Placing things in twos enhances romance!

Valentine’s Day is just that:  one day to celebrate love but a Thriving Spaces Feng Shui Valentine gift consultation can enhance your romance for a lifetime!  For more information, please contact lwgrillo@thrivingspaces.com.

Palm tree frames beach

My workshop illustration came to life for me when my family and I visited southern California a few weeks back. We collected our bags at the airport and stepped outside into the warm air after leaving cold Denver two hours before and were greeted by a long row of palm trees.   I literally gasped with joy.  Another way of thinking about being connected to our environments is to imagine them talking to us, and boy, do I love what palm trees have to say to me:  Lorrie, you’re on VACATION!

Little did I know that we were on our way to a garbage dump.

Garbage dump

No, we did not actually visit a garbage dump so I could make a point to my family about Feng Shui (they would not have appreciated that.)   But we did visit a place where the over-consumption of modern life littered the landscape for as far as the eye could see:  we were stopped in traffic on the 405.  Eight lanes of cars laid out bumper-to-bumper inching along in both directions.  Ok, so the 405 is not a garbage dump per se (the cars were way too nice, for one thing) but certainly our environment was no longer saying vacation, at least until we got to our hotel and jumped into the pool.

Environment mirrors consciousness because we are so connected to what surrounds us.  You can choose how you feel in your environment by placing things in your everyday spaces to create the energy you want.   Look around you right now to see and “hear” what your environment is saying to you.  And here’s a metaphorical question:  Are you standing on a beach or standing next to a garbage dump?  A messy desk can feel like a dumping site.  An organized space framed with a few things you love can feel like a space open to possibilities, maybe a little like an open beach framed by palm trees.   Feng Shui reminds us that when we carefully choose what surrounds us we can create a personal paradise in our homes and workspaces.

Feng Shui also says when you find yourself stuck, whether its in traffic or life, remember that everything is changing and just like me on the 405, when you keep your eye on your goal and use your environment to help you, you’ll get there eventually.

1.  As a Christmas celebrant and decorator, I have enjoyed my tree and various holiday decorations for the past three weeks and now I’m ready for them to be put away. Today is the day!  This process is always bittersweet as ornaments are wrapped and put away and some have accidents.   For example, Gingerbread Man, who starred in this blog a few weeks ago, broke into pieces when I took him off the tree.  (Thank goodness I took a photo of him for this blog!)

2.  Did you already put all your gifts away or are they still tucked into various corners of your living room?  Make sure they’re out of their boxes (which can be recycled!) and onto your shelves.  Need to make room?  This is the perfect time to weed out those old toys, books, clothes, and doodads to make room for all the new.

3.  Are you celebrating tonight?  Then you need to  . . . (did you think I was going to say “take a nap?”)  EXERCISE!  Yep, no better way to move some energy than to exercise – take a walk, a yoga class, or simply dance around your house to music while you put decorations away.  In a paradox that no one understands, actually using energy in the form of exercise gives you more energy.  All right, maybe physiologists understand this but I’ve always just thought it was magic!

4.  Do some “thank yous” – in note form, a phone call, or even electronic.  (I can imagine my children saying, “What?  Electronic?!.”)  I made them write thank you notes for years and sometimes it could take months to get them mailed out.  I’m a little more flexible these days and I truly believe a heartfelt thank you can be shared in so many different ways.  Isn’t it more important to get more gratitude out into the world, faster?   I received a texted photo of the new boots my daughter purchased with her Christmas money along with LOVE MY BOOTS. THANK YOU, MAMA.   It was immediate, came with a photo of the gift and a note; works for me.

Sweep!

5.  Sweep!  How I love to sweep on December 31^st!  I am not only sweeping out the dirt and dust and flecks of holiday paper and bits, but I’m sweeping away all the rue and regret of things not accomplished last year.  While I sweep I remember to be grateful to have a home to take care of, a family to love, friends to share my life with, work that makes my heart glad.  I sweep the dust out the back door, then I go to my front door, open it wide and breath in that fresh New Year.

Happy 2012 everyone!

1.  Look at your guest room through Feng Shui eyes and ask yourself these questions:  Is the bed placed in a correct position — across or away from the door, not next to it — for maximum relaxation?  Is there one bedside table for a twin bed set-up and two for a double or queen bed?  Is there enough light for reading as well as a night light for finding the way to the hall bath?  Are there places to store suitcases and/or some empty bureau drawers and closet space for their clothing?   Are all things up off the floor and in their proper place?  Tissues, bottles of water, ibuprofen, and even some packaged snacks will all be welcome in the space.   Fresh sheets and towels are a must.  Clap in the corners before they arrive to “wake up” the room for them.  

