Feng Shui’s Bagua Map: Going Deeper

An amazing fact about Feng Shui’s Bagua Energy Map:

The history of this wonderful tool goes all the way back at least 2500 years to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who actually contributed to its creation.

This unique and profound tool has been around for thousands of years, evolving into a profound yet simple-to-use instrument that helps you identify and anchor your Intention in your space.

For a good overview of this amazing creation, take a look at The Bagua, Explained, which includes a link to a pdf of the Bagua map that you can print for yourself.

The word “Ba-Gua” literally means “eight-sided” in Chinese, reflecting the fact that the map has eight sides representing the most important areas of your life: Love & Marriage, Career, and Wealth, just to name a few.

But it actually contains a ninth area: the Center, or Tai-Chi.

The Center, represented by the Yin/Yang symbol, connects and balances the eight sections and represents your overall physical, emotional and spiritual health.

In upcoming posts I’ll go into depth about each critical area individually so that you can do your best to identify your Intention and find ways to anchor and enhance it.

Post your questions in the Comments — it’s going to be fun.

Is Full-Spectrum Lighting Good Feng Shui?

As natural sunlight dims with the approach of fall and winter, keeping your Chi energy “lit up” can become a challenge.

Full-spectrum lighting, which simulates daylight conditions indoors, is often used as a form of “light therapy” during the winter months. To a limited extent, this is considered good Feng Shui, especially in offices.

On the plus side, full-spectrum lighting compensates for low natural light, creating positive Chi energy during the day.

But full-spectrum lighting can be too much of a good thing.

From a Feng Shui perspective, full-spectrum lighting is appropriate during true daylight hours only. As natural sunlight fades at the end of the day, your Chi energy naturally desires darker conditions.

It — and you — will be over-stimulated by lighting that continues to say “sunshine” while it’s perfectly dark outside.

So, switch over to conventional incandescent (or CFL) lighting at sunset to create lighting conditions more consistent with the dimness of the evening.

By bedtime you’ll feel relaxed and ready for the refreshment of a good night’s sleep — and another sunny day tomorrow.

Feng Shui & The Redesigned Oval Office

Today’s news includes an entertaining article about President Obama’s redesign of the Oval Office, in which designers and celebrities weigh in on the new design.

How is the new Oval Office from a Feng Shui perspective?

Very brown. Very heavy. Very Earth.

Everything in the center of this office looks heavy.

In Feng Shui it can be a good thing to anchor the energy, but here it looks like it would be very tough to get new ideas off the ground: there’s no lightness to it at all.

So much Earth energy throws it out of balance in terms of the Five Elements. The dark blue lamps (Water energy) can hardly compete with all that Earth, and the apples on the table don’t provide the uplifting Wood energy that might lighten things up.

To me it now feels like the energy is stuck (and of course I have a few ideas for what Obama and his designer could do about that )

What do you think?

photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Back To School, Back To The Office with Feng Shui

It seems too soon (!) but here we are: it’s time for the back-to-school, back-to-work routines of the “other” three-quarters of the year after the glories of summer.

How can Feng Shui help you ease back into the hustle and bustle of fall?

With Feng Shui’s calendar we can harness the power of the Five Elements: summer’s incandescent Fire becomes weaker as it feeds the Earth element of late summer, followed closely by the Metal element of fall.

Earth & Metal for Fall – The Season Of Joy
In Feng Shui, fall is the season of Joyful emotions, when we reconnect with friends, co-workers and clients.   Earth provides the energy for re-establishing these relationships, while Metal provides the stability and focus you need to make the most of them.

To get every part of your life ready for the season of activity ahead, here are Feng Shui tips for your home and office to help you harness the energies of the elements to your best advantage.

Fall Feng Shui At Home
1.  As the Fire-y brilliance of summer fades, keep the light alive and nourish your Earth element by bringing warm earth tones into your environment.

2. Re-connect with Earth by attending to indoor plants: fertilize them after the draining energy of summer, trim off dead material, and repot them or loosen up the dirt to give them some breathing room.

3. Support the Earth element by clearing clutter from horizontal surfaces like dining tables, guest beds and kitchen counters. Earth nourishes Metal, the element of maturity that helps you focus and bring closure to important projects.

4. Metal represents Children in Feng Shui’s Bagua.  If you have kids, this is the moment to help them fine-tune their bedrooms and study spaces as they return to school.

Fall Feng Shui For Your Office or Business
1.  Improve your ability to focus by adding Metal to your environment:  a metal objet d’art on your desk, a metal sign with your business name for your office door, a round box for office supplies…  (learn more about Feng Shui’s Metal element here.)

2.  In Feng Shui, fall is about the harvest and completion of projects.  Be proud of your business achievements so far this year: write them down, place the list on your bulletin board, and let your successes inspire your future growth.

3. As the quality and duration of daylight decreases, stay in contact with the Fire element by keeping your office well-lit.  Full-spectrum light bulbs are great for offices and will help you maintain your energy during the increasingly long days ahead.

4. A typical business Feng Shui challenge is that of too much Metal in the office: white walls and furnishings, metal filing cabinets and desks, shiny metallic accessories.

If this is the situation in your office, balance Metal by introducing healthy plants and/or red accessories.  Balance is always the key to good Feng Shui!

Don’t hesitate to call if you need a hand bringing these tips to life.  I’m available for Feng Shui consultations in New York City and via phone and email as well.

Feng Shui’s Growing Influence In Real Estate

Here’s a quickie for you: a fascinating article from yesterday’s NY Times, “When Feng Shui Helps Determine A Deal’s Fate.”

There are many ways to evaluate a space using Feng Shui and this article touches on just a few of them.  I’m not surprised to learn about Feng Shui’s growing influence as Asian businesses become more prominent in the US.

And one of my favorite types of jobs is evaluating a space before a business moves in so that egregiously bad Feng Shui can be avoided.

What do you think?  Is it wise for businesses to assess the Feng Shui before setting up shop in a new location?