Monthly Archives: April 2009

HOW TO BRING CHI TO A HOSPITAL ROOM

A loved one was recently in and out of the hospital 3 x in two months. Most hospitals do NOT have feng shui energy flow in mind when they are designed. Usually, quite the opposite–depressing drab colors, utilitarian fabrics, and mediocre art prints (if any) abound.

It’s hard to stay cheerful in that environment and a good positive attitude is needed for healing. Solution? Bring your own good chi to decorate your patient’s room.

In the photos here, you’ll see balloons that were brought in from the hospital gift shop (one of them was a musical balloon). I also had a bottle of soap bubbles on hand to amuse my patient.

But the most appreciated idea was printing out 8 x 10 glossy photos on my home printer of people and places and art work and pets that my loved one loves. I took a hole puncher and punched 5 holes across the top of each photo. Then I strung together up to 9 photos with red curling ribbon (it’s indestructible and cheaper than fabric ribbons). I was able to tie off the ribbons onto the curtain rods and room dividers in the hospital room. The effect was kind of like Tibetan prayer flags draped all around the room.

Many of the hospital staff came in to comment on how much they liked it and how much better it was for the patient to be surrounded with this type of inspiration. Usually, they said, only children’s rooms get this type of attention. What ideas have you used to cheer up someone with an illness?

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Filed under Creativity & Future Projects, Feng Shui, Fun, Healing Energy, Health & Fitness, Qi

OLA, OLY—A BEDROOM WITH GOOD FENG SHUI

Furnishings by Oly

Here’s a very glam bedroom from manufacturer “Oly” as seen at High Point International Furniture Market this weekend. The combination of shapes includes round and square, soft and angled, great relaxing colors all add up to great feng shui.

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Filed under Design, Feng Shui Home, Interior Design

CHERRY BLOSSOMS & JASMINE PEARLS: What’s brewing in your kitchen?

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You don’t have to go to DC to enjoy cherry blossom season. Your own kitchen will do. This apron is only $9.95 at Mrs. Lin’s and she’s got a variety of lovely teapots as well. Here’s a photo of my favorite tea seller’s stall in the market in Guangzhou, China.
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Jasmine pearl tea is my favorite morning libation and is one of the most expensive teas out there if you go to trendy tea parlors in the US. Instead, buy it online from LA’s Chinatown department store for a third of the price. Remember: saving money builds Wealth & Prosperity, and that’s always good feng shui.
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MOUTH OF CH’I

Location, Location, Location

In Black Hat Sect Feng Shui tradition, the Mouth of Ch’i determines the placement of the bagua locations. There are three possibilities for location of the front door:

Knowledge & Self Cultivation Position which is located to the left hand side of the front of your building. (Also known as the “Ken” position, but, then some of you wiseguys might complain that there is no “Barbie” position so I will stick to the English names!) 

Career Position  which is located within the central area of the front of your structure.

Travel & Helpful People Position which is the area occupying the right hand side of your building. 

There are particular colors natural to each position which enhance the energy associated with each area. There are also specific implications for business owners. Each area relates to a very different philosophy of conducting business. For instance, should one put one’s time and energy into developing direct relationships with the local chamber of commerce or would a TV advertisement be more effective? With Feng Shui, the location of your Mouth of Ch’i would give you the answer and help you to avoid wasting time and money.

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Filed under Feng Shui, Feng Shui Home, Feng Shui Office, Interior Design, Mouth of Chi (doors)

RED ALERT

Red Orange, Mark Rothko c. 1968

Red Orange, Mark Rothko c. 1968

In the ancient Indian Chakra system, each power point of our energetic body is represented by a specific color. We are literally a rainbow of colors! Not only do our bodies emit color energy in this way, our personal ch’i / energy is deeply influenced by the hues we surround ourselves with in clothing, in home and office decor, even in the presentation of the food we eat.

Our language is peppered with references to color as it relates to mood: green with envy, yellow with fear, blue with sadness to name just a few. Numerous studies have been done exploring the correlations between color and mood. Color is a powerful tool. It can lift our spirits, or drag us further into despair.

Within the study of Feng Shui we know that color is ch’i /energy. There is one color above all others that can be used to activate and energize your Feng Shui wherever you use it. Guessed yet? It’s red. If you’re shopping for a so-called “power tie” in the neckwear department of Barney’s, you’ll be shown to the red silk versions. Nancy Reagan made red suits her signature when she was our First Lady. Red is a color of leadership and action. Red symbolizes Fire, the original energy heat source.

Need to get your creative juices flowing for your next big project? Here’s how you can harness the Power of Red in your work environment right now:

* Wear red clothing to important meetings and interviews. Red not your color? Try wearing it where no one can see it (red Jockeys for example).

* If you have a choice of chair, choose a red one.

* Keep red flowers on your desk.

* Add red color wherever possible (paint an accent wall, use red binders on “hot” projects, red file folders, etc).

