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.