feng shui secrets

© 2011 Ken Lauher. www.kenlauher.com

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LEGAL DISCLAIMER AND TERMS OF USE

You do not have resell rights or giveaway rights to any portion of this Publication. Only customers that have purchased this publication are authorized to view it. This publication contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the author. Violations of this copyright will be enforced to the full extent of the law.

The information services and resources provided in this book are based upon the cultural beliefs. We hope that the skills and knowledge acquired from this report will provide you with the ability to adapt to your current situation. However, we cannot be held responsible for changes that may affect the applicability of these techniques.

All product names, logos and artwork are copyrights of their respective owners. None of the owners have sponsored or endorsed this publication. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided, the author assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation on the subject matter herein. The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information. No guarantees of income are made. The author reserves the right to make changes and assumes no responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials.

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Feng Shui SecretsWhat Everyone Should Know About How To Be Successful With Feng Shui

Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION to Feng Shui Secrets: .............................................................. 4

PART 1: FENG SHUI BASICS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BEGIN THIS JOURNEY ..... 10

» Chapter 1: What Is Feng Shui? ......................................................................................... 10 » CHAPTER 2: How Can Feng Shui Help You? ...................................................................... 12 » CHAPTER 3: The Role of Intention in Feng Shui ................................................................ 16

PART 2: SETTING YOUR GOALS AND DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE ................ 18

» Chapter 4: Find Your True Life’s Purpose .......................................................................... 18 » CHAPTER 5: Setting and Achieving Your Goals ................................................................. 20 » CHAPTER 6: What’s it Feel Like? ....................................................................................... 23

PART 3: POWERFUL FENG SHUI SECRETS ......................................................... 25

» Chapter 7: Using the Ba Gua to Achieve Your Goals ......................................................... 25 » Chapter 8: Secret Feng Shui Remedies for Powerful Results ............................................ 31 » Chapter 9: The 3 Most Important Areas of Your Home or Apartment ............................. 46

PART 4: FENG SHUI ROOM-BY-ROOM ............................................................. 63

» Chapter 10: Feng Shui Your Dining Room ......................................................................... 64 » Chapter 11: Feng Shui Your Living Room .......................................................................... 68 » Chapter 12: Feng Shui Your Home Office ......................................................................... 73 » Chapter 13: Feng Shui Your Nursery or Child’s Room ....................................................... 80 » Chapter 14: Feng Shui Your Bathroom ............................................................................. 82

PART 5: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER ................................................................ 85

» Chapter 15: Feng Shui and the Layout of Your Home or Apartment ................................ 85 » Chapter 16: What’s the First Thing People See

When They Enter Your Home? ......................................................................................... 87 » Chapter 17: Missing Areas and Additions in Your Home .................................................. 89 » Chapter 18: Does the Chi in Your Home Reflect

Your True Life’s Purpose? .................................................................................................. 90 » Chapter 19: Final Words... or Just the Beginning! ............................................................ 91


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INTRODUCTION to Feng Shui Secrets:

What Everyone Should Know About How To Be Successful With Feng Shui

Welcome to Feng Shui Secrets. Yes, Feng Shui gives you the opportunity to transform your life emotionally, physically, financially and more. In your career, your relationships… you name it.

Sounds like a big promise, doesn’t it? Essentially, this book is about taking control and returning to your true self. Putting yourself in a position where you can become what you were meant to be.

As a Feng Shui consultant, I’ve had the opportunity to work with thousands of individuals, helping them take action towards their goals. From CEOs, famous actors, actresses, singers, and songwriters to stay-at-home moms, urban apartment dwellers, and struggling family men, I’ve helped them all create profound transformations in their lives.

Helping others through Feng Shui is what I find most rewarding in my life. And that’s what it’s all about. Finding the one thing you love and doing it the best you know how. That’s why I’m here today. To help you by providing you with the knowledge and tools to make a shift in your life in a positive direction -- starting right now.

The book you’re reading gives you an action plan that you can put in place to make tremendous progress towards living a more fulfilling life.

Using Feng Shui doesn’t mean you’re not going to have problems, or everything’s going to be perfect. But it really does offer the insights, the tools, the strategies, and the triggers to completely change the quality of a space and, with that, to change your life for the better.

Everyone’s life has specific patterns that leave clues to where you are presently and where you’re headed. I’ve spent years identifying these patterns in clients from every walk of life. When you begin to understand these patterns, you can begin to alter them to your benefit.

I may not have all the answers, but I promise you that I can help you get in a place where you can get unstuck, experience peace and feel forward progress.

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I also want you to know, right now, upfront, that I don’t take lightly the time you’re taking to do this, or who you are as a person. I appreciate your time commitment, and your commitment to make a positive change in your life through Feng Shui.

I don’t know what brought you here. I don’t know if you want to accelerate your achievement, fix a big problem, maybe deal with an immediate challenge you’re facing and Feng Shui may hold the answer. Maybe something’s changed in the economy, in your company or in the people you work with. Maybe your kids are grown up and you’re feeling alone, rediscovering yourself.

Maybe that’s it. Maybe you’ve entered a new stage of life and you aren’t sure where to go from here. Maybe you’ve had an extremely successful career, but you’re not finding fulfillment. You’re looking for something more.

We all enter stages of life where the chapter changes. Those are the times when smart people reach out and say, “I need to find every resource I can to take myself to the next level, or to turn this situation around.”

You’re smart. You’ve picked up this book and you’re looking to a proven, ancient art and science for some solutions.

What Are You Looking For?

What made you open this book? Are you looking for the transformation of a relationship, or the creation of one? Love and passion?

Are you looking for greater wealth? A better paying job? A successful business?

Maybe you seek greater freedom... the ability to take better control of your time? Are you looking for fulfillment? To experience more meaning in everything you do?

I do hope you are inspired by what we work on here, but it’s supposed to be fun, too.

There’s great power and enjoyment in discovering how your internal self is so closely tied to your external environment. Here, we will begin to discover what’s holding you back and what will drive you forward right now.


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The Most Powerful Testimonial

How do I know this works? Because I started with myself first. I wanted to transform myself. And how did I do it? Mostly by following the steps in this book.

I found that if I was really going to make progress, if I was really going to break through, I had to take control of one of the most fundamental powers that every human being has – focus.

There are probably some areas of your life you want to change. There have got to be some areas you’ve been happy with, too, when you think about it.

Even if you’ve been feeling down lately, everyone’s got an area of their life they’re doing well in.

If you’re not doing great in your career, you’re probably doing really great in your body; your health is thriving. Or if your career is going great, you may not have as much time as you’d like for your kids.

If you’re doing a great job raising your kids, then your intimate relationship with your partner might not be where you’d like it to be. But there’s something out there that -- at some stage of your life -- you’ve done really well with.

And the reason you did well in that area? You gave it focus. You’re great in your career – then that is where your focus is. If you’re great with your children, they have your focus. So the first component to this plan is the ability to put focus into the area of your life you want to improve, the area you find lacking.

Some people reading this may say, “I’ve been focusing. I’ve been focusing on the fact that I need to lose weight, and it’s still not happening.”

If it were as simple as just focusing on what we want, everyone would have everything they desired. No one would ever be unhappy. But it’s not a magic trick, where we rub a lamp and a genie pops out to grant our wish. But, when you know the secret to manifesting everything you want in life -- and how Feng Shui can help -- it really does become easy.

Read carefully, because I’m going to share with you the missing piece of the puzzle, the one way that you can put yourself on the path to achieving health, wealth, love and anything else you desire. I know, because it worked for me.

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Intention

Not only do you have to focus on what you want, you have to set your intentions toward achieving it -- whatever it takes. If your intention is strong enough, nothing will stop you. Your thoughts will manifest into things. Once we take control of this natural human spiritual talent that every one of us has, we begin to see opportunities where we didn’t before. Paths to success open up to us. We discover ways we can get what we want by working smarter, not harder.

With this realization, my focus clear and my intention strong, I began to understand where I was at the present moment. I was honest with myself and defined what I wanted to accomplish. And the path lit up before me... I discovered Feng Shui was my answer.

I began to study through books, articles, DVDs, and then eventually enrolled and graduated from a three-year Feng Shui Master’s training program where I studied with some of the top masters in the world. At that time in my life, I had very little money and it was difficult to pay for the training.

I scraped my money together. I set up payment plans and took on extra jobs so I could continue to learn more about Feng Shui, intention, and intuition. That alone started to make a huge, positive difference in my life.

Whatever you focus on, you manifest. Everything around us is energy; even our thoughts. Once we begin taking action toward our goal, the energy of our desires manifest physically. Our thoughts become actual things. It’s exciting. And if you follow the action plan in this book -- put your focus on it and act with intention, you’ll see it happen for you, too!

I’m not speaking metaphysically, either. This really works. Think about it: Has there ever been anything in your life where you just decided, “I want that!”?

Maybe you got inspired by somebody. Or maybe you got so angry, so tired of feeling a certain way, that you finally said, “That’s it! It’s changing now.” Then you got focused on what you wanted and set a clear intention.

You became so focused, it was nearly an obsession. You kept thinking about it, dreaming about it. It became such a desire that your mind shifted. Your emotions shifted. Your actions shifted.

Things started to happen. And soon, you were living this dream of whatever it was you wanted. You were living the intention -- it became real.


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Has this ever happened to you? I bet it has.

If you want to make progress in a situation or area of your life, you need focus and you need to set your intentions to take action. But if you really want to accelerate your progress, to start to see results right away, you also need the best tools and strategies to create a new, long-term reality for yourself -- a life where you’re living your greatest dreams and desires every day.

For years I’ve been obsessed with looking for those strategies. I found them in Feng Shui. For myself, I wanted internal peace and to dig myself out of a deep financial hole.

Maybe you want the same thing. Or maybe you want a more fulfilling relationship -- or a new love relationship. A better career. Greater balance in your life. Or just to become unstuck from your current situation, to find “something more” that you know is out there.

Guess what? Whatever it is you want, you’re not alone.

I surveyed 3,000 of my clients and contacts about why they want help with Feng Shui. The top 10 answers were to:

1. increase money and overall wealth2. find love3. improve career4. experience peace & harmony5. improve marriage or existing relationship6. find balance7. help with creativity8. get “unstuck” in their life or with their current situation9. improve family relations

10. improve work relationships

Let this book be your guide to taking the first step -- and the next, and the next -- toward achieving your goals. And here’s another hint before we really peek into your home and your life and discover how you can manifest all you ever really wanted:

It starts with discovering your true life purpose, and this book will show you exactly how to do that.

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If you’re living your true life’s purpose:

À Money and love will begin flowing freely to you.

À You’ll find fulfillment in everything you do (including your career).

À You’ll experience a sense of inner peace and harmony unlike anything you’ve felt before.

“Nothing is Difficult”

You may find the journey challenging at times; but that’s only because you think it is. Wayne Dyer, in his book “Excuses BeGone!,” explains, “The belief that habits are going to be hard to change is only a belief! Making something difficult in your mind before you even undertake the effort is an excuse.”

An ancient Taoist master once said: “Nothing in the world is difficult for those who set their mind to it.”

The easy-to-apply Feng Shui tips in this book, as well as the exercises designed to help you recognize your true life’s purpose, set your intention, and achieve your goals, can be easy and fun -- if you make the decision they will be.

Intention, Intuition, Feng Shui

I’ve performed hundreds of Feng Shui consultations for CEOs, celebrities, famous people, and many more not so famous people across the world. Many have asked me if I could write a book detailing some of the Feng Shui principles they can apply in their homes, apartments, or offices to begin to realize positive change in their life right away.

I knew such a book had to be easy-to-read, action-oriented, and include lots of tips that wouldn’t cost a lot of money and would take into account people’s personal styles and tastes in decor. Additionally, any book on Feng Shui I would write had to emphasize the power of intention and what a positive force it can be to help anyone achieve a goal, simply because I’ve seen what a powerful factor this was in my own success. Finally, the right book has to help people find their true purpose in life -- and then put them on the right path to fulfilling that purpose.

But first you probably want to know a little bit more about Feng Shui and how to get started setting your goals, right?


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PART 1: FENG SHUI BASICS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BEGIN THIS JOURNEY

Chapter 1: What Is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui (pronounced fung schway) is the art and practice of living in harmony with your environment to produce tangible results naturally. It involves the intuitive, aesthetic adjustment of visible and invisible objects or factors, realigning all dimensions of the environment into a balanced, harmonious state.

Living in harmony with your space does not mean removing the clutter or placing things in their proper or “right” place. It is how you align your inner worlds and desires with your outer environment.

Taoists feel there is a current to how life flows and when we live in harmony with this Way, we experience joy, peace, success and happiness. And when we go against this current, we start to have disruptions in our lives.

This allows you to begin to see and understand the direct relationship between what is happening in the energy of your space and what is going on currently in your life or business.

The connection between your life and your environment, as you begin to explore it, can seem disconcerting -- scary, even. But just remember that Feng Shui is about making your home comfortable, harmonious, and stable. Then it’s about creating an environment that supports your goals -- what you really want to do and accomplish -- in your life. In essence, it’s about creating a more positive environment where you can achieve your goals with renewed energy.

Because really, the energy to take action is one of the keys to success. We can’t shoot for our dreams if we don’t even have the desire or strength to get out of bed in the morning, right?

When you begin to harness the chi (energy) of your living environment so it’s in alignment with your goals, you’ll discover an amazing power to create the life of your dreams, including health, wealth, and happiness.

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But let’s be clear on our definitions of these things before we move on.

When we say we’re creating a healing home in Feng Shui, it means the flow of chi will be pleasant, smooth and full of healthy, life-giving energy. In a good Feng Shui home, the occupants will be vibrant and healthy -- as will the plants and animals, and even the landscaping. Occupants will eat foods that contribute to their health, wake feeling well-rested, and go to bed tired enough to fall asleep quickly.

Overall, they will feel good, and they will have the energy and desire to pursue their goals. Because if you’re not feeling well, whether it’s a temporary condition or chronic fatigue, everything else suffers, too. And good Feng Shui helps you maximize every aspect of your life to live your true purpose. Vibrant health permits us to pursue wealth -- which really means pursuing opportunities.

You probably won’t read this book, empower the wealth corner of your home (we’ll get to that) and then win the lottery the following day. But you may get a raise as your boss suddenly sees all the quality work you’ve been doing. Or you could discover a better way to manage your money that makes you feel wealthier since you’re no longer worried about having enough to pay your bills. Maybe you’ve been thinking of starting your own business and you’ll come up with a great new idea or see an opportunity you hadn’t considered before.

Feng Shui is, in essence, the art of assessing our quality of life by observing and analyzing our living environment.

Here’s a side note for the history buffs: The term Feng Shui (literally translated as “wind and water”) was coined by Guo Pu in his classic Burial Book (written circa 300 AD). He notes that, “Chi rides and scatters with the wind, and gathers at the boundaries of water.”

Wind, water, sunlight and other natural elements play a huge role in Feng Shui. Later in this book, we’ll learn how to “balance” the elements within a space to create a more comfortable living environment that helps us to achieve our goals.


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CHAPTER 2: How Can Feng Shui Help You?

How can Feng Shui help you? With the power of your intention behind it, Feng Shui will provide you with the tools you need for success in the most important areas of your life.

Want greater wealth? I’ll show you how to empower sections of your home, apartment, or office to encourage the flow of money and opportunities to you.

Want to attract love into your life? We’ll Feng Shui your bedroom in a few easy steps to help you attract a loving mate.

Want better health? Your bedroom, too, is the starting point for a good’s night sleep, which will give you increased energy and better health. We’ll also take a look at your bathroom and several other spaces in your home or apartment and learn the secrets to making easy, inexpensive changes that make you feel better every day.

Ultimately, we study and apply Feng Shui to receive positive or prosperous chi, in order to help us succeed in our life’s endeavors.

Remember, you may face challenges along the way. The biggest challenge many of my clients face is in their mindset. It can be hard to “get unstuck” and take that first step toward change. Human beings are set in our ways. We dislike inconvenience, and change can be inconvenient until momentum begins propelling us forward.

As you read this book, keep your eye on the goal. Think of the carrot -- not the stick. You opened this because you are ready for a change in your life. Be open to embracing that change and the results will amaze you!

But Does Feng Shui Really Work?

Many modern Asian business owners and leaders will not permit a building to be constructed unless the architects have employed good Feng Shui practices, including “siting” the building to be sure it is in an auspicious (fortunate) location, that the building orientation will bring wealth and fortune to the occupants, and that the shape and architectural features of the building adhere to principles of good Feng Shui.

