10,000 Blessings Feng Shui Blog

The Blessing Meditation

 

I recently found this blessing ritual from Sharon Gannon in one of my new favorite books Crazy, Sexy Diet and in the spirit of the name of my Feng Shui business, wanted to share it with you all!

The Blessing Meditation.

"Close your eyes and become aware of your breathing, breathing in and breathing out.  Silently say the words "Blessings to" as you inhale, and as you exhale say the name of someone you know and love, as it is easier to give a blessing to them.  Continue for several minutes, extending your blessings to include your family, friends, past boyfriends or girlfriends.  You wil lfind that as you say their names, their image will appear to you.  With consistent practice you will be able to not only see them but also feel their presence when you name them.  Over time dificult issues that you may have with them will begin to resolve...

Learning hot to give blessings in an anonymous way is a powerful means to transform your world and that of others."

Creating an Outdoor Sanctuary with Feng Shui

 

“Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.”
Lao Tzu

It’s very easy to create a place of refuge where it’s easier to “rejoice in the way things are”.  Choose a place outside in your yard or even on a smaller patio or deck. 

Tend to your senses with relaxing sounds (bubbling fountain, wind chimes, song birds); scents (incense, aromatherapy candles); beautiful and healing sights (flowers, green plants, butterflies, imagery of a Holy Being); and soothing tastes (scented teas, fragrant fruits).

This summer, please gift yourself with time out in the fresh air in your little sanctuary every day for meditation, meals, drinking tea or even a little nap. It’s such a simple and glorious way to restore your precious qi!

May these photos inspire you...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feng Shui Boutique Grand Opening Today!

 

Please celebrate with me the GRAND OPENING of the…

10,000 Blessings Online Feng Shui Boutique! Auspicious, Timeless Remedies for Our Modern World

www.10KBlessingsFengShuiBoutique.com

One of the things I’m MOST excited about in opening this online store is to offer you everything I can think of to ensure your successful IMPLEMENTATION and FOLLOW-THROUGH with your cures so you can directly experience results!

 

Every purchase arrives with…

• A mindful and loving BLESSING of temple-grade incense, a beautiful ceremony and then and kept on an altar until purchase
• Done-for-you supplies so you can IMMEDITATELY place your cures (no need to run out to find things like screws, cup hooks or red ribbon—I did the errands so you don’t have to!)
• Your very own guides to “PLACING, EMPOWERING + CARING” for your Cures—it’s as if I’m there at your side, taking you by the hand and showing you EXACTLY what to do!
• HOME + BUSINESS BAGUAS (Feng Shui energy maps) as well as instructions on how to lay them over your space to help in place your cures

TODAY ONLY, each person who places an order before Midnight (EST) on April 27^th will receive these special gifts…

GIFT #1:

A bar of Jade Chocolate ’s most-delicious “Dragon’s Breath” made from 65% bittersweet dark chocolate, roasted sesame seeds, lapsang souchong tea and ground red chili.  Yum!

 

GIFT #2:

An MP3 recording of my brand new high-content audio class “Exactly What You Need to Know to Get Amazing Results from Your Feng Shui Cures” filled with special empowerments.

 

GIFT #3:

Gift wrapping in auspicious fook (which translates as “happiness”, “blessings” or “good fortune”) paper or glittery red and gold ribbons!

 

www.10KBlessingsFengShuiBoutique.com

So hope you can join me in these online festivities--it would be my great delight and honor to mail you a parcel.

Wishing you all Good Fortune, Gwynne

 

Happy Birthday, Kuan Yin!

 

Happy Birthday, dear Kuan Yin, Lady of Mercy!  It's the 19th Day of the 2nd Lunar Month and all over the world people will be making heart-felt offerings to say thank you to this Mother of Compassion who blesses all...

"In Her perfect presence
we pay reverence and
call upon her name,
Namo Kuan Yin Bodhisattva,
for those who need
Hercompassionate aide
and shining example.

In Her great compassion,
enshrouded in perfect wisdom,
bestowing great blessings
and merit without bounds,
we gassho (bow) in great reverence."

I fell in love with Her when I was 24 years old and She holds an incredible place in my life and Feng Shui business--it's dedicated to Kuan Yin!  So I'm very excited to celebrate today!

Traditionally, one celebrates Her birthday by...

