10,000 Blessings Feng Shui Blog

Golden Trees with Prosperous Chi

 

For those of you who still haven't decorated a tree, here are some Golden Ones that convey wealth.  You could place them in the Prosperity Corner of your living  room and add gold lights, gold ingots or Feng Shui coins as decorations.

 

This one, from www.myhomeideas.com would be lovely for the New Year, as well.  I love the gold Bodhi leaves!

Below is a link from www.hgtv.com using a white tree with gold and copper decor--I just might do this one next year!

www.hgtv.com/hgtv/decorating_basics/channel/0,1000138,HGTV_42791_45049,00.html

May you be deeply prosperous in the New Year!

 

 

 

The Feng Shui of Winter and the Water Element

 

“I have a feeling that my boat has struck, down there in the depths, against a great thing. And nothing happens! Nothing...Silence...Waves. Nothing happens? Or has everything Happened and we are standing now, quietly, in the new life?"  (Juan Ramon Jimenez)

Tis the season of inward, reflecting energy and deep rest.  The time to conserve energy, restore our essence and gather strength and vitality, so we have the chi to sparkle, blossom and bloom in the spring.

 The Element this season is Water, the color is black or dark blue and its energy is Stillness.  Its related to the organs of the kidneys and bladder.

 The time is night and the human activity is sleep (don’t you love it?!)

 Embrace the energy of this season by:

• Eating leisurely meals
• Taking long baths
• Listening to calming, gentle music
• Sleeping long hours: taking naps, sleeping in, going to bed when the sun goes down
• Letting go of multi-tasking
• Driving the speed limit
• Drinking non-caffeinated drinks
• Not exerting any extra effort
• Puttering and lounging around
• Reflecting, contemplating, meditating
• Resisting the temptation to be busy
• Spending time at home
• Journaling
• Speaking quietly
• Using less electric light
• Moving slowly
• Building reserves for your projects to come alive in the spring

In Feng Shui, we use the Water Element in both Still and Moving qualities to activate the Career Guas (areas) of the home and business; when you want a flow of social connections and cash; or more peace of mind and clarity.

Good Feng Shui on Glittering Tree at Jeffrey Allen Home and Garden

 
While visiting my treasured friends and clients at Jeffrey Allen Home and Garden last week, I was so taken with the beautiful display of  light.  In Feng Shui, light is yang energy and always lifts the chi. 

 Tip: if you have a store, boutique, restaurant and so on, use twinkling lights ALL year long, not just during the holidays!

Marvelous glittering chi on the trees designed by Allen Luong (who, BTW, goes to homes during the holidays each year and "does" your house for you!).  My favorite, the one with white lights, glittery branches, birds (which, remember, bring Good News in Feng Shui) and my favorite, the white lotus votive holder (use a battery votive for safety).  The photo just doesn't do it justice!

 

Oh, and here's a pic of one of the display windows (sorry for the glare, only had my cell camera on me)--wonderful glittery chrysanthemum, birds on branches and happy butterfly round a magnificant Guan Yin.  So beautiful. 

Go visit!

Feng Shui Decorating for the Holidays

 

1.  Before you begin decorating and hosting parties, make certain you’ve cleared clutter and given the home a deep clean. Only keep the decorations that you truly love and let go of anything broken or that holds bad memories.  Don’t over-decorate as that can block the flow of good chi for you and your family.  Make physical and metaphoric space for the new!  If you tend to get overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed or unable to focus, you might want to consider streamlining and having just a few decorations out.

2.  Twinkling lights are an incredible way to bring vibrant energies and great happiness to you, your home and business.  The opposing yet complementary energies of yin (winter, dark) and yang (bright lights) make for very powerful fortunate energy and generate goodwill.  If you have a store front or restaurant, this is a great way to increase business as sparkling colored lights are very attractive to customers with their twinkling happy chi!

3.  Use auspicious Feng Shui symbols and colors for your decorating to enhance the aspirations of the Bagua.  Place your Christmas Tree, Solstice Tree or Tree of Life in the area of your life you wish to enhance.  Now add the corresponding colors in candles, decorations, ornaments and electric lights to amplify the energy.

For example, place a live green tree in the prosperity corner of your living room and decorate with purple; green; and/or gold lights and glass balls. You could also add some ornaments representing prosperity such as gold fish or coins.  Remember to hang your ornaments and lights with strong and heart-felt intentions for the transformation you wish to invite!