2.  If your guest room also houses an office there are some ways to minimize the conflict of room use.  Set up house rules for using the space, for example, if the office-space user must work during the day, have a set time for all work to be put away out of sight prior the guests using the room.  A folding screen is a great way to separate the spaces and their uses.  Make sure faxes and phone ringers are turned off so as not to wake guests during the night.  Be sure to cover all electronics that may be “always on”, like computer printers, or simply unplug them. Putting the office to “sleep” at the end of the day will help to quiet the energy for the guest.

3.  What if the guests are taking over one of your children’s rooms?  Now your job is to ready the room for your guests and to identify a space for your child’s “room” for the duration of the stay.  Have your child welcome the guest to “their” room and show them around – where the light switch is, which drawers they can use, etc.  It’s very important to keep the floor clear of all toys and clothing. Energy gets stuck in anything on the floor and will make it difficult to rest in the room.  Change out the Superman sheets for something plain and calming.  Have fun arranging a space for your child to stay in, whether it’s under the stairs, like Harry Potter, or with a sibling.

4.  Now that you’re making physical space for your guests to sleep and rest, make space in the coat closet for their outerwear and for their special food needs in your pantry.   When you arrange the environment for your guests you invite welcoming energy into your home.

5.  Use your fine china and crystal.  Get out the vases, platters and cookie jars that your guests may have even given you in the past!    Having guests is a special occasion – celebrate them with your fine dishware.

6.  When this set of guests leaves, after washing the sheets and towels, you may wish to place a round, glass bowl of sea salt in the room to cleanse the air and refresh the energy for your next set of guests. The salt will absorb and purify the energy of the room.  Leave the salt in the room for 24 hours, then rinse the bowl and pour the salt water down the drain.  Open the windows for a few hours, too.   The room should be fresh and ready for your next guests.

Prepare for your guests this holiday season.   They’ll notice the difference and so will you!

When you ask what can we do, or what can I do, you are acknowledging your own power over your circumstances because you can do something about it!  In fact, research about luck, says just this:  you can improve your odds in life by understanding the difference between chance and luck.  Something that’s left up to chance is something we have no control over. But luck is something you can create by reviewing options, trying new things, changing your attitudes, being open to new possibilities.   Richard Wiseman, psychologist and researcher at the University of Hertfordshire in England has studied luck and written about it:  The Luck Factor:  Change Your Luck, Change Your Life. He believes so strongly that luck can be taught that he even runs a program called Luck School!

We don’t have to go to school, because we have Feng Shui luck — we know that we can change our environments to help us change our lives.  Here’s how to change your luck using Feng Shui:  (and this is what I told my audience)

• Look for places in your home where energy is stuck and unstick it!  Piles of papers or clothing or dishes can slow or stop positive energy from flowing.  Make sure doors and windows can open fully. And, get things off the floor!
  

  Energy is stuck in all the piles!

• Fix broken things or get rid of them.  Bad luck can be equated with things being broken.  When you fix things or remove them you’re taking control of the broken aspects of your luck.  Feng Shui can be very literal!
• Often bad luck mirrors issues with our Wealth & Prosperity.  Look at this bagua area of your home and make sure it’s clean, well lit, and holds items that say abundance to you (a gold box, a beautiful painting with reds, blues and/or purples, a photo of you and your family on one of your best vacations, etc.).  Put some coins in a dish – Chinese coins (round with a square center) are powerful, but any coins will work.  If your Wealth & Prosperity area is missing (it is in my home, for example) make sure wherever it’s located on your property that it is enhanced with a statue or a birdhouse or something that brings energy to the space.  (This area is in the left-hand corner of your home as your standing at your front door.  See below.)
  

  Chinese coins are said to bring good luck!

• Review your level of integrity with your work, whether it’s inside or outside the home.  The Fame & Reputation bagua area is adjacent (on the right) to the Wealth & Prosperity area.  How can our Wealth change if we’re not honest and above board with all things pertaining to money, integrity and our work in the world?  Enhance this area with fire energy – the color red, the shape of the pyramid, or animal prints.  Stick that thank you note on the refrigerator that was sent by your child’s teacher; it’s ok to showcase your good works, especially here.

Simply getting started with changing your environment should activate positive energy.   Good luck!

(For information about the bagua, click the Feng Shui tab on my website.  In general, when placing the bagua over your floor plan, put your front door somewhere along the entrance quadrant of the bagua – Knowledge & Self-Cultivation, Career/Journey and Helpful People & Travel and align your home so that everything under the roof line is included in the rectangle of the bagua.)