Spiritual Healing with Plants~ Plants Have Spirit and So Do You

Did you know that plants have a spirit and spirit is the strongest medicine?

Many of you have found me through your interest in Feng Shui.  I’d like to share with you that I also practice spiritual healing through Plant Spirit Medicine.  I offer both because of my personal experience benefiting from both. I have been receiving Plant Spirit Medicine treatments in 2005 and I find that even all these years later I still benefit from the healing wisdom of the plants. In Feng Shui we work on your house to ignite balance and harmony in your life.  In Plant Spirit Medicine we do the same thing but we do it by going right to your core, your spirit, with the generous help of the plant spirits.  To learn more about Plant Spirit Medicine treatments click here.

The Updated New Edition of Plant Spirit Medicine by Eliot Cowan is available!

Plant Spirit Medicine by Eliot Cowan is my favorite book and the updated edition is even better than the first! I first read this book in 1999 while studying herbal medicine and it was a big ah ha moment for me, I knew that Plant Spirit Medicine(PSM) was how I wanted to work with the plants and help people. I had a strong feeling that PSM would help me with my personal healing in a profound way.  No one practiced anywhere near where I lived so it took awhile for me to actually receive PSM. In the meantime I felt such a longing for the connection I experienced reading the book that every year for 5 years I would re-read the book, reigniting my longing to connect with this healing work. 

Finally I had my house Feng Shui’d in 2003 for the first time and everything changed! Less than a year later I moved across the country to Asheville, North Carolina.  Little did I know that Asheville is a hub of PSM healers.  After moving in and implementing Feng Shui to my new living space I searched for a Holistic MD to work with.  I made an appointment with a Dr. who looked like a great fit and she was only a 10 minute walk from my house.  They sent me a brochure and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that this Dr. practiced Plant Spirit Medicine and was trained by Eliot Cowan.  I have been receiving PSM ever since and my life has never been the same!  Eventually I trained with Eliot Cowan to become a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer.

You can purchase the Plant Spirit Medicine book locally or online at Bookshop Santa Cruz http://www.bookshopsantacruz.com/.

Tami Simon from Sounds True interviews Eliot Cowan author of Plant Spirit Medicine.  Listen to this great interview with Tami and Eliot!  

Listen to the interview by clicking here.

Plant Spirit Medicine Opportunity~

Are you interested in receiving Plant Spirit Medicine treatments? Would you like to benefit from the wisdom of a Master?  

My teacher, Eliot Cowan, will be in Santa Cruz teaching a Clinic Class for PSM healers on January 7-9, 2015. In this class myself and other PSM healers will present and treat our clients under Eliot's guidance. This is a great opportunity for our clients to benefit from Eliot's many years of experience as a healer and teacher of PSM. 

Would you like to be my client in this PSM Clinic Class with Eliot Cowan?

The main difference in the treatment process is the first treatment is done in front of the class (5-8 students) and begins with an intake between Eliot and the client and then I will give the treatment following Eliot's guidance and treatment plan. 

Requirements:

~A willingness to speak openly with Eliot in front of the class and receive a treatment in front of the class.

~A Commitment to a series of follow up PSM treatments. 

If you are interested to learn more about this opportunity to work with Eliot and myself please contact me for more details.  (831) 588-5424 or at megan@windandwaterblessings.com

Your Bedroom is the Most Important Room!

Sleep is meant to be a restorative time for our body and mind to relax deeply and to recharge our batteries. Did you know your bedroom is having a big impact on your body, mind and spirit while you are busy sleeping? We spend a lot of our life in our beds asleep.  This is why the Feng Shui of our bedroom is so important. The important features to consider are the position of your bed, what you keep in your bedroom and the bed itself.

The bed position that will ensure the best quality sleep and the most success in your life is when you have a commanding view of the door to the bedroom and a commanding view of the entire room from the bed.  This position will give you an assertive position in life and help you see your opportunities. When you cannot see the door, you will know on a subconscious level that an intruder would have the advantage and a part of you could be on guard all night long. You will sleep better and the room will feel and look better when your bed has this commanding view.

Ideally keep your bed out of the pathway of any doors (closets are okay).  Doorways bring in the flow of energy to a room and it can negatively impact your vital energy to sleep in this direct flow. The best place for a bed is against a solid wall with no window behind it, positioned so that you can see the main door to the room with out being in the path of a door.  It is not always easy to follow all of these guidelines because most architects did not design bedrooms with Feng Shui in mind!

