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October 31, 2008
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Stove-Dishwasher kitchen layout |
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Q: In my present home the stove is facing the dishwasher, which I only use a few times a year. It this the same as the sink facing the stove?
A: A dishwasher that you rarely use is much less of an issue than the kitchen sink, even if it is directly across from the stove. Yes, there’s water involved, but when in use that water is not only fully contained (vs. an open sink), but is swirling and swishing around quite vigorously during the wash cycle so there’s an active quality to the energy compared to the more draining effect of a sink.
StephanieLabels: Feng Shui Q+A, Kitchens
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/31/2008 11:01:00 AM
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Should I Move to a Place with Some Feng Shui Challenges? |
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Q: I am considering moving into a new place that has some Feng Shui challenges. First, the position of the bathroom is in the Family/Health bagua location. I worry that this would be a problem because I have some minor health problems and a very old sick doggie. I don't want to make things worse. [here a list of other minor issues was edited out--SR]
Do you think there are too many challenges for me to tackle if I decide to move here? I am pretty happy at my present place except for my annoying neighbors upstairs. I would really appreciate your response. I have written to you before and your answers have always been very helpful.
A: If you stay put until you can find a place with fantastic feng shui you will probably never get out of where you are now. Some feng shui issues are more difficult than others, but all of our homes have bathrooms somewhere (hooray for indoor plumbing!), plus all kinds of other stuff going on like poorly placed stairs, inconvenient doors and windows, beams of one kind or another, missing corners where you'd rather have an extension: the list goes on and on and on. EVERY place has feng shui issues of some kind: that's why there are so many different ways to correct, deflect, diffuse, or remedy them all.
If you love the new place in spite of a few feng shui challenges, and feel that you will be happy and comfortable there, go for it and plan to remedy/correct what you can.
Hopes this helps you make a decision you’ll feel comfortable with.
Stephanie R.Labels: Feng Shui Q+A, moving
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/31/2008 10:51:00 AM
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Drain in front of Condo |
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Q: I have a question about drains. I live in a condo complex and all along the pathway to my apartment there are drains and one of those drain sits in front of my front door. Does this affect the chi coming into my home? And if it does how do I remedy it? Thank you!
A: The drains won’t affect the chi that comes into your home, but they could be “draining off” some energy before it gets to your door. But that doesn't mean it's something that you can or should fix: the drains are not part of your individual unit or under your control, and are providing the very valuable service of keeping the walkway in front of your unit from flooding.
Pooling water in front of your unit would be just as bad (or worse) than a drain that's there for good reason. My advise is to not to worry so much about factors that are beyond your control, and to focus instead on making the feng shui within your unit as good as possible.
StephanieLabels: doors, Feng Shui Q+A
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/31/2008 10:29:00 AM
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Bathroom Across from Entry |
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Q: When you enter my flat, there's a center hallway that leads to a bathroom. The bathroom door faces the main door. I do have a feeling this might be causing the financial problems we are facing. Nothing seems to be working out to better our finances or help me find a new job. We'll be really grateful for any cure you can suggest.
A: If your bathroom is directly opposite the door, at the end of a hallway in the center of your home, it is in the Fame/Reputation gua, not your Weatlh or Career areas. That could affect how others perceive you, which would be a factor when applying for a job, for example. While you might wish to address that (suggestions follow), I doubt it's the underlying cause of work/wealth problems. See this post for why I think feng shui bathroom phobia is often an overreaction.
Decorating your bathroom with greens, purples, reds, and some living plants, if possible, will help create a space more “friendly” to the Fire element associated with Fame and reputation.
Keep in mind that chi goes where your attention goes. If you are concerned about the bathroom placement, the first and easiest solution is to keep the door closed or just a little ajar so you don't see into the bathroom when you enter your home. Look for opportunities to place something to attract your attention away from the bathroom as you enter the apartment. For example, if space allows, you might place a console table and attractive floral arrangement (artificial flowers okay) or lamp (on a timer, so it's lit when you come home in the evening) in the foyer, or hang a beautiful tapestry or fabric panel, or an art poster, somewhere along the hallway or even on the bathroom door to catch your eye.