• Taking a vow to become vegetarian for life--or at least eat vegetarian on this day-- or fasting altogether
• Silent contemplation and meditation
• Performing acts of charity, giving alms to the poor and orphans, visiting old folks
• Offering fruits, flowers and incense at temples
• Practicing animal release of birds, turtles, fish, crickets and crabs
• Refraining from alcohol and sex
• Burning joss papers
• Perambulation of Her statue in a moving shrine
• Performing the Great Compassion Dharani seven times as the great celebratory rite
• Watching lion dances, puppet shows and Chinese operas staged on the temple's open grounds
• Reciting Her mantras (Om Mani Padme Hum or Om Namo Guan Shih Yin Pu’sa) 108 times
• Taking home holy water from a basin filled with water and flowers for bathing and purifying your karma
• Fortune telling with the Kuan Yin Oracle

I'm going to be spending the day immersed in most-wonderful celebreations: visiting a beloved temple; burning joss paper offerings; buying bottles of water and tea to hand out; meditating; heaping offerings on all of Her altars here in our home; reciting Her mantras; consulting the Kuan Yin Oracle; working on my book about Kuan Yin devotions;  and eating vegetarian.

Please let me know if you do anything to celebrate!

 

The God of Wealth's Birthday Offerings

 

Last night Gregory and I did another version of the "Welcoming the Wealth God" ceremony.  THis one involves an altar set up outside the front door with offerings in sets of 5 (wine, tea, sweets, fruits, joss ingots and money, incense)--this was taken before I brought our Wealth God to sit on the altar.  There are a series of prostrations, toasts, throwing the Taoist indicators to see if he's "arrived" and bringing him into the house with more prostrations and throwing the indicators again to see if he's "seated" on the altar.  All of the joss paper is burned as part of the ceremony.

  

Afterwards, we did the the "Rolling in the Wealth" ceremony and our floor covered with oranges, kumquats, gold coins, Feng Shui coins and gold ingots.  It's soooo fun and beautful and offers an incredibly prosperous mindset!

Day 2 Lunar Festival: Honoring Kuan Kong

 
 

If you’re a business owner, today's the day to pray to the God of Business (Kuan Kong) by making food and incense offerings and dedicating them to enjoy good business luck and prosperity in the coming year.  Traditionally, you offer things in sets of 5 and he loves banannas.  Note the sets of ingots in 5's, five banannas.  The newspaper holds joss papers specifically for him and will be burnt tonight.  5 sticks of incense was too much for my office and set off the fire alarm (!) so I "imputed" 5 sticks with the 1. 

I purchased this Kuan Kong in San Francisco from my joss papers teacher who blessed it for me at her temple--he's been an incredible benefactor for me!  I hadn't planned on ever having one, but I've really come to respect his fierceness and protection.

Feng Shui Consultant's House on Chinese New Year's Eve

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Fabulous Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve!

 

CHINESE NEW YEAR’S EVE

February 2, 2011

Here are some fabulous ways to celebrate Chinese New Year’s Eve on February 2, 2011!

1.  Prepare your Lucky Red Envelopes called “Lai See”, “Hong Bao” or “Ang Pow”.  These are lucky money packets filled with crisp new uncirculated bills, shiny gold coins, chocolate coins or Feng Shui coins.  The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for "wealth"), and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes. They are considered incredibly lucky to give and receive. The more you give out, the more luck comes back to you!  You can send them to your Dharma Teachers, Helpful People, clients, Feng Shui consultants (!)

 2.  Make your “Money Tree” (see the how-to on this blog!)

 3.  Make your “Wishing Tree” (see the how-to on this blog!)

 4.  In the afternoon around 3:00pm it’s time to say good-bye to the current year by paying tribute to the Deities and Ancestors at the family altar.  One offers plates of cooked fish, duck, pork and/or chicken; oranges; sweet glutinous rice cakes; tea and wine; and candy.  Light candles, 3 sticks of incense and burn heaven money.  The family prays together. When the incense has burned half way down, the gods are considered to have had their meal—you get to now eat the rest!

