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.

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

The Tradition of the RED Envelopes in Feng Shui

What is all this talk about the Red Envelopes used in Feng Shui? As many consultants differ on methods, cures and other areas of Feng Shui, it appears many of us use the Red Envelopes in different ways as well. We were all trained by different mentors and sometimes view things differently; our methods are all effective in what we?d like to create and please note that these are only MY methods and intentions when using the Red Envelopes.

I actually didn?t know we had a difference as I just assumed we were all taught the same way. The Red Envelopes are used and exchanged when we perform a Transcendental Blessing or ?Cure? in the Black Sect tradition of Feng Shui. As these methods were never supposed to be published in a book, they were only meant to be passed down from Mentor to Student verbally, in our cases, the clients we performed the Blessings for. I describe what is used and why and explain they are an integral part of any Consultation. I have never felt that a Consultation would be helpful beyond a very limited point without them and they are always a vital part of my consultations. Since they are non-denominational, I have never had anyone object to them.

While I was Chapter Director of the International Feng Shui Guild, I finally had an opportunity to meet with some of the other members who expressed an interest in doing a Community Service for Long Island. And it was during this lunch that a discussion of the Red Envelopes came up. I was more then a little surprised to hear from two of the Consultants that I had been using them the ?wrong? way. And that I had apparently been taught ?incorrectly? by several of my mentors who were already Masters of Feng Shui in 1997.

We were taught (repeatedly) that the Red Envelopes are an Energy Exchange, a form of protection for those of us imparting these beautiful Blessings and Cures to another person; and if the other person were to pass them on, they also would need to get Red Envelopes from the recipient. We were further advised that some money should be placed in the envelopes, that amount to be determined by the client; and this money was NEVER, EVER to be kept, it had to be donated. As the years passed I have donated hundreds and hundreds of dollars to various causes such as the Red Cross and St. Jude?s Hospital. If the amounts in the envelopes were small, I would just save them until they had accumulated and then write out a check to different organizations.

It is our part of our duties to sleep near or on the Envelopes provided for a period of Nine nights, Nine being the Auspicious number in Feng Shui. Sometimes we put them on an altar, but we are never far from them during this very important time. And it is also a time to keep up with our clients as some have changes almost immediately while others take longer. If things are changing rapidly, I want to know as I would if they are not moving at all. Remember, the Blessings in and of themselves are very powerful to create and change our surroundings and the Energy in it.

And through the years of my practice I noticed another thing happening with the envelopes; I would get an image in my head or just ?see? something in a home or business that I had not seen or thought of while I was there. With some clients it would be more intense (as some people?s energy are more intense) and I would call or email them to advise them of what had occurred. I decided to try something and asked my clients to write down their Intentions and place them inside the envelopes as well?..surely, I thought, if they are infused with Energy I will get more thoughts and wanted to see what happened.

And I did. The dreams and thoughts became more vivid and clear and sometimes I would see things differently than I had during the consultation; sometimes I would envision something else that should be added. When it was intense I would ?see? things that I didn?t always know what they signified. And at these times, a call to my client was needed, as much for me to try to understand what was happening as well as to advise them. I develop amazing connections with my clients and the Energy that we establish during a consultation will likely keep us connected for years; some of my very first clients are now life long friends. We attract the clients we are meant to have, just as we attract all the people who come into our lives.

Back to the lunch where I was advised that I was ?taught? incorrectly; the Red Envelopes were definitely an Energy Exchange and the amount of money to be put into them were determined by the client above and beyond your fee?it was money to be kept; it was an example of my ?worth? is what they told me. Could I have been so wrong after ten years when I was having such positive results with my clients? I went back to my original notebook, dusted it off and read it cover to cover---and then to the second and third notebooks. ALL of our mentors during the year of 1997 at The Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design (which was, by the way, the very first school on Feng Shui Studies that was both licensed and accredited in Feng Shui Studies in the U.S.) had informed us to never keep that money.

I felt that I was in a quandary, felt a lot of (well meaning) criticism and wondered what to do. And I didn?t have to wonder long. I realized through the years of all the unseen and unknown people that had been helped through the kindness of my clients and the donations that had been made. After all, I reasoned, if it?s worked so well for ten years, why change it now? Perhaps I wasn?t taught a ?wrong? way, just a different way but it was working well for myself, my clients and many people out in the universe. The joy of ?gifting? back all these years has always made me feel good and I don?t need money to tell me what my self worth is equal to. I have seen and shared firsthand wonderful success stories with my clients while having helped others around the world. What better gift can Feng Shui give us?

Carole Provenzale
Feng Shui Long Island
Certified Feng Shui Practitioner
http://www.FengShuiLI.com
FengShuiLI@aol.com

Carole has been a Certified Feng Shui Consultant for the last decade serving Homes and Businesses on Long Island and New York City onsite and Online for those at a distance. Carole is also a keynote speaker for large and small Corporations including Fox 5, The Long Island Board of Realtors and Nordstroms. She is a published author and Ordained Minister currently with continuing studies in Energy Healing and Health.