The Chi of New Homes ... Feng Shui-ness and Destiny

When my wife and I were searching for a new Las Vegas home in 2002, we wanted it to have a solid foundation based on Feng Shui principles. My wife researched the essentials and we decided to build a home that met our needs and supported good Chi. The internal layout of the furniture was a slow process because we want to ensure that everything "was energy (Chi) efficient". We even went so far as to pick a plot of land that had a curvy street in front and located on a hill with a view of a "city of money". With all of the work we did in building the structure and embellishing the interior, the house feels fantastic and the energy feeds us and moves us forward!

This positive experience tickled my curiosity and I decided to assemble some of our observations, based on our initial house hunting and, later, my interest and research. In the Las Vegas area, I focused on Feng Shui "compatibility" based on empty new-builds. All of the homes were built within the last five years and were unoccupied. I acquired a few pictures and compared the structures and placement of built-in components (i.e., doors, windows, and potential placement of furniture as necessitated by the structure) to several books and resources I have available on Feng Shui. In the end, I noticed some consistencies with regard to the class of individual for which the homes were built.

Since we are newbies to Feng Shui, I submitted the research to a few Feng Shui experts to see if we were "in the ballpark". Some of the conclusions I came up with and discussed with these experts were:

• For homes within the Upper class of society, the structures were built to support power and money.

• For homes within the Upper-Middle class of society, the structures were built to support employment and consumption.

• For homes within the Lower to Middle class of society, the structures were built to support production.

• For homes within the Retirement class of society, the structures were built to support endings and isolation from society (e.g., foot of bed facing an external door).

This all seemed interesting in that the type of home built seemed to fit within a particular need or desire for a given societal class. It also seems to be that people purchase a home that supports the issues and lessons on which they are embarking. This approach is a hidden, and ingenious, psychological "marketing gimmick" for builders. Indeed, most people will always go toward that which is the most comfortable.

Of course, one cannot specifically reference outcome by class regarding the selection of the home structure. However, it seems that the architecture of today reflects the mind set of the country as a whole. While, in the long run, many choose the best house they can afford for their family, comfort, and lifestyle; however, most are unconscious of the effects of the space while focusing on the structural illusion.

Edward B. Toupin is an author, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, technical writer, and PhD Candidate living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other things, he authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as well as his articles covering various life-changing topics!

For more information, e-mail Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his site at http://www.make-life-great.com or http://www.toupin.com!

Copyright (c) 2004 Edward B. Toupin

Achieve A Balance - Feng Shui All The Way

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese belief that involves studying natural and the built environments. The arrangements of these objects affect the yin and the yang, as well as the energy of a room. Feng Shui has developed into many different versions based on religion, geography, symbolism and culture. One commonality of all Feng Shui practitioners, Of course, is the belief in energy. Different schools of Feng Shui have progressed into seven different forms.

1. The Compass School

The first school of thought is the Compass school. The compass school uses 8 trigrams of the I-Ching. These 8 trigrams are known collectively as Pa Kua, that is based on the eight main directions of a compass. Each of these directions is associated with a specific chi. A southern direction, for example, is vibrant energy and is associated with the middle of the summer.

2. Eight Mansion School

Another school is the Eight Mansion School, also known as the Eight House Feng Shui. This school of thought is based on the individual number of a person. The number of the man living in the home is used to bring harmony and balance to the home. Furthermore, people using this system have both lucky and unlucky numbers, with the west numbers being 2, 6, 7, and 8 and the east numbers being 1, 3, 4, and 9.

3. Form School

The Form school of thought is based on the landscapes shape and uses four symbolic animals. These animals are used to identify the type of landscape. The Form school is easy to use along with the Compass school to increase chi both in and out of the home.

4. Black Hat Sect

The Black Hat Sect is another school of thought. The Black Hat Sect used a fixed entry point for determination of the life areas. It is similar in philosophy to the Compass school, but the areas are different. In addition, the Black Hat Sect mixes psychology, Buddhism and basic design principles, as well.

5. Nine Star Key School

Another school is the Nine Star Key School. This form used stars to help identify lucky and unlucky days. Using complicated math formulas, this school can pinpoint when a person will get married and the astrological sign of the person to be married to. This form is very inflexible and is based purely on science. The Nine Star Key will also tell the practitioner what house he lives in and makes suggestions on how to live based on the house.