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You can consider this book your own “virtual Feng Shui consultation.” It’s like having a Feng Shui expert right at your fingertips to help you:

À Solve your problems related to the most important areas of your life, including health, career, finance, relationships, and more.

À Improve the flow of chi in your space to welcome new energy and opportunities.

À Create a life in which you spend every day living with intention, peace, and purpose.

The Different Schools of Feng Shui

As a leading Feng Shui consultant, the number one question people ask me has to do with compass directions of a person’s home, bedroom, front door, etc. This is a big frustration for many people, and it can be hard to grasp. But here’s the good news: not every school of Feng Shui relies on compass directions.

First, it’s important to understand that there are a variety of different schools of Feng Shui, with different ways of understanding and interpreting the flow of chi and the Ba Gua. Sometimes, as people begin their self-study, they purchase tons of books and then realize that each book tells something completely different. That’s because all schools of Feng Shui are based on similar universal knowledge, but have developed different approaches and techniques for identifying and balancing chi.

The two oldest traditional schools are the Form School and the Compass School.

According to His Holiness Professor Lin Yun Rinpoche (one of the foremost experts in Feng Shui), the most prominent contemporary schools are Three Harmony, Three Era, Nine Stars, Southern school, Taoist schools, Ecclectical School, Yin Yang Schools, and Buddhist Schools.

This is important to know when selecting books or reading articles on Feng Shui. Many people get confused because they pick up two different books on Feng Shui based on two different schools of thought and become even more frustrated.

Black Sect Feng Shui

I personally study and practice Black Sect Feng Shui. Of the Buddhist Schools of Feng Shui, Black Sect Feng Shui contains traditional Feng Shui knowledge, mixed with the intangible dimension concerns, having to do with what we can’t see. It emphasizes intention, intuition, and the flow of chi.


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Do I Have To Convert?

No, you don’t have to convert or need to be a Buddhist to study or practice Black Sect Feng Shui. You don’t have to be of any particular faith at all to apply the principles of this school of Feng Shui. But it can be a great complement to any existing faith.

What Distinguishes The Black Sect Feng Shui Approach From Traditional Feng Shui?There are some important differences to understand when comparing the teachings of different Feng Shui schools. This brings us back to those compass directions. Many traditional schools rely on a compass (or Luo Pan) and the cardinal directions of North, South, East, and West to interpret the layout and flow of chi (life energy).

The Black Sect way of understanding this is not necessarily based on the cardinal directions, but on how the chi enters a space or environment. It focuses on the site’s unique traits.

A second characteristic of the Black Sect approach is that it emphasizes more than just the tangible factors of the environment, such as the placement of a door in a specific location. The Black Sect school of Feng Shui also emphasizes intangible forces derived from one’s intuition, while recognizing the great importance of what can be seen.

In ancient times, BTB Feng Shui assimilated Buddhist teachings from India with the pre-existing practices of the Bon lineage in Tibet. As this hybrid developed, it moved into China and further mixed with various cultural influences, including Chinese Feng Shui, Taoism, Confucianism, ancient healing methods, and astrology.

Though Feng Shui has been practiced in various forms throughout the world, it became particularly strong in China, where the BTB practices were integrated to become a cohesive discipline. Keep in mind that no path or school has more value than any other; they all simply employ different means to the end result: Happiness.

As you read, you’ll learn how to use the Ba Gua -- an arrangement of eight trigrams and a center that maps to areas of your life -- over a floor plan, home, apartment, or room. You’ll learn what each segment of the Ba Gua represents, and how to empower different sections of the Ba Gua to achieve the positive results you desire.

Once you understand the Ba Gua, you can successfully apply Feng Shui to any floor plan, business, home, or apartment.

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I’ll explain it in clear, visual terms later in this book, putting you on the path to being able to apply Feng Shui anywhere, anytime.

Most importantly, you will learn how to rely on your intuition to discover if a space truly “works.” As you begin listening to those inner voices and grow more intuitive, you will also see opportunities appear in your life that you may have missed before. As you learn to follow your intuition, it will lead you down the right path -- the path that permits you to live your true life purpose. All this -- and more -- can be accomplished through the power of Feng Shui.

Where Can I Use Feng Shui?

Feng Shui can be employed in a home, an apartment, a home office, office building, retail location, or even on a larger scale, on a street, within a neighborhood, or a whole community. You can also scale down many of these principles to apply to a single room, a deck, a yard or even your cubicle or desk.

This book contains actionable items you can use right away to make profound changes in your life -- whether you desire health, wealth, romance, better relationships, personal fulfillment... You CAN have it all with Feng Shui!

Ready to get started?


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CHAPTER 3: The Role of Intention in Feng Shui The world’s foremost Feng Shui Master, His Holiness Grandmaster Lin Yun Rinpoche, said, “Intention can improve the results by 120% when you make any positive change in your life.”

The tips in this book -- and any guidance you would receive during a one-on-one Feng Shui consultation with me -- are designed to work on their own. When you add practical (mundane) steps, as well, you will increase their effectiveness. However, when you live with intention and are mindful of being fully in the moment when you employ these powerful Feng Shui solutions, you will, as Grandmaster Lin Yun states, improve the results by 120%.

What does that mean, exactly? How can we see results greater than 100% improvement? It means that using intention with Feng Shui will get you to places that action and Feng Shui remedies alone cannot. You will be able to achieve and create wealth, health, happiness, romance -- whatever you desire -- beyond your wildest dreams.

Let’s look at an example:

Let’s say your goal is to lose weight. There are a number of things you can do to encourage weight loss on the transcendental (metaphysical, Feng Shui) level. You may paint your kitchen blue, as this color will promote feelings of fullness and you will eat less. You might dress in white, also to encourage weight loss. These are time-tested, proven Feng Shui remedies.

Dressing in white actually has transcendental and mundane purposes. White can make someone look larger, so if you are heavy, seeing yourself in white will give you added motivation to lose weight. Also, when we wear white, we may fear spilling something on our outfit when we eat, so we will eat slower. Eating more slowly and mindfully allows us to enjoy each taste to the fullest and gives our body time to register that we are full -- causing us to eat less.

There are also transcendental reasons to wear either white or black. The color black slows the flow of chi through the body and subsequently, makes us eat slower and dampens our appetite. Green is designed to stimulate the appetite, as will the “fire” colors -- reds and oranges. White does not have an effect on the appetite but, as a color of purity, may encourage you to choose healthy, natural foods.

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On the mundane (practical) level, you may re-vamp your eating habits, cutting out fast food and committing to eating vegetables multiple times a day, limiting meat (especially fatty, red meat), and eating healthy whole grain carbohydrates. You can also begin to exercise. Most people will see positive results with these actions.

However, if you take this action and implement the Feng Shui practices with the mindful intention of becoming slimmer and healthier, your results will improve exponentially.

Most importantly, you can begin living as a thin person -- right now! Throw away those clothes that do not allow your beauty to shine and begin to dress in flattering outfits that enhance your personal chi. (Don’t worry if you don’t quite grasp this yet -- we will discuss “living as if” in later chapters.)

Action, Intention, & Feng Shui

You can use action, intention, and Feng Shui in every area of your life for positive results and lasting change. But first, you must decide exactly what it is you want. When you begin fulfilling your true life purpose every day, everything else falls into place; and it will be easy to have and achieve everything you desire.

After all, anything we set out to do is only difficult because we believe it will be difficult. This attitude can block us from achieving our dreams. If we approach any change in our life with the intention that it will be easy to accomplish, we will find the Universe aligning with our wishes. Fortunate happenings will occur that will make it easier for us to achieve our goals. It becomes easy when we say it is easy.

Let’s take the first step by discovering YOUR true life purpose, your greatest goals and dreams, and create a plan to achieve them -- right now!


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PART 2: SETTING YOUR GOALS AND

DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE

Chapter 4: Find Your True Life’s Purpose

American author, business owner, and career counselor Barbara Sher wrote a book titled, “I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was.” If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Many people have not yet discovered their true calling or what I call their “true life purpose,” and, as a result, feel as if they are simply trudging through life, stuck in one place with no hope for a greater existence.

Does this sound like you? Do you feel stuck in a career, a relationship, a situation that you don’t like but you stay because you don’t see a way out?

I understand because I’ve been there.

In my adult life I’ve been a Stockbroker on Wall Street, the managing owner of a thoroughbred race horse management company, and a marketing specialist. But one day I realized my true purpose in life is to help individuals, businesses, and organizations experience a better quality of life and get unstuck by using the energy of the Universe and Feng Shui.

Although I was always fascinated by the look and feel of a space -- and discovered at an early age that I could discover a lot about a person just by looking at their environment -- it took me a while to find my true life purpose.

What Am I Meant To Do?

These 7 questions were selected to give you great insight into your life goals in a minimum amount of time. Open yourself to letting the answers flow out of you -- follow your first instincts, write them down, and they will guide you toward discovering your true life purpose and your greatest goals.

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1. What would be your dream job and what emotions would you feel when doing that job?

2. What top 5 leisure activities do you enjoy the most? What skills or talents do you employ during these activities?

3. What are the top 3 things that you enjoy most about your current career or job? What skills do you use in these tasks?

4. Can you think of other opportunities in your life where you could use the skills and talents listed above to serve humanity and earn an income?

5. Think about the 3 most recent times when you were completely “in the zone,” when time seemed to stop and you were immersed and focused on what you were doing. What were you doing at the time?

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2.

3.

6. On average, about how many hours per day do you spend in that “zone” of completely being in the moment?

Don’t worry if your answer is “only a few” or even “none.” You can change your surroundings -- and your mindset -- so that you will enter this zone nearly every day, regularly, as you do what you love and live your true life purpose.

7. Can you think of times when you’ve done what you truly wanted to do, even if you faced opposition from friends, family, loved ones, or society? How did you feel at those times? Write down the actions and the feelings you got from them.

Our objective is to capture those feelings every day, until they come as naturally as breathing.

Did you know unborn babies “practice” breathing in the womb, even though there is no air, so they are proficient when they come out into the world? When you “practice” living your life according to your true purpose, it will soon come naturally -- especially when your surroundings are organized in such a way as to encourage and support you to do so.


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CHAPTER 5: Setting and Achieving Your Goals

After you’ve completed the “What Am I Meant To Do?” quiz, you probably have a better idea of your life’s goals and what is really important to you. Now let’s take a look at how we can manifest this in your life.

You may have also realized you don’t spend enough time doing the things you really love, or that your life’s goals and purpose don’t match your actions. For instance, if you want to lose weight and be healthier, yet you eat fast food three times a week -- your actions are not aligned with your goals.

Similarly, if you want to improve your financial situation, but the dark, cluttered entryway of your home is blocking new opportunities from entering your life, the chi in your home is not assisting you to meet your goals.

Know this: When you are working in tune with your true life purpose, the pieces will fall into place. You may still encounter obstacles, but you will view them differently -- overcoming them with grace, creativity, and intention.

When your home, apartment, or place of business is also aligned with your true life purpose, these factors all create a powerful synergy that will put you on the fast track to success and happiness.

In order to measure your progress -- and to keep your goals foremost in your mind so you can live each day with the intention of achieving them -- write them down.

That’s so important, I will say that again: In order to keep your goals foremost in your mind so you can live each day with the intention of achieving them -- WRITE THEM DOWN!

A goal that is not written down is just a wish or a dream.

You can write your goals in the spaces below. While it may be tempting to think about every area of your life, it’s best to focus on 1, 2 or 3 key areas right now. Don’t scatter your focus. Hone in on the top 3 (or even 1!) thing you really want to accomplish. Focus on the 1 thing that will improve your life and provide the happiness you seek.

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To get started, you may think about goals in the following areas of life:

À Health À Wealth À Wisdom / Knowledge À Family Relationships À Marriage / Relationships À Career À Fame / Recognition À Travel À Children / Creativity

It’s no coincidence that these areas correspond with the 8 trigrams and the center in the Feng Shui Ba Gua map. But remember, you shouldn’t concentrate on every area of life immediately. Just pick the 1, 2 or 3 areas that are most important to you right now.

Relax, Feng Shui is a Work in Progress

These areas and goals -- what is most important to you -- will change throughout your life, depending on your needs, desires and where you are in your life. That’s okay.

Using Feng Shui in your home, apartment or office is like eating or washing -- you can’t just do it once and have it done forever. The chi in your house will evolve as you change as a person, and you may wish to strengthen different areas of your home (corresponding to different sections of the Ba Gua) at different times depending on your goals and needs.

Remember, too, we’re not concerned, right now, about HOW to accomplish these goals or if they are possible to achieve. (Trust me, they are!) Don’t limit yourself. Think about your wildest dreams -- they CAN come true!

Right now, you just want to gain a clear direction for your future life -- a life filled with love, health, wealth, happiness, and abundance. Doesn’t that sound appealing? You can do it! Once you define and achieve success in the areas most important to you, you’ll find all the other pieces falling into place. With a few early successes, your confidence will grow, and you’ll realize the power and strength you have within you. It is possible to achieve all you want in life, and Feng Shui is one of the most empowering methods to get started on your true life path.


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GOAL HINT: Place your goals in the present tense, so you can visualize them happening right now!

Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. - Les Brown, author

My 3 Goals that Will Bring Me Closer to Living My True Life Purpose:1.2.3.

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CHAPTER 6: What’s it Feel Like?

Look at the goals you wrote down in the previous chapter. Put them someplace you’ll see them every day.

Now, think about the goals. Each goal is tied to a specific feeling. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, the feeling you really want to achieve may be greater self-confidence or feeling desirable in order to attract a romantic partner, or just feeling stronger.

At the heart of wanting to make more money might be the feeling of security, or the feeling of prestige that comes when other people know you have a lot of wealth.

If you want to advance in your career, perhaps you seek a feeling of accomplishment or approval from your superiors. (This may have to do with your early relationship with your parents and teachers; but whatever the reason, Feng Shui can help you gain the fame, recognition and career advancement you desire.)

When you pinpoint the FEELING behind the goal you want to achieve, you can begin to “live as if” you have already attracted the goal. You will live with the intention of having all you desire.

Because everything in the Universe is energy (chi), and energy attracts other energy that is similar to itself, when you begin to live as if you already have everything you want, you will attract more of what you want to you.

This is one reason why Feng Shui is so powerful. With your intention behind the Feng Shui secrets shared in this book, you will send a strong message to the Universe to provide what you want. As your intuition grows stronger, you will see the pathways to success opening before you. Clear, wide paths that may have previously been filled with thorn-filled bushes and thistle patches will now point the way toward the life of your dreams.

The truly amazing thing is, it starts with just one step.

It might seem like an unattainable goal, right now, to say you want to earn a million dollars. But how about doubling your income? Or earning a few hundred dollars a month in passive income? (Passive income is money you don’t have to work for directly -- with passive income, you are not trading time for money). Maybe that still sounds intimidating -- but less so.


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How about starting simply by researching a new business idea? That’s a step you can take in just 30 minutes after dinner... Make a list of at least 5 ways you can earn passive income.

You don’t have to go out and start 5 new businesses all before bedtime. Simply begin thinking about ways to achieve your goal of more financial security and take the first step.

Just because you’re reading this book doesn’t mean you have to Feng Shui your whole home or apartment in a weekend, either. You’ve already taken the first step by reading this far.

Let’s begin with the basis for figuring out how to adjust the flow of chi in your home: Understanding the Ba Gua.

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PART 3: POWERFUL FENG SHUI SECRETS

Chapter 7: Using the Ba Gua to Achieve Your Goals

The Ba Gua is an ancient Eastern tool -- almost like a map -- which divides your home into 9 equal sections, called trigrams. Each of these 9 sections corresponds to an area of life and 1of the 5 elements used in Feng Shui, as well as specific colors.

Although the Ba Gua is most frequently represented as an octagon, with 8 sides and a “center,” when you lay the Ba Gua over your home, it helps to think of it as a square or a rectangle, depending on the basic shape of your home.


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Whatever shape your home, the Ba Gua should be divided into 9 equal sections. If your home has extensions or missing areas (areas that do not fill the Ba Gua when it is laid out as a square or rectangle), we will deal with those later. Just lay out the Ba Gua as if those spaces are there for now.

The Ba Gua and the Mouth of Chi

When you lay the Ba Gua over your home in Black Sect Feng Shui, you do not need to worry about compass directions or which way your home faces.