A faceted crystal ball halfway down the hall, or chandelier-style light fixture in the foyer or hall will also help to divert chi from the bathroom.
Although a large mirror is often recommended for the outside of the bathroom door, I would not recommend it in your case because it will visually double the length of the hallway, which will encourage chi to move too quickly in that direction.
Don't forget to examine your wealth and career areas as well: any feng shui problems in those areas will have a more direct impact on your job/money issues than the bathroom.
Hope this helps clarify things for you,
Stephanie R.
Q+A POLICY
The purpose of this Q+A service is to clarify modern feng shui principles and remedies, and to help you make sense of contradictory teachings you’re likely to come across. If you are new to this blog, please read the Q+A Guidelines (see sidebar on left) before sending me a question. Do expect that I will edit your message for clarity and focus, and that it will be several days (often longer) before I post a reply. Keep in mind, too, that you’re getting my personal opinion on the topic. If you ask someone else, you might get a different answer.Labels: bathroom, crystals, doors, Feng Shui Q+A, mirrors, prosperity
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/31/2008 10:18:00 AM
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October 30, 2008
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Office at the end of the Hallway |
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Q: My new office is brightly lit and a corner lcoation, at the end of a long hallway. The office is small and the only way to place the desk is facing the door with my back to a wall that is all window. The location is great for me because I can see all of the comings and goings of the general office, but I understand that such direct chi flow can be overwhelming. I read that a crystal ball is helpful in adjusting this energy. Are there other adjustments that can be made to make this energy positive for my business?
A: What you want to do in a situation such as this is interrupt or deflect some of the incoming chi, so it isn’t such a strong influence. Some chi flow into your office is a good thing, and, as you’ve noticed. there may be advantages to the location (awareness of what’s going on in the larger space). It’s the too much, too fast aspect of the chi that can be overwhelming.
Also, because there’s that large window behind you, all the chi coming in may be moving right on through unless you keep blinds drawn most of the time, and that could drain your energy.
Faceted crystals are an excellent remedy for both aspects of the problem. They diffuse the chi coming down that hallway and scatter it in a multitude of directions. You still benefit from the incoming chi, but it’s now spread out more around the office in a softer way.
Although faceted crystal balls are most often recommended as the feng shui remedy for this type of situation, a Swarovski crystal figurine can be just as effective, and is the more subtle choice for an office location. Place it on your desk between you and the door. If anyone comments on it, you don’t have to get into the feng shui significance: just say “it was a gift,” and leave it at that.
You might also see if you can put a large potted plant (“lifelike” artificial is okay) in front of that large window. I think every office can benefit from the introduction of some 'natural' energy (even if the plant is a silk one), and by creating an interior focal point it will help keep your energy and attention from going out the window.
Wishing you great success in your new office,
Stephanie R.Labels: chi flow, crystals, Feng Shui Q+A, office
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/30/2008 09:31:00 AM
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October 06, 2008
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Watch My Prosperity Mind Movie! |
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The Mind Movies Creation Kit is a software package and tutorials that guide you through creating a completely customized slideshow of words (your personal affirmations) and images to illustrate your goals and desires.
In other words, it’s an animated collage of words and images that you create to specifically reflect your wishes and dreams. Those of you who’ve been reading my books and blog for a while know what a huge fan I am of creating a collage to reflect your feng shui goals. Mind Movies are even better, because by including movement and sound (use any song you like for your soundtrack!) it works on even more levels than a paper collage. And, because it’s in video-clip format on your computer, you can watch it anytime you want.
Is that awesome, or what!?
You have total freedom to create whatever word slides you want, and to include any images you want. Then, you set it to the music of your choice and define how you want each slide to look. You have total control over the transition style between slides, as well as pan, zoom, and rotate functions.