6. Flying Star School

The Flying Star philosophy is the most common Asian form of Feng Shui and is based on astrology and numerology. This form is difficult to understand and to learn. It, too, is based on mathematical principals and is used to determine a persons fate.

7. Four Pillars School

The final school of thought is the Four Pillars. This form is not very common and is based on astrology according to the persons date of birth, right down to the minutes. This form is also used to determine a persons fate.

8. The Five Elements

After determining that school of thought is best for an individual, it is important to also understand each element. These five elements are: Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. The elements are capable of destroying each others energies and forming a continual cycle. Through the use of these elements, balance and harmony can be created in a home. If these elements are used incorrectly, Of course, the energy can be destroyed or lessened.

Each of the five elements is also associated with a color, direction, and number.

Earth (Brown/Beige) - 2,5,8 - Southwest

Fire (Red/Purple) ?? 9 - South

Water (Blue/Black) ?? 1 - North

Metal (Grey/Reflective) - 6,7 - West

Wood (Green) - 3,4 - East

Each of these elements has both a destructive and a productive cycle and must be used carefully.

The productive cycle uses the following pattern:

Water ?? Wood ?? Fire ?? Earth ?? Metal

Water feed feeds Wood for it to grow. Wood then feeds Fire and produces Earth. Earth, in turn created Metal. Metal holds water and, thus, continues the cycle. To keep this cycle flowing, bring into the room the elements before and after the main element

The destructive cycle reduces energy and can be used in a room where one element needs to be lessened. It follows this pattern:

Water ?? Fire ?? Metal ?? Wood ?? Earth

Water puts out Fire and Fire melts Metal. Metal cuts Wood down and Wood clogs Earth, while Earth muddies Water.

9. Using Feng Shui

Every room needs to be balanced with each of the five elements. Some elements can be heavier than others due to size; chair might score as three counts of an element while a throw pillow only counts as one.

For more great feng shui related articles and resources check out http://anxietyplace.info

Real Estate Marketing with Feng Shui

One of a Realtor's challenges in listing a house is to persuade the sellers to "stage" it for presentation. Potential buyers are put off by cluttered counters and overflowing toy boxes - not to mention overflowing kitty litter boxes! Ideally, the house should look like no one lives there - or like the owners have full-time maid service.

All Realtors recommend getting rid of clutter to create a spacious feeling, keeping the drapes open to fill the rooms with light, and keeping everything clean and neat. But sometimes that doesn't quite do the trick.

Sometimes the cleanest, neatest house just doesn't "feel" good. And that's where feng shui comes in.

You may or may not believe in the power of color and placement to create good energy flow and bring all you desire into your life. You may not believe that energy flow makes a difference at all.

But you'll have to agree that some houses feel like homes, while others only feel like houses. They feel cold and uninviting.

By using the principles of feng shui, you can create warmth in a cold house. You can even make old and shabby look inviting. It's all about balance, and blending the colors of nature. With feng shui, every room has some earth tone, some red or purple, some black or blue, some yellow, and some white. Each room also has some sign of "life" in the form of flowers or green plants.

The idea is to either have or represent fire, water, earth, wood, and metal - and to be sure that no one of them overpowers the others. Think of rooms you've been in that were all glass and chrome - did you feel comfortable? Probably not, because it was out of balance.

The result of a feng shui slant to decorating is a room that feels good - a room where you might want to stay and chat a while.

I don't know why it works, and I don't care why. I just know that it does work, and that buyers are more drawn to a house that feels like a home. So if you're having a hard time selling a house that should sell quickly, look at it from the standpoint of feng shui. Then make some gentle decorating recommendations to the sellers.

Bookstores offer a large variety of books on the subject, but do take time to look through them before you buy. Some are complicated and some recommend buying all kinds of strange objects. My favorite is The Western Guide to Feng Shui. It's easy reading and shows how to use objects that most people already have.

Once you've convinced your sellers to make these small changes, you can advertise "This house feels like home," and you'll be telling the truth.

Marte Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter and former real estate broker.

Two of her e-books were written to help real estate buyers avoid the pitfalls she saw during her 19 year career - and during her 20+ years as chief bookkeeper for her husband's custom home building business. The newest addition is a collaboration with her husband - Home Building Simplified. It outlines the steps in home building and offers a "heads up" about all the decisions you'll need to make. Read about it at: http://www.yourhomebuildingsite.com.

