Green OR Healthy? Why the Choice?

On the road to personal and global health, we shouldn’t have to choose:  Green OR Healthy…Let’s do Both!

Consider this:  fluorescent light bulbs have been linked to  migraine headaches and worse.

Modern life has brought new exciting developments, most of which make life and living more fun, none of which alone would have a negative affect, but added together, our bodies have trouble adapting.   As we take a look at these influences and how to shift gently we can lessen our experience of ‘allergies’, illness and crabbiness, to mention a few.

The Light Link

Although florescent bulbs use less electricity and run cooler than incandescents, the use of these lights has been linked to minor and even more severe health risks.   Migraines, epileptic seizures, decreased immune system function, nervousness, inability to focus and depression are some of the problems linked to time spent with fluorescent lighting.

What are our options?  We have a few:

• Install New Fixtures
• Use full-spectrum bulbs
• Integrate natural daylight
• Use new LED replacement bulbs for florescent fixtures (avoid blue spectrum bulbs if you can)

The Canadian Center for Occupational Health says that some of the problem comes from the “flicker” effect of the fluorescent light bulbs.  That ‘flicker’ effect is inherent in the operation of the bulbs as bursts of electricity ignite the gas inside the tubes. The effect is worse in older fixtures.  According to the CCOH, you can reduce the ill-effects of ‘flicker’ by buying new fixtures which have electronic (rather than magnetic) ballasts, by replacing your bulbs frequently and making sure all parts of the fixtures work perfectly.

A study done by the CCOH also showed that employees whose offices were located on upper floors (where there is greater exposure to daylight) suffered less ill effects from the bulbs.

Question: If there is a way to reduce stress, inability to focus and immune system suppression, and help our children in schools, our employees everywhere (hospitals, banks, prisons, you name it) shouldn’t we DO IT?

“Flicker” is not the only issue.  Most of us use ‘cool-white’ bulbs, and Jacob Liberman, OD, Ph.D., in his groundbreaking and hopeful book Light: Medicine of the Future, suggests that we can reduce the ill-effects even further IF we use the correct fixture and ‘full-spectrum’ bulbs.  These bulbs are more costly initially but when that cost is weighted against our ill-health, increased crime rates the figure becomes minimal.

Consider just this ONE study:

“…The development of full-spectrum artificial lighting…prompted Ott to further investigate the possible negative effect of improper lighting on health and performance in human being.  In 1973, Ott and the Environmental health and Light research Institute undertook a study involving four first-grade classrooms in Sarasota, Florida.  Full-spectrum, radiation-shielded fluorescent light fixtures were installed in two of the window-less classrooms in Sarasota, Florida.

“Full-spectrum, radiation-shielded florescent light fixtures were installed in two of the windowless classrooms, while standard cool-white fluorescent fixtures were installed in two other identical windowless classrooms that served as controls.  Concealed time-lapse cameras took random sequences of student and teachers in the classroom. Although teachers were aware of the program, neither they nor their students were aware of when they were being photographed.

“The photographed results were significant.  Under the cool-white fluorescent lighting, some students demonstrated hyperactivity, fatigue, irritability, and attentional deficits.  In the classrooms with full-spectrum lighting, however, behavior and classroom performance , as well as overall academic achievement, improved markedly within one month after the new lights were installed.  Furthermore, several learning-disabled children with extreme hyperactivity problems miraculously calmed down and seemed to overcome some of their learning and reading problems while in the classrooms with full-spectrum lighting.

“This study additionally demonstrated that children in rooms with full spectrum lighting developed one-third the number of cavities in their teeth as children in the classrooms with standard cool-white fluorescent lights.”  Liberman, Jason, Light: Medicine of the Future, Rochester, VT:  Bear & Company Press, 1991

Empower your home:

• If you must use fluorescent bulbs, use new electronic fixtures and full-spectrum bulbs.
• When possible, daylight is best.   Take advantage of the healthy properties of sunlight.

Think you can’t more daylight into your home?  Think about installing Sun Tubes (aka Solar Tubes, Sun Tunnels…do an Internet search) which allow natural daylight to enter even your ‘captive’ rooms.  There are many companies making and selling them; be sure to use a reputable installer.

