Using Feng Shui to Make Your Life Easier!

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui, although new to the West, is an ancient indigenous Chinese form of
life-space design and has been practiced as an integral part of their culture for
over 5000 years.

Using Feng Shui gives us the ability to use our homes as templates to improve our
lives.

Using Feng Shui is one of the ways I partner with my home.

In a partnership, we both give and receive. We give to our homes by

maintaining and beautifying them. When asked the questions: What do we
receive from our homes? What do they give us? most of us would answer:
shelter, safety, comfort, nurturing, joy, connection. But my clients and students
who are using Feng Shui would add to that list: success.

My goal in this Guide is to empower you with the right steps to effectively
begin using the Feng Shui Bagua, so that you can begin experimenting with
Feng Shui.
And when you do, expect to be surprised and delighted at how much easier it is
to accomplish your goals and acheive your success! :-)

You may have heard of the Feng Shui Bagua. The Bagua is an energy grid, or
map, to show us what parts of our home activate which stagings areas of our
life.

Just like an Acpuncture Chart shows where the body can be stimulated to up-
level certain organs and systems, the Bagua shows areas of our home that can
be stimulated, or interacted with, to up-level different areas of our life.

Heres what you need to know about the Bagua:

1. We superimpose the Bagua over a floor plan, with the front entry at the bottom.
2. The Bagua can be widened or elongated to fit the dimensions of the space.
3. Each square represents a Gua, or area of the Bagua.
4. Each Gua governs (or wants to support) a certain part of your life.
5. Each Gua needs certain elements to activate its potential to support you.

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 Step #1: Treat the Feng Shui Bagua as The Board of Directors of Your Life

You could spend years studying the Bagua, and I have! It is a very complex and
powerful tool. Heres an image of the octagon shaped Chinese Bagua:

The good news is that the Bagua is also very easy to start using. Ive created a
Bagua that will make your Feng Shui experimenting fun and easy.

Heres my method to begin harnessing the power and potential of the Feng Shui
Bagua: Think of the Bagua as The Board of Directors of Your Life.

Each Gua, or area, is a Member of the Board. Each Gua, or Board Member, has
a certain job, certain gifts to give you. Each Gua must be activated with the
right element in order to do its job well.

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1. Imagine this grid placed over your floor plan, with the front door on the bottom line.
2. Imagine elongating or widening the Bagua to fit the dimensions of your home. You
wont have a room for each Gua, homes rarely work that way.
3. Theres a lot of information on this Bagua; for now, just notice the titles of each Gua.

4 YIN | WOOD 9 YA N G | F I R E 2 Y I N | E A RT H

Partnerships
Prosperity Fame
Love
Abundance Reputation
Marriage

3 YA N G | W O O D 5 B A L A N C E | E A RT H 7 Y I N | M E TA L

Health Creativity
Family
Unity Projects
Community
Children

8 YA N G | E A RT H 1 Y I N | W AT E R 6 Y A N G | M E TA L

Knowledge Helpful Friends

Career
Wisdom Compassion
Life Path
Self-improvement Travel

E N T R A N C E TO YO U R S PAC E

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 Step #2: Know the Job Description for each Gua, or Board Member

What if you knew that each Gua is able to support you experiencing the following goals?

Gua 1: Career/Life Path

I enjoy my work, it enables me to share my talents in the world in a powerful way.
I am on-line with what I choose to do in life; I am following my heart, my guidance.
I am abundantly rewarded for all I give in life and in my career.

Gua 2: Love/Marriage/Partnership
I lovingly partner with everyone in my life to co-create harmony and joy and support.
I release all patterns that keep me from feeling safe, trusting, open and intimate.
I experience perfect balance of my own (and my partner's) male and female energy.

Gua 3: Ancestral and Spiritual Family ** This Gua represents your Past
I feel supported and secure in all staging areas of my life.
My sex life is fulfilling and wonderful; I release all old negative programming about sex .
My emotional, mental, and physical health and stamina is improving.

