What’s the connection between feng shui & food you ask? As you know, the chi in your surroundings and in the food you eat either nourish or deplete you. How you prepare your meals adds to the vibrancy of the food you eat and serve to others.  For those who know me well, know I love to cook. My love of cooking adds joy to the food I eat. And that’s a good thing and good things are good feng shui!

Easy Peasy Homemade Salsa

1 14.5 oz. can of organic fire roasted diced tomatoes chopped

1 4 oz. can of Trader Joe’s fire roasted green chilies

1 small sweet onion finely chopped

a dash or two of sugar

a few dashes of The Fly Trap’s homemade habanero Swat Sauce (or heat of your choice)

That’s it! Delicious.

1. Stop trying to solve the problems of others. Chances are the thoughts coming into your head are not even yours!
2. Stop wasting time trying to be certain. Life’s a mystery.
3. Stop over using your voice to get attention. Less is more.
4. Stop losing yourself in relationship with the other. You are your own unique beautiful self.
5. Stop trying to prove yourself. You have nothing to prove to anyone.
6. Stop playing nice to avoid confrontation. With the correct timing, sharing the truth is a beautiful thing.
7. Stop letting others intrude on your boundaries. Respecting your limitations is a loving thing to do.
8. Stop hanging to relationships, jobs, and situations out of fear. You only  harm yourself.
9. Stop letting others pressure you to meet their own agendas. The pressure won’t go away, get used to it!

The classroom is an important place for ideal feng shui. Without the proper layout, colors, lightening etc., the best learning environment is not achieved. This link is a great resource for specific details called  Feng Shui in the Classsroom by Tabitha Miller.

Another resource is my free booklet you may download and use as a handy reference guide. Feng Shui Tips for the Classroom

Please feel free to share your changes in the comment section!

In my own life, cultivating stillness has been a challenge. I was born with an abundance of yang energy and movement has been my mantra! As I matured, I’ve come to embrace the wisdom of getting quiet and going into the stillness to find my own answers to life’s opportunities. Every time I’ve used this approach to make decisions, I connect to the wise Catherine, and find clarity. As I’ve acted on those choices, I’ve experienced flow in moving forward in life.

The most common segment of the bagua that represents stillness is the Knowledge area. The trigram for Knowledge is still mountain and the key word is wisdom. When I use the image of a mountain as a resonance field, I “tap” into the solid, quiet nature that a mountain represents. In addition, I imagine the wealth of knowledge and wisdom contained within the mountain having “experienced” life on the planet for thousands, even millions of years.

Another important attribute to cultivating stillness for me has been breathing meditations. As I focus my awareness on extending my inhalations and exhalations, my mind chat immediately starts to quiet. The key to quieting mind chat is an essential part of going within. My very active brain begins to relax and allows better access to information contained within. Cultivating a practice of quieting my mind has been a very rewarding journey. (For some fascinating information about brains, check out  Jill Bolte Taylor )

Consider the importance of cultivating stillness. I believe it is one path to creating a kinder and gentler world.

Your front entrance is the mouth of chi and sets the stage for the entire space. Make this area especially attractive for you and your guests.

Photo Courtesy of Heather Elias

* Add a doormat with an inviting word or image.
* Be sure the front door opens freely and is in good working order.
* Make your address easy to read from the street.
* Use lighting that illuminates walkways, stairs and steps.
* Use pleasing sounds as greeters like wind chimes and fountains.
* Make sure you have a doorbell in good working order.
* Space permitting; add a small table to set things down when entering.
* Once inside, greet yourself and guests with a fabulous piece of art.
* Regularly display fresh flowers.
* Do a nose check for unpleasant smells and adjust appropriately.

Does your entrance provide an invitation of welcome?

Use these simple tips to address lack of motivation, lethargy, and procrastination and get things moving again!

• Be sure all doors open completely. This includes closets, cupboards, wardrobes, and entrances.
• Keep hallways, pathways, and furniture placement unobstructed. 36” of space is ideal.
•  Create a focal point wall in each room. Ensure there’s enough blank spaces to allow the eye to rest between groupings.
•  Purge items you no longer use.
•  Install a fountain near your front entrance.
•  Hang large mirrors in dark rooms, except bedrooms.
•  Use pops of color to guide movement throughout the space.
•  Rearrange your furniture.
•  Rotate your art, linens, accents and knick knacks.
•  Use specific decorations for each season and/or holiday.

Moving 27 Things is also a great way to move stuck chi.

• Replace silk & dried flowers with live plants
• Add moving water near the front entrance (inside or out). To keep fountains going during winter, insert a bird bath heater.
• Rearrange the art on your walls
• Briefly open windows
• Regularly play enlivening music

To get things really moving, try the “Magic of Moving 27 Things“ cure.

In the northern hemisphere, we are moving into winter and the element of water. It’s quieter, darker, colder and a time to go inward with yin activities like resting, meditating, inner reflecting, etc. Here are some feng shui suggestions to align with the season:

• Purge books, clothes, files, and images that represent your “old” self.
• Cultivate rituals of inner reflection incorporating the element of water by taking baths, soaking your feet & using hot tubs.
• Add more warmth to your space with candles, fires in the hearth and red/orange throw blankets.
• Invite your family to sit down together and share heart warming stories.
• Allow additional time for rest & relaxation.
• If you don’t already do so, start a journal to express creativity and gratitude.
• Choose full spectrum bulbs in lamps and fixture most used.
• Use citrus essential oil combinations for a lively boost.
• Enroll in a class to learn something new.
• Participate in a community service project.
• Use ceiling fans in the reverse direction to move chi.

Be mindful of your thoughts. As you know, what you think you become.

• A designated a@#hole will be angry with you when you don’t do what they want. The lesson: be okay with pissing people off when you are making good choices for yourself.
• A designated a@#hole will make you wrong when your beliefs are different than yours. The lesson: be accepting of difference.
• A designated a@#hole will judge you for your appearance. The lesson: get comfortable in your own skin.
• A designated a@#hole will act superior to you. The lesson: don’t look for outside validation of yourself.

Ultimately the designated a@#hole will guide each of us to not personalize their behavior. The truth is any kind of negative behavior from someone else is not really about us, it’s about them.

What are your designated a@#holes saying to you?