The strongest bed has a solid wood headboard securely attached to the bed frame.  I do not recommend a foot board because people usually end up bumping into them and find them annoying. Having your bed directly on the floor can contribute to feeling "stepped on” in life.  The strongest bed is up off the floor, with nothing underneath it, so that the chi can flow.  If you have drawers under the bed as part of the frame then keep neutral items there like sheets and blankets.

The bedroom is the most private room in the house and because of this sometimes people neglect it or overcrowd it with stuff.  If this is you, then take a few steps to improve the most important room in the house:

·      Clear out the clutter, and make space for the chi to flow. 

·      Take out stuff that has nothing to do with sleep, relaxation, intimacy and dressing, making your bedroom your sanctuary.

·      If you cannot move a workspace, use a screen or curtain to hide it at night. 

·      Create for yourself a nourishing place to retire to at the end of the day.

·      Sleep well!

For Feng Shui advice tailored to your specific situation contact Megan at (831) 588-5424 or mailto:megan@windandwaterblessings.com. Megan Montero is a Feng Shui consultant trained in BTB Feng Shui.  She has been practicing Feng Shui in Santa Cruz since 2007 and offers Feng Shui consultations, color consultations and clutter clearing in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas. Learn more about Megan’s services at  http://www.windandwaterblessings.com.

Your Front Door-The Mouth of Chi

Did you know that your home is a being and your front door is it’s mouth? In Feng Shui we call the front door the mouth of chi. The mouth is where all the nourishment of life comes in to keep the building/body healthy.  This nourishing chi, or life force energy, helps to keep our whole lives healthy, happy and prosperous. A front door that is welcoming and easy to locate is an invitation for opportunities, healthy chi and success.

Evaluate your front door.  Take a walk down your street and notice your first impressions of your home and front door.  Is the front door easy to find?  Is the path to it clear and easy to get to?  Does your entrance uplift you and invite you in?  If you experience a moment of confusion as to where the front door is, the Chi may have a hard time finding you and so might the opportunities of life.

Feng Shui Tips For Your Front Door: 3 Things you can do to enhance your front door and entrance to welcome opportunities and a healthy flow of chi into your home and life.

·      1. Clear the path to the front door and clear the area around it.  Remove anything blocking the door from the inside (tables/shoes/coats). Obstacles in your path will create obstacles in your life.

·      2. Use it. If no one ever used the front door it is like a dead door. Using it will help to bring the healthy chi inside.

·     3.  Create a welcoming and attractive environment.  Invite the Chi to your door and uplift the entrance by using sound, color, movement and healthy plants.

The movement and sound created by a wind chime or a water fountain will attract the chi to your front door.  Water represents the flow of money so make sure the water in your fountain is flowing towards your front door and not away from it.  A wind chime is only helpful if you like the sound of it.  Metal wind chimes are the most effective.

Painting your front door an attractive color is an effective way to make your door stand out.  Red is an auspicious color and good for attracting chi but only if you like it.

Plants in colorful pots surrounding the door attract healthy energy but not if they are crowding the area around the door. A path lined with colorful flowers and a colorful flags (movement) are good ways to attract the chi.

You do not have to do all these things, just enough to bring a smile to your face.  The priority is to use solutions that lift your chi and enhance the whole building.  Work to create front door enhancements that will make you feel welcome and at home.

For Feng Shui advice tailored to your specific situation contact Megan at (831) 588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com. Megan Montero is a Feng Shui consultant trained in BTB Feng Shui.  She has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007 and offers Feng Shui consultations, color consultations and clutter clearing coaching in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas and by phone. Learn more about Megan’s services at http://www.windandwaterblessings.com.

Going Deeper With Feng Shui~Journey Through Your Home and Life Through the Eyes of the Bagua. Feng Shui Course Starts 9/28/14

Are you feeling stuck and looking for positive change and balance in your life?

Have you been longing for healthy relationships? Advancement in your career? Improvement with your finances?

Are you interested in learning how to apply Feng Shui to your own home for the benefit of your whole family?

Have you already had a Feng Shui consultation and now would like to take your Feng Shui to the next level?

The Feng Shui of our home affects our health and well-being, our prosperity, relationships, career and the overall harmony and balance of life. Good Feng Shui will promote a healthy flow of positive energy in your life. Learn how to apply Feng Shui to your home in this fun and supportive class!

