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