Which Door Do You Use?

My previous post about how important Feng Shui considers your front entry generated the question,

“Does Feng Shui care which door I use to enter my house?”

Yes, Feng Shui cares You’ll get the most benefits of great Chi energy when it comes in through the “real” front door.

If you have multiple entrances to your home, try to use the architectural front door as often as possible.

Beneficial Chi seeks out this door to enter your home; it won’t recognize your side or back door as readily.

Even if you can’t practically use your front door very often — if you have an attached garage and usually enter from there, for instance — make sure the front entry feels clean and welcoming.

Which door do you usually use? Does Chi energy feel welcome at your front door?

A Feng Shui Entryway (Feng Shui’s Three Important Areas, Part 1)

Feng Shui looks at every part of your home inside & out, but it considers three areas particularly important for your health, prosperity and relationships: your Front Entry, your Kitchen and your Bedroom.

This is the first in a three-part series about these key areas: why they’re so important, and what you can do to give yourself their best Feng Shui benefits

Your Front Entry: The “Mouth of Chi”

As the “Mouth of Chi,” the Front Entry of your home — or office — welcomes in Chi energy and gives the first impression of what is happening in your environment.

Chi is made to feel welcome when it enters through a front door that opens up completely to a clear, uncluttered entryway with no obstacles to block its path.

When Chi is blocked or stumbles over clutter it receives an immediate bad impression and will start to carry less auspicious energy.

This bad impression has a negative impact on your health and prosperity.

Create a beautiful Front Entry with good Feng Shui: clutter-free, well-lit and nicely appointed with lovely art, a mirror, a healthy plant.

When you give Chi a good first impression, you and your family reap the benefits.

photo courtesy of beltwayexteriors.com

Two Interviews: Feng Shui In the Bedroom… and more

In this fantastic interview from Betterfly.com, you get tips on creating Chi energy, improving the Feng Shui in your bedroom, how to connect with nature even if you have no outdoor space — and much more!

And in my five-point interview on TheFrisky.com, you’ll get the Feng Shui answers to five bothersome questions — from bedrooms to friendships and more — that you’ve always wondered about!

Writing Morning Pages to Get Unstuck

Along with Feng Shui, perhaps my biggest life-changer has been the practice of writing Morning Pages, a spiritual discipline I discovered in the wonderful book The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.

Each morning I get up, make myself some coffee, and settle into a comfortable chair to “cultivate my personal Chi” by writing three pages in longhand. It takes about 45 minutes.

I’ve been doing this every single day since November of 1995.

It’s an interesting experience to write so much, every single day.

The way it usually goes is – on page one I review the events of the past few days, on page two I start to realize what’s really on my mind, and by the time I get to page three I’m in a groove, working through my biggest challenge of the moment.

Writing every day is a discipline, for sure, but I quickly discovered all those years ago that it’s a shortcut to staying in balance, and for getting myself moving when things feel stuck.

Investing my time to write Morning Pages also helps me discover my best opportunities for happiness — and limits the pain of toxic situations.

And that’s what cultivating personal Chi is all about.

It works for me — but might not work for everyone How are you getting unstuck?

Feng Shui = The Power of Now In Your Space

Are you familiar with Eckhart Tolle’s huge best-seller, The Power of Now?

Tolle shows you how to improve your life by enhancing your awareness of what’s happening in the present moment, rather than being distracted by what happened in the past or what might happen in the future.

The same idea applies to the physical world, to the spaces where we live and work. 

When you bring your awareness to your environment you make sure it supports you, giving you the space you need for whatever is happening in your life right now.

Feng Shui brings this power into your space by asking: do you feel at ease or oppressed? Do you feel like growth is possible or do you feel stuck? Does every part of your home feel great or are there areas you avoid?

Think about it — are you fully “in the now” in your space?

Things that may be taking you out of the “now” include clutter that brings the past to mind, or items that force you to anticipate the effect they have on you.

Stuck in the Past?
For example one of my recent clients felt “out of the now” every time she walked into her office because she couldn’t open the door all the way. She’d stored too many things behind it, hoping “out of sight” would mean “out of mind.”

But what really happened each time she pushed against the door? The blockage reminded her of stuff she hadn’t dealt with. Besides feeling annoyed, she struggled, however unconsciously, with the memories behind the door every time she walked through it.

Annoyance and frustration are key indicators that something needs to be done to bring you back into the “now.”

When she took the time to sort through the stuff, storing some and letting go of a lot, she opened up space where she can move more freely, a key outcome of “staying in the now.”

Thinking Too Much About The Future?
Here’s another example:  the sharp corners of my old rectangular dining table. The table was in a relatively small space I pass through several times a day, so I was constantly anticipating and avoiding those sharp corners, called Sha, or “killing” Chi in Feng Shui.

Naturally this took me out of the “now,” forcing me to think about the future on a constant basis. Eventually this turned into frustration; something had to change.

What a relief to replace it with a round table! I never have to avoid it at all. My space and my life feel more open and free.

Empower Yourself
Take the time to notice how your space makes you feel, every moment of your day. The more you bring your awareness to it, the better you empower yourself to make changes that support you and your goals.

You’ll create a space that’s nourishing, balanced and healthy no matter what may be happening in your life.

What do you think? Please add your thoughts to the Comments!