Going Deeper with Feng Shui

Journey Through Your Home and Life through the Eyes of the Bagua

Feng Shui Course Meets Six times from September-March

 Begins September 28^th, 2014 11:00am-1:00pm

Sign up now, space is limited to six participants so you can learn from each others’ floor plans and to ensure time to address your questions.

You will learn how to apply Feng Shui to your own home to improve the quality of your life, support your life goals, initiate personal growth and allow your life to flow more smoothly, even during the most challenging times. Feng Shui is like a prayer supporting us so that our lives are in alignment with our highest good. I will teach you how making small changes in your living space will initiate positive changes in your life.

You do not need to have any prior Feng Shui knowledge to be in this class. Even if you have already had a Feng Shui consultation with me or another practitioner, this class is designed so that you will be able to take your learning and the application of the principles to create the next level of well-being and success.

The Bagua is an ancient map that shows the relationship of different aspects of our life (relationships, career, prosperity, reputation, health etc.) to different areas in our home.  Learning to work with the Bagua is the emphasis of this class.

You will learn:

·      How to apply the Bagua to your home, room or property and to enhance the bagua for positive changes.

·      Feng Shui adjustments, transcendental solutions, space clearing and blessings that you can apply to improve your unique situation on an ongoing basis as your life changes.

·      Method of Minor Additions, Three Secrets Reinforcements, 5 Element Theory

I will review your unique floor plan as part of this class to ensure the bagua is applied correctly and to deepen everyone’s learning.  I will teach you how to apply Feng Shui to make improvements in your environment and in your life. At each class I will give you assignments to apply to your home before the next class. This will help you to deepen your understanding, give you a hands-on Feng Shui experience and support you to make positive changes in your life.

Cost: Early bird special $225. After 9/3/14- $275

*Plus 9 Red envelopes with a minimum of $1 in each per class. Please bring the red envelopes to class, I will send you details and instructions on the red envelope tradition when you register.

Location: Location in Santa Cruz TBA

To Register: Sign up now by contacting Megan at 831-588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com and send your payment to Megan Montero, 515 Woodrow, Ave Santa Cruz, CA 95060 to reserve your spot in this class.  Space is limited to six participants to give you one-on-one attention.

Registration Deadline: September 22cnd.

Dates: Class meets on Sundays from 11:00am-1:00 pm

1.September 28th ^th

2. November 16^th

3. December 14^th

4. January 25^th, 2015

5. February 22^st, 2015

6. March 15^th, 2015

Megan Montero is a Feng Shui Consultant who has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007. Megan trained in Black Sect Feng Shui with Francine Peterson, Carol Bridges and Jetsun Ma, Master Teacher Ho Lynn.  In addition to her Feng Shui work, Megan is a Weather Worker in the Nahua tradition and a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer. To learn more about Megan’s services visit her website www.windandwaterblessings.com or call Megan at (831)588-5424.

The Bagua: Our Life Reflects our Home.

Did you know there is a place in your home related to your health? Your finances? Even your reputation?  Every aspect of our life corresponds to a place in our home.  Our lives mirror our home and our home reflects our personal strengths and weaknesses. Our best efforts at moving forward in life may be thwarted because our living space can hold us in a pattern we are trying to change. For example, if your deepest longing is to find your life partner and the area of your home related to marriage is missing because of the shape of your home, the lack of marriage chi will interfere with your intention to be in a fulfilling relationship. Adjusting the Feng Shui of your living space can support you in changing long standing personal issues and help you move toward your goals.

The bagua is a map that shows how our physical environment corresponds with different aspects of our life; Career, Self Knowledge, Family, Wealth, Reputation, Relationship, Creative Projects, Helpful People and Health.  The bagua can be applied to a building, site or room to reveal the areas of strength and weakness of the space. Adjusting the chi can correct the imbalances in the space and strengthen the corresponding life area.  Bathrooms, fireplaces, and clutter in certain areas of the bagua can have a negative effect.  Would you want to keep all of your clutter if you knew it was in your Wealth area inhibiting your prosperity?

If your house is an irregular shape and you apply the bagua to your space then it may reveal that part of the bagua is actually outside your house, indicating that you are missing that area of the bagua.  This was the case in the earlier example. Or you may find that part of your house is outside the bagua indicating an area of the bagua is enhanced. Missing any area of the bagua will correspond with having a lack of vitality and support in the corresponding area of your life because the chi is missing in the home. Missing areas can be corrected without having to remodel and any area of the bagua can be enhanced to bring extra vitality and support to the corresponding area of your life.

