by llenore | May 26, 2015 | Uncategorized
Feng Shui has a number of “Dos” and “Taboos” associated with it, many of which sound crazy or superstitious, but when you are suffering from something without finding relief, why not try Feng Shui just in case it solves the problem.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, won’t disturb me as night falls!
That has been the case with many of my clients throughout the years. One of my more recent “successes” – that has also been a success many times in the three decades I’m been doing Feng Shui – has been the relief of poor sleep by removing mirrors in the bedroom.
Some of the schools of Feng Shui – and there are about a dozen different schools, just in case you don’t know this fact about Feng Shui – says you should NOT have any mirrors in the bedroom. The belief is that you will have sleepless nights or nightmares. In some cases it is said to even cause health issues.
Now whether you believe it or not, if you or a loved one has not been getting a good night’s sleep for a while, check out the room to see if there is a mirror in it. If there is, that might be the problem.
There are several ways to resolve the issue. The easiest is to remove the mirror if that is possible. If by some chance it isn’t easy to remove the mirror – say you have a wall of mirrors or a large one attached to the wall – then the next best thing is to cover them at night while you sleep. This can be done with a scarf, sheet or blanket depending on the size of the mirror.
In the case of the sliding closet mirror doors, some of them can be turned around so the mirror is facing into the closet. If turning them inward isn’t possible, a drapery rod with hanging cloth drapes you can open and close as you desire, or need to do depending on the situation, can be a beautiful, decorative solution.
This most recent client had started snoring after placing a mirror in their bedroom. Their partner would wake up and move to another room due to the noise. The very first night the mirror was removed was the very first night they slept together in their bedroom in months or years (the exact length of time was not disclosed to me.)
Mirror, mirror on the wall – NO MORE DISTURBING OUR SLEEP since we MOVED YOU DOWN THE HALL!
by llenore | May 14, 2015 | Uncategorized
As a Feng Shui Master, before I start telling others what they need to do, I make sure I use the information I have for myself first. Then if something needs to be adjusted, or it doesn’t work for some reason, I know first-hand about it.
One of the many schools of Feng Shui is a school based on the animal energy from the animal of the Chinese New Year. This year as many of you know is the Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram. I do a summary teleseminar, and record it, sharing what to expect in the way of energies associated with each animal just before the Chinese New Year starts. It includes the qualities to expect and what we can do to maximize the beneficial energies about to arrive on our doorsteps.
This is what I accomplished from the “quick” workout I did today. I only did one weight-training station and the cycling machine.
I choose to call this the Year of the Sheep since sheep and goats are a more feminine energy of compassion and caring as opposed to the “head-butting” energy of the ram. One of the main points for us as humans is to take care of ourselves FIRST AND FOREMOST this year!
Last year was a challenging year for me on several levels. I discovered I had a partially torn ligament in my foot. To avoid surgery, I had to stay off my foot for over 5 months! It took a toll on my business and my self-esteem. I gained a lot of weight for me and felt very low self-esteem. As the New Year arrived – the Western New Year – I vowed to regain the previous me. This came about after I did my first Home Blessing in 6 months. I had trouble carrying my “purification tools” to the home and was exhausted when I did the 4-hour “blessing.”
I know me and knew I wouldn’t travel to a gym 15 minutes away. So I joined the YMCA, which is only 1.7 miles, or 7 minutes by car. I slowly worked at strengthening the upper body with a special focus on the legs through cycling and weights.
Linda, Wow! You’ve lifted over 1,000,000 pounds. That’s the equivalent of 128 elephants!
To my surprise I was greeted earlier this week by this message from the exercise health coordinator, Christiane, via the tracking system they have at the Y. It says, “Linda, Wow! You’ve lifted over 1,000,000 lbs. That’s the equivalent of 128 elephants! 🙂 Christiane”
Self-care? Yes!
How do you lift an elephant? One pound at a time!
by llenore | May 3, 2015 | Uncategorized
What do you need for a sacred space? Awareness and intention!
Prepare plates with flowers and candles on them in order to place them in rooms within the home.
A sacred space can be something as simple as a single rose in a vase or a spiritual icon. It could be a vortex of energy on this earth, like you find in the Sedona area of Arizona. Sometimes it is a moment in time when you feel that wonderful shiver up your spine when your body, mind and spirit are in alignment with your life purpose.