The tutorials are extremely detailed and easy to follow and creating a Mind Movie of your own is incredibly quick and easy (so easy, in fact, that I skipped most of the tutorials and didn't have any problems). You can easily spend several happy hours doing your photo research online and tweaking your pan/zoom/rotate settings for each image; that's the only part that takes any time at all and it’s loads of fun. Putting the pieces together into your customized video-clip is a snap!
Once your Mind Movie is done, watch it several times a day and watch how your overall mood and attitude stay bright and positive.
OUR PROSPERITY MIND MOVIE
Although I highly recommend making a “Feng Shui Mind Movie” that covers your hopes and objectives for all the areas of the ba gua (I’m creating one for myself), you can do whatever you want with the program.
With all the economic doom-and-gloom in the media the past few weeks, my husband and I have found it a little challenging lately to keep our thoughts, attitudes, and expectations about money matters and future income as optimistic as we like them to be. So, we decided to make a short Prosperity Mind Movie that we can watch any time we feel a need to boost our “money vibe.”
We had a blast putting it together, and every time we get another “oh no, the country's heading for a recession” email, or see scary financial headlines in the papers, we click on our Prosperity Mind Movie and in less than two minutes are smiling and feeling great about our financial future.
In fact, ever since we made a first rough-cut of this Mind Movie last week, our online sales -- which had taken a bit of a hit when all the financial “bad news” started dominating the headlines -- bounced right back up and have stayed strong. How great is that!
We’ve posted our Prosperity Mind Movie on our AllAboutProsperity website, so you can watch it here:
To find out more about making a Mind Movie of your own click here, to watch a video interview with program creator Ryan Higgins.
TIP #1: Your Mind Movie will be even more powerful if you include pictures of yourself in it. (Ours does, but not in the version you’re seeing. My husband is a very private person, and wanted to keep the version with our pictures in just for ourselves.)
TIP #2: Pick peppy, happy, upbeat music for your Mind Movie soundtrack. We’ve used one of Jason Castro’s goofier performances from last year’s American Idol competition for our Prosperity Mind Movie, because it makes us smile and feel good every time we hear it. What’s your favorite feel-good song?
And remember that you can make a Mind Movie on any theme you want. Next, we’re going to make one for the house we’d like to buy next year...
Watch my Prosperity Mind Move here:
… then make one of your own!
I hope you have as much fun -- and as much success with -- your Mind Movies as we've had creating ours.Labels: article, Mind Movies, prosperity
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/06/2008 11:13:00 AM
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October 02, 2008
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Unpleasant Co-Worker |
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Q: I just started a new job. The lady at the desk across from me and I don’t get along, don’t speak and the energy from her is horrible. What do I put on my desk between us to deflect her negative vibes from me?
A: Sorry to hear you're having to deal with a difficult colleague in your new job. Once again, we're looking at the issue of deflecting negative chi of some kind, and once again the remedy is a faceted crystal. These crystals act like a prism to refract light (and therefore chi) from a specific source, thus diffusing the influence. Most often, a faceted crystal ball is suspended from the ceiling: to put one on your desk you can either use a stand for the crystal or use a crystal figurine instead.
That’s the “by the book” approach, but there’s something important I want to add. I truly believe that there’s a risk, in taking any steps of this kind, that your intention to “protect myself from her negative vibe” only reinforces the adversarial energy. I don’t mean you shouldn’t use a crystal if you’d like to, but do make an effort as well to shift your expectations of the relationship. If you place a crystal on your desk for protection, that’s a pretty powerful way of saying “I don’t expect things to get better, and they might get worse, I’d better put this here so I’m safe from all that awful chi over there.”
A more enlightened approach is to counteract an unpleasant vibe with a more powerful positive influence from your side of the room. I’m particularly fond of a smiling and compassionate Buddha image for this. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I’ve used a postcard in a cheap plastic frame over the inside of my front door (in several different homes) for over 15 years now, with the intention that it beam down blessings on all who enter: it looks nice and I feel happy whenever I see it.
Which is what you really want, right? You’re asking for help because you want to feel happy at work. Very probably your unpleasant co-worker is prickly because she’s not happy either. So wishing her happiness will improve things for both of you.
