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May 22 , 2004 In
this issue:
Announcements Raffle Winners Congratulations to the winners of our Amazon Herb tea and chocolate samples: Ava in Washington, DC; Ken in Wisconsin; Kerry in British Columbia; Peyton in San Francisco; and Tanya in Las Vegas. Enjoy! We'll announce a new raffle in the next issue of this newsletter, so "stay tuned" for your next chance to win. To learn more about the Amazon herbs and the tremendous
benefits they can bring to your health, visit:
Paying Attention to Attention In Contemporary Western feng shui, we emphasize the power of directing your mind and imagination to what you want to achieve. The reason intention is so important is that you are one of the most powerful influences in your environment. It's easy to get caught up in making external changes and to forget that our own presence in our space is an important part of the feng shui equation. I wrote about this from the perspective of wellness in the last issue of this newsletter, and today I want to look at how mental and emotional issues are involved. You've probably at some point heard the feng shui saying, "Energy flows where attention goes." And probably you've consciously practiced this exercise at least once, walking slowly and mindfully through your home to see where your attention goes. But what about all the rest of the time? Few of us are very good about staying in the moment for more than a few moments at a time. Usually we are present in our heads more fully than in our space, and our attention is on a mental "to do" list or on what happened in the past or might happen in the future. I bring this up because I want you to pay attention (there's that word again) over the next few days to how frequently your thoughts turn toward things not working out the way you'd like them to. When we make specific feng shui adjustments to our homes, we take a few moments to focus on the desired positive outcome: on what it will be like when that we experience the improvements that we want. Too often, though, we slip right back into fear- and want-based thinking as soon as that moment of conscious focus is over. We forget to hold a space of trust in a positive outcome in our heads and in our hearts. Why is this a problem? Because "wishing is like praying for what you don't want"! That may seem counterintuitive for those who have not done any "deliberate creation" work, but when you recognize how this dynamic works you'll see what an important factor it is in supporting (or undermining) the outcome you desire from feng shui. Usually, when we want something, our attention is actually on what we don't want. For example, when you wish you had more money, most likely what's really going on in your head is something like this: "I hate not having enough money!" "I am soooo tired of being broke!" "I am miserable and stressed out about the bills all the time." "I'm afraid I'm never, ever going to get out of debt." ... and so on. That's not very positive is it? Or how about wishing you could find that perfect relationship? If you're lonely and looking, perhaps your inner thoughts are going something like this: "Why am I still single?" "What's wrong with me that I can't find a husband?/girlfriend?/partner?" "Why doesn't anyone love me?" "I'm soooo tired of dating; I really want to settle down" or "Why isn't feng shui working for me?" Compare this to the positive thoughts and images you deliberately hold in mind when empowering your feng shui changes. Is there a strong disconnect between your moments of positive focus and what you are really thinking the rest of the time? The more attention you give to what you don't like about your life right now, the more your own energy contradicts the intention of any feng shui changes you may have made. The good news, of course, is that it works the other way as well. The more you can learn to be aware, more of the time, of putting your attention on a positive outcome, the more likely it is that feng shui will work well for you because your energy will be in alignment with what you want. It's not necessary to only think positive thoughts 24 hours a day. Just one minute, once a day, of clear, strong focus on an imagined positive outcome can substantially shift your energy. If you've been feeling discouraged that feng shui isn't producing the results you want as quickly as you'd like, make a commitment to spend 3 minutes a day for the next 27 days imagining, in great detail, how you will feel and what you will see, say, think, and do when your dreams finally come true. By paying attention to where you put your attention, you can make your own positive energy part of the solution. If you missed our discussion of the role of physical health and wellness in feng shui, you can check out the April 28th issue here ************
Feng
Shui Q+A (Most questions will have been edited for clarity and length, and any identifying details have been changed. Please note that due to the high volume of email I receive, it is no longer possible for me to respond to every question personally. I still welcome your questions, and if I cannot provide a personal response I will try to address your issue in a future Q+A column.) Q: I understand that part of Feng Shui is the elements (earth, metal, water, etc.) and each person is supposed to be inclined towards one. How do I figure out which one I am? A: Your personal elements are determined by your Chinese astrological chart. Your "Four Pillars" chart identifies the elements associated with your year, month, day, and hour of birth. These elements are analyzed to see which are strong and which are weak, depending on how much of each element are present in what places in the chart. In Chinese astrology "strong" is not good and "weak" is not bad. The goal is BALANCE, so strong and weak are simply different kinds of imbalance that require different corrective strategies. Your personal helpful elements are those that will best bring your chart back into balance. You need a working knowledge of the Creative, Controlling, Reducing and Weakening cycles/relationships of the elements in order to truly understand what's going on in your Four Pillars. For example, I have a "Strong Metal" Four Pillars chart. Therefore, both Metal and Earth (which feeds Metal) push me further out of balance. Water and Wood are my helpful elements, because they reduce and weaken Metal, thus helping to bring my chart toward balance. If I were a "Weak Metal", on the other hand, then Earth and Metal would be my helpful elements, and Water/Wood/Fire would be unhelpful, as they would just unbalance things further. This information is most often used in conjunction with a Chinese almanac, to identify which days/months/years will be lucky or challenging for you. Both Chinese almanac & Four Pillars calculators are available online (a Google search will turn them up for you), but do be aware that you'll need to do some homework in order to be able to interpret that data. This seems like a good moment to point out that although I've studied traditional Chinese feng shui and astrology, my chosen area of expertise is Contemporary Western feng shui (for reasons that I have written about elsewhere). As a guide to daily living, I personally use Western, not Chinese astrology. That doesn't mean I think it's better, just that it has worked very well for me for many years, and I'm sticking with it. I do believe that the Four Pillars are both accurate and helpful for those who are willing to dig into the details. If you want more information on any of this, a good place to start would be Joseph Yu's website at: http://www.astro-fengshui.com
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With warm aloha,
We also invite you to visit our other sites: All About Prosperity - Articles and resources for developing Prosperity Consciousness and Wealth Building skills: creative visualization, goal setting, emotional intelligence, as well as affiliate marketing, money management, and more. Clutter-Free Forever Home Coaching Program - Is a cluttered, messy, disorganized home slowing you down, stealing your energy and depressing your spirit? Our highly acclaimed program will help you reclaim your space and your life! Feng Shui Ebooks.com - The popular Fast Feng Shui book is now available in ebook format for immediate download! Learn the 9 simple principles for transforming your life and your home. EMF Protection for your Home - Computers, cell phones, cordless phones, TVs, microwave ovens, etc. emit EMF (electromagnetic fields) that are known to be an invisible cause of stress and fatigue. Reduce the effects of electropollution with the QLink EMF pendant and QLink Ally or Clearwave clocks. Miscellaneous Newsletter Archives This newsletter is published approximately twice a month. If you missed our previous issues, you can read them here. ••• (c)
2004 Stephanie Roberts. All rights reserved.
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