Where Energy Flows

How do you manifest your dreams and desires? Do you have a clear idea of where you are going in life? Is your life satisfying and fulfilling most of the time? If you answered ‘huh’ (laugh) to any of these questions and you’d like to change that for yourself, read on.

People often ask me why do feng shui. For me, feng shui is an important component and often-neglected aspect of holistic living. I say, “It’s like staying in your one room apartment when your family has grown to 4.” If your environment does not match your current life situation, the healthy practices you employ may not be as effective and can inhibit you from being your personal best.

Another reason to employ feng shui is that it assists you in manifesting your dreams and desires. By creating an environment that visually and energetically matches who you are and where you are going, the likelihood of sustaining or creating your vision increases substantially. In this post, we will explore just one way to use feng shui to support your goals.

What do you want to create in your life?

The first and most important aspect is identifying what you’d like to manifest. Really take the time to delve into this area. Find a place that allows for a short time of quiet and introspection and take notes. For example, is it your desire to be in a relationship, find a new job, start a family, or take better care of yourself? Not knowing where you are going in life is like driving a car in unfamiliar territory without a map. You’ll get to your destination a lot faster with a mapped out route.

Incorporate physical representations of your desires.

Once you’ve identified a dream or desire, create a physical symbol of it. One way to do this is to make a personal collage depicting words, ideas, photos, symbols, colors and attributes of your intention. (See posts by Donna Thompson collages) This process takes you from the idea stage to the concrete stage of moving toward your objective. It is not important how big or elaborate your collage may be, but rather how accurate is it. In this situation, size does not matter (laugh)!

Energize your goals in a specific location in your environment.

Find a ‘power’ spot or use the bagua in your environment to create a manifestation ‘altar.’  (Check out previous posts on altars ) Gather meaningful objects, spiritual symbols, photos, candles, etc., together with your collage for your altar. For example, if your desire is to take good physical care of yourself, you may create a collage that physically represents this vision. A health ‘altar’ may also hold a healthy plant, some natural beeswax candles, a bowl of fresh fruits and vegetables and be arranged on a beautiful natural textile and perhaps the power spot is the kitchen table. After you have done all this now what do you do?

Imagine your desires as if you’ve already created them.

Using the example of a ‘health’ altar on your kitchen table, sit at your altar each day and spend a few moments imagining yourself manifesting your dreams. Light the candles, relax, and see or sense your future self enjoying your ‘new’ life. Imagine how vibrant you feel and how easy it is to follow healthy routines and practices. ‘See’ your interaction with others, and include as much detail as possible in your visualization practice. Offer prayers of thanksgiving as if you’ve already created your desires and are experiencing your new future. Then…

Let it all go

You may wish to do this practice for a few days or even a few weeks. At some point you will sense it is time to stop and let ‘nature’ take its course. Surrender to your higher source of power and trust the perfect solution will take shape. Detach from the actual outcome and be open to many possibilities. This step is critical because trying too hard can actually repel from you that which you are trying to manifest. This step requires trust, patience and openness to accept results that you may not have been expected. It requires acceptance that whatever happens is perfect and for your highest good.

In summary, you may choose to use feng shui and your environment to consciously create what you deserve in life. Be clear and spend quality time with yourself to identify the goal. Once you are clear about your intention, create a physical representation of your desire. Use your intuition or the bagua to find a ‘power spot’ to showcase your objectives. Spend a few minutes each day at your ‘power spot’ and imagine the intended outcome with feelings, images, sensations and any other practice that works for you. When the time is right, let it all go.

Enjoy the process and experience the magic in manifesting your dreams and desires!

©Catherine Hilker, All Rights Reserved.

Do you love to assist others in fulfilling their dreams?  Do you enjoy discovering how our environments and energy influence our daily life, our productivity and our success?   Then, perhaps you have considered becoming a Feng Shui and Space Clearing consultant!

Interior Alignment™ practitioners work to create harmonious, healthy environments that support the goals and deepest intentions of our clients.  Using a rich blend of techniques gathered from around the world, we balance the energy of homes, offices, gardens and plots of land. 

