Lose 10 Pounds in one hour!

If you thought – BS! You’re right – almost. This is a diet that’s not about not eating, Signature - 1nor incredible exercise (although it does involve an exercise!) and, true enough, it only takes one hour. I’m posting useful hints and short bits about starting to get rid of your excess stuff.  It is about losing weight – the cleaning, the storage $, the insurance to protect it, the stolen time justing thinking about where something is.

While I’ve run courses to help people lost their excess, I want to try now a slightly different tack.  I want to help you enjoy yourself as you’re down to what’s really important. So the link I’m giving you here is just a very small start. But the reward can be so enjoyable that you’ll want to follow along and do more -bit by bit. So check out the latest newsletter.

And do leave a comment!

The Possibilities and Limitations of Feng Shui

As powerful and effective as Feng Shui can be, it is not a cure all. It’s important to know what this Key in bookancient art and science can do and what it cannot do. Some folks feel Feng Shui brings good luck.
If one’s fortunes change, I guess you could call that good luck.  That’s a bit too indefinite for me.  Others say the changes appear to be mystical. Yes, if by just moving furniture around, everything in the home goes better-it would appear to be mystical.

Anyone can move furniture around, but the energy of a place doesn’t always change -and sometimes not for the better!  Yet, properly applied, the changes can be profound. With Creative Visions I try to pass along simple techniques that can affect your harmony, your prosperity, your health and your relationships. Then there also comes a point where you need professional help, and that’s when a complementary conversation determines if my services can effectively make significant changes in your life.

Where is your belief? Would you care to make a comment?

Expanding Feng Shui – the good news!

As I study Feng Shui, the tradition, rules, and guidelines that have come down to us in the West,  I have questions.  Sometimes trying to figure out how particular ‘cure’ should be applied. Sometimes the poetic nature of the base principle becomes downright confusing as how to use it. The entire scheme of Feng Shui is steeped in a culture most of us here in the west find foreign – we don’t have the context. The poetic way it is expressed doesn’t fit our love of specificity.

The wisdom of Feng Shui made me wonder, what was here in the West that could also be called  “feng shui”? Surely there had to be things that have been developed here that reflected the wisdom of the East but rooted in the West.

Our local paper, Sneak Preview, just published a notice that a Permaculture Design Course would be offered beginning in February. Many of the principles contained in Permaculture includes what a sustainable or regenerative lifestyle looks like.


This is NOT a Western middle class style. Permaculture incorporates what happens as climate change takes it’s toll.
At it’s base, Permaculture teaches how to synergize with Nature.

The article defines Permaculture at “a system of land use planning and a design protocol for creating human habitations that embody three ethical foundations: care of the Earth, care of people, and the reinvestment of surplus to support those ethics.” It’s basis is positive approach to see our place in nature – not as dominators and controllers – but as an intelligent contributing part.  If successful, is that not also the results of successful Feng Shui?

I’ve been invited to talk Saturday, Feb 27, at the Chinese New Year’s celebration in Jacksonville. I will tease out some of permaculture practices that I term Western Feng Shui and how we can use them now. I will demonstrate the interconnections between Fng Shui and Permaculture. Of course, many will say that Feng Shui is about the placement of items INSIDE the house. Originally it was used to site the grave sites of the ancestors. Hardly inside stuff! We can use it when siting a house, deciding whether or not to buy certain land, how to lay out an effective landscape. For those who feel Feng Shui is only for how to paint the wall and where to put the couch, I doubt that the talk will have any interest, but for others, I hope you will make it. The talk will be in the Old Jail in Jacksonville.

I will be giving two talks that day. You can make sure this will be a good use of your time if you will write me a note and tell me what you would like to know by attending. use <info@creative-visions.co> to send me what you’d like to take away.

Taking a Cue from Nature

Much of Feng  Shui comes from studying the way Nature works and utilizing the lessons learned.  So what does Fall tell us?  I want to suggest several things you can apply to your own life.

First, Nature is slowing down. She is bestowing her bounty on us during harvest. Lessons: First, slow down. speed:slowWe are so overloaded in a culture that pushes us to speed up faster and faster. You are a human being, not a human doing. You’ve heard that many times, but have you tried it for yourself?

Second: take gifts from the sumner and preserve them for the winter. Review your business. Take a look at your finances, especially your income and out expenses. Are they in balance? Make lists of things that need to be renovated, repaired or redecorated during the quiet time of winter. Get the items needed for your favorite hobby, i.e. scrapbooking. What about reviewing your photos with an idea of giving photo books for Holliday gifts?