Place the Ba Gua over your home as if it were a blueprint, with the front (that is, the bottom, containing the career trigram in the center) edge of the Ba Gua against the front wall of your home. (The wall containing your front door.)

What if you use a different entrance other than your front door as your home’s main entrance?

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You should still lay out the Ba Gua in relation to your front door, which is the mouth of chi and begin to use your front door more often. We’ll talk more about using Feng Shui in your front entrance to encourage the flow of chi later in this section.

When you place the Ba Gua over your home, your front door will land in 1 of 3 sections: The Knowledge, Career, or Travel & Helpful People section.

If your front door is in the center area of your home, it’s in the Career section. If it’s to the left (when you are facing your front door, looking in), it’s in the Knowledge section. If it’s to the right, it’s in the Helpful People section.

That’s easy enough, right?

Moving on, the next segments of the Ba Gua, from left to right, are the Family and Health section, your home’s Central Palace, and the Children & Creativity section.

If you picture the Ba Gua as a metaphysical tic-tac-toe board, these reside in the middle row. Still following?

The back wall of your home contains the final 3 sections of the Ba Gua (from left to right, when you are standing at the front door, looking in): Wealth, Fame & Reputation, Marriage / Relationships.

So, the Wealth area -- one of the most common areas where people wish to improve the flow of chi -- is always the back left corner. What’s in the back left corner of your house? How about in the back left corner of your living room? Or your home office?

If you don’t like what’s there, we’ll change it shortly, opening the door to welcome all the wealth you deserve into your life. Sounds good, right?

Rooms may overlap into multiple sections of the Ba Gua. A large family room on the second level or in the basement, for instance, may cover 6 or all 9 sections of the Ba Gua. A room in the back half a home or apartment may be partially in the Family section and partly in the Wealth section.

Lay out the Ba Gua based on square footage, disregarding walls that divide rooms. (Unless you are laying the Ba Gua over a single room, of course). That’s why rooms can reside in 2 sections of the Ba Gua.


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You can choose to lay the Ba Gua over your whole home, your property or a single room.

By the way, “trigram” is just the word for a single section of the Ba Gua, named because the Ba Gua is made up of 3 sections of 3 parts each.

You can lay the Ba Gua over a single room -- or your entire property -- in the same way. Again, the front of the Ba Gua should be wherever the main entrance to that room (the mouth of chi) is located.

When you lay the Ba Gua over a plot of land, the front edge of the Ba Gua (containing the Knowledge, Career and Travel sections) should be along the front line of your property.

There are a few things to remember when you lay the Ba Gua out over your space though.

1. Focus first on the main floor of your home, as this is where most of the energy in your home is focused.

2. For rooms on upper and lower levels, you may wish to impose the Ba Gua over each individual room, rather than the whole level.

3. Remember, the energy centers or trigrams will be different when the Ba Gua is placed over individual rooms than when it is placed over the main floor of your home. For even greater results, you can apply the Ba Gua in multiple rooms -- this is called “layering.” In other words, if you want to increase your wealth, you can empower the Wealth trigram of the Ba Gua on your home’s main floor, and again in your bedroom or home office.

Empowering Different Sections of the Ba Gua

When you Feng Shui your house to achieve your goals, you will look carefully at the 9 sections of the Ba Gua and seek ways to empower the areas that will best help you achieve your goals

As you begin to apply these principles to balance the energy in your home, you want to balance your own energy, too. Your mental state should be a blend of yin (feminine) and yang (masculine) energies. Your yang energy drives you straight toward your goals -- nothing can stop you. But your yin energy provides a sense of peace and harmony. Yin is playful and deeply rooted in the present moment. Without enough Yin, you may miss opportunities that present themselves. Without enough Yang, you may not have the ambition and desire to charge toward your goals, letting nothing stand in your way.

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This will happen naturally as you align your environment with your goals through Feng Shui.

This is where many people get confused and frustrated when they start using Feng Shui on their own. That’s why I like to think of this book as “Your very own personal Feng Shui consultation in digital format.” I’ll be here guiding you. Trust your instincts and follow the instructions in this book and you will find your true life purpose and begin living it to create the life you’ve always dreamed of.

The most important thing to remember is do not rush around your house, placing books in your Wisdom corner, a fish tank in the Wealth corner, red hearts in your Relationship corner (in pairs, of course) or suitcases in the Travel section -- especially not if that section happens to be in your kitchen. Who would keep luggage in their kitchen?

Each of the solutions you’ll learn about here are common Feng Shui remedies that can be very powerful, but it’s virtually impossible to focus on 8 significant areas of your life at the same time and give them equal attention. We want to hone in on the things that are most important to you -- the things that will guide you to your true life purpose.

If you activate every section of the Ba Gua in your home, your house could end up looking like a tourist shop in Chinatown with too many knick-knacks to dust. Feng Shui is not about products. It is about harnessing the flow of energy so that your environment is in better alignment with your goals. The remedies you choose to raise the energy in specific trigrams should have special significance to you, should fit in well with your home’s decor and, most importantly, should remind you of your goals and your life purpose when you view them.

Feng Shui Success Story!

I recently did a Feng Shui consultation for a woman who was seeking the love of her life. She had read a bit about Feng Shui, learned how to lay the Ba Gua over a space, and wanted to use Feng Shui solutions in the Marriage area of the master bedroom in order to attract a mate.

She had red roses, pink hearts, kissing doves, a pair of lamps, and all manner of items (all in pairs) clustered in that corner. She also used items that represented traits she wanted in her perfect mate: loyalty, intelligence, a sense of humor, good with children, etc.

The shelf looked like a shrine to love -- but it actually told a different story. All those items showed me that she was scattering her energies.


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I suggested she focus on a few key points that she wanted in a mate, and then pick 1 object that embodied the most important traits and also had significance to her.

She cleared off the shelf, chose her favorite keepsake, and made a special spot for it in the Marriage corner of her home.

A few weeks later, she met a man that is everything she’s ever wanted in her life. Was the power in the object? The object had the power she gave it. Focusing on her goal, expecting she would meet her future husband, and living with intention made it happen. Remember, everything is energy, so our thoughts truly do manifest into things, or people, or the living situations we desire.

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Chapter 8: Secret Feng Shui Remedies for Powerful Results

When you hone in on the area you want to empower or strengthen, you can use 1of the 9 Feng Shui remedies to increase the flow of chi to a specific area, re-direct the flow of chi or introduce more healthy chi into a space.

Feng Shui employs 9 basic remedies in various forms. These objects can be used to:

À resolve unbalanced shapes À fix “missing” areas of the Ba Gua in a home, apartment or on a plot of land À adjust or re-direct the flow of chi À activate specific areas of the Ba Gua related to different areas of your life

Personal Style is King

It’s important when using these Feng Shui remedies to pay attention to your personal style and your home’s decor. While an object like a mirror or wind chimes can probably be found to blend in with or fit almost any surroundings, the danger exists of hanging a myriad of objects from your walls and ceilings that create a cluttered look. Your intention is not for your home to look like a gift shop in China town. The remedies you select should enhance your personal style and decor and make your home more comfortable to live in, while balancing, enhancing, or redirecting the flow of chi so your surroundings are now in better alignment with your life goals and intentions.

Immediate Results

Many people see immediate results after employing any one of these remedies to improve a particular area of their life -- especially when the action is backed by strong intention. Taking further action on the mundane level will increase the positive results to an even greater degree.

Often, seeing the objects we use to empower a space reminds us of the actions we want to take to improve our lives. Taking this action, in turn, strengthens the power of the Feng Shui remedy even more.

For instance, if you hang a picture of someone you hope to attract into your life as a mentor in the Helpful People trigram of your home, you may see that photo and be inspired to send them an email, join a networking organization they’re a part of or attend a book-signing for their latest release, which could result in a fortuitous meeting.


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When you can envision yourself speaking to this mentor, learning from them and sharing knowledge -- when you can really capture how it will feel to be in their presence -- you will be on your way to manifesting a meeting.

These “reminders” of our goals, the Feng Shui remedies, don’t have to be literal. Hanging a mirror in a certain place can raise the energy of that area. We will simply feel better in that room or hallway -- uplifted, somehow. That feeling alone can encourage us to take the action to go after our goals.

You can also use a visualization board to this effect. The act of finding photos and items to place on our visualization board begins creating the energy to bring that object to us. Then, we focus on the photo of the object every day with the full intention of manifesting the object into our life. A visualization board helps bring our goals and desires into sharp focus, in living color, right in front of us.

Nine Common Feng Shui Remedies

1. Bright or light-refracting objects, such as lights, mirrors, crystal balls. An octagonal mirror, in the shape of the Ba Gua, is considered especially good luck in Feng Shui and is hung on the outside of a home to deflect chi.

2. Objects that make sounds (wind chimes, bells and music).

3. Living objects, including plants, flowers, trees, fish bowls with living fish, aquariums and other pets.

4. Moving objects include both water features such as fountains and waterfalls, and other objects that move by wind or electrical power, such as mobiles, weather vanes and windmills.

5. Heavy or symbolically heavy objects, such as stones, statues, rock gardens or a Yu Bowl -- a Chinese inkpot with stones in the bottom -- can help “ground” and stabilize chi, creating a sense of stability and longevity.

6. Electric-powered objects, including televisions, computers, etc.

7. Bamboo flutes are frequently used in Feng Shui to raise the chi of a space and for other purposes.

8. Colors - The elemental colors help balance the chi of a space.

9. Others - This broad category includes the Ba Gua, as well as rituals we perform with strong intention.

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Some Things You Don’t Have to Worry About When You Start Using Feng Shui

Renovating your home or apartment: These Feng Shui remedies all permit you to work within the space you have available. You won’t need to rip out walls or make major renovations to your home to see changes in your life. Even if you have missing areas, there are ways to re-direct the flow of chi to minimize their effects. Of course, it’s always best to start with a space that has good Feng Shui, but this book is designed to work in any space, for anyone.

Constantly changing your good luck objects or remedies: The only reason you should get rid of any object in your home is if you no longer have any use for it or it no longer brings you joy. These Feng Shui remedies do not “wear out” or lose their power after time. By all means, keep objects like plants and water elements well-maintained, and clean crystals so they don’t lose their shine. But if a particular object is working for you and you like it where it is, leave it there.

Your current circumstances: Know this: Your current circumstances, whatever they are, have no bearing on the potential in your future. “What?” You say. “But I’m completely down-and-out, drowning in debt, I have no friends ... and I just lost my job. How can my circumstances not affect my results?” The fact is, even if your situation looks very bleak, you can take action to change it. I never thought I’d be able to lift myself out of the deep depression I was in back in the 90’s. Everything seemed hopeless. No money. Deep in debt. No desire to even leave my home. And then one day I realized I just had to lift out of my fog, because my life was worth more than the way I was treating myself. No financial hole was too deep, no problem too difficult to solve. That’s when the doors opened and I discovered the power of Feng Shui to help me.

Even if it’s discovered you live in a place with bad chi -- maybe the home was foreclosed on before you purchased it, or someone died there -- you can overcome your surroundings and your current situation. Combined with focus and intention, you can use Feng Shui to completely change your living environment and reverse your luck.

Negative results: The actions you take as a result of reading this book will do no harm to you or anyone else. Many people, when employing techniques like Feng Shui that may seem almost magical, have fears of the “Monkey’s Paw” effect. That is, they worry that good news is always followed by bad, or that everything they receive has a “catch” to it. In other words, you can’t expect to get something for nothing. It’s true that everything has a trade off. You have to put focus and intention and action into achieving your goals. But, as long as you have no intentions to do harm to others, no harm will come to you. These Feng Shui remedies have no hidden “catch.” And if you follow your intuition and the instructions in this book, there’s really no way to do Feng Shui “wrong,” so don’t worry about that.


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Now that you know there’s nothing to fear, let’s look at the 9 basic objects in Feng Shui that are used to redirect, slow down, or speed up the flow of chi.

1. Bright or Light Refracting Objects to Raise Chi

Bright or light-refracting objects include mirrors, crystal balls and, in modern Feng Shui, lights.

Mirrors

Mirrors, sometimes called the aspirin of Feng Shui, are often used to create a sense of depth:

À when a wall is too close to a front door

À when a home has slanted walls or ceilings, which can feel oppressive

À to deflect the negative impact of poison arrows, unpleasant views or anything that creates negative chi, such as high-traffic streets or being at the end of a t-intersection.

Using Mirrors in Feng Shui

À Mirrors should never be hung so low that they cut off the top of your head. This can lead to feelings of low self-esteem, tension and even headaches. As a result, you should be able to see your full head when looking in the mirror.

À Mirrors should be all one piece, not tiled. Tiled mirrors distort the image, leading to illness as well as feelings of disease.

À Mirrors should not be hung so high that people have to look up to see them. This can create feelings of “not measuring up” or feeling “small.”

À Mirrors should be bright and clear, not dark or smoky. Smoked glass can lower the chi and feel oppressive in a space -- the exact opposite of the effect you want a mirror to have.

Crystal Balls

Round Faceted Crystal balls are often used to slow and disperse the flow of chi. You may hang one between a front door and a back door or window to slow the chi and opportunities from racing out, or in between the stairs and a front door if the stairs are in direct line with the door to slow the flow of chi. Hang the crystal ball at least two inches below the top of the door frame.

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Lights

Lights are used almost as frequently as mirrors in Feng Shui. A spotlight can square off the shape of an L-shaped building, replacing a missing area of the Ba Gua. It can be used to lift the chi of an overall house or empower a specific trigram. It can also be used to direct chi upward from a valley, especially if a house is located on the hill. This helps prevent money from “rolling away” from the site. Lights in an entryway can make a space seem larger and more welcoming, inviting opportunities into your home.

2. Objects that Make Sounds

Wind chimes and bells are the second of 9 Feng Shui remedies used in homes.

Wind Chimes

Wind chimes can be used in a similar way as crystals, to disperse the flow of rushing chi. A wind chime hung on the eave of a home or terrace of an apartment can help improve finances for the residents, as well as providing a pleasant-sounding greeting to visitors and people returning home.

The best wind chimes will have a deep, pleasant tonal quality and will be made up of 5 hollow tubes made of brass or copper to represent the 5 elements of Feng Shui.

Shopkeeper’s Bell

A shopkeeper’s bell can provide a sense of security to people in a home or place of business. If the master bedroom is located on the top floor of a home, a shopkeeper’s bell at the front door provides a greater sense of control to the home’s inhabitants.

A bell hung on the front door will also activate the segment of the Ba Gua in which the door is located, either the Helpful People sector, Knowledge and Wisdom sector or Career sector.


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3. Living Objects for Good Fortune

Few things are more full of life chi, vitality and rejuvenating power than living objects. Living objects that represent Feng Shui solutions include:

À living plants À fresh flowers À aquariums with fish À trees À pets

Plants

Plants can be used in Feng Shui indoors and outside to activate a specific section of the Ba Gua, help circulate chi, and provide hope and good fortune to a home’s residents. Used in a business, plants and flowers attract clients, good business opportunities and positive chi.

Within the home, you can use plants to:

À resolve sharp corners that create “poison arrows” leading to illness and unrest À mask pillars that may make the inhabitants of a home or apartment feel “blocked” À help the flow of chi in a space with an awkward step, such as in a sunken living room À complete the corner of a room À slow and disperse the flow of chi between a front and back door, or front door and large

window, which face each other. Use a hanging plant in this situation, similar to the way you might use a crystal or wind chimes.

Flowers

Flowers can also be used indoors or out to activate a segment of the Ba Gua -- especially if they represent the elemental colors that correspond to that section of the Ba Gua. In other words, white flowers in the Children and Creativity section of a Ba Gua may help with fertility, while purple flowers in the Wealth corner may help improve your finances.

When you lay the Feng Shui Ba Gua over your plot of land as described in earlier chapters, you will see how different areas of your yard or home relate to different areas of your life. Similarly, different colors relate to the sections of the Ba Gua.

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To activate a particular sector, say Wealth or Helpful People, plant flowers of a corresponding color in that corner.

You can use this technique of adding colorful flowers to your property, home or even inside your apartment to increase your wealth, advance your career or attract helpful people in your life.

The goals you outlined at the beginning should be planted firmly in your consciousness right now, and written in a place where you can access them every day. How can flowers help you with your goal? What do the rooms contain in the trigrams of the Ba Gua that represent your goals and life purpose? Would live flowers invigorate the space?