Some other ideas to enhance the areas of the Bagua:

• Helpful People Area: glittery, gold or silver candles and baubles; angels; gold or clear crystals; metal bells
• Fortunate Blessings and Prosperity Area: presents (the ones you’re giving and ones you received); chocolate Hanukkah gelt (money); purple, red, green and gold crystals, lights and glass balls; coins on red ribbon
• Spirituality and Wisdom Area: Three Wise Men; religious figures; blue crystals; burning frankincense and myrrh incense
• Fame and Reputation Area: stars, menorahs, candles; red crystals; Christmas tree with red lights
• Health Area: plants; bowls of fruits; wu lou ornaments
• Children and Creativity Area: dreidel; toys; bowls of ornaments; metal bells
• Relationship Area: pair of red poinsettas; sweet things; pink candles
• Family Area: Christmas tree; green ornaments; wooden nativity scenes

 2.  Give auspicious gifts of Good Fortune such as

• Feng Shui services
• Wish-fulfilling jewels
• Deities
• Objects with auspicious symbols
• Purses, wallets and billfolds with real money inside

 3.  Bring elements of nature inside your home such as having real log fires, burning fir and evergreen scented candles, a living tree that can later be planted, scented flowers, fresh citrus and so on.

4.  Create sacred space for your deepest spiritual beliefs by creating a very special Holy Days altar where you’ll see it often and bring daily offerings.  Having lit candles, lanterns or electric lights symbolizes the Light offered to peoples’ Gods or deities in this season.

Photo credit: www.HostessBlog.com

Feng Shui Style Winter Holiday Tree

 

Martha Stewart Living's Kevin Sharkey created this enchanting roost using an artificial bonsai. 

“Spray-painted gold and accented with glitter, it rises out of a traditional pot topped with moss and snow. Japanese-lantern ornaments provide a pleasing change of scale, but the crowning glories of this tree are the birds -- coated in glitter and grouped in flocks of like colors.”

Feng Shui for a Stress-free, Sparkling and Happy Holiday Season

 
For your stress-free, sparkling and happy holidays, here are some easy-to-do Feng Shui adjustments.

1. Create a beautiful and abundant dining table. Ideally, your table should be oval or round (if its not, don’t worry, just cover the sharp corners with a tablecloth). 

 When setting the table, use sparkling metal ware, china and glassware as well as lots of candles and crystals (on top of mirrors) for even more shine. 

 If possible, hang a huge mirror across from the table to ‘double’ the abundance of your feast (but don’t if it reflects and “doubles” your kitchen).

2.  Reduce family and relationship stress by…

• Giving your home a good de-cluttering and deep cleaning before you decorate
• Removing all sharp things pointed towards your body (“poison arrows”) such as sharp carving knives at the table or furniture that’s placed too close together with sharp edges
• Playing beautiful sacred music,
• Peeling lots of fresh oranges and tangerines for happy chi
• Making sure to take quiet time for yourself (bathing, meditating, walking in nature, etc.)
• Being careful of too much fire energy.  You can have bowls of water with floating blossoms or blue lights on your trees to help cool things down.

 3.  Balance the yin and yang of both you and your environment. 

 If you tend to get exhausted, burnt out or stressed during the holidays, then make sure you get a lot of restorative and quiet time by doing less (not more!), taking naps, don’t use blinking or hot colored lights (go for the cooling blues), reducing the amount of décor, going to bed early and emerging in hot baths. 

 However, if you tend towards winter melancholy or lack of the holiday cheer, bring in some yang chi with uplifting music,  accept invitations to be with friends and have your own parties, light fires and use bright red lights—blinking!-- in your decor.

4.  During the Holy Days, the amplifying of the physical light is a shining metaphor of welcoming the spiritual light. Physically, you can raise your energy and welcome the light by…

• Washing windows
• Shining mirrors
• Lighting lots of candles and fires
• Decorating with shiny lights and ornaments

Swarovski faceted crystal spheres (clear or colored) offer amazing light!  I use lots of them during the holidays and love to sprinkle them on our dining table and altars along with mirrors and flickering candles—it’s incredible!

5.  Consider contributing to ‘peace on earth and goodwill towards all’ with performing one act of loving kindness each day.  You might also wish to offer cash donations to charities, spiritual teachers or organizations inside a red envelope (any style).

Photo from Flowers of the World in New York City