We’re through the holidays – now what? If we notice that Feng Shui follows the natural patterns of Nature, we’ll see that this is a quiet time, a time for drawing in. Nature is resting now, renewing. Covered in many places with a blanket of white, and in other with a blanketed in cold. In either case Nature is quietly rejuvenating. Follow the pattern, and let it be OK that we are not frantic with activity. A good book, a quiet fire, an intimate evening with friends – all these are incredibly nourishing. If you find yourself sleeping an extra hour a day or taking naps, Good!You’re allowing the natural flow of energy to slow, relax and rejuvenate. You’re recharging your batteries.
A gift Giving Thanks
At a time when the corporate world wants to move us away from giving thanks to buying material things for “gifts”, a friend sent me this. View it full screen. It is a gift and reminds me of just how precious this existence is. http://bit.ly/sXC0rU
Have to sell? Want to sell?
Important Points to remember: Boost the curb appeal by fresh paint, flowers (no matter the season) and a GREAT front entrance. Doesn’t need to be overly grand, understated elegance is best. Not sure how to get there? That’s what I’m for! 84% of buyers use the the Internet to shop initially. Obviously a house the invites from the street is likely to get many more visits.
If you budget allows it, invest in bigger things. Kitchen and Bathroom are first. 59% of buyers have remodeled within the first 3 months of ownership. 47% did the kitchen, 43% attacked the bathroom. So these two can be make or break rooms for the sale.
Getting out of the box
A few lights seem to be coming on in the business world. The icon of great office furniture, Herman Miller, is starting to realize that the cubicle, a design pioneered by Miller, tends to isolate and objectify workers. A small movement (may it grow and grow quickly) is happening, a movement to get a more natural relationship for people who work together. 
Tres Birds Workshop was commissioned to concept, design and build an art installation in Downtown Denver. The purpose? To encourage people get out of their offices for daily fresh air breaks. “We highly recommend it. It’s wonderful to see that more people are realizing the more we make workers feel like they are filed in storage lockers, and then free them into collaborative relationships, the more we can create harmony and productivity.” All the vegetation used in the installation was reused and/or recycled afterwards – including the furniture!
Another forward thinker is proudcing a movie “Three Walls” about just how wrong boxing people into cubicles is. You can watch a preview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4qMtBTeLs0
Where did Feng Shui orginate? Observing the ways of Nature. Hmmmm.
A Science or an Art?
Trying to explain the unexplainable (Feng Shui) one has to look for analogies that everyone can grok. I’m dealing with that right now as I prepare a 8 minute presentation to my BNI group. What I’ve arrived at (for now) is the following: You want to put in a doorway or entry from one room to another. 
The science analogy is composed of many parts – is the wall load bearing? What size opening? What are the best tools to use to do the job? The art analogy is the design: archway or rectangular? Door or no door? Any trim? Wall color? 
All these factors must be considered (and often are not) before proceeding. And that’s why it’s worth the dollars spent to bring in an expert – you can avoid mistakes, pitfalls and expensive redoes before you start. This is also why folks who read a book or two on Feng Shui often do not get the results they desire. No fault of their own, it’s just that there are so many factors all of which have to be considered. Done right and all sorts of “magic” can happen. So what do you want? DIY? Or bring in an expert? Your choice.
Keep it Clear!
Summer is the time we trip in and out of the house: back door, front door, any door – shed the shoes, drop the gear, set the garbage for taking out. The problem with this style of living is we are dropping boulders in the stream of chi. The front door is the mouth of chi for the house, but any entrance allows chi in and back out. The more clutter you have at any entrance to the house, the more you block favorable energy from coming in.
The solution: keep entrances free from clutter and pleasing to the eye. This may require developing a new habit. Not only for you, but the entire family. And old habits are hard to break, but if you keep a compassionate reminder for your partner/for your kids, you can allow everyone to slowly adopt new behavior patterns — ones that allow for the free flow of positive energy to come home and enhance your life. Be brave! Go for it! And if you run into problems, remember you can always drop me a line asking for a bit of coaching info@creativevisionscv.com. Blessings!
Memorial Day – remembering What?
This Memorial Day, I invite you to widen your remembrances: from those who have given their lives in conflicts to the whole of Nature. The more I study Feng Shui, the more I realize that real prosperity comes from such study. Nature in it’s essence is abundant. The ancient Chinese studied the way Nature moved through a space and then cooperated and synergized with it, learning the subtleties the natural world presented. By cooperating and augmenting those energies, they increased the bounty of the people they helped. It is no different today. Finding what blocks the flow, what is antagonistic, what energies remain in a place all can be moderated, redirected, eradicated. So Monday, take a moment to look in your garden – notice how the weeds want to crowd your plants out. Notice how some plants do not like to be around other plants. Others, given some attention, bloom more vigorously than if left alone. All this is the Feng Shui of the natural world. Be grateful, as the lessons continue to present themselves. Happy Memorial Day!
Color Blindness
What a curious situation! – a story I did not understand for years. Now I’m going to feature it in my next newsletter: The Curious Case of the Color Blind Feng Shui Master. How it came about and what reality is are two very different situations – incongruous to say the least. If you’d like to follow along and are not a subscriber already, I recommend you click the link to the right and subscribe. The issue will be published in early July.
The Role of Beauty
A client approached me to revitalize and change the energy and look of a dry cleaning establishment. I did so and this location turned into the gold mine that kept the business afloat during the economic downturn. The sad part is the owner started losing interest, wanting to move on,and in so doing started forgetting the details – the details not associated with dry cleaning. People are now talking, and business is declining. He wants to sell, but the price he can get is decreasing as well. I’m going to do a case study on this business in the June/July issue of the newsletter. God is in the details, and you’ll have graphic proof of how important those details are.
Using Color to Change your World
Using color is not unlike creating a meal. First what are you hungry for? With color, how do you want to feel?
Next buy the ingredients. Choose the color that you think supports what you want. Start to cook. Add too much of this, or listen to too many other cooks and what do you get? Yuk. Ask too many friends what shade to use–or better yet look at Pittsburgh’s 1,700 colors and chances are you’ll miss the mark. Nice thing about paint though, you can always paint over. But check out what you’re doing with your local Feng Shui master, because there’s an art and a science to using color to produce the mood, the feeling, the harmony you want. And you won’t have to paint it over!