the home owner.

Positive Energy Flow

Without any clutter in front or back of the door, the positive flow can easily go inside. You may also check for obstruction on the door path. Door should smoothly open and close.

Make the Guardian happy

The guests must be able to clearly distinguish the front door. With a properly placed light, the front door tells the direction to go. Think of light as a guardian. And, remember to replace used up light bulbs. Or, it will ruin the positive energy. Consequently, it may lead to financial loss and illness.

Color Personality

The color of the door tells something about the home owner. A red door symbolizes fame and fortune. Although Fengshui recommends a red door, many doors come in a variety of colors. Yellow says friendly and cheerful home owner. And, blue says introvert and quiet home owner. Lastly, the green is simply the color of life.

Size Matters

The size of the door must conform to the size of the house. An extra large door leads to financial difficulty, while an extra small door leads to petty arguments. Additionally, the doorframes are the poles that support the family. A sturdy and straight poles increase the potential fortune.

Dennis Estrada is a webmaster of mortgage calculators which provide resources, and calculators for mortgage and real estate.

Securing The Safety of Your Home With The Ancient Art of Feng Shui

 

I was elated to discover this detached house with a big garden that was available for rental in a quiet suburb when I was first transferred to another town to work as an engineer.

It was located at a cul de sac, the house being the last house in the row. I thought it was perfect..quiet, newly constructed and with a good neighbor who was a banker.

Without reservation, I rented the house and my family shifted in a week later.

3 months later, I almost lost my life. I was travelling as a passenger in a friend's car when someone lost control of his car, and crashed into the Honda car I was travelling in, killing the front seating passenger. I was at the back and had a smashed face, and was warded in the hospital and had to stay another month for medical treatment.

But how is this related to the house I was staying in then?

In fact, I was never a fan of feng shui, the ancient chinese art of geomancy.

When I was warded in the hospital, my neighbor who was a banker and also a chinese scholar, visited me and began to spill the beans.

The house where I was staying was facing bad "chi" or an aura of bad atmosphere was emancing from the house that was facing directly opposite my house. The occupant of that house was a monk who works as a "chanter" who performs the chanting ceremony over the dead. This is a chinese practise for those who have died, the chanting being akin to prayer to make the way easier for the dead spirits to depart.

According to my neigbor, every day when this monk returns home, he brings along the bad "chi" from the dead, and which then emants out towards the direction of my house.

A shiver went down my spine when I heard this news.

In my imagination, I could almost see evil spirits following this monk and congregating at his home before fanning out in the direction of my house.

But what about my neighbor? How did he protect himself against this bad influence of "chi'?

"I hang out a mirror," this chinese scholar said. This mirror when hung outside reflects and deflects the bad chi and mystically protects the inhibitants from ill effects and ward off evil. This is the ancient art of feng shui at work", he added.

Three months after the accident I recovered to leave the hospital, I was not ready to remain a day longer in that rented house. I did not hang out a mirror. I had enough and the solution was to just shifted house. We moved out!

I met my banker neighbor friend 5 years down the road. I asked how he was. " I have never been better," he replied, " and my mirror has always done its job".

Yes, we can protect our house, ourselves and belongings with the most sophisticated security alarm systems. But apart from this, where we choose to believe in the anciet art of feng shui, we need a simple mirror to be hung outside our house to ward off bad "chi" and evil.Are you a believer of the ancient chinese art of feng shui?

Usng Feng Shui to Harness the Power of Your Intention

 

Master Lin Yun, founder of Black Hat Tibetan Feng Shui, has stated that making Feng Shui enhancements without intention, is only 10% effective. However, add intention and you'll get a 120% improvement!

If you listen to successful people talk about what makes them successful, one of the elements is being clear about what they want. And it's not just a vague idea, like to be happy, or to be wealthy. Their goals are SMART goals, they are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. So, what's the outcome you are going for? How will you know when you reach it?

Everything around you affects you. Whether it's a pile of clutter, a relationship that is dragging you down, or a broken doorbell - everything is part of what you are creating, whether you are conscious of it or not.

Learning about Feng Shui will give you a heightened awareness of how you interrelate with everything in your environment. That's quite a responsibility. So, the question becomes - do you want to go through your life hoping things work out, or do you want to design a fulfilling and passionate life for yourself? Do you want to be the cause or the effect?

Applying Feng Shui with intention will set your life on an altered course. You're making a commitment - it's powerful. I've seen clients begin Coaching, or Feng Shui, feeling stuck in an aspect of their lives, and within one week had several options magically open up to them. They unleashed a series of opportunities and opened up a pipeline to possibility. It's also about focus. What you focus on expands, and when you move from focusing on feeling stuck, to a wider view of focusing on outcomes, the Universe steps in to support you.

And why not go for some BHAGs? they are Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals. Live your life as a daring adventure. You have the opportunity to create whatever you choose for Your life, so think big!

The clearer you are about what you're choosing to create, the greater the chance of having what you want, and the more effective the Feng Shui. Clearing clutter, or placing enhancements with intention is extremely powerful. It's the difference between making a 10% improvement or making a 120% improvement.

Maximizing the Power of Your Enhancements

Use these tools to create an environment of success that will support powerful outcomes for yourself. Make your self a priority and design the life of your dreams.

1. Get clear and very specific about your desired outcome, and write this down.

2. Remove the clutter and clean the area.

3. Choose an enhancement - something that represents the change you would like to create, and place it in the appropriate area of your home or room.