A client of mine discovered that the side of her hundred-year-old house, which happened to be her Wealth corner, was rotten and growing mushrooms.  As her partner was replacing the siding and laying a foundation because there was none to begin with, my clients ex-husband returned her phone call about some financial matters.  After years of saying no, he agreed to pay the back payments he owed her and was willing to create a much larger retirement account for her than she requested. Her ex-husband also agreed to make a loan to her mother, thus taking financial pressure of my client. Sometimes good Feng Shui is as easy as taking good care of your house and cleaning things up!

For Feng Shui advice tailored to your specific situation contact Megan at (831) 588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com.  Megan Montero is a Feng Shui consultant trained in BTB Feng Shui.  She has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007 and offers Feng Shui consultations in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas and by phone. Learn more about Megan’s services at http://www.windandwaterblessings.com and to read more articles on Feng Shui.

Upcoming Feng Shui Events!

Finding Your Flow: Feng Shui Lecture Series Part 1

July 24^th 6-7pm $10

Location: New Leaf Community Market~Westside Santa Cruz

Click here to register

Ancient Wisdom to Support our Modern Lives~ An Introduction to Feng Shui

August 14^th 6-8 pm  $25 plus 3 red envelopes

Register by July 30^th

Location in Santa Cruz

Contact Megan to register:

megan@windandwaterblessings.com

An Ancient Map for Positive Changes~ An Introdution to The Feng Shui Bagua

August 21^st  6-8 pm $25 plus 3 red envelopes

Register by August 6th^th

Location in Santa Cruz

Contact Megan to register:

 megan@windandwaterblessings.com

Finding Your Flow: Feng Shui Lecture Series Part 2

August 28^th 6-7pm $10

Location: New Leaf Community Market~Westside Santa Cruz

Click here to register

Megan Montero is a Feng Shui Consultant who has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007. Megan trained in Black Sect Feng Shui with Francine Peterson, Carol Bridges and Jetsun Ma Master Teacher Ho Lynn.  In addition to her Feng Shui work, Megan is a Weather Worker in the Nahua tradition and a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer. To learn more about Megan’s services visit her website www.windandwaterblessings.com or call Megan at (831) 588-5424.

Feng Shui Books: Are they helpful or confusing?

Have you ever read a Feng Shui book and felt confused? Overwhelmed about how to proceed? Worried that everything in your house is wrong and where do you possibly begin?  Feng Shui books can be very confusing! They can also be helpful if you know how to read them. I hope to help you navigate through the confusion so you can benefit in your learning about Feng Shui.

I was inspired to write this article because of some of the experiences my clients had had before they called for help. Although they resonated deeply with the idea that there is a significant connection between our lives and our living spaces, after trying to apply Feng Shui from a book they felt confused and frustrated. It was more difficult then they thought.  The confusion led to worrying over things in their home.

It is very difficult to Feng Shui a home from a book! One of my teachers, Francine Peterson, says, “You wouldn’t do brain surgery from a book, would you?!”  Feng Shui can be that intricate and it takes a lot of training and experience to get it right.  Books give the impression that it is easy but if you look further, they also explain the difference between getting help from a professional consultant. 

There are many different schools of Feng Shui and some take different approaches to meet the same end goal of bringing harmony to a living space for the benefit of the occupants.  Some schools contradict each other and this is what creates the most confusion for readers.  Consultants also have their own style, experience and opinion.  So if you read multiple books from different schools you will be very confused!! There is no right or wrong approach.  Each one has value. I suggest that you choose the approach that you feel drawn to and stick with it.  Mixing different approaches in your home will create confusion in your results.

Most Feng Shui books do a good job at explaining the bagua map. When applied to your living space, the bagua will show you what part of your home connects to your wealth, relationships, career and other aspects of your life. Depending on your floor plan, some aspects may be missing and some will be enhanced. The bagua is a fun and transformative tool for positive change. It can be fairly easy to apply the bagua on your own but if you have a complicated floor plan, understanding how to apply the bagua from a book can be challenging and confusing.

You can still benefit from the Feng Shui wisdom shared in books if you have realistic expectations. Have fun with your learning and call for help if you are confused or need assistance with a serious issue in your life. 