More from Nature: Leaves are turning the most gorgeous colors. fall colorRich and deep.  Earth colors and rich metal colors of gold.. In Feng Shui, we use the Earth colors for grounding, and the golds speak of multidimensional wealth.  What are the portions of your life that are grounded, rich and vibrant? This is a time too look, reflect and evaluate such things both in your personal and your business life.

For me, fall has a bittersweet quality to it. I’m sad to see Summer pass. I’m reminded that change is the only constant in our world. Things are dying, and it’s time to let go. It’s time to slow down and reflect and meditate.  What are you holding onto that can be let go?

In many parts of the US, there is an ‘Indian Summer’ a time when nights are cool, days are perfect. It often shows up after a cold spell and is sort of a seasonal curtain call of summer passing. That brings me back to the bittersweet quality of Fall.

What is the shape that sums this all up? The symbol we see that even predates the Bagua energy map? It is the Tai Chi – the Ying Yan symbol where dark gives way to light giving way to dark. yinyangWhen it would appear that light is to become complete, a speck of darkness appears. And as the change continues, the dark begins to take over.  We see this in the natural world, where there is never a sharp delineation of dark or light. Rather one edges the other out only to have the reverse happen. Can you see this happening in your own life? Your own career?

And the takeaway? Harvest all the good things that have happened this year, and write them down. See how they contain the seeds for your future growth, future prosperity, further happiness. Nurture these during the coming months and be ready to plant them in new, fertile ground next spring.

Windows – through a glass darkly

Who wants clean windows?

We all do, that’s who. I was just sent the following article with “7 ultimate” tips for clean windows. http://tinyurl.com/q6fuujj  Go ahead and read it if you want, but I’m here to tell you you do not need any of the tips.  In fact, you only need a certain cloth and plain water.

Mystic MaidA friend gave me a “Mystic Maid” cloth months ago.  It looked like most any other microweave cloths, so I put it away. She had told me it was an incredible invention. Yeah, sure.  But later, for some obscure reason, I got it out and looked it up on the net (http://tinyurl.com/oh8sx7t) and thought, “worth a try.”

Was I surprised by the ease of no streaked clean windows? Oh yeah.  Yes, I had to rinse the dirt off the cloth, but that’s not beyond my skill level! I went back to their site to explore a bit more and found the “press reviews.” http://tinyurl.com/px5v6ex. I am now a believer, for windows, porcelain, stainless.  Because it costs $15, I treat it with care and don’t go after the really nasty stuff.

How much have I spent on squegee, mop, cloths, and cleaner? More than $15. But $15 is certainly worth it when I can, in 8 minutes, clean the slider to the patio, the kitchen windows inside and out with a single cloth and water.  I now have clean windows and can keep it that way with no bother.

This was NOT a paid commercial. Simple is better. And this is good Feng Shui!

Interior Design vs Feng Shui

Interior Design, by it’s very nature, is client centric. The designer takes the client’s requirements and creates an environment which pleases the client.  There’s nothing wrong with that and it works for many people, especially those who have very specific ideas about how they want things to look but don’t know how to get there.

Yin-Yang-by-Virtual-Alchemy-Feng Shui, good feng shui, is more holistic. The best feng shui creates a space that is balanced. Not just for the client, but for everyone who enters the space.  Feng Shui creates an enveloping  energy that is both positive and supportive of everyone.  In that sense, the path feng shui takes can incorporate the ideas of the client but goes far beyond. Sometimes good interior design can get there also, but the feng shui practitioner knows exactly how and where the path is.

Are you wanting to change a home? A business? A room?  Look at the work for both the feng shui practitioner and the designer. Talk with the friends of those folk and see where your scale balances. Feel unsure about this? You can give me a call and I will be glad to help guide you to your best decision. 541-488-1777.

5 Keys to Effective Lighting

It’s amazing how much light affects us, yet most people have little awareness about this important element. Surprisingly, light is not included as one of the 5 elements in Feng Shui, yet it’s affects on us can be just as significant as the other elements. So here are 5 tips to make light work for you.

daylight1) Try to get at least a half hour of real sunlight a day. If you can’t, take Vitamin D3.

2) Don’t place lights sources in back of you. Often kitchens and offices just have overhead lights and people stand at a surface casting a shadow on their work. Under-counter lights to correct this. The less you strain your eyes, the less likely your eyesight will diminish with age.

