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Feng
Shui Joy Notes
E-zine #19— March 2004
Nourish
your Creative Side
I just spent
a weekend in northern Wisconsin. There was about 24" of snow on the
ground. This was enough snow that even my Golden Retriever, Riggs, had
a very difficult time getting around in it. Saturday was a sunny day,
no wind, and in the 50's - a perfect winter day in my book. The landscape
was breathtakingly beautiful as I took a leisurely walk down a country
road with four foot high piles of snow on either side. It was a winter
wonderland Ð not a soul around except me, Riggs, and the birds. I took
this opportunity to walk quietly and just savor the moment. Feeling totally
refreshed and energized when I returned, my intuition led me to: Make
a Snowman! After all, this was perfect snow packing weather.
As I built the
snowman, I reflected on how fast paced our lives can become. Life may
speed by so fast that we don't take the time to nourish our creative side.
Perhaps we think that expressing our creativity isn't as important as
our more left-brained activities like work and balancing the checkbook.
In fact, my first thought while building the snowman was to quickly slap
together three balls, pile them up, insert some sticks for eyes and arms,
and proudly declare "Yes, I built a snowman." But as I worked
on it, my creativity pushed its way to the forefront. I saw possibilities
in this snowman. He could become a really cool snowman. I added details:
a nose, eyes, eyebrows, smiling mouth, snow arms (not just sticks), and
even EARS. If we had stayed longer, I'm sure there would have been a.
snowwoman, snowchild and maybe even a snowdog.
Taking time to
honor our creativity and have fun not only gives us pleasure but serves
a higher purpose of stimulating our minds. We can actually work better
and smarter if we allow time to express ourselves creatively. A creative
mind thinks of more ways to write a speech or a letter and comes up with
more creative solutions to difficult problems. Taking time to play actually
improves work performance.
Julia Cameron
writes in The Artist's Way that we should take ourselves on a date
once a week. During this date, do something creative with pen, paints,
crayons, fabric, yarn, recipes, plants, etc. or something that stimulates
our creativity like browsing in a museum, art gallery, gift shop, arts
and crafts store, or garden.
We can use Feng
Shui to help stimulate creativity in your lives too.
- Look at your desk. Is there
anything on your desk that excites you to be your most creative self?
It only takes one thing to stimulate you. Perhaps it's a meaningful
rock, photo of your family, beanie baby, inspirational quote, or a copy
of the last book you wrote. Whatever it is, if it inspires you to create,
it belongs on your desk. Remove everything that doesn't inspire you.
You'll be able to think more clearly with a clean desk too.
- If you have a particularly
inspiring picture, place it on the wall directly in front of your desk
so that you see it every time you look up.
- Place your desk so that
you have a view of the doorway if possible.
- If you have a beautiful
view out your window, take time to look at it, get inspired, and then
go back to your desk to do your work. I don't recommend that you sit
with your desk facing out a window. You may spend more time looking
out the window than you do working. This could put your back to the
doorway too, which will lower your creativity and productivity.
- Find the Creativity and
Children gua of your home. Place something here that reminds you to
express your creativity. It could be a quote on creativity, a picture
that you drew or painted, or artwork that just looks like fun! If the
room in your Creativity gua is conducive to redecorating with a fun
motif such as a laundry room, use a fun border or paint a mural on the
wall. This would also be a great place to hang pictures of children
or artwork done by children. (To find the Creativity & Children gua
of your home, go to Feng Shui Basics).
- Even if the Creativity
and Children area falls in a place like a formal living room, you can
still place an enhancement there that will serve as a reminder to express
your creativity, such as a metal sculpture, colorful picture in a metal
frame, or a lush plant.
- Clean up after each of
your creative outbursts. This will keep the Ch'i lifted in the area.
Clutter is stagnant energy. It requires less energy to clean up right
after the activity is over then it does later when you wish to do something
creative again and have to clean up first.
- Allow time each week to
express your creative side. Have fun making a date with yourself. It
can be as elaborate as painting a picture or as simple as baking a batch
of cookies, doodling in a sketchbook, or building a snowman.
Honor your creative
side in a way that expresses your desires and interests. You'll be glad
you did.
For a quick jumpstart
on creating the life that you desire, contact
me to find out about a personal Feng Shui consultation.
Joy
Feng
Shui 2004 Parade Home
As I mentioned
in last month's newsletter, plans are underway to build a Feng Shui Parade
home. Michael F. Simon Builders is constructing a parade home with Feng
Shui principles in mind. This home will be in the Bergamont Subdivision
in Oregon on the Andy North golf course that's being built there. The
back of the house will feature views of several fairways and a pond. It's
a ranch style home with a master bedroom on the first floor and 3-4 bedrooms
in the lower level. During the parade, June 12-27, members of the Wisconsin
Feng Shui Guild will be present to explain Feng Shui aspects of the home.
We'll also be doing short mini-talks on Feng Shui in the lower level throughout
the Parade. I will publish times of those talks in my June newsletter
and let you know when I plan to be at the Parade home. I hope you'll have
a chance to view this beautiful Feng Shui home.
New
Romance Book
The Western
Guide to Feng Shui for Romance, The Dance of Heart and Homeby
Terah Kathryn Collins has just been released. It is a wonderful source
of ideas on how to use Feng Shui to stimulate the romance and balance
in your life. Whether you wish to be swept off your feet by a lover, or
to fully embrace the experience of being single, you can create a romantic
life. It resides in the dance of heart and home, and you are the dancer.
This book comes complete with a meditation CD. To order this wonderful
book, check out the Resource page for easy
ordering from Amazon.com.
Joy
Notes Q&A
Joy,
My
condominium is 'attached' directly to another unit on one entire side.
When I prepare the map of the bagua, do I also consider my neighbor's
unit within my initial map? I have my own private entrance. (My home is
not in an 'apartment style' building, but more like a duplex style).ÊÊ
Cheryl,
Madison, WI
Cheryl,
When
laying the bagua on your home, only use the part that is your home. From
your description, I believe you have a straight wall between the two units,
so you donÕt have to be concerned about some of your home missing and
being in your neighbor's home. If you have a condo or apartment where
part of the bagua is missing and in your neighbor's home, we try to anchor
that missing corner. Obviously, we can't plant a tree in your neighbor's
living room in order to anchor the missing corner though. (I think they
would strongly object to that.) We can work with the interior of your
home instead to bring the missing area back into the home. A mirror on
the wall closest to the missing corner will symbolically expand the wall
out to the missing area. A round, multi-faceted crystal will also serve
the same purpose. Or consider what area is missing and place enhancements
on your wall that will symbolize the missing area. (i.e., Love & Relationship
=Lush flower arrangements, plants, pairs of things, romantic pictures).
Do all of these with the intention that you are only bringing the missing
corner into your home, NOT that you are bringing your neighbor's energy
into your home.
Joy
If you have a
question you'd like to see answered in an upcoming issue of Feng Shui
Joy Notes, send your question to Joy
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