Feng Shui Books I recommend: Warning, don't get them all at once!

The Modern Book of Feng Shui- by Steven Post

Feng Shui Design- by Sarah Rossbach and Master Lin Yun

Taoist Feng Shui- by Susan Levitt

The Western Guide to Feng Shui-by Terah Kathryn Collins

For Feng Shui advice tailored to your specific situation contact Megan at (831) 588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com. Megan Montero is a Feng Shui consultant trained in BTB Feng Shui.  She has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007 and offers Feng Shui consultations in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay areas and by phone. Learn more about Megan’s services at www.windandwaterblessings.com.

Begin to See Your Home Through Feng Shui Eyes -Part 1- A Home Can Support and Nourish Your Life

Our homes are more than a structure where we sleep, eat and spend time with family and friends.  The building itself, the placement of furniture and doors, our belongings and any unseen energetic presence, all have an effect on the quality of our life experience.  Our living space affects the nourishment we receive through food, air and water, our relationships, sleep, health and prosperity.  Home has the ability to support us to thrive and live a life that nourishes our spirit.  It can also create stress, contribute to poor health and hold us back in patterns we are trying to change.

It is not necessary to have a fancy, expensive home or a lot of money to have the support you need for a healthy life.  Any room, studio, condo, apartment or cottage can be a sacred space that helps you through life. Using your own creativity, intention and connection to nature, you can begin to create an environment for yourself that nourishes and supports your life.  The practice of Feng Shui on the one hand is very complex and on another level it can be very simple, natural and intuitive.  Sometimes when I make a Feng Shui suggestion to a client they say, “That makes so much sense!”  Or “That occurred to me but I didn’t follow through."

You can begin a supportive relationship with your home by creating the awareness that your home does affect your life in many ways. Acknowledge to yourself that how you feel in your living space is important and know that you can do something about it. 

Try this process for yourself:

1. Do something to quiet your mind and open your heart (like meditation, dancing or spend time outside connecting to nature). 
2. Then approach your home from the street.  What is your first impression? How does the view of your home make you feel?  Does it uplift you or bring you down?  Does your body relax with a comforting feeling of home or do you tense up?  Then go through each room and observe with out judgment.  Notice your impressions, your emotions and the sensations in your body. 
3. Ask your home/room/heart, “What small change can I make to shift the energy of this space to bring support and nourishment to my life?”  The answer could be as simple as moving a piece of furniture, removing clutter, adding a colorful shawl to a couch, adding a light or opening the windows to let the air and sun shine in! 

Have fun with this process and learn to trust your intuition.  Remember Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) rhymes with fun and play!

For Feng Shui advice tailored to your specific situation contact Megan at (831) 588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com. Megan Montero is a Feng Shui consultant trained in BTB Feng Shui.  She has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007 and offers Feng Shui consultations in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area and by phone. Learn more about Megan’s services including upcoming classes at www.windandwaterblessings.com. Do you have Feng Shui topics you would like addressed in future articles?  Megan would love to hear them.

Feng Shui Classes and Lectures This Summer with Megan Montero

Learn Feng Shui~ The Chinese Art of Placement

Feng Shui is a practice of working with our surrounding in a way that promotes harmony, prosperity and balance in our lives. A building is not simply a structure where we live and work; our body coordinates with this structure, which can profoundly influence our life. 

Free Feng Shui Lecture Series: Begin to See Your Home Through Feng Shui Eyes

What is Feng Shui and how can it benefit my life?

July 10^st,   6-7pm

Healthy Home ~Healthy Life

July 17^th, 6-7pm           

Location: Flowing With Wellness, 2006 Mission Street, Santa Cruz
To Register: Contact Megan at 831-588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com

Feng Shui Classes: Deepen Your Feng Shui Understanding 
cost: $25 each class or $45 if you register for both in advance

An Introduction to Feng Shui- Ancient Wisdom to Support our Modern Lives

^{August 14th, 6-8pm}

An Introdution to The Feng Shui Bagua-An Ancient Map for Positive Changes

August 21st, 6-8pm

Location: Westside Santa Cruz

To Register: please contact Megan at 831-588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com

More Classes Beginning in September!