Gua 4: Abundance/Prosperity ** This Gua is President of the Board, in charge of Manifesting

I feel gratitude; I enjoy prosperity in every staging area of my life, including financial.
I share my gifts in the world in a powerful way, receiving abundant compensation.
My stable income allows me to enjoy fulfilling my dreams.

Gua 5: Health/Unity
I enjoy vibrant good health; my body and countenance radiate energy and vitality.
I feel centered, grounded, and "on my right path" in life.
My life demonstrates unity of body/mind/spirit.

Gua 6: Helpful Friends/Travel

I am treated fairly and honestly and I receive all the support I need.
Wonderful mentors show up to teach, help, and support me.
My intuition and divine guidance are easily available to me.

Gua 7: Children/Creativity ** This Gua represents your Future

If I am choosing to conceive and bear a child, this process will unfold perfectly.
I love my inner child, and have a joyful relationship with the children in my life.
My beliefs and body and life are vibrant and youthful, no matter what my age.

Gua 8: Knowledge/Wisdom/Self-Improvement
I am able to tap into my inner wisdom and attract perfect guidance and opportunity.
I am creative and flexible, staying "in the flow" as I work toward my goals.
I take joy in acheiving excellence.

Gua 9: Fame/Reputation
I accept myself and my life; I now have the courage to do what I have always wanted to do.
I have the respect of my family, friends, coworkers, and strangers.
Others see me as valuable and protect my good reputation.

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There is much more that to the Feng Shui Bagua than just what each area wants
to do for you, but that is a GREAT place to start!

I have literally had students go home from my classes, and cut that Job
Description handout into strips and tape those strips on the walls in the
appropriate Gua of their home (until they had time to write their OWN intentions
to program each Gua)... and within just a few days, they could feel their life
beginning to shift in positive ways!

To really begin to experience the power of Feng Shui, youll take that list of Job
Descriptions, or intentions for each Gau, and write your own.

Step #3: Make Friends with Yin and Yang

Your next step to harnessing the power of Feng Shui is to become familiar with
the terms Yin and Yang and know how to bring more of each into a room.

As you look at the Bagua on page 4, youll notice that each Gua is labeled at
the top either Yin or Yang (except for the center Gua 5, which is the perfect
balance of both).

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Yin and Yang are not opposing dualities, but complementary opposites. The are
the unseen (hidden, feminine) and seen (manifest, masculine) energies, that
interact within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system.

Feng Shui considers Yin the feminine, or receptive, principle and Yang as the
masculine, or dynamic principle.

In each room, or area of the Bagua, we want to have the right balance of Yin
and Yang energies. This chart shows us how to do that:

To add more YIN to a room, include: To add YANG to a room, include:

curved, flowing shapes
dark, muted colors
soft, absorbing textures
soft lighting
rich, full window and floor treatments
the more furniture, the more yin
straight, vertical lines
warm, bright colors
firm, smooth textures
natural and bright light
open window/floor options
fewer items open the space

Step #4: Get to Know the Five Elements

Your next step in harnessing the power of Feng Shui is to become familiar with
the Five Element Theory and how to bring more of the elements into a room.

The FIVE ELEMENT THEORY is the indigenous Chinese explanation of how Yin and
Yang manifest different energy patters. The following explanation with give you
a feel for what each element is good for, and how to activate that element in
your rooms.

WATER energy is YIN. The Water Element has two aspects: still and moving.
Moving water moves energy from high to low (picture a waterfall) and is good
for relaxing and equalizing the energy of the surrounding forces. To activate
the flowing chi of Moving Water, use dark blues and fountains, aquariums, fish
mobiles, anything that hangs.
Still water recreates a womb-like safety and quiet for those times when we
need to rebirth ourselves. To activate Still Water energy, use the color black.

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WOOD energy expresses both as YIN (Gentle Breeze) and YANG (Thunder
Wood).
The Wood Element activates personal growth (think springtime!).
Wood colors are clear and energizing (not pastel); the best are purple and
green.
To activate the Wood Element, use pillars, vertical rectangles, plants that move
upward, stripes.

FIRE energy is YANG.

The Fire Element expands and speeds energy. Fire energy is dynamic,
passionate, powerful.
To activate the Fire Element, use any bright color, triangles, sunbursts, gloss or
semi-gloss finishes, candles, lights.