For a visual representation of the Bagua Map and how to find where different aspects of your life are represented in your home go to:
http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/BaguaMap.html

4. Visualize or imagine your outcome as if its already happened - how does it feel?

5. Speak your desired outcome out loud, in the present tense. Always add, 'this or something better, for the Highest Good now occurs'. An example is: I now have 2 new clients who are a perfect fit for me. This or something better, for the Highest Good now occurs.

6. Start taking action towards your outcome.

Sometimes your Higher Power, sees a much bigger picture than you do, so don't place any limitations on what you might receive.

Feng Shui will move you towards the next step in designing your life. 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/

8 Feng Shui Tips to Make Your Own Buds Bloom

 

Spring is here and all the energy that was laying low and gaining strength over winter is blossoming forth. Spring is the time for new beginnings. Its a time of increased energy, new beginnings and sunshine moods.

These tips will help you harness this energy.

1. OPEN YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS The air inside your building is up to ten times more polluted than the air outside. This is due to building practices that seal the building against energy loss, and because of synthetic furnishings and carpets which are continually sending toxic vapors into your home.

Opening your doors and windows will bring more energy into your life as this is where the energy enters your homes and rooms.

2. TAKE CARE OF YOUR PLANTS Now is a good time to feed them, dust them, shine their leaves and give them some love. Plants produce movement of air, which helps them remove toxins from your environment. They also produce water vapor which controls humidity.

3. CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS
Often its not until the sun shines on your windows that you can see just how dirty they've become. Create a clear view of your world.

4. BUY FRESH FLOWERS
These will add brightness and vitality to your life. Make sure you replace them when they wilt.

5. WHAT NEEDS DECLUTTERING? Is it time to go through your closet again with fresh eyes? Can you put your winter clothes out of sight? What can you let go of? What do you no longer like or wear? What doesn't show you at your best? How about your garage, your car or your handbag?

6. DO YOU HAVE CLUTTER IN YOUR BEDROOM? Your bedroom is the most important room in your house because you spend so many hours in there. Clutter here will be affecting your health and relationships, and clutter under the bed affects you the most - it will be creating unconscious blocks as you sleep over it.

7. RE-ENERGIZE YOUR GOALS Are you one third of the way towards your goals for the year? What is blocking your way? Do you want to choose a new goal? Choose a goal and commit to taking one step towards it each day. Watch the progress you make and the momentum you create. Do this with a friend or your Coach and check in with them each day. Being accountable to someone else is often what it takes keep focused.

8. REDUCE THE STATIC IN YOUR LIFE Make a list of anything in your life that 'bugs' you and start clearing them up. What distracts you from doing the things you love to do and what distracts you at work? What can you do to resolve these issues?

Spring is a great time to reassess and re-energize your dreams and goals. You are a third of the way through the year and can take advantage of this boost of Spring energy by clearing some space and refocusing. 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/

Feng Shui Peach Blossom Romance Method

 

Peach Blossom Romance Activation Method

This method is only to be used to attract a new romantic partner into your life, this is not a method to bring peace to troubled relationships. Only the Flying Stars Feng Shui method can help smooth over rough waters in relationships, assuming both partners want the same outcome of course!

To use this method effectively, one needs to know their Earthly Branch or Animal character for their day of birth using the Four Pillars Chinese Astrological technique.

Make sure that no one else in your home shares the same Peach Blossom Romance Direction as you before activating this, as they will be triggered off also! Not good for somebody you are sharing your home with, who is in a solid relationship already, as they will develop a wandering eye!

This Earthly Branch Day Character can be found by entering your time, date and place of birth details into the free online calculator on Master Yu's old site, at, http://www.geocities.com/fourpillar/charting.html
Don't worry about the hour detail too much if you are unsure of your exact time of birth, we are only after the day character for the Earthly Branch for this Romance attracting method. Do work out the day character for every occupant within your home and then check the table at the bottom of this page so as to make sure that you are not unwittingly activating the Romantic effect of the Peach Blossom for anybody else.

For those of you who love to do things manually, step by step instructions for drawing this up can be found in "The Complete Idiots Guide to Feng Shui - 2nd Edition" ISBN 0-02-864339-9

To attract a Man: Use a Green spherical vase filled with White flowers.

To attract a Lady: Use a White spherical vase filled with Red flowers.

Make sure the vase you use is spherical, not cylindrical and use the right colour combination of fresh flowers and vase for your preference of partner!

To use this method: Once you have worked out your Earthly Branch Day Character, simply locate the vase and flowers within one of the four sectors of your home as indicated in the following table. To work this out you will need to have a compass alignment of your home, and know where the gravitational centre point is.
(These steps are covered in our free online course, at http://www.purefengshui.com )
Then simply place the vase and flowers anywhere within the 30 degree portion indicated for you below in the Peach Blossom Location Finder.

Peach Blossom Romance Location Finder

255 - 285Zi / Rat - Chen / Dragon - Shen / Monkey
165 - 195Chou / Ox - Si / Serpent - You / Rooster
75 - 105Yin / Tiger - Wu / Horse - Xu / Dog
345 - 15Mao / Hare - Wei / Sheep - Hai / Boar

Happy Hunting!

Trained and accredited under numerous Feng Shui Masters, John is now giving away his knowledge for free on his site at purefengshui.com!