An Interior Alignment™  consultation can take many forms.  We may utilize Feng Shui and perform a Space Clearing ceremony.  We may do clutter clearing or work with color.  We may incorporate a Synchro-Alignment guided meditation or complete a Healthy Home assessment. Many times the consultation is done over a period of several sessions, beginning with an interview to assess the client’s intention for the home and their life. The IA Practitioner and client work together closely to make the best possible adjustments to the environment, generating spaces that not only feel good, but also nourish the intentions and goals that were identified.

As Interior Alignment™  Practitioners, we consider a consultation to be one of the highest and most honorable ways to be of service to others.

What does it take to become a Interior Alignment™  consultant, you might wonder.  Well, the first requirement is an open heart and a willingness to assist and empower others.  It takes awareness and observation.  And, it takes some curiosity about how our environments impact our health, vitality, creativity, relationships and productivity.

Beyond this, you simply need to complete the Interior Alignment™  training program with one of our skilled Master Teachers to become proficient in the Interior Alignment methods. 

There are no prerequisites, other than a genuine desire to make a difference!   

Deb Swingholm, 2008.  All Rights Reserved.

Traditionally in feng shui the career area is about what you do for a living, but it can also refer to your passions in life. In recent years it has become popular to talk about passions as if they were everyday common sense sort of things – as if we all could concisely describe our passions and were actively living them. 

In teaching Soul Coaching classes, I find that one of the reasons people have difficulty manifesting goals and dreams – using the law in of attraction in their lives — is because they do not know precisely what they are. The Career Area is as much about exploring passions as it is about helping your career to flourish.

It is interesting to note that the trigram for the career area translates to Deep Water. It means the process of going deeply inside to find the quintessential nature that is you. This is deeper than passions (or another way to put it is what lies underneath your passions). Most of us actually have more than one passion, with each representing a different phase or time in your life. Some of these naturally fade out out and then return with renewed interest. So you can say that the Career area is also about change, or alchemy. If you look at the nature of water, this is very fitting because water changes shape radically, from cloud to fog, mist, rain, snow and ice; from fresh to salt water, yet underneath water is quintessentially water. Similarly with passions, if you look closely enough, you will discover there is a common thread that runs throughout your life in these passions, one which relates to your values and inner purpose. This will connect you to the quintessential nature that is you, and will tell you what you need to feel whole. 

Working with the Career Area is an opportunity to transform your life from ’settling’ to choosing your life. Working with a life coach is often very beneficial in exploring these questions. As a Certified Soul Coach as well as being a Feng Shui Master, I have combined the two modalities into some unique offerings. You can read more about this at Feng Shui Coaching.

Traditional Feng Shui Enhancements to Activate the Career Area

Locate the Career Area of your home. (Click here to see the bagua map). To enhance your career or explore your passions in life, use some of these feng shui enhancements in the Career area your home:

Locate the Career Area of your home. To enhance your career or explore your passions in life, use some of these feng shui enhancements in the Career area your home: 

 The colour for this area is black or very dark shades of other colours

• Add items related to the element of water such as fountains and water features.
• Use images and symbols of water - oceans, lakes, or waterfalls.
• Mirrors represent the element of water.
• Include objects which remind you of your career such as diplomas and awards.
• Put items that represent your passions in your life.
• Add items that represent your journey, inner search for meaning or wholeness in your life.
• Since fire puts out water, anything related to the element of fire should be reduced or eliminated. This include symbols of fire: images of the sun or sunsets, candles, fireplaces, sun colours (red, orange) and triangular shapes. Electrical appliances are also the in the fire element family, so consider removing any extraneous electrical gadgets.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

When filling your vehicle with petroleum, gasoline, means paying substantially more than this time last year, we have to wonder how can we approach these times of recession in a more positive way. As Interior Alignment™ practitioners and teachers we have the ability and tools to assist our clients with supportive feng shui and space clearing techniques to achieve this goal.