3) Visible light comes in a full color spectrum. Though most of us can’t recognize the different between a 2500K light source and a 5K source, it affects the colors we see and how we feel about them.  Many people say “use daylight, or full spectrum lights. That’s fine, but the light feels cold and impersonal. It can do the same thing to many colors, making warm color feel cold. We are used to a warmer light. So before you replace bulbs (anywhere!) go to a dealer who has a series flight boxes with the same photo in each. You’ll quickly see which one looks the best to you. That’s the amount of Kelvin you want to get. [Kelvin is the measurement of the light wave length.)

4) If you’re converting to LEDs you are being kind to the environment and using electricity wisely. But make sure you know what you’re getting. Ever notice some new cars have piercingly blue/white headlights? You don’t want that inside. Look for warm white LEDs for inside use.
Storefront5) Want to draw attention to something? Put lots of light on it. If you’re in business, you’d be surprised how that can bring people into a store. Likewise, if you want your party to be mellow and casual, keep the lighting soft.  Soft lighting

One fellow I know made his entire lucrative business lighting restaurants so that women look really good.  He laughed all the way to the bank while his cynics thought he was cracked. How and were you use light is more important than you think.

Want to solve a situation with light? Call Sugeet. He’s not only a Feng Shui expert, he also was an art gallery director for 12 years. Talk about lighting!

Start to eliminate overwhelm. Here’s a key

You may know you are in overwhelm or that you become overwhelmed from time to time.  How bad does it get?Overwhelm How often? If you’ll take the time to look at you desk (if that’s where you spend most of your time) or your office, or you shop, or you home, and you see clutter, you have a thermometer for overwhelm.  It’s a well known fact in Feng Shui and in business circles that if you have a lot of clutter, your thinking will reflect that back.

It’s an ego trip to think of “how busy I am, look at everything I need to get done…” That’s the perfect cue to go into overwhelm. You probably aren’t getting that much done and what you do get done may not be your best work. So take the baby step, clear everything off your desk and only outback things that are used everyday. Keep it simple. Then notice that you are thinking more clearly about what you have to get don. Try it! You’ll like it.

The Teacher got Caught

Recently my refrigerator went down and had to be replaced. The new was deeper than the old. Once in place, the new frig New Refrigeratorwould prevent the pantry door from opening. I got the men to remove the pantry door. OMG, I forgot that the back of the door had a 6 self storage unit on it filled with food. That one move required a total redesign for the pantry. It meant eliminating so much: unused spices, cans of unusual stuff I had not used in years….

Next came the realization I have more than enough. In fact, I have TOO MUCH. Time to dredge the depths of closets, drawers, the storage places and remove “stuff” clogging up the areas.

Once the pantry was done, what about the other parts of the kitchen? The coat closet? The dresser drawers. etc.,etc.,etc.

Now I have 20 grocery bags full of stuff to be repurposed to others, sold, or donated.

And even after that, there’s so much left!

The teacher needs to be practicing what he preaches!

My wish? Those who enjoy what I coach would allow me to help them. You may know I recently ran a series of webinars and free teleconferences. They were singularly unsuccessful, and what follows was typical when I surveyed folks as to what was wanted, needed and what they would do about it.

Clients wanted me to give Feng Shui cures for their home. But the home was full of very confused energy, due to the owner’s multifaceted interests and pursuits. They felt if I gave them some Feng Shui cures, all the confusion would dissipate and their life would change. If we were in the kitchen, they wanted the finished dinner and I, as their cook, would provide it. What didn’t they see? Certain things would have to happen and happen in a certain order before dinner could appear. They could’t expect a calm, serene, and nourishing home (or ‘dinner’ of the example) until they became willing to clean out the clutter. Once done, clarity would become evident, or at least visible.

However, the clients would not, could not, face the challenge. Instead they wanted a device, or an object, or an arrangement, that would give them their desired result.  I don’t have a magic wand, I have a very useful tool kit. I can help facilitate, coach, offer tools that work, but I don’t have a magic wand. More importantly, Feng Shui is an art and a science, when used properly, harmonize the person(s) and their environment.

They did not seem to be in touch with the fact we co-create.

My point? If we want change, we have to be willing to do something different. Just as getting a new refrigerator showed me that I needed to clean out my space, sometimes what isn’t obvious at first has been staring me in the face for a long time! Who, in this materialistic consumer society of ours, couldn’t use greater clarity? Being swamped with all our material goods, we don’t see that we can do it, and do it together is far easier!

Once cleared out, the next steps appear. That’s part of the magic!

Want less frustration and anger?

I’m amazed at how many readers admit to having clutter but clean it up and clear it out? Denial and procrastination come galloping forth. So today I find another’s  well written argument for clutter removal and revamping life. Join the conversation,

http://tinyurl.com/kejy4d3

let’s hear what you have to say.