Embrace Longevity & Romance with These 10 Feng Shui Secrets

Your bedroom is the most important room in your home. It has the greatest effect on your health and well-being. While you sleep, your energy fields are particularly receptive to the effect of any imbalance in your surroundings.

Feng Shui can help you create an environment where your well-being is enhanced, not compromised. These secrets will enhance the energy in your bedroom, improving your health and impacting romance in your life.

1. Create A Sanctuary
How does your bedroom feel? Does it nurture your soul? Remove anything that isn't related to the purpose of the bedroom. It will be creating a conflict of energy.

2. Remove The Television From Your Bedroom A television will affect your relationships, and also your sleep. The television is a more vibrant, yang energy, than the yin energy of your bedroom, which can make it a less relaxing environment for sleep.

Also, the television, whether off or on, is emitting electro-magnetic fields which affect your health. (Read more about EMFs below)

3. Position Your Bed
The ideal bed position is as far away from the door as possible, and with a clear view of the door from where you lie. If you cannot see the door easily, this will set up an unconscious vulnerability that will affect the quality of your sleep. If it's impossible to see the door, set up a mirror so you can see the door from where you lie.

4. Treat Yourself To The Best Bed For YOU. Considering you spend a third of your life in bed, it's worth investing in the best bed you can buy. Try out several until you find one that works for you.

Your bed holds the energy of whoever has slept in it, so buying a new bed is a good way to support a new beginning in your life. This is especially important after the breakup of a long relationship or after a long illness.

5. Remove Mirrors
If you're having trouble sleeping, check the mirrors. The bigger they are, and the closer to you, the more effect they will have. In Feng Shui, mirrors are used to increase the energy. They are not always suitable for bedrooms, where you want a more peaceful energy. If in doubt - try covering the mirrors at night for a month to see if it makes a difference.

6. Eliminate Sharp Corners Lie on your bed and look around your bedroom. Do you have corners of walls or furniture pointing towards any part of you as you sleep? They will be affecting your health, and specifically the part of your body they cut across.

Remedy this by softening the edges. For the corner of a wall, you can hang a spherical crystal from the ceiling, a few inches out from the corner, to disperse this cutting energy. You could also hang a plant. Soften the edges of a dresser with fabric or by placing a tall plant in front of that corner.

7. Don't Let Clutter Bog You Down! Clutter affects all areas of your life more than anything else, and your bedroom is no exception. Clutter in your bedroom will be affecting your health, your relationships and your prosperity. Clutter prevents the energy from flowing smoothly around your room and in your life.

Clutter is anything unfinished, unused, unresolved, tolerated, disorganized. This can be physical clutter, and can also be unresolved issues with your partner. That's one reason why its recommended to resolve any differences before you sleep.

8. Get A Fresh Perspective On Your Art Art is a powerful enhancement in creating the life you want. Is your art saying what you want it to be saying? If you want to be in a relationship, yet have pictures of single women on your walls, this will not be helping. If you have an image thats disturbing in any way, this will be affecting the peaceful environment you need to create rest for your soul.

9. Remove All Electrical Items Electro Magnetic Fields from electrical appliances are becoming a worldwide health concern, with studies showing they can contribute to various types of cancers and autoimmune diseases. A good way to create a space that nurtures your health rather than harms it, is to remove all plug-in clock radios, TVs, answering machines, electric blankets and any other electrical appliances.

At the very least, move them 12 feet away from you and unplug them. Your long-term health will be affected in direct proportion to the amount of electricity the item uses, how close it is to you, and how long you are exposed to it.

10. Create a nourishing view from your bed What's the view from your bed? Do you look straight into a bathroom, or worse still, into a toilet with it's lid up? Keep your bathroom door closed, or create a barrier with a screen. Make sure what you see when you wake has a sensuous and nurturing feel.

Your health is at the core of your quality of life and your body is your home, while you are here on earth. By applying these Feng Shui tips, you will be protecting your most precious asset.

What do YOU need to do to, to create an environment that works FOR you rather than against you?

2003, Vicky White. All rights reserved. May be duplicated with attribution and copyright notice intact. 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/