Megan Montero is a Feng Shui Consultant who has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007. Megan trained in Black Sect Feng Shui with Francine Peterson, Carol Bridges and Jetsun Ma, Master Teacher Ho Lynn.  In addition to her Feng Shui work, Megan is a Weather Worker in the Nahua tradition and a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer. To learn more about Megan’s services visit her website www.windandwaterblessings.com or call Megan at (831)588-5424.

Feng Shui for Parents: Finding Order Among the Chaos of the Family Home

Parents, are you overwhelmed by the amount of messes your children generate? Are you so exhausted from the demands of parenting that picking up after everybody is the last thing you want to do?  The last thing I want to do is to give you more work! But I hope I can give you some ideas that with a little effort will save you time and stress and help you find some peace and order in your family’s life.

Having children will drastically increase the amount of stuff in your home. Add kids to a house that already has a lot of stuff and things will get crazy. If your stuff is not kept in check, then your things will become clutter.  Clutter will block the healthy flow of energy in your home and will inhibit the flow of a healthy life.

Clutter is anything that no longer serves a purpose in your life.  Clutter can also be things you love and find useful if they are scattered around and unorganized. Are you constantly bumping into things or unable to find what you’re looking for? The order or chaos of our belongings affects our health and our ability to work and enjoy life.

1. Have regular clear outs or things will get out of control.

With all that growing and learning, kids need a lot of stuff like books, toys and clothes.  New things come in, but do old things go out?  Go through their things on a regular basis and keep things moving along.  Donating what they have outgrown will feel good knowing that other kids will benefit.

2. Teach Your Kids to pick up after themselves.

Kids thrive on routine and parents will benefit from this one. Creating this routine from the beginning and making it fun will support the order and balance in your home and life for years to come.

3. Clear your own clutter.

This will give you energy, clear your mind and help you to function at an optimal level.  Get a babysitter and spend the day or choose one day each week and spend 1 hour clearing clutter.  To experience the on-going benefits, do it on an on-going basis.

Clutter Clearing Guidelines:

·     Keep only things that you absolutely love or find useful.

·     Ask, “Why am I keeping this?  Is it worth it to maintain? Is this still meaningful for my child or helping them in their development?”

If this is overwhelming to do alone, call a friend or a professional to help you with this process.

Clearing clutter can feel really good.  If your kids are old enough get them involved and have fun. Once you let go of the things that are no longer serving you, the weight of this burden will be lifted and you may want to get rid of more stuff. Taking the time to go through your things will create more quality time to spend with your family. The extra effort will be worth it when the peace and order are restored to your home and life.

For Feng Shui and clutter clearing advice tailored to your specific situation contact Megan at (831) 588-5424 or megan@windandwaterblessings.com.

Megan Montero is a Feng Shui consultant trained in BTB Feng Shui.  She has been practicing in Santa Cruz since 2007 and offers Feng Shui consultations in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area. Learn more about Megan’s services including upcoming classes at www.windandwaterblessings.com. Stay tuned for Megan’s Feng Shui column beginning with the June issue.  Do you have questions you would like answered in future articles?  Megan would love to hear them.

Chinese Lunar New Year 2014 (Cycles of Chi Newsletter, January 2014)

Happy New Year! I hope 2014 as been good to you so far.

The Chinese Lunar New Year begins on January 31, 2014. From the perspective of Chinese astrology this is the year of the Wood Horse. I am just a beginner of Chinese astrology but I look forward to deepening my understanding of this fun and helpful system. There are many good resources to learn about your Chinese animal zodiac sign and what challenges and blessings the coming Horse year may present for you. If this peeks your interest, I encourage you to seek them out and learn about this fun area of learning. I am also happy to share with you what I have learned from my Feng Shui teacher, Jetsun Ma, about your Chinese astrology for the Horse year and how you can best support yourself through this coming year.

No matter what your Chinese zodiac sign is, working with the energies of the Chinese Lunar New Year will help you to meet the challenges and blessings of this year with more strength and support. From a lunar perspective this is a new beginning with the new moon on January 30th 1:38 pm PST, the eve of the Chinese New Year. This is a powerful time to set intentions for the coming year. I encourage you to find some way, big or small, to take advantage of this energetic opportunity for change and transformation. My recommendation is to begin this new cycle through purifying the chi of the old year and welcoming the auspicious chi of the new Horse year.