BTW: although I’m a big fan of smiling Buddhas, it’s possible that religious imagery of any kind might be a no-no in your workplace. If that’s the case use a more neutral image such as an angel or smiling sun face. Whatever you choose, I do suggest that you find some way to beam a lot of good vibes in your coworker's direction. If it’s not easy to do that yet yourself, then find a happy, smiling image to shower her with blessings on your behalf.
Be especially vigilant in your attempts to notice and appreciate even tiny improvements in her behavior, so you can have a moment of gratitude for the shift for the better.
You may also find this post helpful.
Wishing you success in your new job,
Stephanie R. Q+A POLICY
The purpose of this Q+A service is to clarify modern feng shui principles and remedies, and to help you make sense of contradictory teachings you’re likely to come across. If you are new to this blog, please read the Q+A Guidelines (see sidebar on left) before sending me a question. Do expect that I will edit your message for clarity and focus, and that it will be several days (often longer) before I post a reply. Keep in mind, too, that you’re getting my personal opinion on the topic. If you ask someone else, you might get a different answer.Labels: Buddha, crystals, Feng Shui Q+A
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/02/2008 03:02:00 PM
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Workspace near the bathroom |
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Q: I work at home, and the door to the room my workspace is in is directly across from the bathroom door. Lately my finances are suffering, so I want to do something to correct this. My plan is to:
1) put red/earth carpet at the entrance to the bathroom
2) place a bowl of pebbles on the top of the toilet
3) install Japanese half-curtains on my doors, like the ones in Japanese restaurants, that you bend down to duck under when you enter
4) hang a large mirror on the bathroom door (as is often suggested) to deflect any good chi from going into the bathroom.
I’m concerned, though, that the mirror will also reflect my work area. Will this do more harm than good?
A: Sorry to stick a pin in the balloon of your feng shui plans, but I think most of these ideas are misguided. It’s important to keep in mind that most common “bathroom cures” are designed to counteract a poorly located bathroom, such as a bathroom in the wealth or marriage area. But that’s not the issue here. You’re concerned because the door to your workspace faces the bathroom door.
If you are concerned that “money chi” is somehow flowing from your work area out the door and across the hall and down the bathroom drains (as alarmist bathroom-phobes might say will happen), adding earth chi to the bathroom isn’t going to fix that.
Same is true if you are worried that nasty chi from the bathroom is seeping out across the hall and polluting your work area (another theory that I don’t buy into). A bowl of pebbles on top of the toilet isn’t going to affect that, either. Yes, according to the cycles of the elements, earth “controls” water… but the strong water chi of the bathroom is not the problem here, so you don’t need to fix it.
Where proximity is the concern the remedy is to interrupt whatever funky influence you suspect may be coming (or going) from across the hall. The best way to do this is to hang a faceted crystal ball either outside the bathroom door or midway between your desk and the bathroom. You might also place a large houseplant beside your desk on the side that’s nearest the door.
The Japanese half-curtain does create a barrier between the two spaces, which is a fine concept: but the bathroom already has a door you can keep closed, right? So the curtain goes where, on the door to your workspace? Think about this for a minute: what kind of situation are you setting up for yourself if you have to bend over and duck under an obstacle each time you enter your work area? Is that kind of movement pattern likely to make your work life or financial situation any easier? I doubt it.
As for the mirror, yes these are frequently recommended for the outside of the bathroom door, if the bathroom location is a problem. It’s not quite accurate, though, to say that the mirror is there to “delfect good chi” from getting into the bathroom area. (BTW, I disagree with the entire concept that “good chi” from your room across the hall is going to wander over to the bathroom and get flushed away.) What the mirror does is symbolically “erase” the bathroom space: when you look at the mirror you see in the reflection a space that is not the bathroom. The mirror is there to disguise the bathroom, not to deflect good chi.
If the mirror reflects your desk, then yes, it could be “moving” your desk into the bathroom, and that’s the opposite of what you want to do. Something else to keep in mind is that if the mirror reflects your desk it could symbolically be doubling your workload. Whether or not that’s a good thing or a bad thing is for you to decide. Perhaps twice the client load or twice the billable hours will be a dream come true for you. Or maybe you already feel overextended and any more work will overwhelm you.