Here is a link to the Daily Mail article:
Energy-Saving Bulbs Causing Migraine Headaches

Awesome News! Houzz.com study shows we are ready to make our homes flow better

And 83% of those undertaking renovations are motivated to: “improve the look, feel, flow or layout of the home…”

Houzz.com, one of my favorite sites today sent results of their second annual Houzz & Home report.  This apparently “Largest-ever Study of Home Remodeling and Design Reveals Top Drivers, Challenges and Spending for U.S. Renovation Activity” and the full report can be linked to below.

You can go to Houzz for my Feng Shui advice for some common designs: Feng Shui Good or Bad

No matter what your renovation, the things to remember are:

1.  Hire a professional to help you get it right

2.  Money spent up front is always the best money you will spend

3.  When choosing colors for your home, choose your paint color LAST!

4.  Every change you make influences the energy flow and “Feng Shui” of your home.  Before you make changes, consult with a Feng Shui expert to make sure you are not inadvertently robbing yourself — “robbing Peter to pay Paul” as my parents used to say.

The majority of those surveyed (over 100,000) say they will hire a professional to help them get it right.  All those reality shows have done a great job of showing us the true reality of a renovation when taken on without help.  The more you do up front the better will be your renovation and the better your home support you for the rest of your life, and make a resale when you are ready happen smoothly and effortlessly.

Majority of U.S. Homeowners Believe Now is a Good Time to Renovate, Houzz Survey Finds

The 2013 Houzz & Home survey is the largest survey of remodeling and decorating activity ever conducted, covering historical and planned projects, the motivations behind these projects, and the impact of the economy on home building, renovation and decorating plans among Houzz users across the United States and around the world.

Some of the findings include:

• Significantly more U.S. homeowners are moving forward with renovation projects compared to last year
• A majority of homeowners surveyed believe now is a good time to remodel (53 percent)
• 58 percent of those planning projects in the next two years will hire professional help
• 81% of Houzz homeowners say reviews are “very important” when it comes to hiring a professional for their project, only 8% said “lowest cost option.”

Together with last week’s Commerce Department report showing the rate of single-family home construction at its highest level in four and a half years, the results of this study point to a strengthening economy, housing and renovation market.

Read the press release

Download the full report

Doors — Make us Forgetful? Push Away or Invite Vitality and Opportunity?

A welcoming and open doorway, this home could use a little protection from additional landscaping and a bit more color to attract attention.  Photo courtesy of Houzz.com

It seems that the whole world is beginning to understand the impact doors have on our lives.

Published in the Quarterly  Journal of Experimental Psychology in 2011, performed by Gabriel Radvansky and her team at Notre Dame look at the ‘event model’ for forgetting things as we pass through doorways.   Susan Gilbert of Notre Dame explains:

“We’ve all experienced it: The frustration of entering a room and forgetting what we were going to do. Or get. Or find.

New research from University of Notre Dame Psychology Professor Gabriel Radvansky suggests that passing through doorways is the cause of these memory lapses.

“Entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an ‘event boundary’ in the mind, which separates episodes of activity and files them away,” Radvansky explains.  (Read more here)

Doors, doors, doors  (and not “The Doors”)

Everything is relative in Feng Shui.  Not only are the forms and colors we live with important, they define our experience in a deeper way than we thought possible–unless you’ve studied or paid mind to Feng Shui’s thousands’ year old wisdom (oh THAT old line again?  sorry).

Doors do create event boundaries, as above; part of the reason why the bagua map is relative to each room individually, why more than one door in a room creates a particular energy flow, and why doors are so vitally important to address the doors in your life, energy which leads you to your Life Purpose, your journey and career and why it’s only one part of the entire picture, but an important one.

PS As I am writing this, on the radio is the tune:  “Let my love open the door…to your heart.”  Awesome.  