From the perspective of BTB Feng Shui, you can achieve this through space clearing the energy of your interior environment, and by performing spiritual purification methods for your personal chi. If you already know the Orange Peel Ceremony and the Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell this is a reminder to perform these transcendental solutions ideally on the eve of the Chinese lunar new year, otherwise on an auspicious day. If you would like to learn the Orange Peel Ceremony and the Golden Cicada I am happy to teach these sacred solutions and others to you either by phone or at my office.

The Orange Peel Ceremony cleanses away negative or unhealthy chi in your environment and fills your space with auspiciousness and good luck preparing you for the New Year.  

The Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell is for your chi, for personal transformation.

Perhaps you have already been clearing the clutter in your house with intention to make a good start for 2014. Clearing clutter is always a good way to support a new beginning and it is never to late to begin! 

Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

Megan Montero

831-588-5424

www.windandwaterblessings.com

Feng Shui Tip: Clear Pathways

Keep pathways clear and make sure every door can open fully so the chi can flow and nourish your life!  When doors can't be opened because they are obstructed by clutter this will inhibit the flow of chi creating blocks and stagnation.

Megan Montero

831-588-5424

windandwaterblessings.com

Feng Shui Tip: Auspicious Days

I suggest that you implement your Feng Shui adjustments and perform transcendental solutions, including purification ceremonies, on an auspicious day. My Feng Shui teacher, Jetsun Ma Master Teacher Ho Lynn, founder of the Yuan Yuan Educational Foundation has created an auspicious days calendar with this purpose in mind. Click Here to learn more about the 2014 Auspicious Days Calendar and how to order your own. 

Megan Montero

831-588-5424

windandwaterblessings.com

Plant Spirit Medicine- Healing for the Spirit

Plant Spirit Medicine as taught by Eliot Cowan is the synthesis of Chinese Five Element Medicine and a shamanic way of working with plants.  Plant Spirit Medicine (PSM) is a form of spiritual healing that aligns our lives with the healing wisdom of nature.  This alignment with nature brings balance and harmony to our lives.  Plants are more than substances taken as food or medicine.  Plants have a spirit and spirit is recognized as the strongest medicine. 

In Plant Spirit Medicine we pay particular attention to the cycles of life, the seasons and the elements of nature.  As humans we are intimately connected to this wisdom, it lives inside our body, mind and spirit.  The Five Element Medicine approach gives a grounded way of diagnosing these energies in a person enabling us to find the source of their imbalance and a way to guide treatment.  Through relationship and exchange the Plant Spirits help our patients at the root of their imbalance.

Connecting with plants is the heart of PSM. We do not learn of their healing properties in books or ask our teacher what medicine a plant has to offer.  We learn about the plants through our intimate relationship with them. We connect directly to the spirit of a plant in the dream world and ask what medicine it has to offer our people.  Sometimes a plant will even ask for something in exchange for offering its medicine.  A plant may offer me a particular kind of help for my patients and offer something totally different to my colleagues.  The medicine offered is almost always for a person’s spirit, not the body.  Treating the spirit will affect the whole body, mind and spirit.  During a PSM treatment we call directly on the plant spirits to come through our hands to help the patient. 

My personal experience receiving Plant Spirit Medicine has been profound and I continue to receive this medicine even after 8 years. The healing and support I receive continues to deepen over time.  My personal transformation inspired me to train as a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer.  I feel passionate about this medicine and feel a devotion to helping others.  It takes dedication, hard work and on going training to be an effective healer.  For a patient, it requires trust, patience and a commitment to on-going treatment to truly receive the depth of what PSM has to offer.  In our culture we want quick, fast, easy results.  Plant Spirit Medicine is deep, steady and subtle but results are profound and maintained.  For those of us who have made this commitment we are so deeply touched, transformed and forever grateful. We have experienced the beauty of how Plant Spirit Medicine has changed our lives and those of our families, friends and clients. Plant Spirit Medicine has brought joy to our hearts, the sparkle back to life and made it possible for us to live our lives more fully.  We feel love and connection to nature, the divine and our fellow human beings.

Megan Montero is a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer with a healing practice in Santa Cruz.  She graduated from Eliot Cowan’s Plant Spirit Medicine Practitioner Training in 2008 and continues to train with Mr. Cowan.  Megan is also a Feng Shui Consultant working in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area.  To learn more about Plant Spirit Medicine you can read Eliot Cowan’s book, Plant Spirit Medicine or contact Megan at 831-588-5424.  For more information about Megan and her healing practice visit her website windandwaterblessings.com.