For instance, if you desire to expand your social network with people who have the skill -- and desire -- to help you in your business, plant white flowers in the Helpful People section of your yard, or place them in a room of your home or apartment that corresponds with the Helpful people section of the Ba Gua.

White also corresponds with children, so planting white flowers in the section of your yard that corresponds with children can help a couple increase their fertility to conceive a child. White flowers in that corner of your home or yard can also bring good fortune to your children and improve your relationship with them.

Similarly, violets or other purple flowers in the Wealth trigram can help you increase your income, as green, purple and red are colors for wealth. Imagine the results of planting red roses, violets and lush green bushes in the Wealth corner of your home, or in a flower box or placing them in the Wealth corner of your apartment. Not only do these colors look beautiful together, but you’ll attract wealth to your home with positive living chi.

A single person hoping to attract love can empower the Marriage corner of the home or apartment with white, pink and red flowers. If you want year-long positive results when you plant flowers, keep blooming seasons in mind. You may need to plant different flowers at different times of the year in order to ensure year-round success.

If you use fresh cut flowers in the rooms of your home, be sure to replace them once they begin to turn, as dead or dried flowers do not add value or energy to a space.


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Trees

Trees are powerful Feng Shui solutions that can, potentially, block the flow of chi if not properly placed.

A tree in front of your door may create a sense of feeling stuck or blocked. But a tree placed behind your home, but not so close that it touches your home, will create a sense of security and protection.

Trees protect us literally, from sunlight and inauspicious views, and in a spiritual sense, offer a feeling of protection. Trees beautify an area, attract other life to our property (such as birds who may build their nests there), and -- planted in the backyard -- provide a sense of support for you and your family.

Trees begin with their roots deep underground and stretch upward toward the sky, linking Heaven and Earth in Black Sect Feng Shui. Large, old trees that are still healthy offer a particular sense of security and comfort.

Plant trees to block against negative influences and sharp arrows of chi (such as from roof lines, tall buildings or T-intersections) pointed at your property.

Lush trees around your home signal health and prosperity. If trees suddenly die, it could indicate coming misfortune.

A large tree on the rear of your property provides a feeling of protection.

Trees located near your entrance -- but not so close that they block flow of chi and create a feeling of oppression -- create a sense of protection, as if the trees are guarding your home. Plant trees on your front lawn in symmetrical groups of 3, 6 or 9 trees, since these number combinations have strong positive properties.

Fish bowls and aquariums

In Feng Shui, water and water symbols (including the color black) equate to wealth and prosperity. This is why a Chinese place of business often has an aquarium with living fish in the Wealth corner of the Ba Gua. Fish are also believed to absorb negative chi. When a fish dies, it has absorbed all the bad chi it can stand, and the dead fish should be replaced immediately.

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Living objects can help the flow of chi and bring good fortune in a number of ways. Besides, doesn’t any home feel happier and healthier with living plants and fresh flowers?

4. Use Moving Objects to Disperse Killing Chi

Moving objects -- wind-powered or electrical -- can activate positive chi and also block the effects of killing chi.

Killing chi, or Sha, is chi that carries with it misfortune. It comes from architectural features like the corner of another building pointed directly at your home or apartment, the corner of a square post pointing at your front door, or from buildings with negative connotations and energy, such as an abandoned building.

If your neighbor has a steeply slanted roof and the eave points directly at your home or front door, this carries sha chi.

Likewise with the end of a road at a t-intersection, or the end of a dead end. People who live in these houses often have challenges with money and relationships.

Weather vanes

A weather vane pointed at the source of the sha will deflect the negative chi. Windmills will help disperse rushing chi -- positive or negative. A weather vane also can lift the chi of a space when located on the top of the roof.

Mobiles and wind chimes

Indoors, mobiles can be used (in the same way as wind chimes) to disperse rushing chi down a long hallway or at the bottom of a staircase. Outside, it can be used to move still chi or to help slow down chi.

Moving water features

There’s something relaxing yet revitalizing about a water fountain, geyser or waterfall. These features on a property or within a home activate positive chi and can attract financial wealth to a home’s inhabitants.


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5. Heavy Objects for Stability

Feeling unsettled? Does your life lack stability? Do you jump from job to job, or always fear the next big change? Are you tired of flitting around without direction?

If you crave stability, placing heavy objects -- or symbolically heavy objects -- in various segments of the Ba Gua can help.

Outdoors, you can employ large stones or boulders to activate different sections of the Ba Gua. For instance, if you want greater job security, place a boulder in the Career section of your yard. However, make sure the rock is not too close to your front door, or you risk feeling “blocked” and stuck.

If you fear that your partner may leave and want a more stable marriage, place a heavy object in the Marriage section of the Ba Gua.

Heavy Objects Indoors

Indoors, a small rock garden that is symbolically heavy can suit the same purpose. You can activate different sections of your home, a room or your desk using heavy objects.

The Chinese often rely on a symbolically heavy object called a “Yu” to add stability to a certain area of life. A Yu is a small Chinese ink pot with stones in the bottom. Placed under the bed in the master bedroom, a Yu will add a sense of stability and security to your love life and also help you sleep better.

6. Electrical Devices

When the ancient Chinese first began using Feng Shui, of course, there was no such thing as electricity. Modern Feng Shui masters had to find ways to account for these devices and their affects on the chi of a home, apartment or business.

Today, electrical devices including stereo sound systems, television sets and, of course, lights, are employed as 1 of the 9 basic Feng Shui solutions. In general, electrical objects have a very active, lively chi, and are useful to brighten a space when more energy is needed.

Electrically powered objects should be kept out of the bedroom -- and especially the master bedroom -- as they can create stress and detract from a good night’s sleep and the peaceful, calming atmosphere of a bedroom.

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If you require an electric or battery-powered alarm clock to wake up in the morning, point the clock so it is facing away from you. The lights may keep you awake at night; and, if you can’t sleep, there’s nothing worse than watching the minutes rush by as morning approaches. This only adds to insomnia.

In most areas of the home, electrical energy is positive, carrying uplifting chi that will activate that segment of the Ba Gua. A television in the Fame corner is an effective way to become more well-known in your industry or vocation.

7. Bamboo Flutes For Protection

In Feng Shui, Bamboo flutes symbolize safety, peace and stability. Along with mirrors and wind chimes, they are one of the most common Feng Shui remedies. Bamboo is known for its strength and sturdiness.

A bamboo plant placed on your desk will activate the section of the Ba Gua in which it resides.

Hollow and with multiple segments, bamboo shoots symbolically lift the chi up through their flutes. They can be used as solutions for:

À exposed ceiling beams

À slanted ceilings that create a sense of stress and oppression

Hanging two bamboo flutes with red ribbons tied around them at a 45-degree angle with the mouth piece at the top, slanting inwards, directly hanging below a beam raises the energy in the space. The shape mimics the upper portion of the octagonal Ba Gua, representing good fortune.

Flutes that resemble swords are used to ward off negative chi and evil spirits. Hang them above a door at a 45-degree angle to help guard against theft or home attacks.

8. Color

Color plays an instrumental role in Feng Shui. Colors evoke different moods based on our personal preferences, cultural traditions and simply the way they can open or close a space.

For instance, white or beige is a great color for a foyer or small, narrow hallway, as it makes the space seem wider and more welcoming. In China, red is considered a color of good fortune, and is a good color for a door or accent colors in a room.


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You can also use the color that corresponds to the element in that section of the Ba Gua. In other words, purple would activate the Wealth section of your home.

Color selection in Feng Shui relies heavily on personal preference and intuition, but understanding the psychology and culture behind certain colors can help lead you in the right direction when picking the colors for your home.

These guidelines will help you select the best colors to strengthen your chi and achieve your goals in romance, career, finances, spirituality and more.

Red – The Chinese consider this color one of the most lucky. Full of energy, red is stimulating, powerful and persuasive. Representing the fire element, red can be used in the Fame and Reputation section of the Ba Gua. After all, consider how eye-catching the color is! Too much fire element, though, isn’t good, so stick to red as an accent. It is also good to use red in the Relationship trigram to attract love and to add more passion to a relationship. Red has too much yang energy to be used in quantity in the bedroom but you can use colors such as pink or peach and accents of deeper reds.

Purple – Purple is as auspicious as red, with the added connotation of money and power. There’s a reason, after all, that purple has become a color associated with royalty. This would be a good color in the Wealth trigram of your home, or in the Wealth trigram of a home office. There are many different shades of this color, which provides a lot of flexibility when decorating. Lavender, though, has a calming effect – the opposite of what you might want in a home or office, and is also associated with mourning in many cultures.

Yellow – While people in the U.S. often interpret yellow to symbolize cowardice, in Feng Shui yellow or gold is associated with royalty and wisdom. It is not as “high energy” as red, but it represents tolerance, patience and wisdom – worthy attributes for leaders.

Green – Like the springtime grass, green represents hope and freshness. A great color for a bathroom or bedroom, it can be both energizing and tranquil, depending on the shade. Green is also known to be a fortunate color for doors and fences. And don’t forget the American association between the color green and wealth. You can introduce it in the Wealth trigram if it makes you think of money.

Blue – Like green, blue is associated with the element of wood and therefore symbolizes growth and hope. Blue hospital gowns have a calming effect on patients and represent the hope of recovery. Blue – like water – is also associated with the water element and can be used to empower the Wealth trigram of your home.

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Black – The ultimate in “yin” energy, black creates a sense of depth in mood and perspective. People may use this color for greater wealth or wisdom. Too much yin energy, though, can lead to depression, so people who are naturally “down” should avoid too much of this color.

Gray – The perfect blending of black and white (yin and yang), gray can symbolize the ultimate balance. However, it can also take on characteristics of black and represent hopelessness (as in a gray and dreary day.) Use your instincts when applying this color – does it feel uplifting and balanced or drab and depressing?

Brown – Symbolizing the depth and roots of wood, brown conveys a sense of permanence and stability. On the other hand, it can also create a heavy, weighed-down feeling. Dark brown can also represent the element of water and take on the yin characteristics of the color black.

Tan – Unlike dark brown, tan is an “earth” color, representing re-birth and possibility growing out of hopelessness.

Orange – Like red and yellow, orange is an auspicious fire color, designed to energize a space.

Pink – A softer shade of red, pink often represents love, joy and romance. If red is fiery hot passion, pink is pure love and affection.

Peach – An important color in Feng Shui, this blending of pink, red, and orange can be very fortunate, as in peach blossom luck. It is a social color, attracting friends and lovers. It is a good color for a single person’s bedroom to attract love. However, peach in a married couple’s bedroom could lead to infidelity.

9. Others

This broad category includes the Ba Gua, described in earlier chapters, as well as rituals we perform with strong intention. These can include meditation, affirmations or space cleansings performed by a professional Feng Shui consultant.

Maintain Your Focus

Remember, pinpoint the 1 or 2 (maybe 3) key areas that you want to focus on. You can activate those areas in relation to your entire property, your whole house or apartment, a single room, or even your desk.


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Use the solutions that resonate best with you, fit into your home and lifestyle, and will help you focus on the end result you desire. Choose Feng Shui items with the same care you would choose any other major purchase or make a major life decision, using your intuition and common sense, and you’ll begin to see immediate positive results in your life.

I can tell you this honestly, because it happened to me.

If you had seen me before I discovered Feng Shui and began studying with the masters, you may not have recognized me. I started my adult life on the right foot, amassing a decent amount of wealth at a young age as a stockbroker on Wall Street.

But I was living the true rat race -- a life many of you can relate to. I had money, but I wasn’t truly happy and I was nowhere near living my true life purpose. This general unhappiness, discomfort and feeling of being stuck spiraled downward into true depression and anxiety.

I hardly ever left my Manhattan apartment. I hit rock bottom, contemplating suicide and realized I had to make a change. I made a decision to empower myself. For me, those changes began with my surroundings.

I’d always been intrigued by the energy of different spaces, how a room’s furniture, decor and even the people in it combined to create what I know now is called the “chi” of a space. I began meditating every day and studying with Feng Shui Grandmaster Lin Yun Rinpoche.

I made changes to my apartment -- and my life -- to increase the flow of chi and, each day, took steps toward living my true life purpose. As a result, my income increased, too.

Although my income and career opportunities have changed for the better, my true wealth came for me in the things money can’t buy -- self-confidence, inner peace and true happiness. Most importantly, I have the time to pursue what is really important to me: helping others achieve their goals and live their true life purpose through Feng Shui.

When we have health and wealth, we can be of better service to others. You simply can’t give of yourself when you feel as if you have nothing to give. But the amazing thing is, the more we find to give, the more we get back in return.

Today, I have the opportunity to offer Feng Shui consultations to clients seeking a better life, to share my gifts and insights with others and to offer information like this eBook to help even

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more people across the country and around the world.

Feng Shui not only turned my life around. It saved my life. Imagine what it can do for you!

Now that we have a basic understanding of the Feng Shui remedies that have been used for centuries and proven to work, let’s look at the 3 most important areas of a home or apartment. When we focus on improving the chi and balance in these 3 very important areas, we will find greater focus, see new opportunities and feel the Universe coming into alignment around us. All of these things will bring us closer to living our true life purpose.


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Chapter 9: The 3 Most Important Areas of Your Home or Apartment

In Feng Shui, as in life, certain factors or areas must take priority over others. Our self-study helped you pinpoint the areas of your life most important to you. Hopefully, you have even begun to live with those intentions in your mind, focusing most of your attention and energy on these areas.

If you haven’t -- you’ll get there. As we move forward to Feng Shui your home or apartment room by room, you will feel a difference in the chi (energy) of the space. Small changes yield big results.

First, let’s focus on the 3 most important areas of your home or apartment. Like a well-run business, a highway or the human body, when all parts of your life work together in harmony, you will achieve even greater success.

Even as each aspect of your home is important in Feng Shui, some parts are more important than others. For instance, many people function and live productive, happy lives after the loss of a limb, such as an arm or a leg. Yet, without a heart or a brain, we would perish.

In Feng Shui, the 3 most important areas of a home or apartment are:

À the main entrance

À the kitchen, specifically the stove

À the master bedroom

The 3 main areas of the home are about the 3 things most people would consider important in their lives: health, wealth and opportunities.

The main entrance has to do with wealth, welcoming the chi and circulating the chi for advancement in all areas of your life.

When it comes to health, we look at the kitchen and the bedrooms. In other words, we focus on where you make the food you eat and where you sleep to rejuvenate yourself. The rationale is quite simple:

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Food is necessary for survival, but it also makes the difference between good health and poor health. As a result, we focus on the area where we prepare our food: the kitchen and, specifically, the stove.

In addition, human beings require sleep to enable the body to rejuvenate and repair itself. Rest is vital when the body is stressed or damaged due to illness. Sufficient sleep has been proven to be an integral part not just of good health but also to the ability to perform at work. In Feng Shui, we are concerned with the quality of chi within the bedroom, which is where we sleep and rest.

If positive energy (chi) collects outside and flows into all 3 of these spaces, you’ll attract money, love, health and opportunities into your life. If these areas are affected by a lack of chi or negative chi, most other positive changes you make won’t have as much of an impact. So, it makes sense to start our Feng Shui journey of your home with these 3 areas.

Feng Shui your Front Door

The front door represents the way life comes to us -- our opportunities and possibilities. Many people wonder, when it comes to Feng Shui, which door they should consider their main entrance if they don’t typically enter through the front door.

For instance, many suburban homes have a garage entrance that leads directly into the kitchen and is more convenient. Other homes may have a side door that gets more use because of a path through the yard to the home.

Whenever possible, residents and guests of a house or apartment should use the front door as the primary entrance. Even if you don’t use that door most frequently, you should apply these Feng Shui principles to that door.

The main door is known as the chi mouth of the house. It is the way chi enters and leaves your home or apartment.

If you don’t use that door frequently, you may experience stagnant chi in that space, which could lead to a lack of opportunities, feeling stuck and even depression. We’ll explore a number of ways to get the chi flowing.


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If you use another door as your main entrance, the alternate entrance is not as significant in Feng Shui as your main door, but you can apply these principles to that space, too, to create a welcoming environment for your guests and chi to enter.

Remember, your main entrance is the portal into your home. Quite often, it’s the first impression visitors get. In a sense, it represents your public image. Don’t be afraid to “dress up” this entrance with flowers (living chi), light and things of beauty.

First, we want to look around and make sure nothing is repelling, expelling or blocking the chi.