Here are a few things to think about when making friends with your doors:

• According to Feng Shui, Doors open us to opportunity.  Our front door is the Mouth of Ch’i which brings fresh Life Force into our homes and our lives.  Really look at the entrance to your home.  Is it obvious, beautiful and well cared for?  Stand at your doors, inside and outside and look around:  what do you see?
• Are your doors beautiful? Do they look inviting and work perfectly? They can send off fresh life or invite all our goodness to find us. Here’s how Feng Shui looks at doors and what to do to make yours work FOR you.
• If you see a beautiful view, if your eye is led around to entrancing views, you are on the right track! If not, clear anything that is clutter and anything that takes your energy down.  What we see speaks a language of metaphor to our subconscious, as well as the language of energy and emotion.
• Doors directly across from each other ‘steal’ energy.  If your neighbor’s front door or garage is across from your front door, you are losing energy and life force.  Place some landscaping between your door and the other or at the very least, if you can, hang a bagua mirror above your front door.  If you cannot do that, place a wreathe on your front door and place a small round mirror facing toward the offending door.  Other options apply, if you have questions, just email me.
• A home or door that is hard to find, a walkway that is in disrepair or overgrown by plants, hidden street number or not-well-lighted doorway all signal that we are unavailable for the goodness in our lives.
• Make sure it’s well lighted, that your handle, hinges and your doorbell work perfectly.  If not, put this on the list for you handy person or whoever handles your ‘honey do’ list.  Even make sure your garage door works perfectly, the light works, the remote works, etc. and everything is easy and welcomes you home beautifully.
• If you have cats, think about installing a cat door on a closet door to allow the kitties to have access to their litter but keep it out of sight.

Feng Shui TIP:  Your main entrance is vitally important in your ability to live the work that feels like play to you.  Not your daily entrance but the front door that the post office tags your address to.  If you don’t use your front door daily, it is equivalent to covering your mouth and trying to live your fullest. Your front door is known as the Mouth of Ch’i…if you are not using it daily, you are not getting your full breath of fresh air and opportunity. 

 Open your front door daily, welcome the new, and use it often! The Life Force doesn’t listen to ‘Reason’ or excuses, so invite it in with positive arrangement of your entrance, make sure the doors open completely and onto a beautiful view.  Have you tried to have a conversation with a storm lately? It’s an advanced move.

For today, make sure your doors open completely, with nothing blocking them.  Note which doors need to be repaired, which ones might need to have a spring-hinge that will keep them closed, like bathroom doors, especially ones that open onto the foyer or other rooms like a bedroom.    Clear the space behind and around your doors.   Remove items from the stairs and be sure your walkways and hallways are open and clear.

Everything matters, so also, make sure your car doors work perfectly.  Hit the hinges with a little WD-40, wipe the door frame and clean the door itself.  You’ll be so amazed at the difference it makes, all around!

How to Use Mirrors in Feng Shui

One of the biggest benefits of Feng Shui is that it can take a less-than-optimal environment and shift the energy to be nourishing and positive. Once you learn what to look for, and how to see through the “eyes of Energy,” you have taken the first step.

 Many people who begin to study Feng Shui become overwhelmed and concerned that their homes and offices are “all wrong” but don’t fret.  Feng Shui translates aswind waterbut I say it really means “It Depends.”  I often say that their is neither good nor bad…only: does it work for you or not?

Remember: Your spaces are NOT all wrong, they are a reflection of where you are now and with Feng Shui wisdom, we can see and make simple changes to rebalance and harmonize you and your spaces.

Mirrors

The mirror is one of those powerful objects used in Feng Shui to redirect energy. Called a Feng Shui ‘cure,’ mirrors have many different effects depending on what is around it, how close and who is viewing it. For these an many other reasons, mirrors are used very gingerly in Feng Shui.

Mirrors will, at the same time:

1. expand space 2. add ‘water’ energy to a space 3. activate a space 4. double what it reflects 5. redirect and reflect energy 6. draw boundaries 7. repel negative energy 8. more…

1. Expand Space

A mirror will expand space, calling in light and energy from other rooms or the outside view.

