Monthly Archives: October 2010

October 25, 2010 · 12:15 am

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Photo courtesy of Weego Home, Santa Monica

This bright cheerful bedroom is from Weego Home. I do like the fabric wall treatment behind the bed. You can use this idea instead of a headboard if your bed doesn’t have one. It anchors the bed and balances the bed out with a tall dresser, for example (none shown here, though). The two matching lamps are good feng shui but can you guess why the two bedside tables pictured here are negative feng shui? They should be the same height and preferably matching. What we have is the right side dominating the left side. Gee, I wonder who sleeps on the dominating side of THIS bed?! A balanced set energetically represents a balanced equal relationship. Symbols resonate with us subconsciously and that is why they have impact on our feng shui.

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October 19, 2010 · 9:10 am

TURTLES & FENG SHUI

 

Myrtle the Turtle

 

My bf fell in love with another female this summer. Her name is Myrtle. She was walking (well, more like crawling but I hate to be catty) across the busy road and he just felt he had to rescue her. Myrtle is a wild Eastern Painted Turtle. Turtles have been in the news a lot lately. The BP oil spill this summer continues to have a disastrous effect on sea turtles (click here for story…note: pics of distressed turtles are not for the faint of heart).

Turtles are auspicious symbols of wealth and longevity. They are the guardians of the North direction (signified by the number one, hence a single turtle whether you are keeping a live one or a sculpture of one in your home is better for feng shui luck). The North direction governs Career. That’s why having a solo tortoise picture or sculpture in your office (facing towards you, not out the door) is a good idea. If you’re starting a new business or project, choose a sculpture that shows a baby turtle instead of a fully grown one to give you that “birth of a new idea!” energy, leaving room for unlimited expansion of your feng shui.

Dreaming of turtles can be interpreted as lucky as well. If you are about to start a new job, for example, and have a happy dream about a turtle, you can pretty much relax as you’ve been given a message that this career direction is a very good one for you. The online dream circle I belong to is serendipitously called “Turtle Dreamers“, named after Native American traditions (Earth is the turtle’s back).

We released Myrtle back into the wild at the end of the summer. We hope her feng shui was enhanced as much by knowing us as ours was by knowing her.

 

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Filed under Career, Dreaming, Feng Shui, Feng Shui Office, Fun, Pets, Uncategorized

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October 18, 2010 · 9:49 am

THE FENG SHUI OF JOHN & YOKO

I’m reading “All We Are Saying: the last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono” by David Sheff. A must for Beatle fans and art lovers, but more than that it is quite interesting on many levels. Thirty years have passed since both the 3-week long interview (the book is comprised of transcripts from those taped conversations, some of which you can find here on NPR) and John’s tragic death a mere two days after the interview was completed. Yet there are passages in the book where the topics are eerily prophetic (John talks with near clairvoyance about American car manufacturers still designing cars for the 40’s and 50’s instead of what today’s market wants and needs in a way that seems ironic now after last year’s automotive bloodbath) and very relevant to where we are. Time after time both John and Yoko say in the interview that they don’t have the answers, they are merely saying yet again what has been said before by others. The message is love. The message is peace. The message is do not follow leaders, do not follow us: get educated and make up your own minds. Then you will arrive at your own answers.  Yoko Ono was much maligned by Beatles fans back in the day and the rants live on in blog comments being posted every day. The interviewer draws Mr. & Mrs. Lennon out on how painful that personally must have been for Yoko as well as for John. I am only partway into the book and I’m sure I’ll have more to add later on. I am finding the couple’s insights on Love & Relationship to be very meaningful and I think you will, too.

 

Photo of John and Yoko... from the book cover at Amazon.com

 

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Filed under Celebrities, Creativity & Future Projects, Feng Shui, Fun, gifts, Love & Relationship, politics

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October 17, 2010 · 9:00 pm

9 TIPS FOR IDENTIFYING CLUTTER

There’s no clutter on this blog post…!  Just click here to jump to ZenHabits blog about how to identify whether your stuff is officially clutter.

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Filed under Feng Shui, Feng Shui Home, Feng Shui Office, Getting Organized, Self Help

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October 17, 2010 · 7:43 pm

HIGH POINT DESIGN HIGHLIGHT

John Strauss tables. Photo by Veronika Miller of Modenus

What’s new at High Point Furniture Market this week? One of the most exciting trends is Made in America. Furniture designer John Strauss of Canton, Ohio is in the forefront of this movement. Shown above is just one of his designs, “Lozere Table”, that comes in 6 vibrant shades. I told John that I thought the table had wonderful feng shui. Why? Because it has an octagonal shape that reminds me of the bagua, it has yin curves and yang angles combined in a balanced and pleasing way, and the colors are chi-ful. Plus, they are good karma since John uses sustainable woods, sustainable paint, and produces this line in an Amish factory in Ohio. While I was in the John Strauss showroom admiring his furniture, I met the very dynamic Veronika Miller, CEO of Modenus. Check out the Modenus interactive website for inspiration and up-to-date design information and their blog for Veronika’s take on John’s table. John Strauss furniture is custom made and that means if you want to order a single piece, you probably can. Check it out at StraussFurniture.com.

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October 15, 2010 · 8:51 pm

DOES $17.5 M BUY YOU GOOD FENG SHUI?

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There’s a house on the market in Bel Air, California (a very ritzy part of LA) going for $17.5 Million. I love looking at real estate and when I got this listing from Rose + Chang I just had to check it out with my feng shui eyes. If I had a serious art collection this is the type of home I would seek out to show it to its best advantage. These types of spaces can often come across as sterile, cold, and institutional looking. But I think here the architect and designer (I’m assuming the furnishings were “staged”) have done a good job of creating a warm and inviting environment despite the large areas of the interiors. They have used wood very wisely and sparingly. The furnishings have a nice blend of curves to offset the masculine lines of the building itself. I particularly like the bathroom with the almost perfect use of the elements. Would you like living here or is it too big for you? Do you prefer traditional to minimal?

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Filed under Architecture, Design, Feng Shui, Feng Shui Home, Interior Design, Wealth & Finances

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October 15, 2010 · 5:06 pm

LIGHT MY FIRE

 

Photo from Dwell.com

 

While orange is my favorite color, I have mixed feelings about its use here. The bookcase and wall portion is yummy. Can you guess why I don’t like the floor painted orange? Orange / red tones are the color of fire. In feng shui terms we use this color to activate and stimulate, especially the top 3 sectors of the bagua. It’s not such a problem in the living areas or kitchen (as long as the other elements are balanced accordingly) but in the bedroom you want to create tranquillity not overstimulation. Having red walls or accents is okay. Having the foundation beneath you (the floor) in bright firey colors might give you a sleeping disorder. This color scheme could work well however in a retail space where “hot deals” are on display for eager buyers. I do like how this space has incorporated yin and yang aspects (round and square, soft and hard) in the decor. See more at Dwell.com.

 

Photo from Dwell.com

 

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