How can feng shui and space clearing help me pay for my full tank of gasoline?  Well it starts well before filling the gas tank. Now more than ever we need to be clear about our thoughts and intentions. Having a clear intention about what kind of life do we want to live and what is important to us in this life is the foundation for creating that life we wish for.  It is times such as these that help really identify what is important to us, such as being financially secure or having a fulfilling peaceful life. Once we are clear about our intentions, then it is our emotions behind thoughts that support or rather fuel the intentions to bring them into the physical world.  This is also the basis of the Law of Attraction. When we have this clear intention, emotions and thoughts then we turn to feng shui to help turn our homes and work spaces into areas that can support these intentions.

First we ensure life force energy is invited and welcomed into our home-mouth of chi which is our front door. Second, that life force energy can flow through each of the rooms of our home and energize critical areas that hold our intentions and spend more time and energy there (abundance altars). Third, we ensure that the natural elements (fire, air, wood, earth, metal) energy is balanced to be in harmony with nature. Fourth, that yin and yang energies are balanced so that those opposing energies in nature are balanced in our home. When we have these items in balance, then our home is ready and able to help us to create what we desire.

Space Clearing is the otherside of the Interior Alignment™ coin. Once the feng shui is in place, then a space clearing to remove unwanted energies that are no longer useful to us can be released. The template is set through the clear intention, the feng shui supports the intention, space clearing clears blocks to energy flowing to that intention. Space clearing brings all the aspects of the Universe to help support your intention through prayer and ceremony. Your home becomes a sacred space that supports the life you intend to live as you and your home are in balance with all of nature and Universe.

What is your intentions for your life and are what are you emotions around your intentions? Its time to seriously know what you want from life.

© Yvette Neshi Lokotz, August 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Reducing our exposure to environmental toxins and chemicals is critical, and creating healthy homes is a large part of my Interior Alignment™ practice.  I’d like to share an article I just read about a recent study of toxic chemicals found in popular laundry products and air fresheners. 

Anne Steinemann, a University of Washington professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs conducted testing and the study is detailed online in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review  website.

Anne says “I first got interested in this topic because people were telling me that the air fresheners in public restrooms and the scent from laundry products vented outdoors were making them sick, and I wanted to know, ‘What’s in these products that is causing these effects?’”.  What she found was a significant amount of volatile chemicals in a variety of air fresheners and typical laundry products.  And, many of the chemicals involved were not listed on the product label. 

Read the article here

© Deb Swingholm, 2008. All rights reserved.

It’s all about the chi

I have to admit if you haven’t experienced feng shui directly it can be difficult to relate to. Why is that? One reason is feng shui is often about what is not seen yet is experienced through other senses. For example, ever notice how uncomfortable it is to be in a dark, dirty, crowded space? What if that was your office? Do you think you’d be your best, creative self? It’s possible and also not likely. Now imagine yourself working in a space that is dark, dirty and crowded day in and day out but it looks bright and spacious. It’s possible for a space to look bright and spacious yet be heavy and dirty energetically. How do you know if this is true in your own space? To perceive any inconsistencies as to the way a space looks verses feels requires tuning in and playing with change.

Tuning In

Tuning in means seeing, listening and sensing on a level beyond what is considered “normal.” Think about a space that made you feel uncomfortable and you weren’t sure why. Or another space that made it difficult to for you to breathe deeply or concentrate fully. What was going on here? On one level, your body was responding to the chi (life force energy) of a space that wasn’t healthy for you. To perceive through other senses, requires paying attention, listening, and being in the present moment. Cultivating a ritual of stillness is a must if you’d like to perceive beyond your normal five senses. If you are not already skilled at tuning in, practice by being still and quiet on a regular basis. The state of being still, quiet and centered makes it much easier to sense subtleties in and around you.