Take for instance an entrance to a home. Walking into a cramped entry where it’s pinched and dark will have a negative effect on us. As we walk into a space, when we have the feeling of open and expansiveness, our bodies and subconscious translate that to our phsyiology and the feeling of opportunity, welcome, and space. A mirror will easily open up a space and make it seem larger, but depending on how far from the door you place the mirror you could be pushing beneficial life force away. In an entrance, it’s recommended against placing a mirror across from the door if the wall on which the mirror is hung is less than 6 feet away. The front door is the “mouth of ch’i” and where the life force enters your home and your life. The alternative to a mirror in that position would be to expand the space by placing a beautiful ‘long view” painting or artwork in that space. (Be sure you don’t have art with a waterfall flowing toward the door, as that will do the same thing as push the energy/life force out)

To open a space, placing a mirror to the side of the door is more acceptable, but be sure you know what it reflects. For instance, reflecting the powder room, where folks forget to close the door is a negative. (A spring hinge is easily placed on the door to correct that issue.) Also, a mirror (or water feature such as a fish tank) to the right of the door is not-so-good in Feng Shui and is seen to cause day dreaming and wishy-washiness.

2. Add Water energy to a space

Balance is  key to life:  just enough and not too much of any one thing.  Water is fundamental to life and the Feng Shui element that allows us to move in harmony with our life’s purpose, brings freshness, spiritual connection, emotional depth and more.   Too much water and we can become wishy-washy, bogged down, sleep too long, see our fortunes and life force running away from us.  To little water and we can become rigid, shallow, opportunities bypass us, our life force is not fresh and nourished, our ideas seem to dry up.  Just the right amount of water or water energy is what we strive for.

In the Bagua position of Journey, Life Purpose, using a mirror to add water energy would be helpful, depending on the other factors like what it reflects and it’s proximity to the door. In a home or room where the fireplace is located in the Health or Wealth sector, using a mirror over the fireplace would help to quell the Fire energy that would be burning up the health, family relationships or wealth. In a bedroom however, a mirror is recommended against on two factors: 1) adding water energy to a space that is primarily associated with deep rest could cause excess restful energy and cause ‘sleep hangovers’ or lethargy or 2) mirrors activate a space and a space meant is best to be quiet and calm.

3. Activate a Space

Mirrors are considered active because mirrors move energy around, reflect it back and also reflect motion.

Because they reflect and capture motion, often mirrors are used to put people in the “Power Position” , where the person would otherwise be facing a wall, such as in a work cubicle or a cook who faces the wall with her back to the crowd. In this case, a mirror strategically placed to signal an approaching person would be recommended to help the body to relax from its alert status and allow more creative thinking and efficiency.

4. Double what it reflects

Whatever the mirror reflects will be doubled.  Be careful when placing a small mirror at your desk or in a room to open it up.  If the mirror is reflecting a large stack of work, bills or the powder room you could be working against yourself again.  Allow it to reflect something beautiful and wealthy. Also, a mirror that reflects the drain of your vanity sink is a negative so place the mirror above the faucet. Remember: water flowing toward the center of the home brings beneficial energy into your life; flowing out translates as energy and money flowing out.

5. Redirect and reflect energy

As in the case above of water flowing to or from the home or office, a mirror can be used to redirect the flow. Many corporate buildings have a waterfall that flows toward the street. This position is beautiful for the community but is draining to those in the building or complex. The simple answer is to place a mirror, even a small mirror to reflect the energy back into the building. Of course scale matters, but even a simple small mirror will have a dramatic impact. This can also be used in a bedroom above a garage, for instance, as one way draw the boundary between the spaces. Place a mirror under the bed facing toward the garage (shiny side down). Mirrors can be used to deflect energy from a bedroom or bed that is located above a garage or refrigerator, near an HVAC unit or adjacent to a bathroom or any other overpowering structure. If possible, avoid having a bed/bedroom in this position, but with the use of mirrors and other feng shui cures (color, shape, placement) we can help to rebalance the space for harmonious and nourishing sleep.

6. Draw Boundaries

A mirror can also help to draw boundaries: mirrors can ‘call in’ missing areas on a floor plan or lot plan.   The mirror need only be as small as 1/2 inch diameter and can be found at craft stores.  These little mirrors become power ways to send away negative energy.   These small mirrors can be used as ‘laser points’ to call in missing areas of the bagua when it’s placed over your lot plan or floor plan or room plan.

Small Mirrors as found in craft stores can be used to make amazing changes.

Mirrors can be used If you are unable to ‘anchor’ the energy of the bagua with other methods such as placing landscaping, lighting or other features relative to the particular area (for instance in the wealth area, wind catchers or upward lighting can help redirect the energy).  I talk about this in my seminars and if you have questions, be sure to email me, as it would take a while to explain it here in this post.

