Archive for April, 2010
Is the abundance area of your home located in your office?
As with all Feng Shui rooms, command position is first and foremost. Your desk should be positioned so you have a solid wall behind you and when you are seated in your desk chair you have full view of the entire room as well as the door. You should avoid being positioned directly in line with the path of the door.
If the position of your desk is limited by the configuration of the room and you have to be positioned with a window behind you there are some effective solutions. To create solid support, similar to a wall behind you, you can use; plants, a decorative screen, a sofa table or console or even a bookcase or cabinet.
Second, you want the office to be organized in such a way that it supports the way you work, however that may be. You may stand up while you look out the window and talk on the phone; that’s different than sitting in a stationary position at your desk all the time. It’s really important to have an understanding of how you work and what works for you.
After placement, color is important because it can affect the energy of our office. Ideally, our offices should be mentally stimulating. So we want to choose colors that aren’t too dark, because that makes the space quiet. We want the space to be uplifting and energizing. Yellow tones, warm cream tomes and gold tones are fantastic for creating a room that supports a sense of awareness and energy.
Now that we have some of the basics out of the way, I want you to do a quick visualization exercise with me. Imagine you’re standing at the door to your office. As you look into your office, how do you feel? Is this a room that inspires and motivates you? Is this a room that excites you, a room that nourishes ideas?
If not, and for many of us our home offices are places of disarray and mixed function, take the time to incorporate the ideas I’ve listed above and add the following: bring in a touch of nature to invigorate your space. This is as easy as opening your window or adding a healthy plant or two to your office. Increase the amount of lighting in your office by incorporating a floor or table lamp. Consider adding art that inspires you with its meaning and color.
It’s hard to achieve abundance when you don’t feel abundant and a dark, dreary, cluttered office effectively blocks the flow of energy. And when the flow of energy is blocked, so is abundance!
Use the rules of Feng Shui to support abundance and prosperity and energy will flow!
Unsure where the abundance and prosperity area of your home is? Click here for a FREE Bagua map.
To learn more about Feng Shui and abundance and prosperity, listen to Laurie’s podcast here.
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
The place to start talking about abundance is outside your house. This is more than curb appeal, this is about creating a dynamic sense of welcome so that your home is uplifting and energetic.
In Feng Shui, you often hear that you should paint your front door red. Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on many things. The color of the front door should complement the color of your home and it should visually make the door step forward so that it is easily visible. It should be a color that makes your heart sing!
All colors have a wide range of tones to choose from. From the softest, lightest shade to the most saturated shade.
Red and red tones are great for front doors. They are energetic, passionate colors.
Purple tones are lovely front door colors. They have the attributes of both blue and red. They represent abundance and royalty! Yum!
Blue is a wonderful color, it both supports water (the element often associated with front door placement), relaxation, comfort and adaptability.
Green represents nature, health, and wealth. It is the color of balance throughout nature.
Black can be a powerful color for a front door. Strong, stately and a bit traditional.
Yellow and gold tones are fantastic at brightening the area around the front door, and making the door visually step forward.
White is often the fall back color for a front door and it is without a doubt the color that tends to de-emphasize the door. So if your door is white, consider a new color.
Based on the Bagua, a template that divides your living space into 9 equal segments and each segment represents a different life energy, the abundance area is located in the back left section of your home.
For many of you, the back left section of your home might be the family room. That’s pretty common. Let’s break down the family room and the placement of objects within that room for optimal flow. Feng Shui is about energy, chi`, and for energy to flow, it has to have space, so placement is a very important detail.
To support abundance and prosperity, this room should represent the energy of abundance and prosperity to you. What does abundance look like to you? What does prosperity look like to you? What does abundance and prosperity feel like? For most of us, it probably doesn’t look like a bunch of clutter or odds and ends. If your family room is in abundance and prosperity, it shouldn’t be filled with odds and ends and bits you’ve picked up along the way.
In the family room, the single most important feature is NOT the T.V, it’s the sofa. The sofa is the main feature. What does that mean? You should love it. You should love the shape, the size, the way it feels when you sit in it. It should not be the most uncomfortable seat in the house, and certainly not in that room.
