Feng Shui Tips to Prepare for the Year of the Sheep or Goat on February 19, 2015

by llenore | Feb 16, 2015 | Uncategorized

This time of year my clients contact me to learn what Feng Shui tips they need to do in order to have a great Chinese New Year – and this year we start the year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram on February 19, 2015. Since the energy of a “ram” seems a little too confrontational for me plus it doesn’t seem like the type of energy all my sources say we are going to be experiencing, I’m choosing to say the Year of the Sheep or Goat.

Contented goat

As I shared in my post on December 30 to help people prepare for the Western New Year on January 1, 2015, we can do the same activities as I listed there. Plus we can add some more Asian cultural activities or rituals if you’d like.

The Top Ten Tips are:

1. Do Activities on the Chinese New Year You Want to Do During the Coming Year: It is said anything you do on the first day of the New year you will do throughout the year. If you argue, there will be arguments all year long. If you clean, you’ll clean all year. f you prepare food that day, you’ll be preparing food all year long. If you play and visit with family and friends, you’ll do more of this during the coming year.
2. Clean Your Home BEFORE the New Year: The belief is that by cleaning your home you “sweep away all the bad luck” that accumulated inside throughout the past year. It also makes your home ready to receive the good luck – attracting it into your home and welcoming it. (And don’t clean it the first couple of days of the New Year.)
3. Wash Your Hair BEFORE the New Year: (And don’t wash it for the first couple of days of the New Year since that will wash away your Good Luck.) Getting your hair cut BEFORE the new Year is also a fun way to start the new Year with a fresh New You!
4. Prepare Food for the New Year Celebration: (And stock up on the food so you don’t have to cook for a few days!) Here is where preparing lots of for and having it in the freezer would come in handy. We don’t want to be going to the grocery store either since that would mean more trips tot he store during the coming year.
5. Put Up Red Decorations: Red is the color of GOOD LUCK in the Chinese culture and used in the decorations especially designed for the New Year celebration. If you don’t want to have Asian artifacts all over your home, place some red candles throughout the home, tie red bows on some of your house plants and find a lovely red lamp shade for one of your lamps. You might hang a red tassel from a dresser drawer or on a door handle. Placing a red heart on a north-facing and south-facing window brings exceptional GOOD LUCK.
6. Paint the Door Red: This is a great idea if you can do it, but many people either can’t change the door color or wouldn’t be able to do it for the New Year. If that is the case with you, find a lovely flowering plant with red flowers or a yellow mum (Chrysanthemum) in a red pot outside the front door to attract the good energy to your front door.
7. Place Flowers Throughout the Home: In Feng Shui they say having fresh flowers in the bedroom brings romance, in the bathroom it brings health and in the kitchen it brings loving relationships. You can also have Lucky Bamboo or houseplants instead of flowers.
8. Place a Bowl of Mandarin Oranges, Tangerines or Lemons in the Kitchen: Citrus are considered fruits of abundance whether hang in from a tree or just the plain fruit gathered in a bowl. Place a citrus tree both inside and outside the home if you can. This time of year you can sometimes find the miniature trees at the nursery or flower shops. If that is too much for you, have a large bowl of the rips fruit sitting on the kitchen table or counter. Having a bowl by the front door will also attract GOOD FENG SHUI into and around the home in the way of health, wealth, love, happiness and harmony. Use an even number and eat a pair for Good Luck.
9. Set Out a Tray of Eight Candies or Cookies: In the Asian culture, the number eight is considered a  lucky number. Having something some sweets out means you will have a “sweet” and lucky life.
10. Dragon Dancing, Firecrackers & Noise Makers Ward Off the Bad and Greet the Good: In both Western and Chinese customs the greeting of the New Year is a special celebration. We say, “GOOD-BYE!” to all the old things that happened last year and “WELCOME!” to the New Year filled with hopes and dreams for a better life. In the Chinese culture the fire-breathing dragon burns up all the old energy of the past year. It also lights the path and dances its right up to your front door to show the way for GOOD LUCK to find your door. The firecrackers scare way the bad and make a joyous sound to greet the New Year. Get a bell, temple bells or a wind chime to ring in the New year. Then hang it outside the front door to help show the ways to welcome the New Year.