5.  Turn every light on in the house all night to scare away any misfortunate chi of ghosts and sprits.

6.  Open the front door (traditionally, all night long!) to let the old year out.

7. Have a Reunion Dinner with the whole family and share a big feast. An empty chair and place setting represents someone not there.  Family members should be well dressed and the women should wear their jewels to signify a continuity of good fortune.  No one should look tired, worn out or unhappy. There should be an abundance of food on the table and everyone should have a least two helpings for good luck! Serve these symbolic foods such as

• Lettuce Rolls (Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like “rising fortune”); dumplings and spring rolls (their shape is similar to ingots or gold bars); leafy mustard greens for long life; tangerines (sounds like “luck”); oranges (sounds like “wealth”); pomelos (the Chinese word for pomelo sounds like the word for "to have"); black seaweed to increase wealth; egg dishes for rebirth; candy and sweet foods for a year full of sweetness; long, uncut noodles for longevity.
• The word for fish, "Yu," sounds like the words both for wish and abundance. As a result, on New Year's Eve it is customary to serve a fish at the end of the evening meal, symbolizing a wish for abundance in the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and ending for the coming year.
• Sticky Rice Cake symbolizes a rich, sweet life, while the layers symbolize rising abundance for the coming year. Finally, the round shape signifies family reunion.

8.  Now it’s time to keep vigil for the Lunar New Year! The sound of sleepiness in Chinese is similar to “trouble”. Not going to sleep means no trouble for the coming year!

• Some will stay up watching Chinese New Year television specials or playing mah-jong till midnight.
• There is an exchanging of red envelopes with family members.
• Kids stay up all night as believed their parents would live a longer life
• Children will put all Red Envelopes under the pillow when sleeping. They said children can sleep well without bad dream and become richer next year.
• The kids are promised the arrival of the Wealth God, Tsai Shen Yeh, and while they sleep parents slip a red envelope with money under their pillow signifying his visit.
• Many will choose to gather outside the temple after reunion dinner, as everyone wants to be the first person of the year to be blessed by the God in the incense stick race. One the first second of the Hour of the Rat (11:00pm), as soon as the temple's main gate is opened, people will dash into the temple to insert the incense stick into the incense container. The winner gets a big red envelope and will be very lucky in the coming year.

9.  At the stroke of Midnight:

• Set off firecrackers accompanied by gongs, drums and cymbals, to start off New Year with a “bang” and drive away the old chi of last year and any negative spirits.
• If you haven’t already, open all doors and windows to allow the old year to leave and bring in the good luck of the New Year!
• Light red candles and incense
• The young ones should bow and pay respects to their elders.
• Or go to the temple praying to bless the whole family for another prosperous New Year.  The first to place incense sticks in the censer at temple will be especially blessed.

 I sincerely wish you and your loved ones an extraordinary New Year!

 

 

Photos of Chinese New Year Festivities at My Home

 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

These are all photos from our house from last year--will post new ones from this Year of the Rabbit at the end of the festival.

Hope these inspire you to celebrate the Chinese New Year even just a wee bit!

 

A Feng Shui Quiet Moment

 

“All that you need is just a small candle and the darkness will be gone. I call that small candle meditation, and out of that small light thousands of flowers blossom within your heart: love blossoms, freedom blossoms, truth blossoms, godliness blossoms.... There is no end to it -- it is an eternal garden. Flowers and flowers... your whole being becomes fragrant." (Osho)

 

Kuan Yin's Birthday

 

Today is the 19^th day of the 9^th lunar month, the third of three birthdays for the Lady Buddha Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy and Compassion.

All over the world on Kuan Yin’s birthday, devotees flock to Her temples and shrines to pray and make offerings. 

Traditionally, one celebrates Her birthday by

• Taking a vow to become vegetarian for life or at least eat vegetarian on this day or fasting altogether
• Silent contemplation and meditation
• Performing acts of charity, giving alms to the poor and orphans, visiting old folks
• Offering fruits, flowers and incense at temples
• Practicing animal release of birds, turtles, fish, crickets and crabs
• Refraining from alchohol and sex
• Burning joss papers
• Perambulation of Her statue in a moving shring (Kwun Yum in Hong Kong)
• Performing the Great Compassion Dharani seven times as the great celebratory rite for Her birthday
• Watching lion dances, puppet shows and Chinese operas staged on the temple's open grounds
• Reciting Her mantras (Om Mani Padme Hum or Om Namo Guan Shih Yin Pu’sa) 108 times
• Taking home holy water from a basin filled with water and flowers for bathing and purifying your karma
• Fortune telling with the Kuan Yin Oracle

For myself, today I’ll be visiting a temple; burning special joss paper offerings here at home; buying bottles of water and tea to hand out; meditating; doing her mantra 108 times (Om Namo Guan Shih Yin Pu’sa); consulting Her oracle; and eating vegetarian.

Please let me know if you do anything to celebrate!

“I am the one whose love overcomes you, already with you when you think to call my name”.