To evaluate your entrance:

1. Stand at the front door and look out. Verify that no trees, lampposts, mailboxes, pillars, planters or other items sit in direct line of the door. These items can impact your ability to take advantage of incoming chi and may negatively impact the health of the people in your household.

Feng Shui Fix: The question to ask in regard to objects in front of your front entrance is: How far away are they from the entrance? Trees should not be closer than twice the tallest residents’ height. Use your instincts: Does your doorway feel blocked or does the tree offer a sense of protection?

Use your intuition, too, to determine if other objects offer a sense of protection or block the chi. Do you have a planter in your doorway that you have to do a little dance to get around every morning? Are visitors always tripping over a particular shrub when they leave your home? The best Feng Shui entrance is open and inviting to visitors and a home’s residents alike.

A blocked entrance can lead to financial difficulties, missed opportunities and feeling stuck.

Feng Shui Success Story

There was a couple in a suburb of New York who was facing foreclosure. They were at their wit’s end and had lost all hope when they contacted me for a Feng Shui consultation. They had both been laid off from their jobs in the past year and didn’t know what to do.

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It didn’t take long to discover one of the Feng Shui problems in their home. Their front entrance was blocked by a big ceramic flower pot. You had to squeeze between the door and the flower pot to enter the home.

They had considered moving it several times, but just never got a chance. They didn’t want to get rid of it, as it was beautiful, but they didn’t know where to put it. We moved the flower pot to a corner of the yard where the plant was able to flourish. Immediately, the chi began to flow into their house -- and with it, opportunities and optimism. Their outlook began to change. Within 10 hours, they discovered a financial solution to their problems when a relative came to their aid. They’re still living in the house, and the woman found a new job shortly after that. They’ve been making their mortgage payments without a problem.

Is it a coincidence? You might think so. By the end of this book, you’ll realize there are no coincides. Everything we have (or don’t have) is a result of the energy around you. I can also tell you this: That couple will never put that flower pot back in front of their door!

Throughout this book, you’ll hear other examples of how Feng Shui works for my clients -- and how you can make it work for you!

2. Make sure no objects that exude Sha chi (killing chi) point to the front door.

Sha chi typically comes from sharp corners or jagged edges. This could include a corner of a building across the street pointed directly at your front door, a neighbor’s slanted roofline pointed directly at your home, a t-intersection or a square pillar in line with the front door.

Feng Shui Fix: To deflect or diffuse killing chi pointed at your home, plant vines to cover the sharp edges of a square pillar. If a neighbor’s home or roofline aims killing chi directly at your home, place a Ba Gua mirror on the outside of your own house or above the front door to deflect the chi. Trees or shrubs planted in front of your home can deflect the rushing chi from a t-intersection. Don’t worry about reflecting that negative energy back at others. Feng Shui doesn’t work that way. These remedies will do no harm -- only good.

3. Stand outside your front door and look in. The area you see when you first enter a home should be open and spacious so that chi can collect and begin to circulate through the space.


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Avoid placing anything here that repels, squeezes or blocks the chi from entering the space.

Feng Shui Fix: Your entryway should be clear of clutter. If you place planters, shoe racks or anything else in this space, make sure the area still has an open feel.

4. Can your door open a full 90 degrees?

Feng Shui Fix: Coat hooks or bags hanging directly behind the door can block the door from opening and limit opportunities for prosperity, fame and good fortune to enter your life. Make sure all doors open a full 90 degrees and that they open cleanly, without squeaking or sticking.

5. Is the front entrance to your home welcoming and inviting?

Feng Shui Fix: The wider, brighter and more well-lit a space, the more welcoming it will feel. Light, natural colors such as beige are best for a front entrance, along with lots of light. If you have a skylight or large window near the entrance to let in natural sunlight, that is ideal.

Most importantly, an entryway should feel spacious and open. You can hang mirrors on walls to provide greater depth to the space.

6. Does your front entrance engage all 5 senses when people enter your home?

Feng Shui Fix: Your front entrance is the first impression visitors get from your home. It should engage all the senses with pleasant sights, sounds and smells. Consider scented candles in the hallway, or let natural cooking scents from the kitchen waft into the entryway to welcome guests.

You can hang wind chimes or a shopkeeper’s bell in the doorway to create a pleasant ringing sound when people enter. A shopkeeper’s bell provides an added bonus of a sense of security to a home’s inhabitants and has been shown to prevent burglaries, too.

The Path to Your Main Entrance

The path to your main entrance is also important. A clear, wide, open pathway helps opportunity flow into your living space. The path to your front door should be at least as wide as your front door, or wider. It should be curved, to prevent chi rushing into and out of the home.

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If a path seems too wide, you can plant shrubbery on either side to create a natural border. Make sure to keep these plants well-trimmed. On the other hand, if high hedges create a feeling of being closed in, trim them back a bit.

Of course, make sure that your front steps and path are clean, safe and have no broken stones or bricks.

The First Impression of Your Home

Think about the first impression you get when you pull up to a retail store, restaurant or business. If the front of the building or the entrance is unkempt, with paint peeling and overgrown shrubbery, you won’t want to shop there.

The same goes for your home. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on renovations. Just make sure your lawn is trimmed and healthy, and plant flowers to give the space a welcoming feel. Your neighbors will appreciate it, too, and it may even help raise property values on your street.

Your Front Entry and Your Goals

The front entry can affect many different aspects of your life, including your finances, career, social life, opportunities for travel and the ability and desire to seek and gain wisdom.

When you refer to the Ba Gua, your front door resides in either the Knowledge, Career or Helpful People/Travel section of your home. Difficulties in these areas could be caused by bad Feng Shui in your entry. If you struggle in school or with learning new concepts, can’t seem to get ahead at work or seem to have misfortune whenever you travel -- and these obstacles are preventing you from living the life of your dreams -- Feng Shui can help solve your problems and help you fulfill your true life purpose.

Do you feel as if money is rushing from your life? If your main entry faces a staircase or long hallway, this can lead to rushing chi. Many people in this situation feel as if money rushes from their life as quickly as it enters. Hanging a round faceted crystal ball from a red cord between the staircase or hallway and the front door can slow the flow of chi and make it easy for you to hold on to your cash. Make sure the round faceted crystal ball hangs at a height that is below the top of the door frame but high enough so that no one will bump their head. Do you feel stuck? Unwilling to leave home to pursue your goals or reach out to people? Do you wish you had more visitors or just more positive people coming into your life? Pay careful attention to anything that could be blocking or stifling the chi from entering your home.


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One couple who moved into a suburban cape house had an end table and an easy chair that didn’t quite fit in the living room and blocked part of the entryway. In fact, none of the furniture fit -- it was all too big for the room.

On a subconscious level, people felt uneasy and uncomfortable -- as if there was no room for them with all the furniture in the space! The “story” this home told is that the couple was closed off and resistant to both visitors and opportunities.

Since they replaced an oversized sectional with a smaller sofa/lounge combination, moved the chair and got a flat screen TV to take up less space, they’ve had visitors regularly, from neighbors dropping by to out-of-state guests. The living room is a comfortable, cozy congregation space.

Even more importantly, as their social circle has expanded, they’ve begun attracting new opportunities to make money and to help others.

What do you want to welcome into your life? Do your surroundings encourage or discourage this?

What changes can you make to open the door to the opportunities you really desire?

Feng Shui your Stove

The kitchen – specifically, the stove – represents our source of food and our ability to gain wealth (i.e., food and other symbols of abundance) through our work and careers.

The stove has a great deal to do with our work life, our career, the recognition we receive and our ability to manifest our goals and dreams. As a result, make sure the top of your stove is clean and all the burners work correctly. Use your stove as much as possible, even if just use it to boil pasta or warm food up. Make an effort to use all of the burners rather than just your “favorite” burner.

Many of my New York-based clients simply don’t cook in their kitchens. If they do, they use the microwave. One of the biggest recommendations I make to New York City apartment dwellers is to use the stove, even if you just boil water for tea.

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One client of mine in New York City ate in restaurants or ordered take-out every single night. She was an independent graphic designer who was doing pretty well with a stable of regular clients, but she wanted more challenging, better-paying projects. She felt as if she did her job well, but never really commanded respect. She always felt as if things were pretty tenuous in her career

Because your kitchen, specifically the stove, is 1 of the 3 most important areas of your home and represents your income and how you’re viewed in the world, I suggested she start cooking, even just 1 night a week.

She started cooking some easy dishes and decided she really enjoyed it. She took a cooking class, and even hosted a few dinner parties in her apartment. It was much better than eating take-out over the sink every night. And she saw the changes to other parts of her life nearly instantly.

With this simple step, her career turned around. She made connections and began getting better-paying, more challenging and more prestigious projects. Now she’s called on by some of the top ad agencies and publishers in the city on a regular basis. She also started to have more energy -- a combination of living her life with purpose and eating healthy, home-prepared foods! As my client saw, if there is poor chi in the kitchen, it could result in career issues, money difficulties and poor health.

Take a moment to look at the location of your stove.

Ideally, the stove will be in the command position of the kitchen. This means that the cook at the stove has a clear view of the entryway, but is not directly in line with the entrance to the kitchen. If the cook’s back is to the door, someone may enter the kitchen, sneak up behind him and startle him. This fear, according to Feng Shui beliefs, will enter the food, affecting its taste and also the health of those who eat it.

If a stove faces a wall, you can place a mirror on that wall to give the cook a clear view of what’s going on behind him. If you can see the stove from your front door, this can cause fires or accidents in the home. Consider finding a way to place a screen of some type so that you do not see the stove when standing in the front door.


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Adding a mirror to the back of the stove is also good Feng Shui. It symbolically “doubles” the burners and the feast the cook is preparing. Since the stove represents your wealth, this can help increase your income.

If your refrigerator is situated next to your stove, that’s not ideal. Think about it: hot and cold. Yin and yang, canceling each other out before you have a chance to benefit from the energy. Here’s another easy Feng Shui fix: Hang a mirror on the side of the fridge to deflect the cold energy.

More Feng Shui Stove Tips:

À Don’t keep teapots or saucepans filled with water on the stove when you are not using them. Water cancels out the positive fire chi of the stove.

À If you are not able to be in a command position, consider placing a mirror on the backsplash so that you can see behind you. Also, consider hanging wind chimes made of 5 hollow metal tubes directly above where a person would stand when cooking at the stove.

À Make sure your outside trash cans do not share a wall with your stove.

Your Kitchen and Your Goals

Like other areas of your home, your kitchen should reflect your life’s goals and true purpose. If you wish to create a social, fun-loving life, make your kitchen a gathering spot for the entire family.

You should be able to fit around the table comfortably. A round table is best, as it avoids sharp corners (killing chi) pointing at anyone. Killing chi at mealtimes can cause digestive problems and stomachaches.

Painting the kitchen white or neutral tones are the best colors for this area. Avoid red or orange, as these colors introduce too much fire chi into the space.

Infuse life chi in the kitchen with fresh cut flowers on the table. The flowers should not be so tall that they block people’s views of each other across the table and stifle conversation, nor should their scent detract from the cooking aromas. Remember to replace fresh cut flowers as soon as they show signs of dying.

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Interested in increasing your income? Keeping your stove and oven clean will enhance your wealth, figuratively and literally.

A big bowl of fresh fruit on the table can also evoke feelings of wealth. (Buy fresh fruit in season from local farm stands or co-ops to save money and support local, organic farming practices!)

Want to lose weight? Paint your kitchen blue to dull your appetite so you’ll eat less. Also, make sure the kitchen is not in view of the front door, or people will be focused on eating whenever they enter your home or apartment.

White is, by far, the best color for a kitchen, as it reflects purity and good health. You want all the food you eat to be pure and clean and life-giving.

Most importantly, you want your kitchen to be a place filled with light, warmth and positive family energy. Skylights or large windows fit well in the kitchen, infusing the room with a soft, natural glow of light.

If your kitchen is dark, use lamps that scatter light up toward the ceiling. Hanging lights in glass cabinets that contain decorative glasses or china also help illuminate the space while putting a spotlight on things of beauty, or maybe even heirloom china in your kitchen. Open glass cabinets are good Feng Shui if you keep them clean, dusted and well-organized.

While we’re on the topic of cabinets, here’s another inexpensive way to Feng Shui your kitchen easily: Organize your cabinets and pantry. Preparing dinner can be stressful if cups, boxes and bags fall out on your head every time you reach for an ingredient. Keep frequently used items easily reachable, while stowing appliances you use once a year in higher cabinets. There are a number of cabinet storage solutions you can pick up to help with the task.

Now let’s work our way down and talk about the kitchen counters. Keep them clear of clutter, as well as items you may deem useful. Find under-counter storage solutions for small appliances like can openers and coffee pots, or keep them in enclosed cabinets when not in use. Also avoid keeping spices, containers or condiments on the counter. Install shelves around the kitchen to store these objects, leaving your countertops free to maximize cooking and preparation space.

White cabinets are the best color, with butcher block counter tops to introduce the wood element into a space dominated by the water and fire elements. But don’t worry about re-doing your whole kitchen to introduce the proper countertops. If you have granite or tile countertops, add plants to slow the flow of rushing chi caused by these materials.


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Rounded edges prevent sharp “killing chi” from rushing at you while you are cooking, but live or silk plants can soften sharp corners.

Plants and fresh flowers add life chi to the space. Consider growing fresh herbs in windowsill boxes to add life chi that is also practical and money-saving.

Mint gives a lovely, rich scent, while oregano, basil, dill and thyme all add fantastic flavor to home-cooked meals. If you need a pick-me-up in the middle of the day, you can pull a sprig of fresh mint from your windowsill or countertop garden box and chew on it. Mint gives an immediate pick-me-up and lifts your spirits without caffeine or the subsequent crash that goes with it. You can even take a few seconds to meditate and really enjoy the aroma and taste, taking the time to remind yourself to be truly in the moment.

Feng Shui your Master Bedroom

We spend one-third of our lives in the bedroom. It’s a space to heal, rejuvenate and relax, improving our health and vitality. Our bed is energetically connected to each of us. Sleep is a yin condition -- the bed shelters, comforts and enables us to truly rest so we will be rejuvenated and able to awake energized to fulfill our goals.

You know how it works: When you don’t get a good night’s sleep, nothing seems to go right that day. If you don’t have enough energy, you can’t do your best at work, pursue hobbies or money-making opportunities, or even enjoy your leisure time, hobbies and family. This is why a Feng Shui bedroom is 1 of the 3 most important areas of a home, as it is the closest to your own personal energy. The master bedroom can affect every aspect of life for the occupants in a home:

À romance À personal relationships À fertility À creativity À wealth and income À fame and reputation... and more.

Here are some things you should look at when you are applying Feng Shui in the master bedroom.

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1. Is the bed in the command position?

Your bed should not be directly in line with the door. This is referred to as the coffin position, and can cause health problems. You may awake not feeling refreshed. If you’re not getting a good night’s sleep, suffer from chronic fatigue and other ailments that are difficult to pinpoint, your bed position could be a culprit. Want to feel better fast?

Feng Shui Fix: Your bed should be in the command position of the room. You should be able to see the door from your bed, but not be directly in line with it. Take a look at these pictures to place your bed in 1 of 3 command positions in a room.

You should also be able to approach your bed from either side with a minimum of 12 inches on each side.


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Feng Shui Success Story: Taking Command of Your Life

One client came to me because she’d been having insomnia for more than a year. She was frustrated in her current job, feeling stuck, frustrated in every area of her life -- and was sorely in need of a good night’s sleep.

We moved her bed to the command position and that night, she got her first full night’s rest in more than a year. She woke up more energized, and that feeling continued. She was able to take better control of her life and her goals.

As a result, she began living a more fulfilling life. She left her dead-end job and realized she wanted to start her own business. She did and, in a very short time, achieved great success doing what she loves. She has more energy than she’s ever had before, too.

People come to me seeking wealth, health and to become unstuck in life, to accomplish more and achieve their goals. But, of these, health comes first.

Think about it.

You need your health in order to be able to create wealth -- and one of the keys to better health is a good night’s sleep. When you have both health and riches (however you may define wealth), you’re in a position to live your true life purpose and accomplish everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

2. Does your bed have a solid headboard?

Your bed’s headboard should be firmly attached to your bed. This will create a sense of stability that will serve you well in marriage or other relationships. A headboard should be solid.

Feng Shui Fix: If you have a slatted headboard, wrap cloth ribbons around the slats to create greater stability.

Note: A foot board is optional in Feng Shui. Many people don’t like foot boards, as they evoke a sense of feeling “trapped” in bed.

