Feng Shui, Pets, and Animal Prints

Franca Giuliani - As I always say, our home, our rooms, our closets, and even our office desk all tell us a lot about what's really going on within our lives. And it can be an overwhelming task to tackle the space in order to start making changes. Sometimes what we just need is a push, especially if the space we're talking about seems to be very stale and stagnant.

Sometimes what a space may need is real active chi (the life force). That can easily be acquired by bringing in live animals, such as dogs and cats. And, I should know, because I recently dog sat for 9 days Tara - my “little” big yellow lab - and Zoey - the “BIG” little Havanese puppy. They wiped me out! And they definitely stirred up the chi in my home.

Now based on the Five Element Theory, pets and animals in general represent Fire and bring out a loving spirit in people. So having pets is a good thing. However, it's also a very big responsibility that's not for everyone.

Is there an alternative? The answer is "yes." You can still benefit from the animal spirit without actually bringing in a live animal. Add animal prints accessories and upholstery into your space … and I'm talking about “faux” prints.

Click to read more ...

Feng Shui Tips: Are Your Rooms Missing Anything?

Franca Giuliani - Living in a home or working in an office that has the shape of a square or rectangular is ideal in feng shui. It offers balance and incorporates a complete bagua. The bagua is an energetic map that divides up any space - from a room to an entire house - into eight sectors plus the center, each with its own powerful attributes.

Now it's not easy to find perfect squares and rectangles in our homes, apartments, or offices. With incredible design concepts and necessities like bumping out in a room to add a closet, different shapes are created. So what do you do if you have a missing sector?

 

Well, first you should symbolically “square the space off.” This is quite easy to do if you have access to the outdoors. You can use bushes, fences, flowers, anything to create that outline needed to “complete the space.”

You should also figure out what sector you're missing and then compensate that space by adding the element of the missing sector. And you can be creative about it! You can add furniture, pictures, fabrics ... you can even paint the whole room the element color! Just follow these guidelines below. If you're missing the following sector, add that direction’s element near that missing sector.

 

Click to read more ...

Fountains and Feng Shui

(fountain by Damien Jones Art)Damien Jones Art makes these very original sculptures with water features. I saw them at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in NYC this past March 2012.  To create his fountains, he uses ceramic embedded with an ammonite fossil of a nautilus shell.

Feng shui products come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. The uses of feng shui fountains are many - there are indoor and outdoor feng shui fountains, tabletop, free standing, wall-mounted, and more for the home and garden. A feng shui fountain helps to balance energy and increase personal strength. Feng shui garden fountains can add peace of mind. Water fountains bring the energy of water, one of the ancient feng shui symbols.  When selecting your feng shui fountain look for a quality fountain with a nice smooth design that is easy to clean and care for. 

(Fluid Grace founain, courtesy of Damien Jones Art)

Click to read more ...

Feng Shui Homework - 7 Bathroom Tasks

Franca Giuliani - How do you feel about your bathroom? Do you like it? Do you find it comfortable? Is it inspiring? What is your first reaction when you enter it?

Your bathroom is a very important space. It supports you in the morning as you get ready to face the world, and it soothes you as you prepare for your night’s rest. It symbolizes our self-worth and is directly associated to our finances, because the movement of water relates to wealth.  

Here are some important tips for the bathroom.

1. Lighting

Innately, bathrooms tend to be very yin. Make them brightly lit and cheery.

2. Cleanliness

Bathrooms should be clean, clutter-free and as opened and airy as possible.

3. Working Order

Keep everything in your bathroom functioning. Dripping faucets can be a metaphor for money leaking out. Make sure your toilet works properly, and definitely keep the toilet seat down to minimize draining chi.

Click to read more ...

It's About Time You Thought More About...Timing!

“Fall seven, rise eight” – Chinese proverb

Franca Giuliani - Sometimes when we do not achieve what we set out to do we consider it a failure. However, I think we forget one of the most important factors: timing! In feng shui, timing is very important. One of my teachers actually defines feng shui as “being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing.” 

How do we know when is the right time to do what right thing? Well, this question has a full-body answer, and it's very specific to the individual. The only general advice I can give is to follow your gut. Our gut tries to tell us a lot, but I think sometimes we are too busy to listen. If something doesn’t work out the first time, think about trying again at a different time. Try listening to your gut to find out when.

Also keep in mind that we need a place where we can rest and recuperate from the world in order to be available to hear our gut. That place is our home, and it should give us comfort and support.

Click to read more ...