Tag: Feng Shui

Feng Shui Ideas for the Small Business Entrepreneurs

On By Marjorie HilliardIn Uncategorized1 Comment

– Marjorie Hilliard, Feng Shui Master

With today’s economy starting or operating your own business must certainly be a challenge.  I owned my dream Gift Shop when we experienced the tragedy of 9/11.  My shop was set up using Feng Shui principles and was quite successful in under two years.  My customers frequently commented on how the shop ‘felt’ and confessed they would come in just to be in the energy.  It was the day after 9/11 and I was in the back storage room when an elderly man cleared his throatsmall business to let me know he was standing in the door way so as not to frighten me.  When I asked him what I could do for him he simply said, “I needed to be in this energy.  How do you do it?”  Throughout the weeks that followed many customers would come in for the same reason.  As a gift shop owner this was not only good for business but also made me feel like I was somehow contributing to the wellbeing of my customers.

You can use Feng Shui in your business to create the type of atmosphere you desire for your employees and customers.  If the energy flow around your employees is balanced and can move freely you are far more likely to have productive and happy employees.  I find that businesses I have consulted with that have blocked doors and clutter that interrupts the flow of energy (chi) attracts the same type of individuals.  Because the energy is tense and blocked the employees get frustrated more easily, are less productive and in many cases don’t work well together.

You can apply the same reasoning to your customers.  If your business is uncomfortable to enter or stay in your customers are likely to feel the same way.  How many times have you gone into a store that is so over stocked or cluttered you feel like you have to maneuver carefully around the store so as to avoid knocking something over or miss finding the item you went into the store to buy.  More is not better in Feng Shui.  The rule is:  allow the energy to flow freely.

Stores with inventory:

Make sure to arrange your merchandise so it makes sense energetically.  Think about your home furnishings.  For example, do you mix kitchen items with garage stuff, or clothing with bathroom accessories?  Go to my webpage, www.fengshuisolutions.org and download a copy of the Bagua.  Use the Bagua as a road map.  By using the Bagua you will see it is not a good idea to put sharp tools, water features, refrigerators etc. in the back left corner known as the Prosperity Gua.  Instead, this is an excellent area to display floral print furniture, red/white and blue flags, pictures of people or animals, packets of seeds, red scarfs etc.  These are all fire or wood elements which support this area of the Bagua.

Make sure the entrance into your store is free of clutter, easy to enter, welcoming and above all does not make the customer feel uncomfortable.  Make sure the flow of energy moves freely.  I always think of the flow of chi like the flow of a stream.  Picture how a stream flows and how the rocks and tree limbs cause the flow to be re-directed. Or how the piling up of fall leaves can even stop the flow.  You should use this same thought process when accessing how the energy is flowing throughout your store.

Offices:

Whether customers visit your office or not does make any difference in how you want the energy (chi) to flow.  As I talked about earlier, your employees now become your ‘customers’.  Your employees are the ones performing services that you benefit from.  Really no different from customers buying your goods benefiting you.  Some things you should consider:

  1. Make sure your personal office is arranged in the ‘power’ position.  What this means is you want to be able to see who is entering your office without having to turn around.  Energetically, to be in charge, you need to be able to ‘see’ what is coming.  No surprises.  If possible, have your desk situated so you are sitting facing the door.
  2. I find employees who use cubicles can perform better if they do not feel vulnerable.  This means, they to need to be in the power position.  When using cubicles this can be a challenge.  Although I don’t like to recommend mirrors too often, in this case a small reflective picture frame (glass) or mirror placed in front of the employee would allow them the ability to look into the mirror to see what is happening behind them.  They will feel safer and therefore hopefully more productive.
  3. Avoid putting the break room in the Prosperity corner or Illumination area of the Bagua.  The best place to put the break room is in the family/health area.  And never place the refrigerator/freezer in the Prosperity corner of any room.  If you do not have any other option then at least place pictures or statements that represent how the Prosperity of your business looks and feels to you in the same area of the refrigerator.  Refrigerators are electrical which is a fire element but they are mostly associated with metal.  Fire and metal are not good companions.  The Prosperity area of the Bagua is most associated with the Fire Element which represents excitement.  Do not use a black refrigerator in this area.  Black is water so a black refrigerator represents lots of metal AND water.  Not a good combination for this area of the Bagua either.

Keep in mind, the items you choose and the placement select is NOT CAUSING your challenges.  They ONLY represent them.  With this understanding then consider the recommendations I have provided in this article and know that following any of my recommendations requires you to feel comfortable using them.  If you are not comfortable with the selection or placement of something (pictures, furniture etc.) you will eventually rearrange the furniture back to something you feel better with until the cause of whatever challenge you are dealing with is addressed.

______________________________________________________

Advanced Feng Shui Certification Course starts Saturday, October 3, 2015  *prerequisite required

Feng Shui Certification Course starts Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Feng Shui Certification Course starts Sunday, October 25, 2015

Feng Shui – How and Why it Works

On By Marjorie HilliardIn Articles and Excerpts

 

Written by Marjorie Hilliard

Power Feng Shui Master Practitioner

feng shui dragon pic

Feng Shui originated in China and has been utilized for over 3000 years.   In the western culture we so often associate Feng Shui with its’ cures and remedies for promoting better health, relationships, finances etc.  In its’ simplicity, the principles of Feng Shui have also been relied on for years to determine orientation of furniture in a room or to decide the proper location for a business or home.  Exactly how Feng Shui works remains a mystery for most individuals.  In this article, I will explain how and why the principles of Feng Shui do work.   This will be accomplished by discussing the five elements associated with Feng Shui, the Bagua, use of the Bagua, Ch’i and a case study.