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3. Is your bed the right size?

A queen size bed is optimal. A twin size bed is too small and will leave people feeling cramped and “stuck.” A single person in a full size bed is not leaving enough room in their life (or their bed) for a partner. A king size bed or California king may lead to divorce or separation, especially if the box spring is made up of two twin-size box springs. It’s been said that, if you are in a king size bed, “The only place to go is down,” which would mean sleeping alone in a smaller bed.

The ideal mattress should be comfortable to you -- whether you prefer it soft or firm -- to encourage a good night’s sleep.

It’s a good idea to get a new mattress every 7 or 8 years, since mattresses absorb so much energy each night. Additionally, if you can, you should get a new mattress after a major life change or an illness where you spent a lot of time in bed.

If at all possible, do not share a bed with a new lover that you used in a former long-term relationship -- especially if your new love seems to be a serious relationship that could grow into a lifetime commitment. Your new love and life together deserves a new mattress to celebrate that love.

4. Is your bedroom balanced?

Your master bedroom should look and feel balanced, especially on both sides of the bed. Otherwise, one partner may begin to feel more powerful than the other, resulting in an unbalanced marriage or relationship.

Feng Shui Fix: If you have nightstands, they should match and be placed on each side of the bed. The same goes for table lamps and anything else you may place on the nightstands. It’s good to decorate your bedroom with objects in pairs, which will encourage an equal partnership.

If you’re single, placing things in pairs symbolizes your readiness to attract romance into your life. Don’t go overboard, however. Focus on 1 or 2 key objects that hold special significance to you.


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5. What’s under your bed?

Avoid storing mementos, old books or photo albums, or anything else under the bed, as this may disrupt your sleep. The best bed will be on four legs, permitting the flow of chi in the space all around -- and beneath -- the bed. If you have a captain’s bed or a trundle drawer beneath the bed, store only soft linens (sheets and blankets) under the bed. No hard, metal objects, weapons or items reminding you of work.

6. Is your bedroom restful and peaceful?

The ideal bedroom should be used for 2 things only: rest and romance. Exercise equipment, books, computer equipment or anything that reminds you of work and activity should not be placed in the room. Avoid most things that run on electricity, too, such as a television set, as this type of active chi is not appropriate for the sanctuary of a bedroom.

It is okay to have an alarm clock in the room, but you may prefer an analog, rather than a digital clock. The LED lights may keep you awake. Otherwise, you can place the clock so it is not facing you when you sleep.

Feng Shui Fix: If you live in a small apartment and have no other place to keep your treadmill, home office, or collection of books, place a screen or other barrier between your sleeping space and the other section of the bedroom. You may also enclose a computer or television inside an armoire or cabinet so you cannot see it at night.

7. Overall, does your bedroom have good energy?

Your bedroom is your peaceful, private space. It’s best if the bedroom is located in the back half of the home, away from noise and commotion. If your bedroom is near the front of the house, you may feel as if you are a gatekeeper and may have trouble getting a good night’s sleep. You can place a shopkeeper’s bell on your front door to alleviate this challenge if you can’t move your bedroom to another area of your home. Most importantly, surround yourself with things you love in your bedroom - restful scents, peaceful images and comfortable textures.

Your Bedroom and Your Goals

The most critical aspect of BTB Feng Shui is how a room makes you feel when you enter it. Consider your bedroom as one cohesive unit. How does the room make you feel? Cozy? Peaceful? Ready for romance? Does the room match how you’d like to feel when you enter it? Do the colors and ambiance of your bedroom match your goals and life purpose?

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When I enter a home or apartment for a Feng Shui consultation, I look at the client’s surroundings and see what sort of “stories” the items, furniture and layout of the house tells.

We often find that the exterior -- a desk, a room, a home, an apartment -- mirrors the interior, what’s going on within a person. And because the master bedroom is such an intimate and personal space, we often discover great insight there.

Feng Shui Success Story: “Like an Old Shoe”

I had a New York City client who dated a lot, but she was ready to settle down and just couldn’t find the one man who connected with her. She came to me, as so many clients do, in desperation. When we looked in her relationship corner, I saw she had 15 pairs of shoes stowed there, all in boxes.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with having a shoe collection. But when I asked her what was going on in her love life, she explained that she’d go on a date or two with a guy, and then find something wrong with him. She’d walk out and move on to the next one.

I discovered that the shoes did, in fact, mirror her relationships. She was “trying on” different guys, and spending time “walking in and out” of relationships.

We moved the shoes to a more appropriate spot in the closet, and empowered her relationship corner with a plant. Live plants and flowers are two of my favorite Feng Shui remedies, because they are one of the least expensive, most effective ways to encourage the flow of chi and make a space feel like “home.” They also help you reconnect with nature.

On her next date, my client met a man who showed great potential as a life partner. Six months later, they moved in together and are now shopping for a house.

Are you single and seeking romance? If you are single and looking for love, your bedroom should not be too masculine or feminine, as this may turn off members of the opposite sex. Remember, whether you are single or married, placing objects in pairs in the bedroom provides balance and, if you are single, can help you attract a mate. Single people may want to use peach in their bedroom to attract romance and enable the Peach Blossom Luck.

Looking to add spice and stability to your marriage? The best color for a master bedroom for a married couple is pink, or mauve, or various shades of these colors. Red may be too energizing for a good night’s sleep, but accents of red, and even red sheets, are good for romance.


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Peach in a married couple’s bedroom is not good, since it can promote infidelity.

If you seek to add stability to your marriage, you can use heavy objects or symbolically heavy objects, such as a statue or a Chinese inkpot filled with small stones, called a Yu bowl. Place this object underneath the bed.

Avoid beams or ceiling fans over the bed, as these will disrupt your sleep, your health and your marriage.

If there is a beam above the bed and you can’t remove it or move the bed, paint it the same color as the ceiling, and hang two Chinese bamboo flutes from the beam, pointing at 45 degree angles from the ceiling to suggest the shape of the Ba Gua directly under the beam.

Struggling with relationships? One common problem I see in the master bedroom is keeping exercise equipment or a work desk in the room. If these items are placed in the marriage corner, it may feel as if your marriage is hard work. If you’re single and looking for love, this, too, can feel like a “workout.” (And not in a good, adventure-in-the-bedroom way!)

While it’s true that any partnership takes a certain amount of effort, it shouldn’t feel like a constant workout. Ever heard the phrase, “Trying too hard?” If you find yourself trying too hard at romance, it could be due to workout or work equipment in the marriage section of the bedroom. See if you can place these objects in another space, preferably out of view while you’re sleeping or in another room altogether.

Just want a good night’s sleep so you have energy to pursue your life purpose? Light green and light blue are relaxing and soothing colors that are also good for anyone’s bedroom to promote a good night’s sleep.

The Chinese stay away from white bed linens, as white represents death.

Remember, the most important aspect to consider if you’re having trouble sleeping is to make sure the bed is in a command position. This simple change can give you a better night’s sleep and significantly improve your health so you have more energy to pursue what is important to you.

What if you are not able to place your bed in a command position? If you are not able to place your bed in a command position, you can place a mirror in a location that will enable you to see the door or anyone who may be entering the bedroom.

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PART 4: FENG SHUI ROOM-BY-ROOM

With the 3 most important areas of your home now optimized to help you welcome opportunities, increase your wealth and maintain a good reputation, let’s look at the other rooms in your home. We’ll work on increasing the flow of chi to create a home that is happy, healthy and encourages all residents to live their true life purpose every day.

As you go room-by-room, don’t focus on every trigram in the Ba Gua. Refer back to your top 2 or 3 goals that will help you to live a more fulfilling life, and consider what’s in these areas of your home or in individual rooms.

When you lay out the Ba Gua, each corner of a room will probably correspond to 2 different trigrams -- 1 when you lay the Ba Gua over your entire house, and 1 when you lay the Ba Gua over just that room. Neither is “more powerful” or “the correct trigram.” Typically, I have found that when looking at the wealth corner of the floor plan and then the wealth corner of the bedroom or other room, that there may be a theme that you can find. It is your job to evaluate and determine if that theme is helping you achieve your desired goals.

Use your common sense, intuition and sense of design to determine whether you want to activate a specific trigram based on one room or the whole house.

Make sure the space does not look cluttered and that every object you place in that trigram fills a specific need or purpose, makes you feel happy and inspired when you look at it and blends in with your decor.

By using the Ba Gua over individual rooms and over the whole house, you have more flexibility in decorating. Remember, Feng Shui is supposed to be fun and creative -- not confusing!


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Chapter 10: Feng Shui Your Dining Room

Many larger suburban homes and some upscale apartments have a formal dining room. If you do, it’s important to use this room frequently -- not just on special occasions. This will keep the chi flowing into the space, which is important since, like the kitchen, the dining room represents your family’s wealth and income.

A dining room table that doesn’t get used and is, instead, a dumping ground for important paperwork, bills, incoming mail and the kids’ homework can indicate disorganization in other areas of a person’s life. Finances and learning may be neglected, and this can lead to missed opportunities.

Your dining room table should be used for its main purpose -- to gather and eat -- and should be kept clean and ready for use. This means the family that shares the room is always ready for any opportunity that comes their way.

In addition to physical nourishment, the dining room table provides you and your family with a place to relax and bond. While some dining rooms are boisterous environments of joyful noise and laughter, it’s best to set a more serene ambiance that permits everyone to begin to unwind after all the activity of the day. This is better for digestion, family bonding and your well-being in general.

Consider dining by candlelight (unscented, so it doesn’t interfere with the delicious, natural aroma of the foods) and playing soft background music. If we were to emulate a dining environment in our home, we would want the atmosphere to be like an upscale, fine-dining establishment, not the hustle-and-bustle of your neighborhood’s casual dining chain restaurant. Turn off the television to encourage conversation, and prohibit reading on digital devices or phone calls during dinner. The focus should be on family.

In this quiet atmosphere, you can begin dinner by saying a quick “thank you” for all you have. You can even go around the table and have each person express gratitude for their blessings that day. This is a great tradition for Thanksgiving -- but why not begin every family meal this way?

Here are some additional tips to Feng Shui your dining room to match your life’s purpose.

If you have an eat-in kitchen, you can also apply these Feng Shui suggestions to that space.

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The Dining Room Table

The dining room table, the center of all activity in the dining room, is important in Feng Shui. There should be enough space around the dining room table that everyone can sit comfortably, as well as walk around the table.

What shape is your dining room table?

The dining room table should be round or oval, with no sharp corners, which create killing chi and can cause digestive problems. Square or rectangular tables with soft (rounded) edges are okay, too.

If your table is rectangular or square, make sure no one sits facing a corner. Also avoid a table shape with cut-off corners -- except if it is an octagon (eight sides). An octagon, representative of the Ba Gua, brings good fortune.

If you can’t afford to upgrade your square or rectangular table right now, but people feel uncomfortable in the room, consider changing the orientation of the table. A long rectangular table can produce aggressive energy. Placing it crosswise in the room -- rather than pointing directly at a door -- can alleviate this sense.

You can also soften the edges of a square or rectangular table with a silk table cloth and floral arrangements.

Is everyone comfortable? The best spot is in the command position -- able to see the door but not directly in front of it. Visitors with their back to the door may feel uncomfortable or under attack.

Buying a Dining Room Set

If your dining room set is not meeting your needs, consider the various Feng Shui factors before deciding on a purchasing a new set. You have the luxury to re-write your family’s “story” during mealtimes with the purchase of a new table and chairs.

As you weigh your options, consider these Feng Shui principles:

Oval and rectangular tables with rounded edges provide a logical spot for the “head” of the family to sit at the head of the table.


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When a larger chair is used, especially, this creates a sense of power for the head-of-household. This can be a positive thing, but it could create a sense of inferiority for other family members, especially if children are older and on the way to becoming adults themselves.

Consider your family’s form, function and goals as a unit when you buy a table.

Wood dining room sets bring stability, to create a warm, loving space. The wood can be any type and color to match your decor and preference: consider antique whites such as white-washed oak, or even wooden tables stained in muted shades of green or blue.

If you prefer -- or already own -- a table in another material, such as glass, granite, or metal, you may be encouraging fast-moving chi. Soften the affect with placements and a table runner or, again, a silk tablecloth.

When you purchase your set of table and chairs, look just as closely at the chairs. They should be comfortable, with a solid back for support. Cushions will add greater comfort, encouraging people to slow the pace of mealtimes and sit and relax after dinner, enjoying the company and the comfort.

Light in the Dining Room

In addition to the dining room table, the chandelier is often the centerpiece of the room. Dining room lighting should point upward, “bouncing” off the ceiling to infuse the room with soft light. Round, faceted crystals hanging from your chandelier will help circulate the energy in the room.

To contribute to the serene environment, consider putting your main lighting fixture on a dimmer switch, and placing smaller lamps around the room. You can also use candlelight to achieve the same purpose of dim, diffused mood lighting.

Surround Yourself in Beauty

As in every room of your home, each object in your dining room should be carefully chosen and carefully placed to bring you a sense of joy.

Have old china passed on from grandparents that holds bitter memories? Stemware from a marriage gone bad? Get rid of it.

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Make sure each piece in your china cabinet, curio or on your buffet table makes you feel strong, happy and empowered when you see it.

The Dining Room and Your Goals

Want to shine during social engagements? To create a more social atmosphere in your dining room, decorate in light, bright colors, such as pink, green and blue. Infuse the space with living chi: fruit, plants and fresh-cut flowers.

Looking to lose weight? If the home’s inhabitants hope to lose weight, decorate in a black and white color scheme to dull the palate.

A mural can add creative energy to your dining room; if you wish to travel, have a mural painted that showcases one of your favorite natural scenes in an exotic locale -- the waterways of Venice, the rolling hills of Ireland or a French garden. The scene should be, again, serene and natural. A landscape or seascape can also add great depth to a smaller room.

What else is on your mind? You can lay the Ba Gua out over your dining room as an individual space and activate the section of the room that will best help you achieve your main life goals, using any of the Feng Shui techniques listed in this book. A few carefully selected items may help infuse your dining room with personality and add exciting “conversation pieces” to the space while strengthening the chi to help you achieve your goals.


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Chapter 11: Feng Shui Your Living Room

Similar to the kitchen, the living room is a social hub of your home. In fact, it’s even healthier to gather in the living room, as there will be less focus on food and more on company, entertainment and conversation.

When you use Feng Shui in your living room, play close attention to the flow of chi. Is furniture arranged in such a way that it creates logical pathways from one spot to another? Are seats facing in ways that encourage conversation and camaraderie?

Let’s explore these questions as you Feng Shui your living room:

What is the lighting like in your living room?

Natural light is best, but south-facing windows in a living room may let in too much light during mid-day, which can lead to migraines and a feeling of unrest. If you have south-facing windows, add light-diffusing curtains to block the mid-day sun. Lighting should be available to fit all moods and activities.

Feng Shui Fix: Consider blinds or light-diffusing curtains that will let in some natural light, but not too much. Use task lights or table lamps for reading, sewing or handiwork, and overhead lights for natural ambiance in the evening. Lights on a dimmer help save electricity and create whatever mood you would like.

How is the furniture arranged?

If your living room is more formal, you may want to arrange seating in a balanced, geometric pattern. If the living room is more of a family gathering place, consider arranging chairs in conversational clusters, maybe even adding colorful seating cushions for children on the floor.

Avoid having two sofas or chairs directly facing each other. This can create confrontations between the people who sit in those spots most often. Also, beams should not be directly above a sofa or chair -- this can cause headaches, arguments and a feeling of unease.

Finally, couches against a wall promote a feeling of stability and security. Avoid placing seats against a window, if possible. If you can’t avoid it, place a table in front of the window, behind the sofa, with tall plants on it to simulate the sense of a “wall” of protection for people sitting on the sofa.

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Your main sofa, the largest seat in the room, should be in a command position with a clear view of the door with other seats clustered around it, almost as accent pieces, in round, semi-circular or even a square arrangement.

Feng Shui Fix: Rearrange furniture in a way that permits the chi -- and conversation -- to flow freely. Hang two bamboo flutes directly below the beams at 45 degree angles so the mouth piece is at the top end to alleviate the negative effect of beams in your home. You can also paint the beams the same color as the ceiling.

Does your sofa fit your family’s needs?

