Feng Shui is the practice of arranging our physical environments to help us reach our goals. Different spaces have different purposes, and each contains vital energy that correlates to different areas in our lives. You might want your home to be a safe haven of peace and quiet, and your restaurant or retail space a bustling center of activity! The purpose of each of those spaces is different, but the Feng Shui tools for arranging them to achieve that purpose are the same. When the energy in our living, working, and resting spaces is in balance and harmonizes with our goals, our spaces support us to live happier, healthier, and more prosperous lives.

I’ll look at how you use your space and will help you arrange it to align with your goals. To do this I’ll employ a number of tools, including the Bagua, the Five Elements, and Yin/Yang balance. I’ll check for safety, comfort, and beauty in the space, and I’ll ask questions about your artwork, wall colors, and furniture choices. We’ll look at the rooms you live in and your storage spaces, and of course, I’ll check for stuck energy (e.g., clutter).

The Bagua is a 9-rectangle grid I’ll lay over the floor plan of your space to locate the places that resonate with different aspects of your life: career, self-growth, health and family, prosperity, reputation, relationships, creativity, action in the world, and stability. Once those areas are identified, I’ll make recommendations to balance the vital energy (ch’i) within them by applying expressions of the Five Elements—Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. Yin/Yang balance helps us feel comfortable in a space by balancing opposing forces; for example, making large spaces feel cozier and dark spaces lighter. See a graphic of the Bagua below.

Feng Shui is based on an ancient Chinese philosophy developed over 3,000 years ago that centers on three main concepts:

• All things are alive with vital energy (ch’i)
• All things are connected
• All things are always changing

When we acknowledge that everything has energy and we are connected to it—and that it is either helping us or holding us back—we see our spaces, and what we keep in them, in entirely different ways. Using the tools of Feng Shui, we can arrange the objects we have in our external world to manifest the desires of our internal world.

There are many occasions that can benefit from a Feng Shui consultation. When you feel stuck; when you feel overwhelmed; or when a space feels unbalanced, inharmonious, or dull and you don’t know why. Whenever you look around at your environment and notice that it no longer expresses who you are, it is an excellent time for a Feng Shui checkup. And, of course, major life transitions—marriage, divorce, children coming or leaving the home, starting a new business—all offer perfect opportunities to attract fresh, auspicious energy into your life. Also, when you love your home and all of your belongings but something just doesn’t “feel” right—that too can be a good time to seek Feng Shui assistance.

Yes! From a studio apartment to a large home and landscape, from a cubicle to a multistoried office, Feng Shui tools and principles can be applied to create positive ch’i that will enhance the well-being of the space’s inhabitants.

Often my clients can feel the difference in the energy of a space by simply moving (or removing) a piece of furniture. It’s that immediate. And when clutter is cleared, the space opens up very quickly, usually to allow something new to come in (ideas, opportunities, solutions to problems). Other times it depends upon the client’s intention, commitment, and receptivity to implementing Feng Shui recommendations. When you start to make changes in your environment, you can expect to feel the differences very quickly.

A single consultation can produce many positive results for your situation. Your life is dynamic, and I recommend a Feng Shui checkup whenever a major life transition is approaching or upon you. A Feng Shui checkup can minimize stress and enhance the positive energy around life’s inevitable changes!

Live only with what you love and get rid of the rest! Invariably, applying Feng Shui principles to your environment involves removing things that block energy, moving things to activate them in the areas that correlate to the aspects of your life you desire to change, and creating spaces for things that you love. From there, read my blog, read one of my favorite books (see below), get inspired by my clients and the changes they’ve experienced (read Testimonials), click on Get Started and take the questionnaire, and call, email, or text me so we can begin working together to bring about the changes you desire!

Some of my favorite books are:

• The Western Guide to Feng Shui : Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment / Terah Kathryn Collins. (She’s written several books on Feng Shui, all worth reading.)
• Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life : How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect, and Happiness / by Karen Rauch Carter.
• 101 Ways Feng Shui Can Change Your Life / Nancilee Wydra.
• The Feng Shui Directory / Jane Butler-Biggs with Alison Daniels.
• Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui / Karen Kingston.