This room should absolutely open its arms to you with welcome, like it is giving you a hug. The sofa placement is really important. It should be positioned that it’s facing you. When a sofa has its back to you it’s like a wall. A wall doesn’t draw you in; you walk around it and often right by it into another room!
The sofa should be comfy and cozy. This could be overstuffed but it doesn’t have to be. It’s about comfort. We all have different styles and preferences. Honor your personal style.
Color. The color of your family room should speak to your soul. It should create the feeling of embrace. It should feel like your personal paradise. The one place in your life where you can be completely who you are is in your home. Even if your home is an apartment or rented home, you can create that sense of embrace in your home. Color can be incorporated through paint, accessories, art, lighting, rugs, curtains; the list goes on and on.
The objects in your space are within your control. Maybe you can’t paint the walls, but you can choose your own art. You can choose pillows. Accessories are a great way to bring in accent colors. Afraid of color? Begin by making little changes. Fresh flowers, a vase, a lamp, a lampshade, a pillow or a throw blanket. These can be in a yummy color or even an animal print.
The possibilities are truly limitless. All you have to do is give yourself permission and the door to abundance can swing open!
To learn more about Feng Shui and abundance and prosperity, listen to Laurie’s podcast here.
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
Front doors are the entrance to your home and the first impression the world gets of you. They give you a hint of the home beyond.
Whether you enhance your front door or not, it plays an important part in the perception of the character and personality of your home. The question is, is what it reflects what you want to see?
I once read that if a home were a one-man show, the front door would play the lead. Why? In the home, the door does it all. It provides protection from the elements, safety for the inhabitants and as the entrance to your home it also creates a sense of welcome by setting the tone. It’s much more than curb appeal.
It may greet you with the vibrancy of beautiful flowers, or the beauty of a carved design, or the rich, full colors provided by stain and paint, or it may greet you with the fresh energy of a well cared for space.
In a word, it should be lovely. Stain or paint your front door a luscious color, a color that you love, one that steps forward while complimenting the style of your home and other colors used on the exterior of the home. (No, this doesn’t always mean red.) It can be any color, as long as it’s a color that lifts your spirits and makes your heart sing when you look at it!
In the world of Feng Shui, front doors are said to be the mouth of chi`, the place where all opportunity enters your home. Your front door represents the transition between your outer and inner world. It literally sets the tone and energy for your entire home.
To keep the energy flowing positively toward your front door you should:
- Keep the entire area around the front door clean, no leaves, cobwebs, dead plants or clutter (this is not the place for your garbage cans)
- The front door should be well lit and easy to find
- The front door should open easily & fully
- Your doorbell should be in good repair and in working order
Sounds simple doesn’t it?
All it takes is an investment of your time and energy. I promise, it will be time well spent!
For more tips about front doors and feng shui, listen to Laurie’s podcast here.
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
The last of the moon cycles is the waning moon, which is similar in energy to fall. This is where energy begins to recede. It’s a natural time to release what isn’t needed. This is the perfect time for clutter clearing!
What is clutter? Clutter consists of those items in our surroundings that have no home of their own. Clutter creates stagnation, a lack of energy in our spaces and in our minds. It encourages a sense of procrastination, a putting off for tomorrow what we can do today.
Clutter is anything unused, unfinished, unresolved, tolerated or disorganized. Not sure? Ask yourself these 3 questions.
- Do I love it?
- Is it useful?
- Do I need it?
If you answered ‘yes’ keep it, it isn’t clutter. If you answered ‘no’, release it. Sound simple? It can be, if you are honest with your answers. Start slowly so you don’t become overwhelmed. You’ll be amazed at how your energy changes as things are cleared.
Moon cycles and you. You don’t need years of training to create a ritual. A ritual is a symbolic event, marking a place in time. The best ones come from the heart. Moon rituals are a series of actions that you do to bring about the change you desire in alignment with the energy of the moon and it’s phases.
For more clutter tips go to: http://www.harmonylifedesign.com/simplefengshuitips.shtml
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit http://www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