 

The principles are rooted in five elements and how they interact with each other.  It is the goal of a Feng Shui Practitioner to recognized what elements are present, how they affect each other and what is required to bring balance and harmony where indicated.  The five elements are:

  • fire
  • water
  • wood
  • earth and
  • metal.

 

Here is an example of what I mean by “how they affect each other”.  Picture a beautiful forest where the sun is shining and a small stream is gently flowing.  The trees represent the wood element, the dirt of course is earth, the sun represents the fire element while the stream is obviously the water element and the stones in the stream represent the metal element.  Everything is in balance.  Consider how a storm can change the balance.  A lightning bolt ignites a fire in the trees and chaos ensues.  What if there is a heavy rain and the stream becomes a ragging rapid eroding the earth away, thereby stripping the trees of their support causing them to collapse. This same chaos can be represented in our everyday lives.   Feng Shui can eliminate chaos by re-establishing balance between the five elements.   In Feng Shui, it is understood that each of these five elements are represented in your home or work place by various shapes, colors and objects.  For example:  the element fire can be represented by an actual fire but it can also be represented by pictures or statues of people or animals, candles, feathers, leather the color red or a pyramid shape.    The water element can be represented by mirrors, wavy lines, the colors blue or black.  These are only a few examples of the many ways each element is represented.

 

The next step to understanding Feng Shui is to explore the Bagua.  The Bagua is a map of sorts.  It is a square divided evenly into 9 smaller squares.  Each of the smaller squares is assigned one of nine major areas.  These areas are:

  • career
  • creativity
  • family
  • self-improvement
  • travel and support
  • health
  • popularity
  • love and
  • prosperity.

 

Each of the nine squares of the Bagua is associated with an element.  For example, the love square (also known as a gua) is associated with the earth element.  That does not mean the other elements are not found here rather that the earth element usually is the dominant element.  A common situation I have been called in to consult on results from individuals adding too much of the fire element to this area.  What usually happens in this case is the love relationships are volatile.  A little fire in this area can bring excitement, but too much can create an imbalance and result in chaos. There is always a fine balance that needs to be considered when combining the different elements to achieve the desired results.

 

Now lets’ talk about how the Bagua is actually used.  Think of the Bagua as a floor plan.  It can be used to map out land, buildings, homes, offices, communities, individual rooms etc.  It is always placed in the orientation of the main entrance, like the front door, the main entrance into a room or office, the top or bottom of a set of stairs etc.  Draw a floor plan of your home and then situate yourself at the true front door.  I say “true” because many of the homes I have been called in to consult on rarely if ever use the “true” front door.  Often the main entrance used is in the garage.  Never-the-less, the Bangua was designed to be oriented at the “true” front door or entrance into a home, office, room etc.  So, you are now standing at your “true” front door.  Lets’ find two of the most common areas of the Bangua individuals ask for assistance with which are the love relationship and prosperity areas. As you stand at the front door the far back right corner of the house is your love relationship area for the house and the far back left corner is your prosperity area.  This same principle can be applied to each and every room, your yard, your office space etc.

 

The last thing to discuss is the flow of Chi (energy).  To better understand what I mean by the flow of Chi visualize a wave of water flowing into your home.  Where would the water flow freely and where would it slam up against a barrier?  The placement of walls, furniture, windows, plants etc. all have an impact on just where and how the water (Chi) would flow.  If the water (Chi) moves too quickly it can erode an area making it unstable or possibly move so quickly you feel like you are in rapids.  Another situation may be the water is slamming up against a barrier.  Consider if the barrier happens to be you.  I see this situation quite often in offices where a desk is situated at the end of a long hallway.  When the office door is open the Chi rushes down the hallway and right in to the face or back of the individual sitting at their desk.  Imagine how you would feel if a huge wave constantly was pushing into you.  The flow of Chi is very important in determining how an individual feels in their environment.

 

Case Study:   I was asked to provide a consultation for a home that was L shaped with the right back corner of the Bagua literally outside.  The Master bedroom was located in the far, back, left corner of the house with a large garden tub in the back right corner of the bedroom itself.  In the bedroom there were pictures of stormy seas and empty beach chairs.  The far, right back corner of the house is the love relationship area.  When an area of the Bagua is missing, a challenge is normally represented.  To further support this finding I look to the Master bedroom.  Here I found a large garden tub (representing the water element) in the right back corner of the room.  Again, I was looking at the love relationship area, this time for the Master bedroom.  This area of the Bagua is associated with the earth element.   When there is an imbalance of too much water, the earth element can be eroded and represent instability.  The pictures of the stormy seas and empty beach chairs supported the suspicion of a difficult and unstable love relationship between my clients.  My findings were confirmed by the couple and recommendations were suggested designed especially for their needs.

 

I think Valmai Howe Elkins, Director of the Academy of Power Feng Shui™at Santa Fe said it best when she said “…our homes and workplaces contain valuable clues to our true inner selves, and to events and beliefs in our pasts which have prevented us from achieving our full potential.  The placement of rooms, the arrangement of furniture, the artwork, the clothes we wear, the colors we choose are a remarkably accurate reflection of the forces which shape our lives.”  Learning to recognize where the imbalances are enable each of us to create the balance necessary to achieve our full potential.