The small mirrors can be used to send off negative energy of a crabby co-worker or neighbor as explained below.

7. Repel Negative Energy

Mirrors can be used to deflect and repel negative ch’i, whether it be from oncoming traffic, overhead power lines, unsightly neighboring environment or even cranky neighbors or co-workers. (Elinminate Negative Energy)

Feng Shui uses BaGua mirrors, placed only on the exterior of a building, to deflect negative chi and encourage positive ch’i.

Concave Bagua Mirror, Early Heaven Sequence 3 solid lines at top — only use outdoors

BaGua mirror placement is very specific: I use primarily concave mirrors (because they absorb negative ch’i rather than send it back to the person/place/thing.

I also use only what the Chinese call Early Heaven Sequence: where there are 3 solid lines at the top of the octagonal mirror. This mirror is placed above the front door or above a window, or even on the side of a building if necessary, but never inside and not in an apartment building. http://www.fengshuibestbuy.com/SL10272-Bagua.html

You don’t need to use a Bagua mirror, if that is not in line with your philosophy or decor. You can
deflect or repel energy away by using a mirror (or even a reflective surface) to reflect back the issue/person/etc. and it can be subtle and invisible. (No need to exacerbate a negative situation by engaging disdain or ridicule if having this piece above your door would do so.) You can place a mirror on the outside wall (or on the inside of your space-shiny side toward the offending issue/person-you’ll see the back of the mirror and can cover it with a piece of art). The mirror can be small (1/4 inch round available at hobby shops like JoAnn Fabrics and Michaels.) If you hang it inside your space (home,, office or work cubicle) it can be hidden from your view under a painting, at the baseboard (painted to match the color of the baseboard), behind a drapery or curtain-always facing shiny side toward the negative energy.

One of my favorite Bagua pieces, that hangs outside my own front door is the Lady of Nine Heavens Bagua.

I use the company  www.fengshuibestbuy.com and recommend them if you are interested.

This part is very important: Thoughts are things…detach from the drama of any negative situation and allowthe others to have the right to be as miserable or objectionable as they want. As you are placing the mirror, say, “good luck with ‘that’ over there.” When using cures, never curse the other person or interfere with their free will to live their lives as they wish; otherwise the energy will become stronger – as though you have essentially held out the tug-of-war rope and you are now tied to them.  Release them, drop the rope and they will move on.

What usually happens: the person will calm down, get a transfer or quit to move to a different position…with your good wishes, perhaps they will open to a better place for themselves. Either way, you have stopped giving it your power and the Feng Shui has worked to assist you.

8. More…

There are many notes about mirrors and here are a few more:

• Use large mirrors that reflect as much of the person as possible; don’t cut off the head or make them squint to use the mirror
• Use clear and clean mirrors; faded, cracked mirrors are a negative and will inhibit clear thinking and clear vision
• Use whole mirrors…pieces of mirrors or segments of mirrors fracture a person’s image and also fracture the person’s view of herself/himself and life.
• Avoid placing mirrors directly across from each other as this creates what Feng Shui calls “infinity” and creates confusion and disorientation.
• Clean mirrors often — I always do a mini space clearing when cleaning everything: “Good healthy reflections and increase of happiness and abundant love and wealth flow into my life and my home…” or something like that. What you focus on when doing any task is the energy that gets into that area…may as well do a wonderful job!
• Esoterically speaking: in some realms it is believed that a mirror across from the bed will confuse the dream traveling part of the spirit as it attempts to return to the body after traveling through dream worlds. I cannot speak to that but want to include it as it may be relevant to some of my readers.

I have many, many stories, and personal experience with the power of mirrors used this way. As always, Feng Shui puts you in the center of your Universe and helps you look at how energy is moving through your spaces and moving YOU. Let me know if I can help! fawn@fawnchang.com

Feng Shui for Budget Success

Today I gasped in horror, when I realized that as I cleaned I was robbing myself of money.  I was moving “shoebox accounting” of receipts around the house as I cleaned.

Now this is not a ‘bad’ way to keep track of receipts: a Ziploc bag marked properly, but still, I didn’t want this negatively impacting my wealth of all sorts and I know that it can. Photo courtesy of BloomsnBugs

This is NOT great Feng Shui: a bag of random, unorganized receipts that kept ending up in the Wealth corner of every room I tried to place them.