(Jane Kenyon)

Asian Inspired Weddings with Fabulous Feng Shui

 

As someone who not only gives Feng Shui advice for weddings but also performs marriage ceremonies, I was thrilled to discover www.asianinspiredweddings.com  (via www.lotushaus.com, thank you Joanna!).  Fabulous eye candy!
  

Chanting for Kuan Yin

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLF-pqLYlcI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8mWj-qfCW8&feature=related

Celebrating Kuan Yin's Second Feast Day of the Year

 

 

 

“Bodhisattva Kuan-Yin has entered my body. On the nineteenth day of the second month Mother gave birth to me. On the nineteenth day of the sixth month I went up to Heaven…” (Kuan Yin pilgrim song from China)

 

Today, lovers of this beloved goddess of mercy will flock to temples and shrines to pray and make offerings in celebration of Her enlightenment.

 

Traditionally, these special days are celebrated…

·     with silent contemplation and meditation

·     fasting or eating vegetarian

·     offering flowers, incense, candles, tea, fruits, rice and delicacies at the temple or home shrines

·     performing acts of charity such as giving money to orphans, distributing food to the homeless, visiting old folks or passing out water and tea

·     burning joss papers

·     consulting the Kuan Yin oracle

·     practicing animal liberation and freeing birds, turtles, fish, crickets and crabs

·     taking home blessed water from the temple to bathe in

·     reciting the Lotus Sutra

 

Have a most beautiful day with Her!

 

“Adoration to the 1,000-handed Kuan –Yin… I repay Kuan-yin’s kindness with my whole life, with my whole life”.

 

P.P.S. If you wish to receive a Kuan Yin oracle reading or joss papers to burn, please email me at info@10KBlessingsFengShui.com for details

 

P.S. If you want to learn more about Kuan Yin, you’re welcome to join me at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens for “Kuan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Compassion: Her Relevance in the 21^st Century Western World” (August 30, 6pm).  Email me for full details

 

 

A Few Moments of Rest: "Happiness Is..."

This is one of the mudras we use in our school of Feng Shui for blessings...listening to this song by Yungchen Lhamo is such a blessing for the heart...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee58iv63M2A

A Place of Refuge and Quiet with Feng Shui's Five Elements

 

 

 

The above photos from Myles of Style on HGTV (www.hgtv.com); Kabuki Springs and Spa (www.kabukisprings.com) in San Francisco and Shibui Spa (www.shibuispa.com) in Bend offer inspiration how you could create your own at-home refuge and sanctuary using the Five Elements (earth, fire, wood, water and metal) to create a place to restore and replenish your life-force.  One Feng Shui note, though, if you're deciding to do something like this for your bedroom, please don't use any running water here as it disrupts sleep.

A Feng Shui Spring Altar

This past week I refreshed our living room altar which I love to do seasonally to keep the chi moving and in alignment with the energies of the trigrams and attributes of the bagua.

So the deities are now atop green silk with green lotus candle holders.  In Feng Shui, we use the color green to represent and enhance the energy of spring, new beginnings and growth of the wood element. 

Red Envelopes Ceremony

 

This week Gregory and I had a very Feng Shui ("wind" and "water") kind of day...Still during the 15-day Spring Festival of the Lunar New Year, we drove out to the coast--bright sunshine, windows down, listening to "Earth, Wind and Fire" (seriously!) and had a gorgeous long walk next to the sea.

At dusk, we made a big fire and burned all of the Red Envelopes I received this year from clients, apprentices, students, ezine readers--hundreds of them--and prayed for everyones' happiness, health and prosperity.  I always feel very moved by this ritual (you can click on the photo for a better view). Watching the red and gold colors dance as the night fell over the ocean and the stars began to glimmer, huddled by the heat of the fire...all is well.

A grateful heart by the magnificence of the ocean with my husband's hand in mine.

My Client Altar

 

This is a picture of the shrine in my office where all of the red envelopes I receve from clients, apprentices and students are placed beneath the statue of Kuan Yin and where I do a special blessing for their  Happiness, Health and Prosperity.
Here you can see water offerings (in the little red bowls), fruit, tea, flowers, chocolate (the deities just LOVE chocolate!)  I'm told that Kwan Gong (the protector of businesses there on the right) loves green banannas (which works out well for my morning smoothies when they ripen!)  Slightly above you can also see images of Medicine Buddha (on the far right); a talisman done by my teacher Grandmaster Professor Lin Yun (whose image is there but hidden in this view); and Buddha Tonpa Shenrab, a part of the lineage of this school of Feng Shui.