I am re-reading the book “Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life” by Karen Rauch Carter (Fireside books, 2000). The book is an easy-to-follow guide using Feng Shui to enhance your home in order to improve your life. It is an awesome book and the techniques work.
Feng Shui originated in China with information dating as far back as 4000 BC. The concept is to use the energy forces, or qi (chee), in a person’s surroundings to harmonize and enhance the space. An eight-sided diagram, called the bagua, is placed over the floorplan of the home and reviewed. Although the bagua is an octagon, it is made up of nine sectors that represent areas in your life. The layout is as follows:
Front Center: Career
Front Right: Helpful People and Travel
Right Middle: Creativity and Children
Right Back: Relationships and Love
Back Middle: Fame and Reputation
Left Back: Prosperity
Left Middle: Family
Front Left: Skills and Knowledge
Each sector can be enhanced with “cures”, using elements, colors, mirrors, crystals and many other items. The enhancements will build up the energy in that sector for whatever you are trying to accomplish. For example: you are unable to sustain a romantic relationship. First, take a look at your bedroom. Does it look like a space for couples? Or do you have one nightstand, with one lamp and a picture of a single person above the bed? Switch it up and put two of everything in there, make some room in the closet and hang a picture of a couple, preferably embracing, above the bed. Secondly, what room is in the Relationships and Love corner of your home? The bathroom? You can’t remove that, so use the cures to amp up the love energy. Keep the toilet lid closed. Tie a red ribbon around the drain line of the sink to keep the energy from flowing out. The color cures for this are red, pink, and white. Buy a pack of kids valentines cards and make a collage on the wall. Not your style? Put them in the cabinet drawers or tape them inside. The cures don’t have to be seen to work. Do all of this with the intention of attracting the best partner for you. And then watch the magic happen.
The book has a chapter for each of the nine sectors and explains what is bad in that area and how to enhance it. You really can make a difference in your life with quick, simple cures.
I am still in the clean-it-up mode. I have been doing some “up” decorating in my home. I say up, rather than redecorating, because I am mostly just adding some artistic enhancements. A little paint, some pillows, a piece of accent furniture and some artsy stuff. Taking it from average-nice to “Bam!” as Emeril would say. I’m following up with a read of this book to see if I need to pep up any of the bagua areas. I have a pack of multi-colored construction paper (yes, that works!) and a scissors to cut specific shapes out of the paper. These can be stuck on the back or underside of furniture to ramp up that area.
I may be easily swayed by my desire for a good life, but why not? We all deserve to be prosperous, loved and happy. Use the energy forces inherent in your space and allow them to help you. Oh, that’s the Helpful People and Travel, right front, area of your home.
Loving Your Sh*T 