I noted this, looked across the room to the “Accountability” corner to see what was there…yikes! It’s become a stopping point, all cluttered with winter clothing and things to be donated. Let’s shift that before it becomes a block.

Because life moves, and we move things…those things sometimes get moved to places where it’s not long before they have a direct (and negative) impact on our lives.  Being a Feng Shui expert simply means, I notice it sooner and make changes — it’s my goal to help you do the same.

Wealth Management

There comes a time when we are ready for more money, more life, more fun and the one way to do that is to take charge of our money.  Getting serious about a budget, estate planning, and the flow of wealth into our lives can be made much easier if we look at our spaces to make sure they support us.  Taking care with our money is as important as taking care of our pets and our plants, they depend on our awareness and vigilance.

3 things to allow your house help you budget better:

1.)  Organize your wealth corners (your property, your home, each room all have their own bagua).  What’s there or is this area ‘missing’ from your spaces? Remove the clutter and make it feel upward moving, wealthy and beautiful.  If there’s a bathroom in that area, bring in some light green, light blue, vertical stripes to match your décor and make it clean and organized.  Remove all those things you don’t love or use, especially anything that is older than 90 days.  On your desk, place a beautiful, healthy plant or fresh flowers, the largest money you can find or a check to yourself in the amount of one month’s expenditures (include the fun you’d like to have).

2.) Look at your Helpful People area of each room.  Make sure these areas are open, fresh and organized.  If there is a water room (kitchen, laundry, bathroom) in this area, add some extra “Metal” energy in the form of round or oval shapes and décor items, images of the “Helpful People” in your life (mentors, community, teachers, spiritual guides, etc.).   Many of us have a garage in this and the next space, make sure it’s clear, organized, clean and that your car(s) are clean and working perfectly too.  Clear and keep clear between 1/3 and 1/4 of the space in the drawers of your desk in this area, remove and archive files you don’t use daily, place new files marked “Perfect Client #1, #2″ and so on.  (If you build it, they will come.)

3.) Look to the Wisdom and Knowledge areas of your spaces.  Knowing we are inherently deserving of our own very best and why, makes it easier to give to ourselves first, time, energy, clarity and money.  When we know clearly what is important to us,  and knowing how to invest in ourselves, budgeting becomes a snap.  Keep this area soft, quiet, almost sacred.  Add things here that are grounding to you, but keep it clean, fresh and organized.  The natural feel of this space is one of a library or a meeting with your advisors and teachers, one where you’ll open your mind and allow wisdom to pour into your being.  If Water is located here, use extra “earth” energy:  colors from light yellow to cocoa, even deep green, square or rectangular shapes, a few rocks nicely arranged, a citrine quartz crystal, or other representations of Earth energy.

Join me for the 33-day Easy, Online Feng Shui Coaching:  Clear the Way for Your Best Life starting March 21.  Make your life what you want it to be with easy daily help and understanding of YOUR spaces.  I made it personal, easy, doable and online so you can go at Your pace with my help.

The 3 Unexpected Reasons Your Life Isn’t Perfect (YET!)

and How to Shift Gears to “It’s Great!”

The three reasons are not laziness, procrastination or bad luck.

In fact, procrastination is just nature’s way of allowing us to gather our energy and focus.  Work, or anything, expands to fill the time or space allotted.  With less time, we become more efficient.  The trick is to give set a false deadline that gives us enough time to hone the product for the best outcome.  By allowing ourselves to reach critical mass, we use what looks like procrastination to actually be efficient, build our energy and focus our forces.  Check that one off.

Laziness?  Nope.  The way I see it, laziness is pure efficiency.  I once had a professor of project management who’d look for what others called the ‘laziest’ person and give him or her a task to perform and then the professor would watch the process–always learning at least one way to take hours of useless effort out of the project.  Genius!  Check that one off too.

Bad luck?  Can’t blame that one.  In the world of energy bad luck is a way of looking at the world through a microscope.  According to the Law of Attraction, and Feng Shui, energy is like electricity, which we can use to light a nursery or a torture chamber.  When we are young, we learn to program our lives through repeated  thoughts, cliché’s, and home arrangement.  All of it can be changed–it just takes addressing the REAL reasons behind our apparent lack of success, love and/or money.

