Feng Shui Decorating for Enthusiasts

If you're already familiar with feng shui decorating, try these tips to take things even further!

Everyone who loves feng shui decorating starts somewhere, and you did too. But by now you've moved beyond the basics. You've mapped your home, you've read several books on the subject, and you're ready to become a more advanced feng shui decorator. What steps can you take to continue your study?

Fortunately, we live in an information era. Given that, it's not too hard to learn more about feng shui decorating -- with the help of these valuable resources.

Resources for feng shui decorating

1. The internet

If you're reading this blog, then you probably already recognize the internet as a great source of free information. There are all sorts of blogs and articles you can use to get free information on feng shui decorating, or if you're ready to take the next step, you can check out my ebook Feng Shui Decorating for a Fulfilled Life (now only $15.99!). But do beware: anyone can post anything on the internet and claim it's fact. Use discretion and your own common sense.

2. Your local library or bookstore

Good old fashioned books are still a great source of information. If you don't feel like shelling out the cash for them, try the library -- but be prepared to take notes or use a photocopier if you want to hold onto that information.

3. Local organizations and practitioners

Check into your local community and see if you have any feng shui decorating practitioners or enthusiasts willing to form a group with you. Learning is more fun if you can make it a team venture. You might even find a feng shui practitioner willing to meet with your group. Because practitioners or consultants are often kind of pricey, this is best if you can split the cost among several people.

These are the three main resources for learning more about feng shui decorating once you've moved beyond the basics. And of course, you can always email me your feng shui questions -- I'm more than happy to help. Keep having fun as you learn about feng shui decorating, and remember to keep your chi in balance.

Interested in feng shui? Check out my book, "Feng Shui Secrets for a Fulfilled Life!"

Looking for great deals on feng shui products? Try Jade Market!

Read more!

Great Resources for Feng Shui Products

Looking for feng shui products? Check out these sites!

If you live in a small center, it can be difficult to find feng shui products. Of course, you can get creative, which is one of the great things about feng shui: your grandmother's prayer shawl might become an integral part of the chi in your home. But sometimes you just want real feng shui products -- something that evokes that special energy only real Chinese items seem to bring.

If that's the case for you, look no further -- here are some of the best places to find traditional feng shui products online!

1. Futurewords

A site loaded with original, reasonably priced artwork -- perfect for any sort of chi you're trying to create. There are some other feng shui products too, but the artwork is the real jewel of this site.

2. Jade Market

Jade Market is a superb source of all things feng shui. The prices are reasonable and you can get almost any product you can imagine, from simple sets of Chinese coins to massive stone sculptures (assuming you're ready to pay the shipping and handling costs!).

3. Ebay

Ebay is an excellent resource for, well, just about anything, and that can include feng shui products. If you're new to eBay, it's a relatively safe process. Just make sure you check the seller rating before you make any bids. If you see a lot of negative reviews, dodge that auction.

4. Dragon Gate

It's not super cheap, but if there are feng shui products you can't find on these other sites, Dragon Gate is likely to have them. They have a really good, wide selection of products. But due to the prices, I would check elsewhere first.

These are four excellent places to shop online. Don't forget your own backyard, either (sometimes literally -- you can find great bargains at flea markets and garage sales!). Often you'll find a surprising number of feng shui products in your own city if you visit specialty shops and Chinatown. Have fun shopping, and remember that feng shui products should always come in second to focusing on the energy itself.

Interested in feng shui? Check out my book, "Feng Shui Secrets for a Fulfilled Life!"

Looking for great deals on feng shui products? Try Jade Market!


Read more!

The Perfect Feng Kitchen

Create a feng kitchen your entire family can enjoy!

Many people are unsure about how to create a feng kitchen. After all, the kitchen is such a busy place -- and it's somewhere that has a lot of necessities, too. For example, although you should do your best to keep the stove away from the sink (since the conflicting water and fire energies create turbulent chi), you're not likely to remodel your entire kitchen if that's the way things are set up. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to create a feng kitchen without losing your mind! 

Begin by assessing the room itself. Use the ba gua to consider what area of your home the kitchen occupies and how you can use its energies to further that sector. Remember, the kitchen has very strong fire and water elements (as I said above), so it's important to keep that in mind when deciding on placements and tasks.

Tips for a feng kitchen

Having said that, let's consider some practical tips you can use right now to get that feng kitchen up and going:

• The oven should hold the command position in the room. That means that when you're cooking, you should be able to see all the entrances to the room. If you must stand with your back to an entrance, place a guardian image (bird, religious symbol, etc.) on the wall behind you and a mirror above the oven.