These are just a few more ideas to help you change the energy in and around your home to say, “GOOD-BYE!” to the old and “WELCOME!” this New Year – The Year of the Goat or Sheep.

Groundhog Day Delight – February 2, 2015

by llenore | Jan 30, 2015 | Uncategorized

Some days become anniversaries of the heart and today is one of those for me. It was 25 years ago I signed the legal documents to purchase my home as a single woman even though I had gone through a bankruptcy and was on disability. Hence, this day holds VERY special energy and memories for me.

On Groundhog Day, peek out of the hole in which you are living to see the beauty the world has to offer you.

Do you remember the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray? Do you sometimes feel you are stuck in the same pattern everyday – and often have the negative attitude towards life that Bill had? Wonder if you can get out of the rut, accomplish the things you desire to achieve, have a positive attitude surrounded by people with whom you enjoy spending time and having a contented life? Here are a few thoughts for you to consider around the symbology of the story behind Groundhog Day and the movie with Bill Murray.

There’s this whole thing about the sun and shadow I’d like to explore.

You hear about the “shadow side” we have – a side we either don’t realize we have or a side of us that is supposed to be bad. For the sack of this post, let’s say the shadow side is a part of us we don’t acknowledge.

I, for one, found I was a very strong woman 25 years ago when I stepped into the fear of purchasing a home when I didn’t even have a job, much less any money saved. I had never been fully responsible for earning money for food, clothing and shelter. This was a huge leap of faith to undertake. So in a way, I was the groundhog in his hole afraid of his own shadow. Poking my head out I must have seen both the shadow and the light – deciding to move forward toward a brighter future. It worked! I’m still in the house I was able to purchase almost 25 years ago.

The “shadow” in this parable also is the symbol of winter – the dark night of the soul. Sometimes when we see that side of ourselves, we want to hide. We go back into our shell for another 6 weeks (or whatever amount of time it takes for us to come out from hiding.) Sometimes we need help to get of this shell. Sometimes time is all that is needed.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Sheep or Goat – 2015!

One thing for sure, we need to leave the baggage of the old “shadow” behind so we can move forward and enjoy the sunny days ahead. We have beauty within us. We can spread our wings to fly.

I’m seeing this particular Groundhog Day is extremely important for us to take advantage of “leaving the old shadow and baggage behind” since we have a fabulous Chinese New Year about to arrive on February 19. It is the Year of the Sheep (I prefer sheep to goat or ram).

Sheep are critters who can navigate the rock cliffs as well as graze in the fields. But the only way they can easily traverse the mountainous trails is to be unencumbered with “stuff!”

Sheep are very contented animals as they graze the pastures. We can claim the contented energy of this New Year by releasing old beliefs and other detrimental-to-us energy. As you go through the day, think about the old, limiting beliefs or old ways of doing things that no longer serve you.

Just like this groundhog, we have a beauty behind us if only we spread our feathers to let them show brilliantly in the sun, over-shadowing our “shadow” side.

That’s what the groundhog did when he saw his shadow. He went back into his hole for 6 more weeks of contemplation only to come out to view and enjoy sunny days of Spring.

If you can “see the shadow side” of this energy, direct your focus inward for the next few weeks. Heal the hurts. Discard the damaged. Bring out your brilliance! The sun is shinning brightly all year long during the year of the Sheep!

First Full Moon After the Winter Solstice

by llenore | Jan 4, 2015 | Uncategorized

Driving along tonight I saw this incredible full moon. I had to stop to take a picture of it.

Powerful energy of the Winter Full Moon can be used to help shine light on your dreams and help you to go inward to give birth to them in the coming months.

Feng Shui teaches us to honor and appreciate all of nature. Part of appreciation is to know when there are Full Moons and when there are New Moons. The energy around us definitely is different under each of these.

With this Full Moon about 2 weeks after the Winter Solstice, its light is ever more important since it accentuates the growing energy of longer days. Tonight is a night to think about how you want your life to expand; go to sleep thinking about this and dream on it. Then spend more time the next 2 weeks going inward to search your soul for guidance.

We just started the Western New Year and yet to have the Chinese New Year begin. This is a magical time between endings and beginnings to set your intentions for a BRIGHTER NEW YEAR!