The sofa is often the heart of the living room, where people sit, sprawl, cuddle and sometimes even sleep. When selecting a sofa, make sure you like the way it looks and feels -- not only in the furniture showroom, but in your home. Take time testing out sofas for comfort; and, if you’re buying a new sofa, measure the room before you go shopping. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a piece of furniture in the showroom, only to realize it will be too big for your room.

Natural fibers, including soft cottons, linen, microfiber and even denim in a more casual living room, are recommended for comfort and to encourage the flow of chi. Leather sofas tend to be stifling and create stagnant chi. The same way you stick to a leather sofa in warm weather, the energy collects in the material as well.

Want a new sofa but can’t afford one yet? Slipcovers and brightly colored pillows add new life to your furniture and can brighten a room, improving the flow of chi.

Is your living room well-designed for your family’s use?

Of course, a white rug in a space with children and pets is just not practical. Is your living room a space where everyone feels welcome or do breakable items discourage children? Is the television the focal point of the room? Is this appropriate for your family? Would enclosing the TV within a cabinet (or moving it to a different room) be better?

Keep in mind, a well-used living room is much better for positive chi than a room that is used only on special occasions. If you have a family room and a living room, one may be neglected. Do whatever you can to encourage activity in the living room -- invite over guests and gather in that space, or hold family game night in the living room.


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Consider the room and determine if it helps you meet your life’s goals and live your true purpose. Perhaps a game table in the corner would encourage family time. A bookshelf in the Knowledge and Wisdom section may encourage a love of reading for your children.

Your living room should be designed, if possible, as a gathering space, with no secondary purposes. Avoid using the living room as a home office, workout space or dining area. If this is impossible to avoid because you live in a small space, consider a screen or two-sided bookshelf to divide the area or using work out equipment you can fold up and store when not in use. You can also fold away your computer in an armoire when it’s not in use.

The Living Room and Your Goals

Would you like your living room to be a hub of activity and ideas, where intelligent friends gather to brainstorm and share their successes?

Consider using a variety of colors in the room to create an auspicious gathering place. Walls of blue, green, white, beige or tan, with a rainbow of colors for accents, are good for entertaining. The rainbow colors will appeal to everyone, encouraging friends to relax, open up and have a good time.

Want to encourage learning or enhance your spirituality? Adding books to your living room, in lieu of having a separate study in a home, will encourage learning. In fact, studies show that children who grow up in a home with books in plain sight and easy reach do better in school.

You may consider creating a small sanctuary in your living room with a water element, zen garden or another object or two that you find relaxing and rejuvenating. Place a comfortable chair in the area and use this space to listen to calming music or meditation.

You can also apply the Ba Gua to your living room to help keep your goals in plain sight and increase your fortune in specific areas of your life.

Be careful, though, not to focus on trying to activate every single trigram of the Ba Gua in the living room. It’s a good space to look at your top 2 or 3 goals and empower those trigrams in the Ba Gua with some special items.

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Feng Shui Success Story: “Living” with Wealth

I recently performed a Feng Shui consultation for a singer/songwriter/actress in a Manhattan apartment. Her career was not taking off as quickly as she wanted. After assessing the space, we realized that her piano -- which she uses to earn her income as a songwriter -- was directly in line with the door. This created a feeling of being under attack and made it difficult for her to concentrate or be creative.

She said she spent most of her time in her living room. It made sense to move the piano into an area where she already enjoyed spending time. We placed it in the wealth corner of her living room. Six weeks later, she reported that she’d been very busy writing music and had been going on auditions constantly.

Feng Shui is not about placing objects in different corners because a book says you should. It’s about changing your living space so that your home or apartment is laid out in a way that helps you fulfill your life purpose. Feng Shui is about improving the flow of energy in your space, to empower you to live the life of your dreams, like so many of my clients are doing today.

Here are some suggestions that may resonate with you and your lifestyle. Also consider objects you already have in your home that can be moved to a different trigram position for greater effect.

1. Hang photos of friends or mentors in the Helpful People/Travel section to encourage help in your career or personal life.

2. Put travel mementos, photos of trips you’ve taken or suitcases in a closet in the Travel section if you want to travel more.

One woman who longed to go to Europe placed a metal statue of the Eiffel Tower in the Travel & Helpful People section of the Ba Gua. A few weeks later, a business opportunity arose to travel to Paris.

One couple who collects travel brochures and keeps them in a mail sorter near the door got the opportunity to go on an all-expenses paid Alaskan cruise (traveling for business), and won a trip to Las Vegas, including flight and hotel. (Note: If your front door is in this trigram, make sure nothing is blocking the door from opening a full 90 degrees.)

3. Place a water element with at least 2 liters of water that circulates in the Wealth corner to increase your income.


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4. Display trophies, medals or other symbols of your accomplishments in the Fame and Reputation corner.

5. Place a metal object, especially one that represents children or artwork, in the Children & Creativity section to enhance your creativity in all areas of your life, or to increase your fertility. Consider putting photos of your children in metal frames.

6. Black and white photos of successful people in your career section will bring you good fortune in your work.

7. Infuse a space with life chi, such as plants or flowers. If your living room lighting is not conducive to real plants, consider silk flowers that look and feel real.

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Chapter 12: Feng Shui Your Home Office People use a home office for many different purposes:

À advanced study (college or private) À paying bills and home finance À telecommuting À running a home-based business

Whatever you use your home office for, you can use Feng Shui to maximize your creativity and productivity in the space.

As with other rooms in the home, your office should not serve dual or multiple purposes. Again, if you can’t avoid this, create a clear distinction and physical barrier between the office and the other part of the room.

The best area for a home office is in the Career, Wealth or Knowledge section of the home, depending on what you use the room for.

As you begin to Feng Shui your office, answer these questions:

Where is your desk?

Your desk should be placed in the command position of the room, facing the door but not directly in line with the door. Your desk should face out toward the center of the room, with a solid wall behind you.

If you can’t place your desk in a command position, place a mirror in front of your desk so you can see people approach behind you.


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You don’t want your desk in line with the door, because this can cause distracting energy to flow your way. It could make you feel compelled to leave your desk to walk around too frequently and lose focus on your projects. You may also feel under attack, especially if your back is to the door.

Does your desk help increase your productivity?

The best desk is made of solid wood -- not glass. A solid desk of wood or metal provides a sense of stability. A black desk is also auspicious since black represents both wealth (the color of water) and your career.

Many people claim they thrive in disorganization. If this is you, ask yourself if you really are more comfortable with a messy desk. Does it make you feel busy and important? Or do you waste time looking for paperwork and sorting through the mess when you could be working? Does it add to your frustration about not getting ahead?

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You might straighten out your desk, leaving only those items that are crucial in plain sight. Do you feel less overwhelmed?

You can also increase your energy by adding life chi -- perhaps a small bamboo plant -- to the space.

The area beneath your feet should be clear of anything, too -- including a computer tower. Consider moving your computer to your desk or a nearby shelf (but not over your head). You should have enough room to sit comfortably.

Remember, you can also lay the Ba Gua over your desk for added motivation and good fortune. As with using the Ba Gua in any space, select 1 or 2 areas of focus -- do not clutter your desk with 8 or 9 objects representing different goals. Here are some objects you can use to empower specific trigrams of the Ba Gua on your desk:

Flowers, photos of a loved one - Love and Romance trigram

Your business cards (in your home office, you can display business cards for the business you aspire to have someday -- create a logo for your business to help you visualize it and bring you closer to your goal), awards you’ve won, items of recognition - Fame and Recognition

Family photos - Family

Photos of your children (in metal frames) or inspiring artwork - Children and Creativity

Books and reference material - Knowledge

Photos of mentors (or people you’d like as mentors!) or books written by them, as well as the telephone, or your cell phone dock, mementos of places you’ve traveled or would like to travel - Helpful People / Travel

Your computer - Career trigram (conveniently, as this is the front-and-center position on your desk and the place where most people work.)

Is your chair comfortable? Does it provide support?

The chair is possibly the most important piece of equipment in your home office. A chair that provides good back support is critical for mundane reasons, as well as good Feng Shui! Chairs should have a solid back and arms to create a sense of stability.


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Stay away from popular office chairs with mesh backs, or certain ergonomic office chairs with unusual configurations that don’t offer any back support.

As with any piece of furniture, “test drive” it in the store before you buy. A good office chair can be an investment of several hundred dollars -- you want one that you know you’ll like.

If you already have a chair and want to increase its comfort, add a nice cushion.

How does your office make you feel?

Is your office too relaxing? Offices that double as guest rooms and contain a cozy couch, easy chair or a futon or bed may create a sense of serenity not conducive to work. Block off the area with a screen or other visual divider.

If your office is painted in bright colors, with too much red or orange, (fire colors) you may feel too energetic, disorganized and scatter-brained. You may also feel combative and not get along with colleagues and clients.

The best colors to encourage focus, wisdom and fast-thinking in a home office are green, blue, black and gray. Purple will encourage wealth.

The Lighting in Your Home Office

One of the benefits of a home office is avoiding those awful fluorescent lights so common in many offices. Use full-spectrum lights to simulate natural sunlight and provide an emotional “lift.”

The more natural sunlight you can allow into your home office, the better! Arrange your desk so the sunlight won’t glare on the computer monitor or in your eyes, if possible, so you can keep your blinds or curtains open for the better part of the day.

Your Home Office and Your Goals

The home office is, perhaps, the most personalized space when it comes to achieving your life goals, since it’s not a “common area” used by the whole family and visitors. Like the master bedroom, your home office may be your personal retreat -- but used for activity rather than rest.

Whatever you place in this area should be inspirational and motivational to you.

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People who work from home or own their own business often prefer a home office with a door they can close, to shut out the distractions of home life, as well as to create a clear separation (mental and physical) between work and home.

As with any area of our house, the objects we place (sometimes subconsciously) in different areas of home, apartment or room tell many “stories” about our life.

When you begin to Feng Shui your office, first look at what you’ve already chosen to place in the room. For instance, if the wealth corner of your home office or the entire house or apartment is in disarray, with piles of paperwork you haven’t yet gotten around to sorting, think about your finances: Do you often miss payments? Do you ever balance your checkbook? Are you good with money or do you never feel as if you have enough -- and are never even quite sure what you have? Are you often publicly embarrassed when your debit card transactions are declined?

The items you keep in your wealth corner, the value you place on them, and the way you keep that corner often reflects how you feel about your finances, too.

Feng Shui Success Story: Financial Planning

When I visited one client’s home office -- an experienced medical transcriptionist who worked from home -- I discovered her wealth corner was the site of her in-box. But she never actually took care of anything in the in-box. Unopened bills, junk mail and to-do lists jotted on napkins and post-it notes that never actually got done littered the space.

One of the reasons she called me was that she was already about 3 months behind on her credit card bills and just barely managing to make the rent every month. She made a decent salary, which should have been more than enough to support herself in the modest apartment, but she could never keep track of where all her money went.

We cleaned out the corner, and I encouraged her to develop a filing system for her bills and other paperwork. We then empowered the wealth corner with a small zen fountain. The sound of running water gave her great emotional peace during short breaks throughout the day, but that wasn’t all.

After taking the first step (part of the Action Plan I provided during the Feng Shui consultation), she was inspired to call a personal finance expert, who helped her set a budget and negotiate payment plans with her creditors. She began to dig herself out of debt and learn how to manage her money.


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When we look at the stories our home or apartment tell us, we begin opening our eyes to new possibilities and, from there, can make real positive changes in our life.

If you feel stuck, as if you can’t get ahead in your finances or as if your home business is stagnating, a number of elements in your home office could be the culprit.

1. Books on a shelf above your head could create a feeling of pressure, deadlines weighing down on you, and headaches. Your desk should not be placed beneath heavy items.

2. Beams above your head or a slanted ceiling (such as in an attic office) can create a feeling of oppression, weight and being “stuck.” Hang a bamboo flute at a 45 degree angle above your desk, or hang a round faceted crystal ball from a red cord above where you sit to create an “uplifting” feeling.

3. Certain colors work well for specific professions. Writers and artists will want to decorate in rainbow colors or floral prints to encourage creative thinking. Salespeople who work from home frequently can also dress in rainbow colors to appeal to a broad range of people. College professors who grade papers at home may dress in black or gray for greater wisdom and insight. Those in spiritual professions or therapists may dress in white or pastel colors for greater understanding of their clients and patients.

Using Environmental “Anchors” in Your Home Office

Environmental anchors are objects that, when you look at them, remind you of your goals, objectives and true life purpose. Environmental anchors can be traditional Feng Shui remedies, such as crystals, wind chimes or water elements, or simply objects with particular significance to you and your career. You can empower your home office with environmental anchors to improve your career, your finances, your networking skills or other aspects of your life that relate to this room.

Here are some ideas of environmental anchors you can place in your home office:

A college diploma or certification - Hanging this in the Fame and Recognition trigram will remind you of past accomplishments and how you are seen in the world.

Trophies and awards – Placed in the Fame and Recognition or the Career trigram of the Ba Gua, these will make you feel good about your past accomplishments. When we feel good about our past, we can accomplish more in our future.

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Photo of money or inspirational saying about wealth - People desire wealth because it buys nice things and a greater sense of security. Wealth isn’t everything; but, after health, it is an important aspect to living a successful and fulfilling life. If photos or thoughts of money give you good feelings, empower the Wealth corner of the Feng Shui Ba Gua with money symbols. Photos of people you admire or want to meet - Keep the thought of these people in your mind through photos, and you’ll be creating an “energy match” with them, which will attract them to you. Be open to opportunities the Universe may present for you to meet them. I know one woman who placed a photo of a well-known public figure on her vision board. She never imagined she would meet this person, let alone become close to them. After a year of having the picture there and focusing on her own self-development, she began believing she could meet this person. Through an interesting chain of events, she eventually did, and now calls on that person as a business mentor at least once a week. A vision board - A vision board is a place to collect all your dreams, desires and goals in one place for you to see every day. Your vision board is an ever-changing piece of art. As you attain the goals and objects on your vision board, you can replace them with new, bigger objects and goals. Be open to the ways the Universe will present you with what you need to accomplish these goals.

Create the Home Office for the Position You Want

When you Feng Shui your home office, create a room for the position in business -- and in life -- that you want. If you envision leaving your day job and becoming an entrepreneur, your office should reflect the space of a business owner, not an employee. Place items that remind you of your day job behind closed cabinets so you can’t see them. Instead, books on how to write a business plan, how to market your business and inspirational books about successful business owners should fill your shelves.

Similarly, don’t be afraid to splurge on items that make you feel wealthy; they don’t have to cost a lot. Your desk and chair should be pieces of furniture that make you feel in control and in charge. Did you ever notice, in a corporate environment, that the people in the highest positions have the largest, nicest desks and chairs? That’s no accident. If you’re purchasing new office furniture, purchase pieces for where you want to be -- not necessarily where you feel you are now. (Unless, of course, you are happy where you are and are placing emphasis on other areas of your life for improvement -- then select pieces that reflect your current position and make you feel comfortable and successful.)

Your home office should be a luxurious, motivational, organized place that reflects the career position you want and the professional that you strive to be.


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Chapter 13: Feng Shui Your Nursery or Child’s Room A nursery is similar to other bedrooms in a home or apartment, because it should promote rest and rejuvenation. However, it should also be a place of mental stimulation for your little one.

As you Feng Shui your child’s room, answer these questions:

Where is the bed located?

As in any bedroom, the crib or child’s bed should be placed in the command position of the room. Forgot what that is? The bed should have a view of the door but not be in direct line with the door or on the same wall as the door.

Many cribs today are also designed to convert to daybeds for toddlers. These day beds (or any day bed) do not feel restful or offer a sense of permanence and stability. Consider a real toddler’s bed or just step your child up to a twin or full-size bed when they outgrow the crib. Use bed rails if you are concerned about a 2- or 3-year-old child falling out of bed.

Trundle drawers are very common in cribs. It’s convenient to store soft linens and blankets under the crib, where they are easy to reach in the event of a late-night accident. Do not store any hard objects, metal or even mementos and books beneath the crib.

What sort of atmosphere does the room have?

The best colors for a nursery are light greens, blues and pinks. You can also use bright primary colors, which will help stimulate your child’s mind. Using a rainbow of primary colors in a child’s room will give them the benefit of all the virtues associated with the different elements. Consider your children: Are they easily excitable and often have trouble calming down to sleep? Then a light, soothing room is best. If your child could use a boost in energy or you want to encourage fast learning, use primary colors.