EARTH energy expressed as YIN (Mother Earth) and YANG (Mountain Earth)
and as BALANCED (depicted by the YinYang symbol).
The Earth Element grounds, stabilizes, and supports us.
To activate the Earth Element use horizontal rectangles and/or squares, darker
muted colors, faux-finished walls, built-in seats or shelves, low ceilings, and soft
comfortable furniture..

METAL energy expressed as YANG (Heaven) and YIN (Lake).

The Metal Element creates mental power.
To create mental focus, use the left-brain metal colors white, silver and gray.
To boost creativity, use the right-brain stimulation of all seven colors of the
rainbow.
To activate the Metal Element, use the circle shape, add wind chimes and
bells.

Step #5: Play with Color!

Notice the colors at the upper left of each Gua. Those are the colors that
activate that Gua.

You DONT have to paint the room in one of those colors... but those colors DO
add power to your intentions. So, dont be afraid to play with color!

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 Step #6: Learn to Program Each Gua with Your Intentions

Now you are ready to learn how to program a Gua with your intentions, or
goals. I always recommend starting with Gua 4, the Abundance Gua, as she (I
use that pronoun because Gua 4 is a Yin Gua) is in charge of manifesting your
goals. So I call her the President of the Board.

So lets say your big priority is to get your home de-cluttered and organized. Its
a process you know will take several months to complete, and you want to
harness your homes Feng Shui power to make the process easier and
successful.

Figure out where Gua 4, Abundance/Prosperity IS in your home. As you stand in

the front doorway of your home, looking in, what room is in the far left corner of
your home? It could be a closet, a bedroom, a living or dining area, an office.
Ours is the laundry room. Whatever room it is in your home, its affecting your
Abundance and Prosperity, your income, and your ability to manifest what you
prefer.

Directions to program Gua 4 for successful completion of your goals:

1. Clear the clutter in this room as soon as possible. (This will also help money
flow to you more easily!)
2. List your short-term goals. If your long term goal is to de-clutter and organize
your whole house, which rooms will you be working on this month? List specific
outcomes in a positive tone, and in the present tense. (Not I dont want
clutter, so I dont feel so awful in there, but I easily release all that is no
longer serving me in my bedroom, closet and bathroom, and I organize those
rooms in ways that are functional and pleasing to me.)
3. To be even more effective, this list will include your BIG WHY. What are the BIG
REASONS you want to de-clutter? What will that allow you to do or be that
youre not doing or being right now? You may want your home clutter-free so
you can have a family holiday gathering there, or so you can enjoy peace of
mind, or to help you loose weight (YES! When your home loses weight, your
body begins to correspond with the light and spacious energy by more easily
dropping excess weight!). Whatever your reasons, list them all.

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4. Find some items that represent how you will feel when youve de-cluttered
and organized your rooms. You may want to draw or collage some photos, or
images and words that inspire you and represent your BIG WHY.
5. Take your List and your images to the Abundance Gua, and a few items that
are special to you (like a shell from your last beach vacation, your favorite
amethyst gemstone, a jade plant or african violet) and create an Altar* as
close to the far left corner of your house as you can. *An Altar is any grouping
of items that alters your mood and energy level when you look at it or think
about it.
6. See the Bagua for ideas on colors for Altar items.
7. Arrange your Abundance Altar, holding in your mind and heart the Body-
Sense of having your goals already met. Finish with a prayer or intention
statement -- and then release your attachment to specific outcomes, and go
to work on your Action Plan!
8. Your Abundance Gua will be silently working for you, so dont ignore her!
Freshen your Altar once a month and update your intentions.

Theres a lot more to learn about Feng Shui, including how the Guas, or Board
Members, partner together to hep you create alignment and success. For now,
I hope youve enjoyed exploring the beginning Steps I teach my clients for how
to harness the power of Feng Shui. I hope youll experiment with Feng Shui, and
share your results with me!

Feel free to contact me at melody@transformingspace.com for information

about having a private Feng Shui consultation for your home.

Melody LeBaron
Transforming Space, Transforming Self

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