What this all boils down to is that it appears you have collected a hodgepodge of generic bathroom cures from a variety of sources and traditions without really focusing in on what exactly the issue is in your situation, so you can choose strategies that are appropriate for the underlying problem.
Personally, I suspect the situation is a “no big deal” at best. The idea that bathrooms are sinkholes of pestilence dates from pre-industrial times long before the introduction of indoor plumbing, flush toilets and, more to the point, Lysol. Our modern bathrooms—if we keep them clean—are just not that nasty an influence. (Yes, the draining influence of the plumbing can be a concern, but again, that's not the issue here.)
I think it’s far more likely that you are being affected by a poor desk position within your work room and that the location of the bathroom across the hall has little to do with it.
Hope this helps you re-think your plans toward a more targeted solution,
Stephanie R.
Q+A POLICY
The purpose of this Q+A service is to clarify modern feng shui principles and remedies, and to help you make sense of contradictory teachings you’re likely to come across. If you are new to this blog, please read the Q+A Guidelines (see sidebar on left) before sending me a question. Do expect that I will edit your message for clarity and focus, and that it will be several days (often longer) before I post a reply. Keep in mind, too, that you’re getting my personal opinion on the topic. If you ask someone else, you might get a different answer.Labels: bathroom, crystals, Feng Shui Q+A
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/02/2008 02:53:00 PM
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Office bookcase location |
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Q: I am moving to a new office and my bookcase will go with me. My desk will face the door. Should the bookcase be on the wall beside the door where it will face me, or should it be behind me where I won't see it while working? These are the only available locations for the bookcase. I do have constant reference to the bookcase.
A: If you need to access the bookcase frequently throughout the day then surely it would be more convenient to have it behind you, where those items are within reach. Inconvenient furniture arrangements are not good feng shui.
However, it's also not good feng shui to have anything but a solid wall behind you at your desk, so it would be a good idea to sit in a cushy "executive" style chair with a high back, so the padded back of the chair is a buffer between you and the shelves.
You'll want to take the overall size of your office into account. Top priority should be given to placing your desk so you have ample room to move around behind it and to sit there without feeling hampered or cramped. You may have to try it out to be sure: if your chair bumps into the bookcase every time you get up or pull the chair out to sit down, the space there is too small and the bookcase should go beside the door.
Wishing you success in your new office,
Stephanie
Q+A POLICY
The purpose of this Q+A service is to clarify modern feng shui principles and remedies, and to help you make sense of contradictory teachings you’re likely to come across. If you are new to this blog, please read the Q+A Guidelines (see sidebar on left) before sending me a question. Do expect that I will edit your message for clarity and focus, and that it will be several days (often longer) before I post a reply. Keep in mind, too, that you’re getting my personal opinion on the topic. If you ask someone else, you might get a different answer.Labels: Feng Shui Q+A, office
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/02/2008 02:46:00 PM
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Closing off space for bathroom remodel |
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Q: We are currently remodeling the bathroom of our Victorian house. My husband wants to close off a door to a closet with drywall in order to create new wall space in our too small bathroom. This would mean that there would be an empty space in the center of our home that is completely walled off. Imagine We do have plans to eventually open up that space into another room, but that could be a year or more in the future. In the meantime I am worried that closing off this space this could have some negative effects. I would be so thankful to have your input on this. I have not been able to find an answer for this after many months of searching.
A: In feng shui terms, closing off an area in the center of your home is a truly terrible idea. My advice: don’t do it.
Surely you can put up with the minor inconvenience of not enough wall space in the bathroom until you are ready to do more complete renovations? Closing off the bathroom access to that space at the same time as you open it on another side isn’t going to cause any problems.
Hope this helps you and your husband reach agreement on an approach,
Stephanie R.Labels: bathroom, other people's stuff
posted by Stephanie R. #
10/02/2008 02:41:00 PM
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