A child’s bedroom should have a variety of lighting for day and night. Often, parents keep a nursery too dark, which can be dangerous if you have to comfort a crying baby in the middle of the night. I personally recommend Himalayan Salt Rock lamps for the perfect night light. It produces soft shades of pink, peach and orange, warmly lighting a room while infusing the space with negative ions to remove pollutants and adding chi or life energy.

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While a soothing night light, and possibly a humidifier and baby monitor are “must-haves” for a nursery, be cautious about adding too much electrical energy to a nursery. From bottle warmers to wipe warmers to an MP3 player loaded with lullabies, you could stock a baby’s room with more gadgets than an electronics store. This creates too much active energy to promote a soothing sleep environment.

Your Goals for a Nursery

Newborn babies, infants and toddlers need to feel secure, safe and stimulated. This should be a goal for every parent. The nursery should contain features to promote each of these feelings.

The crib and the nursery colors will help promote feelings of security. Placing the bed in the command position is important for children and adults.

To keep a baby feeling safe -- and for true safety reasons -- do not hang bookshelves, pictures or other heavy objects over the crib or the changing table, two areas where baby spends a lot of time.

Keep changing table necessities such as wipes and diaper creams out of reach of baby, but where they are convenient for you to reach (and not over baby’s head). You want to organize the room so the emphasis is on you being present and in the moment with your new baby -- this is the most important thing to keep in mind.

When your toddler begins walking, you may need to bolt nursery furniture to the wall to prevent an accident -- especially if you have a little climber.

Stimulation should come in the form of soft children’s books, toys and a baby-safe mirror. Crib mobiles hanging over the crib are great for babies who can’t yet sit up on their own (usually up to 4 or 5 months old). Lights and music help stimulate baby’s senses.


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Chapter 14: Feng Shui Your Bathroom The bathroom is a sanctuary where we nurture ourselves. It is usually the first room we enter upon waking, and the last room we enter prior to bed.

Does your bathroom rejuvenate you in the morning and help you relax and unwind in the evening, or does it create chaos, increase stress and promote tension in your life?

Consider the following aspects of your bathroom and use these Feng Shui fixes to maximize your experience, setting the stage for the rest of your day.

Does the chi in your bathroom feel balanced?

The bathroom already has a large amount of water energy represented with the sink, tub, shower and toilet. Colors that incorporate the “wood” element, such as light blues and greens, feed off the water element and create a sense of balance.

Other good colors for a bathroom, which create a sense of balance and rejuvenation, include silver sage and lavender.

Avoid dark colors such as red, purple, emerald, navy, brown and black which can make the room feel smaller. Additionally, red and purple represent the fire (red and purple) and black represents the water element, which can make the water element in the room undesirably strong.

Also avoid adding candles to the bathroom -- while it’s relaxing to soak in a tub by candlelight, candles represent the fire element, which actually strengthens the water element already in the space.

Instead of candles, bring live plants into the bathroom to balance the water element. You can even replace those candles on top of your toilet tank with a lush green plant.

Feng Shui Fix: Don’t want to give up your candles or the scents they represent? Consider an oil diffuser, or store the candles out of sight when they are not in use.

You can also use small pots of fresh herbs like lavender, rosemary and sage to create relaxing scents in the bathroom.

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Can the chi and air flow through the space?

A bathroom is often a small space, and proper ventilation is important to prevent mold and mildew. Run the fan and/or open the window in your bathroom when you take a shower. Is the room organized and easy to use?

It’s important to keep a bathroom well-organized to begin your morning smoothly. Stow hair appliances like hair dryers and straightening irons out of view when not in use. Display things that make the space feel inviting, like fresh towels in coordinating colors, soothing lotions or your favorite perfume in a beautiful bottle.

Your Bathroom and Your Goals

Again, your experience in your bathroom as you get ready in the morning can set the pace for the whole day. To increase (or maintain) your self-esteem, the image you see in the mirror should be the best it can be. Smile!

The bathroom mirror should be clean and hung at the proper height. You should be able to see your entire face. A mirror should not cut off the top of your head or your chin, which will “slice your energy” and contribute to low self-esteem or feelings of “incompleteness.”

Feng Shui Success Story: Standing Tall in the Mirror

A woman came to me complaining of these exact problems. She loved her work as a magazine editor, but could barely stand the office environment or her publisher, who was emotionally abusive. Even though the woman was well-loved in her industry and by the magazine’s readers, she felt beaten down. Her self-esteem was the lowest it had been in years.

After receiving promises of a hefty salary, she was not being paid anything close to her true worth. She didn’t want to leave because she kept thinking it would get better and she’d get a raise that would make it all worthwhile.

We took a careful look at her bathroom. As the first room you see in the morning and often the last room you see before you leave the house for the day, the chi in a bathroom can have a profound effect on your self-esteem and income.

The full-length mirror she used every day was hanging too low and cut off the top of her head whenever she looked in it. We replaced it with a slightly longer mirror and hung it a bit higher.


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Within days, she made a few connections that would guarantee a freelance income equal to what she was making at her current job. She called a few more contacts, and lined up a few more writing and editing jobs. The next day, she walked into her boss’ office and gave her two weeks’ notice.

Could she have left at any time? Of course. But with the mirror cutting off her chi, she was unable to see the possibilities in front of her. Once we found a mirror that reflected her full, true self back at her every morning, she became more open to possibilities that would take her closer to living her true life’s purpose.

Looking to stop draining your wealth? Your bathroom affects your wealth and income, too. Keep the toilet lid down to avoid “flushing” your money down the drain -- as well as for health reasons, to keep all that bacteria from circulating through the room.

Faucets, too, should not leak and should be clean and in proper working order. Dripping water is, symbolically, washing money down the drain.

Take a look around your bathroom -- especially the state of the plumbing -- and consider what other stories it may tell about your life and your emotions.

A sink that backs up may mean you feel emotionally “stopped up.” Are you overwhelmed in your life? Do you feel as if you’re holding things in, until they virtually overflow in an explosion? (An overflowing toilet can represent similar emotions -- even worse than the sink!)

Because the toilet bowl can be such a drain of energy, the ideal position for it is hidden from view. Some bathrooms are constructed with a half-wall between the door and the toilet. This is ideal. If the room is big enough for you to place a wall, you should do so. Otherwise, you can use a storage cabinet with a plant on top, or even a silk or a beaded curtain around the toilet.

Within the bathroom, you can raise the energy levels in a number of ways, including lots of natural light and live plants, as well as invigorating colors.

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PART 5: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Chapter 15: Feng Shui and the Layout of Your Home or Apartment

Ideally, the rooms of your home will correspond to their optimal positions in the Ba Gua. For instance, a study in the Knowledge section of your home will encourage wisdom, while a home office in the Wealth corner will promote prosperity.

If you have the freedom to lay out your home in this way, here are some suggestions for room placements:

Knowledge: Study, library or home office, front entrance

Career: Home office, front entrance

Helpful People/Travel: Living Room, front entrance

Note: Whichever section of the Ba Gua your front entrance is in, if you follow our guidelines to Feng Shui your entrance, you will encourage prosperity, opportunities and good fortune.

Family: Master bedroom, family room, living room, playroom, kitchen (in the section behind the central line)

Central Palace: Any room except the bathroom or kitchen

Children & Creativity: Children’s bedroom, playroom, master bedroom (to encourage fertility), living room, family room

Wealth: Kitchen or Home Office (Note: The kitchen should always be located behind the central line (back half of a home).

Fame and Reputation: Kitchen, home office

Marriage: Master bedroom


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Of course, this layout is not always possible, so we can use Feng Shui remedies in different sections of the Ba Gua to help encourage the flow of chi in these areas, which will empower you in these areas of your life.

A note about your home’s central palace:

Your home’s central palace -- that area of the Ba Gua in the center of the other 8 areas -- relates to your overall health, wealth, status and the general chi of your home. You may find that this area is often a congregating spot where people gather.

As such, it should be light, bright and airy, permitting the chi to flow freely.

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Chapter 16: What’s the First Thing People See When They Enter Your Home?

The room people see when they first enter your home will affect how they feel about your home -- and how residents feel when they enter, too.

Living Roo

The best room to see when people enter a home, in addition to a large foyer, is the living room. This creates a welcoming atmosphere and a clear division between home and the outside world.

Kitchen

If people see the kitchen when they enter, inhabitants may be too focused on food and may have weight problems or health problems caused by overeating. Visitors may “eat and run.” You can place doors or a screen or another block (such as a 2-sided bookcase) between the doorway and the kitchen. Make sure you don’t block off the front doorway, creating a closed-in feeling.

Study

If the first room people see when they enter is a study, inhabitants may be bookish, focused on study and very inwardly focused, rather than being social and jovial. While this can be a benefit at certain times, closing yourself off from the outside world can block good opportunities from coming your way.

Bathroom

It’s almost as bad to see a bathroom upon entering a home as it is to see a kitchen. If you have a bathroom close to your front entrance, you may find your money getting “flushed down the drain” far too often. Keep your bathroom door closed and hang a mirror on the outside of the door.

Master Bedroom

A homeowner or apartment whose master bedroom is located near the front door may feel like a “doorman,” always on guard. The master bedroom should be situated behind the central line of a home. If it’s not, place a shopkeeper’s bell on your front door to promote a sense of security.


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The layout of your home may be out of your control. These remedies can help if you feel that you are having problems in areas of your life related to the layout of these rooms.

Keep in mind, too, when we shop for a new home or apartment, we are attracted to places that mirror our life at the time. When a well-known celebrity called me for a consultation while he was hunting for a new apartment, he had his heart set on an apartment that was missing the Relationship section of the Ba Gua. A slanted wall cut off that section of the Ba Gua.

When I pointed this out, he said he didn’t mind. The apartment also had an addition in the Creativity trigram, and this meant more to him. His focus in life at the time was not on relationships and the missing section didn’t bother him as he was focused on fostering creativity.

There’s no need to add a Feng Shui remedy if you do not face obstacles related to that trigram of the Ba Gua. When clients tell me about some specific Feng Shui “problem” they have and ask me for a solution, I often ask, “What’s happening in your life that you want to fix?”

The Feng Shui of most homes or apartments is not inherently “bad” or “good.” It’s all a matter of how the chi affects you, personally, in the space, and if it helps you achieve your goals.

You can increase your productivity and live a life of fulfillment by applying Feng Shui to maximize the flow of chi through your space. You may be starting to see the results already!

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Chapter 17: Missing Areas and Additions in Your Home

When you lay the Ba Gua over your home, you may discover your home is not a perfect square or rectangle. Don’t panic. This simply means you have additions or missing areas in your home.

How Do You Know if a Space is Missing or is an Addition?

If an area makes up less than 50 % of the total home’s length, it is an extension. If the area takes up more than 50%, the remaining percent is missing.

Additions are good; simply extend the section of the Ba Gua closest to the extension and understand that room falls into that section of the Ba Gua. This area of your life will be strengthened. For instance, if a master bedroom which falls in the Wealth section of your home extends out the back of the house, you can expect greater income.

If you have a missing area, you may want to rely on Feng Shui solutions to strengthen that area. Again, a “fix” is only necessary if you’re facing challenges in your life related to that trigram.

Here are 7 easy ways to fix a missing area:

1. Place spotlights in that segment of your yard to “complete” that space.

2. Plant flowers or use decorations corresponding to that color of the Ba Gua. For instance, a missing Fame section will benefit from red roses planted in the yard.

3. Use one of the 5 elements to complete the space. In other words, a water feature in the Wealth section will fill in that missing area.

4. Hang a mirror on the interior wall of the home to “fill in” that section.

5. If you have a shed or detached garage on your property, you can create a path (of bricks, stones, shrubs or spotlights) to “connect” the missing area to the separate area, completing that section visually and metaphysically.

6. “Anchor” and “complete” the area with a large, sturdy object outside your home -- such as a tree, a large potted plant, or even a gazebo, table or large boulder or rock garden.

7. For a fix indoors, hang a mirror on the wall closest to the missing area. You can place a plant in front of the mirror to increase the positive energy further.


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Chapter 18: Does the Chi in Your Home Reflect Your True Life’s Purpose?

Now that you’ve applied Feng Shui in every area of your home, you should have a comfortable, more pleasing space that helps you, and your guests, feel warm and welcome. Best of all, no more squeezing through the front door, tripping over shoes or doing a dance through clutter and misplaced furniture.

When you look around, the overall atmosphere of your house or apartment should remind you of your true purpose, should make you smile and make you feel as if your home or apartment is an extension of yourself.

Keep items that remind you of your goals and your true life purpose in clear view. (The exception, of course, is the bedroom, which should not include anything that reminds you of work or activity, other than rest and romance).

Now that you’ve outlined your most important goal or goals, pinpointed your true life’s purpose and evaluated your home from a Feng Shui perspective so your surroundings will work in concert with you to help you achieve your goals, it’s time to take the next step.

What one thing can you do right now, today, that will help you achieve your number one goal? What action can you take?

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Chapter 19: Final Words... or Just the Beginning!

BTB Feng Shui is a blend of the mundane and the metaphysical. By combining the Feng Shui tips outlined in this book with real, positive action and setting your intentions, you’ll achieve the success you’ve always dreamed of in every area of life, whether you long for love, wealth, health, freedom, happiness... or simply abundance in every area. But remember, focus on what you can do and not on the items you can’t do.

At its heart, Feng Shui is about optimizing the flow of chi through a space to help you fulfill your goals and your life purpose. When you don’t have to think about your surroundings, but instead they help to uplift you and make you feel comfortable, you can focus on the important things: How will you go about achieving your life goals and living with purpose?

Yes, even the smallest New York apartment can feel like home if you permit enough space for the chi to flow. Your home or apartment should be the place where you feel the happiest and most productive.

A change in mindset should precede any Feng Shui remedies -- or follow shortly after. It’s not uncommon for it to take 3 or 4 months for a shift in energy to occur -- although many of my clients see RESULTS IMMEDIATELY, which is incredibly exciting!

Whatever changes you introduce into your environment, give them a chance to work. By the same token, if a remedy is not “working” for you, in that you don’t feel comfortable with it, choose a different solution.

For instance, let’s say you painted your bedroom pink -- but the shade was not what you envisioned in the store and, quite frankly, you hate it. Re-paint or redecorate in any way you can to make the room a place of joy. Feng Shui is about surrounding yourself with things you love, in an environment where you can be your best self.

Perhaps you placed a water fountain in the wealth corner of your office but, instead of having a calming affect and attracting wealth, the constant bubbling is driving you mad as you work. Maybe a picture of the beach would bring you joy -- and create the desired POSITIVE EFFECT. There’s no reason to introduce solutions that you don’t absolutely love.

If you’ve been through your house room-by-room and are not (yet) seeing the results you desire, keep focusing, keep applying the principles of Feng Shui, and keep taking steps to move toward your true life purpose.


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Remember, it’s not about the resources at your disposal -- it’s about your resourcefulness. The great motivational speaker Tony Robbins once addressed a crowd of some of the most successful business owners, futurists, technologists, politicians and influencers in the world.

Guess what? After some prodding, every single one of them had admitted to failing at one point in their life.

Common reasons for their failures included: not enough time, not enough money, didn’t have the right people on the project.

Sound familiar? And these are some of the most successful people in the world admitting this. It’s no crime, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of, to fall short of your goal.

But one thing separated that group of great leaders from other people: They never gave up. They just took a different approach.

If you’re a smart, creative person with a brilliant business idea, but don’t have the start-up capital, you have it WITHIN YOU to generate the money you need. That’s resourcefulness.

If you have a desire to meet the love of your life, but instead get stuck going on bad blind date after bad blind date ... take a different approach. Use your resourcefulness to find another way to meet people. And if that doesn’t work, try another way. It’s a truism that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.

That’s the really cool thing about Feng Shui -- by energizing our home or apartment with Feng Shui, we are welcoming in new possibilities and opportunities we may not have considered before. We are tapping into our RESOURCEFULNESS.

And I can guarantee you that when you start looking at different ways to solve your life problems, get unstuck, advance in your career, make more money, find the love of your life -- or accomplish everything you’ve ever dreamed of and more -- solutions will come to you, the Universe will open wide with possibilities and you’ll know that you can live your dreams.

If you’re ready for a personal consultation and to discuss custom solutions for your space and life, then visit http://www.kenlauher.com/consulting-services. Sometimes, we cannot see our own blind spots, but having a trained professional that does not live in the space day in and day out can offer the unique perspective that you can’t provide because you live in your home and see the objects around you every day.

http://www.kenlauher.com/consulting-services/

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