• The kitchen is a magnet for clutter and garbage. Is your garbage can overflowing? Are there rotting candies from last Christmas in the back of the fridge? And do you even dare open the junk drawer? Organize these things to the best of your abilities -- junk has no place in a feng kitchen.

• Keep in mind the room's purpose and decorate appropriately. Food makes a natural and very sensible decoration in the kitchen. I don't mean you should hang lemons from the walls, but a bowl of purple grapes on the kitchen table is attractive, stimulates wealth, and might have the added benefit of encouraging the kids to eat fruit!

• Make sure there's life in your kitchen. Never display dry or wilted plants, including spices (a spice rack is okay, but not a big pile of drying plant leaves). Put the knives away (they cut through vital life energy, even if they're in a wooden block) and keep something live and fresh around, whether it's a plant or the aforementioned fruit in a bowl.

Remember, your kitchen is part of the feng shui triad of health (along with your bathroom and bedroom). Creating a feng kitchen is essential to you and your family's health and well-being!

Interested in feng shui? Check out my book, "Feng Shui Secrets for a Fulfilled Life!"

Looking for great deals on feng shui products? Try Jade Market!

Read more!

Find Feng Shui Online

Looking for feng shui online information? You've come to the right place!

If you're like me, you just can't get enough feng shui online -- or offline, for that matter. I love learning new things about my craft, and because of that I've literally been through hundreds of blogs and informational sites about feng shui. That's why I'm able to share with you today some of my favorite feng shui online sites!

1. My site, of course!

Maybe it's personal bias, but I do think my own work has the best and most authentic feng shui tips available!

2. About.com

About is an excellent source of feng shui online tips, information, videos, hints, ideas, decorating... you name it! I know a lot of people who found this an incredibly useful resource when they were first learning about feng shui.

3. Feng Shui Design Consultancy

This Irish design consultant's company has many excellent resources for feng shui. A great place to get new ideas, bits of advice, or just enjoy some interesting feng shui online.

4. Feng Shui Articles

This is a great site with lots of traditional information from experts around the world.

5. World of Feng Shui Online

Lots of interesting informaiton at World of feng shui online, where you'll find expert advice as well as theories on conflicting schools of feng shui.

Enjoy browsing your feng shui online, and have fun discovering the joys of this ancient wisdom!

Interested in feng shui? Check out my book, "Feng Shui Secrets for a Fulfilled Life!"

Looking for great deals on feng shui products? Try Jade Market!


Read more!

From Bagua to Sheng Chi: A Feng Shui Glossary

Learn the meaning of bagua and other feng shui terms!

If the word bagua makes you blink in confusion, that's okay: you're not alone. The first time I saw it written out that way it took me a moment to realize it meant "ba gua," which I'd always spelled as two separate words. And even that probably means nothing to a lot of people! 

That's why I want to help out anyone confused by bagua, sheng chi, or other feng shui terms. Consider this your mini glossary!

Common Feng Shui Terms

Balance: The ultimate goal in feng shui, balance refers to achieving an equal focus on a variety of areas or elements so that their positive aspects have the most influence in your life and their negative aspects cancel each other out

Chi: Energy

Cures: We often speak of feng shui "cures" for problematic areas. There are certain arrangements in your home that might not be conducive to sheng chi; a feng shui cure seeks to fix that.

Elements: There are five elements in feng shui, not four as in Western astrology: wood, fire, earth, water, and metal. Notice that the element "air" from Western culture is also missing. Each sector on the bagua relates to one of these elements.

Feng Shui: The Chinese blend of astrology, design, and construction that allows you to focus on integrating positive energy in your life

Guardian Symbol: Any symbol that makes you feel secure and protected (traditionally dragons, birds, and religious imagery)

Mapping: The process of figuring out the directions your home faces and applying the bagua to your home, isolating it into specific sectors or areas.

Sha Chi: Negative energy

Sheng chi: Positive energy

Obviously, these are just a few of the phrases you'll stumble across in your study of feng shui. But these are the most common terms found in introductory feng shui material, and they should give you a solid grounding on feng shui language from bagua to sheng chi!

Interested in feng shui? Check out my book, "Feng Shui Secrets for a Fulfilled Life!"

Looking for great deals on feng shui products? Try Jade Market!

Read more!