Aim for balance, though: a little red goes a long way. You DON’T want to be dressed in head-to-toe red sitting in a red chair surrounded by red walls! And, you don’t want to cause anyone in upper management to be “seeing red” when they think of you.

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BLOGS THAT INSPIRE

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Feeding your creativity with inspiration is great feng shui because it motivates action and intention. I’ve been traipsing through the blogosphere today and discovered thedesignblog and cribcandy as well as anothershadeofgrey, and oyokoncept (all of them gave me great visuals and ideas for new creative projects. You might also like amadteapartywithalis. For fresh ideas with a decidedly French flair, I love hiddeninfrance…what design blogs inspire you?

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OFF THE WALL PAPER, II

Wallpaper by Camilla Diedrich

Wallpaper by Camilla Diedrich

I wonder if the bunnies come with every order of wallpaper from award winning designer Camilla Diedrich? I think this “Trueblue WallPaper in Grey” pattern is stunning and I love how she used a round ball lantern with square paned glass door to give a yin-yang balance to the room. There’s nothing more boring than blank walls so if you can’t afford fine art paintings, look for wallpaper or decals that eliminate the need for additional art.

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YIN-YANG: OPPOSITES ATTRACT

You’ll hear a lot about the concept of yin-yang in feng shui circles. Yin is the feminine principle: curves, round or oval shapes, softness. Yang is its masculine counterpart: angular lines, square/rectangle/triangle shapes, hard corners. To create a feng shui flow, it’s wise to incorporate both yin and yang throughout a room or home. Be conscious of the balance between the two. This day bed from the Moderne Maru Collection by designer Carol Gregg for red egg illustrates the beauty of combining both circles and squares in one piece of furniture. Note the yin-yang variety of cushions used here as well. BTW, “maru” is Japanese for circle.
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Filed under Design, Dreaming, Feng Shui, Feng Shui Home, Interior Design

OFFICE GEAR I LOVE

Couture ClipboardsThese Couture Clipboards from violet.com make me smile. If you’re a listmaker–and what organized feng shui person isn’t?–these make carrying your notes around fun! And for storing those notes, these veneer folders with larks & flowers on them are just darling.
Larks & Flowers Veneer Folders

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Filed under Creativity & Future Projects, Design, Feng Shui, Feng Shui Office, Fun, Getting Organized

GHOST STORY


Part of feng shui consulting is to recognize, sense, and remove “psychic residue” that can leave an imprint on your environment. These invisible impressions can remain for a long period of time. Long after the original occupant has vacated the premises, the impact of their ch’i can be felt on the current residents. It’s what I call a ch’i hangover, and it’s byproduct can result in headaches of all kinds for the successive tenants.

These subtle energies can be recognized by anyone who has prepared herself properly and expressed a willingness to find out what is there.
When my mind is distracted by chatter, it’s quite difficult to perceive
the ch’i hangover. If I take the time to clear my mind and just be calm
and centered, it’s easier to “tune in” and become aware of the clues
each space is offering for my inspection.

One of my most interesting Feng Shui cases was a client who owned an
11,000 square foot building in Los Angeles. It was the largest space
that I had ever feng shuied up to that point and I was understandably
nervous that the size of the space would be intimidating.

The client’s business was fulfilling post production film editing for
the motion picture industry. When I first entered the building, I was
impressed by the modern glass brick facade that curved outward and rose the full two story height of the structure. There was a grand staircase that spiraled down from the second floor as I walked into the lobby area. All in all, it was hip and streamlined and exactly matched what I had expected a company dealing in the film industry to look like. After a brief tour of the ground floor, I sat down for a few minutes
with my client in his office determining what his concerns were before
we would move on to inspect the building space completely. During this interview, I asked him a routine Feng Shui question…

“Have you always owned this building, and if not, do you know who owned it before?”

….while inside my head I was hearing the word “MORTUARY!”. I wondered if I was intuitively picking up some psychic residue, but, my rational mind was resisting it and I thought silently to myself “There’s no way this building could be a mortuary—a mortuary doesn’t have glass blocks and a spiral staircase!”

The client went on to say that his company had occupied the premises for about eleven years and that another well known film company had owned the building before that. I nodded and took some notes while silently thinking to myself, “Well, that’s a relief!”. Meanwhile, I tried not to look distracted while inside my head I kept hearing “MORTUARY!” becoming louder and louder.

It was difficult to keep my composure, however, when the next words out of my client’s mouth were, “So, there have only been two film companies here since they stopped using this building as a mortuary.”
Not only was this a vital clue as to the condition of the ch’i in this
space, it was a valuable lesson to me: things are not always what they
seem. So put all preconceived notions aside before entering any site
and always trust your intuition which flows from your connection to
The Source.

Meanwhile, some of you may be wondering what the impact of occupying a space that once served as a mortuary would be on your Feng Shui. Besides the obvious notion that a mortuary would be filled with “dead” ch’i /energy, there is the serious implication of disembodied spirits remaining at the location. Have you ever felt a ghost in your home or office? Tell me your story!

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