by llenore | Jul 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
Five-Minute Feng Shui Friday – Bird Feeders as Feng Shui Energy Attracters
Bird feeders are amazing energy attracters according to Feng Shui, especially hummingbird feeders. They are perfect for the front door and front entrance of your home or office.
A Hummingbird feeder outside my front door and in the middle of my office bay window attracts energy all day long enhancing the vitality of my home, my business and my life.
I do focus on the front door a lot. The reason for this attention is due to the fact the front door to the home and business is the main mouth of chí, or energy. We want to do as much as possible to make this an incredibly high-energy area to enhance the vital chí of the building and our lives.
There is much symbology with birds and the qualities we want in and around our entrances – again, especially the front door. One of the main qualities is the very nature of birds – they take flight, soaring to new heights, sometimes taking nose-dives, singing in the rain, building nests and nurturing their young. All of these represent the essence of life and our homes.
A couple different types of bird feeders attract the birds specific to the feeders. The squirrel guard protects the feeders from being raided by the squirrels. Tucked in amongst the rose garden, it is almost impossible for the local cats to attack the birds without being seen. Stimulating scenes of nature abound in this location with high vitality.
Hummingbirds have even more specifics we want around us. They can hover to make sure it is safe – really taking in what is going on around them and deciding if it is time for the “fight or flight” syndrome to kick in. They have bright iridescent colors including red that sparkles and shines, catching our attention.
Red is the color to attract attention and most hummingbird feeders are red since the hummingbirds themselves are attracted to the red color. Their movement is extremely fast reminding us of exuberant vitality.
Regular bird feeders will attract many types of birds creating a sense of community as well as an abundance of energy. Most birds are not as territorial as hummingbirds, which allows for this sense of community building.
Birdbaths allow a place for the birds to cool off and take a bath. Watching the process makes me smile and I imagine it does the same for you. The bath will also attract dragonflies and small insects needing water to survive.
A birdbath allows the birds to refresh themselves and are delightful to watch – a sure way to bring in “Good Feng Shui” energy to your yard.
We do want to have a variety of items by our front door attracting “good” energy to us plus we want to attract any energy lingering in our back yard to come our way. I have birdfeeders by a couple of my doors.
Actually, I have hummingbird birdfeeders by two of my doors – one being the front door – and I have wind chimes by at least two of the doors. I also have hanging plants, which attract hummingbirds, by two doors. I have more items by the front door to encourage more of the energy to come to and into the “main mouth of chí” to vitalize the home, which in turn, invigorates me.
I have several birdbaths plus the pond I often describe in my front yard that stimulates the energy of the home. Since I can see the pond, hummingbird feeders and wind chimes from my office window, it also supports and reminds me of the power of these items and the intention I used when placing them in these locations. This is powerful stuff – a way to interact and love my home through focused intention, attention and gratitude for this beautiful shelter I am blessed to call my home.
What can you do in a short period of time or with little effort to instill the power of gratitude and sense of reverence in the building you are lucky to call your home and/or place of work? Please share any examples for all of us to contemplate.
by llenore | Jul 19, 2013 | Uncategorized
With only a few days left during this Mercury Retrograde we want to take advantage of the positive qualities of this astrological event. Almost any word that starts with “re” is an activity supported during this time.
The citrus tree I used at the West Elm event in Palo Alto needed some TLC after being in the retail store for 4 weeks. Re-potting it into a larger container, trimming the dead branches and re-positioning it by some lavender has produced 4 new branches in just over a week.
I’ve heard literally dozens of people who have known nothing about Mercury Retrograde who have been inclined to go through closets, file cabinets, drawers and garages “re”leasing items that no longer serve them. That’s one of the things we can do now. It just seems easier to do it during this time. Plus people seem to be compelled to clear things rather than hold on to them.
In the Asian culture the Fu (or sometimes times spelled “Foo”) Dog is both a protector and a greeter of good energy.
In order to bring in “Good Feng Shui” we’ll focus on the front door area of your home. One reason we focus on the front door is due to the nature of the front door. It is known as the “Main Mouth of Chi” for the home, which in turn brings the energy into your life. If the energy is low by the door, then the energy for the home and your life tend to be low. When we raise the energy around the front door, we raise the energy of the home and our own vitality.
A few other ideas to where we can take advantage of the Mercury Retrograde energy are:
1. Re-pot plants
2. Re-position furniture
3. Re-cover chairs
4. Re-finish furniture
5. Re-paint the door or house
6. Re-locate a wind chime, flag or windsock
7. Re-arrange or re-group pots
8. Re-move dead flowers and leaves from plants
9. Re-enforce protection and a “welcome” feel with a Protective greeter
Re-arranging furniture or outdoor displays can add a revitalized energy to the area of the front door – also known as the “Main Mouth of Chi” to the home or business.
I’ll give you more information about Mercury Retrograde at a later time along with the dates of the next one so you can arrange to schedule activities in order to have “the Force be with you!”
Have fun this weekend “re-doing your environment in order to re-invent your life!”
by llenore | Jul 14, 2013 | Uncategorized
Honoring daily activities and celebrations in our lives are a couple of ways we might create Sacred Space using our intention according to Feng Shui as well as many other cultures and philosophies. Many spiritual groups and religions say blessings for the food before eating.
Celebration table at Disneyland honoring several birthdays while playing and enjoying family time together.
In this very busy world, many of us don’t even sit down to eat, much less remember to give thanks for our food. We are “multi-tasking” while consuming our food by sorting and reading the mail, putting dishes away or watering the plants. Not that I would know about any of this – yah, right!
Setting a table for a celebration is one of the many ways we might create a sacred space. It doesn’t even have to have special plates, flowers or party favors. Just having a gathering of people singing “Happy Birthday” brings a celebratory energy to any location. The sacredness is ignited by the joy, laughter, smiles, singing and memories we hold from these special times, no matter where they take place.
Napkin ring to set a sacredness to the table display.
Another way to create a sacred space would be to set the table for a “non-celebration” occasion – an everyday meal. Wouldn’t it be lovely to come home to a table already set for dinner with candles, cloth napkins, flowers and special glasses for a chilled drink?
Napkin ring to set a sacredness to the table display.
How about placing candles on the table along with a vase of flowers? Maybe having a special decorative light fixture would add to the ambience. Sitting in a loveseat-type bench might be an added bonus to coax you to sit a while, relax and read. Who knows, you might even start to daydream!
Table at San Jose Bikram Yoga enhances the energy of this sacred space in the studio.
If your spiritual practice includes gurus or deities you honor, you might include pictures or statues of them to watch over you. Anyone, or any location, can have these items displayed for private or public viewing. In some businesses it becomes part of the energy of the place itself, like a yoga studio, healing environment or mediation center.
Indeed, our homes, businesses and even our amusement parks are sacred spaces. Is there a table calling to you to make it a “Sacred Space” within your home? Just a little thought and time will enhance the energy of your home and your life when you create a sacred space.