The REAL reasons we aren’t living the life we want?  They are simple:

1) we don’t know how 2) we’re afraid to have it be good 3) our homes won’t let us

Answer these questions for yourself:

1. Do I know exactly what I want and do I know anyone close to me who is living it?

2. Who would I disappoint if I lived my dreams?  Who would feel “less than” if I actually had a great relationship, tremendous life’s work, great vacations and laughter every day? Can I initially disappoint them to live my own life?

3. What can I easily change in my house to change my life and make it come together easily? Where are the blocks of energy preventing the flow of good energy into my life?  How can I move them out?

No More Excuses: Take Charge, Make Change

What you surround yourself with, internally (mind talk) and externally (home, office, images, furnishings, colors and people) are the things that are anchoring your present existence.

33-Day Clear the Way with Feng Shui program to help you finally move into the BEST version of yourself and your life…no more waiting!

Those who have taken this program are saying:

“You made it easy for me… I felt like there was always someone right there with me, each day and I loved that you helped me change my spaces and my days…I never wanted it to end!…(A. Martello, Florida)

“I am so much more centered and sure of my life and my purpose.  I loved this program and would recommend it to everyone…” (Alicia Dubrawski, Ontario)

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Join me  We start on March 21–I’ve made it easy, personal, understandable, online, and doable at your pace, with daily prompts to help you along the way.  It will change your life for the best!  Take advantage of the growing Spring energy and the desire to clear and get on track with your happy life.

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Timing is EVERYTHING: Light and Color Activate Health in our Bodies

Blue light tells our bodies to “Wake Up!” The Blue TV and Computer light at night is wreaking hormonal havoc on our bodies.

You may have heard about Circadian Rhythms, the cycles of life driven by the sun’s rising and setting and the amount of light and darkness in our days.

What you might not know is that light is color and color is light.  The colors of light, at specific times of the day, activate our bodies to respond in different ways.  Mix up the colors and the rhythm and you would be challenging your body’s ability to regulate itself through sleep and hormonal cycles.  Some recent studies have actually shown decreased human growth due to overexposure to the ‘wrong’ color light at the ‘wrong’ time of day.

Researchers have discovered that blue wavelength light, which is most available in the morning, has a way of signaling the pineal gland to stop producing Melatonin, the sleep hormone.  No melatonin, you lie awake unable to sleep and you body is unable to regenerate itself as efficiently and you are deprived of the all-important REM sleep needed for a healthy mind, body and soul.  The answer, turn off the TV and the computer in the early evening or at least an hour before bedtime.  You’ll have better sleep and perhaps more cuddling with your significant other.

Wall Color

Color is actually Light, and each color is its own frequency that speaks to our bodies unlocking different responses in our physiology.  The color around us, either on our walls or reflected to us from the greenery outside, or from the TV or computer screen,  speaks directly to our bodies rearranging our ability to be healthy, happy and wealthy.   Feng Shui has known this and .

Here’s the bottom line:  the colors of our spaces influence us:  our moods, our associative memory and our phyisology.  Feng Shui has been telling us this for thousands of years, the Egyptians for thousands of years before that and now researchers are proving it with scientific accuracy.   To paraphrase T.S.Elliot, its as though  our explorations have led us back to the place where we started and we know it as if for the first time.  (full quote here.)

A Better night time color scheme: warm, soft “flesh tones” and sunset colors. Prior to sleep: full darkness allows our bodies to regenerate and reach REM sleep.

Excerpt and link:

Research Team Shows Skin Stem Cells Run By Circadian Clock

(PhysOrg.com) — Most everyone has heard of the circadian rhythm or the internal clock that people have that tells them when to do things, such as go to sleep. In fact, researchers have actually located where this “clock” resides in the human brain. It’s in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, a pair of distinct groups of cells located in the hypothalamus. So, that would seem the end of it right, except it’s not; new research by a group in Spain has found that individual stem cells in skin have their own circadian clock of sorts that tells the skin when to do certain thing, like regenerate. The team led by Peggy Janich and Salvador Aznar Benitah, has published the results of their study in Nature.