Playing With Change

Another way to perceive the way a space “behaves” is to play with change. For example, if you find a particular space is not really working for you and you’re not sure why, start with rearranging the furniture. Pay particular attention to your relationship to the entrance of your space in your seated or lying position. Being in a command position (seeing the door from your vantage point) usually feels more empowering and comfortable. Another way to play with change is remove clutter, visual disarray, and objects you don’t use or love. In their place add natural elements like plants, stones, water features, and lamps using full spectrum bulbs. One of the easiest ways to creating change is painting with color. Painting a room is a very cost effective way to shift a space in a dramatic way. I typically recommended a finish as close to flat as is practical for the space. When using a flat finish, you end up with a color that has depth because light is absorbed verses reflected off the surface.

Healing Spaces

So let’s return our focus back to the original question, Feng Shui as a Healing Modality? I’d answer that question with yes, yes and yes!

Consider the next three scenarios with that question in mind.

Doesn’t it feel great to receive a warm hug when you’re down? Create at least one room that behaves like a warm hug every time you’re in it and nurture yourself regularly. Ask yourself, what colors, textures, objects, elements, and furnishings would a room like that have?

Doesn’t it feel wonderful after completing an exercise program…especially when you really didn’t want to do it? You are likely to be filled with vitality, vibrancy and strength. Ask yourself, what colors, textures, objects, elements and furnishings would represent vitality, vibrancy and strength?

Doesn’t it feel great to be abundant and prosperous? Abundance and prosperity makes room for you to be generous and gracious. Ask yourself, what colors, textures, objects, elements and furnishings represent abundance and prosperity?

Do you see where I’m going here? I’m encouraging you through these questions to consider how your environment does support healing and to tap into your unlimited creative potential to do just that. Why? Because how we live is what we take out into the world. Make it good!

© Catherine Hilker, 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Many books on symbolism or dream interpretation include the meaning of the different rooms in your house. Last fall I wrote about what clutter might mean in the different rooms of your house.  Of course this is meant as a guide — it is not written in stone — but something worth thinking about if you are doing a clear out and clean up this summer. 

Attic: Represents things hanging over your head, goals or dreams beyond your reach. With clutter over your head there is a phsical safety issue as well, of having things fall through the ceiling, or of not being able to find things in an attic.

Bathroom:  Water is connected with the emotions - we use water analogies to describe emotions - someone is flooded with tears, is blocked up emotionally, has a meltdown (ice) - even verbal diarrhea which isn’t really a water analogy, but is connected with plumbing! Energetically speaking, plumbing is considered to be symbolically related to the body’s natural system of release. so clutter in the bathroom can interfer with the natural emotional releasing process.

Bedroom: The Bedroom is related to our inner self. Clutter in the bedroom can take the form of needing a great deal of privacy, hiding yourself or some aspect of your life from the world, being out of touch with your emotions or your inner self.

Basement: The basement represents your foundations or roots in life, as well as your subconscious mind. Clutter here can represent thoughts that hold you back,  Suppressed desires, unconscious beliefs, thoughts, patterns of behaviour, or the lack of foundation or roots in your life.

Cupboards: Upper cupboards, same for attic. Lower cupboards, same for basement.

Dining room: The dining room represents nourishment  on all levels and a sense of community on our lives. Clutter in the dining room can manifest as feeling unnourished, unnurtured, not taking care of your health, or lacking a sense of community in your life.

Kitchen: The kitchen represents the heart of the home, and in earlier times, the hearth of the home as well, where people cooked food, kept warm and gathered. Therefore the kitchen represents abundance and nurturing. Clutter here could mean you are not fully allowing abundance, the harvest — what you have been working towards, into your life.

Living Room: The living room represents relationships and connections between other people. It is where we unwind and relax after working all day, as well as to entertain friends and family. When the living room is cluttered, it can represent difficult or absent relationships, feeling unconnected from loved ones and your community.

Under: Sometimes clutter is not in a room, but in locations, such as under things (bed, cabinets, cupboards, etc.). When clutter is hidden away underneath things, it can contribute to feeling bogged down and cramped.

 © Copyright 2007 Deborah Redfern. All rights reserved.