Is there a way you can create a sacred space? Here are a few tips in the “secret sauce” to creating sacred spaces:
- Clean the space of clutter and dirt
- Gather some candles
- Bring items from nature into the mix
- Flowers are a bonus due to color, beauty and fragrance
- Musical instruments for sound vibration – bells and singing bowls are especially wonderful
- Have a special cloth you use – it could be a towel, scarf or material specially made for sacred events
- Essential oils and aromatherapy
- Pieces of the earth, like rocks, crystals, shells and fossils
- Holy water
- White sage
- Lavender seeds, petals or wands
- Now, bring them all together to create an altar
I’ll share more ideas and steps in the secret sauce to sacred spaces soon.
by llenore | Mar 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
Spring has officially started and with that there are several things we can do to create fresh energy in our homes, thus moving the desired energy we want to fill our lives using Feng Shui principles. I’ve shared some of these with you as part of the Chinese New Year celebration. If you haven’t read those, please click here.
Paper cut red lantern
In Northern California, where I live, we have had gorgeous, warm weather for several months. (Yes, we are concerned about the drought). Spending time outdoors, there is a tendency to ignore the needs of the home inside. But knowing the house is a symbolic model for our body, cleansing is a good thing to do this time of year.
Here’s a list of 5 things to do to change the old energy and improve your life.
- Clean around all the doors. They are the main location where energy enters the home. Sweep up the leaves. Pull the weeds from around the walkways leading up to the doors. Wash off the door and polish the handles. Oil the hinges.
- Windows may be the eyes to the soul and in Feng Shui they are literally our eyes. It’s time to clean the windows to let the sun shine in. Washing off the screen will allow FRESH air to enter more easily. It also improves the visibility. I can’t tell you how much more light enters my rooms after cleaning mine! We’ve done a lot of remodeling, so the construction dust has clogged the screens. It’s extremely freeing and uplifts the home with the crisper views and fresh air.
- Get rid of any catalogs you have left from the holiday shopping frenzy. This is LAST YEAR’S ENERGY! We don’t want to keep any more of the Year of the Horse energy around. It is too wild and scattered. We are creating a year of comfort, compassion and peace for our families. Shopping is not an integral part of this Sheep year’s energy.
Fresh Roses
- According to this year’s Yearly Animal Feng Shui, several locations receive tremendous benefits from fresh flowers. And who doesn’t enjoy fresh flowers? Here’s the Year of the Sheep link to find out more for only $36 instead of the website price of $97.
- Spring cleaning is something most of us do just because it feels so much better. In Feng Shui, there is additional meaning behind many of the tasks we perform. Cleaning bathrooms supports our health. Vacuum under the beds to get a good night’s sleep (and please don’t store anything under the bed). Remove clutter from the center part of the house to reduce stress, improve heart function and bring more love into the home, infusing family members with this heart-felt energy.
This might take a little while to do. Yet every little change you make will exponentially improve the quality and vitality of your home and your life!
by llenore | Mar 1, 2015 | Uncategorized
Sharing Sacred Spaces Sunday with you is very special to me. I often go through life so focused on the “To Do” list, which always keeps growing, I forget to be grateful for all that I have and all that surrounds me. Today, I’m taking time to share one area of my home on which I focused and created a sacred space today.
Sacred Space Sunday Buffet
Here is a buffet we have in our living room. Last year at this time it was stacked to overflowing with papers. During one of my summer “Clutter Buster” programs last year I directed my attention to clearing it. It has been clean ever since. It had the usual holiday decorations on it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then I changed everything to have a “clean start” for the Western New Year.
Today I put fresh flowers on the right side of the buffet. I had purchased them for one of my client’s Space Clearings, which was rescheduled. So I get to benefit from these lovely flowers instead.
On the left side of the buffet are some long cut branches just starting to flower. Most are branches from pruning my plum tree, but there are a couple of pear branches I cut today in there as well. I’ve tried to do this every year for about 4 years without success, but this year both the branches in bloom and I were in sync. PLUS, having the clean buffet allowed me a place to put them, which is one reason I haven’t had them the last couple of years.
Other items on the buffet are a beautiful blue vase, an ammonite, eagle and bear stone carving from my first Feng Shui class in Toronto, Canada in 1998, a hand-painted ceramic plate from Italy, star candle holders, carved-wood words of “HAPPY” and “PEACE” and finally a wooden wishing well hand-made by my 12-year-old son, Jeff a year before he died.
I haven’t had a place to display several of these items since we started a remodel nearly 13 years ago.
Do you have a SACRED SPACE? What do you have put away that you could bring out to create a special place for nurturing your soul? What brings joy to your heart and fills you with happiness and peace?
Find a place today – even if it is a small area – to create a beautiful, heart-centered, positive energy altar.
For me, THIS is truly a SACRED SPACE on this most magnificent SUNDAY!
