Dec 5th was my Grandmother’s birthday – well, it would have been and she would have been 107 years old. She’s been gone over 40 years, but the things she taught me are with me to this day.

My grandmother and her two daughters, my mother and aunt, were resettled after WWII. They came from a part of Germany called Sudetenland, named after the Sudeten Mountains. Today, this region is part of Czechoslovakia. And like all people and all regions, the Sudetenland had its own customs and traditions.

Those customs and traditions were passed on to me by my grandmother and my mother. One of the traditions my grandmother felt particularly strong about was preparing to “ring in the New Year”. She always prepared herself, her family and her space for the New Year.

For her that meant everything had to be in top shape. Some of her preparations included: fresh sheets on the beds, a spotless aired out and clutter free house (the house was always clean anyway), no laundry allowed to cross the 12:00PM threshold and no dishes left to do.

Even though my grandmother, in all likeliness, had never heard of feng shui, intuitively she understood the value of energetically preparing her space. She cleaned, decluttered and prepared to move out the old to make room for new things and experiences to come into her life.

The first day of the New Year was a serious holiday for her; a time to celebrate with family, special meals and relaxation. As a child (and teenager) I often “rolled my eyes” about all these silly rituals and traditions. But today, I understand.

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year
Johanna

Feng Shui views light as one of the most interesting sources of good energy because we have enormous potential to optimize it. Since light plays a major role in Feng Shui, here are a few tips:

Light in the Kitchen ~ There are many benefits to having good light in the kitchen. For one, we prepare our food there and the amount of light determines how well we can see what we do. In addition, the quality of the light can also contribute a great deal toward how we “experience” the food and how we ultimately treat it. Think about it for a moment…

If you are working in a poorly lit kitchen, it is challenging to see the beautiful colors and quality of the food. The most vibrant colored meal will appear to be dull in poor lighting. What affect does that have on your mood?

On the other hand, if the fruit, meat, or vegetables are glowing in a well-lit environment, they appear to smile at us and are proud to show-off. Wouldn’t you rather eat a meal that looks happy instead of a meal that looks sad?

Improve the Feng Shui of your kitchen and your health by adding light. Working in a well-lit kitchen promotes healthy eating habits. It allows you to enjoy being in the kitchen, creates a positive eating environment, and therefore makes a valuable contribution to your health and increases your sense of well-being. In a poorly lit kitchen, the meals are unappetizing; we cook less, and then eat quickly and without much enjoyment. Who would have thought lighting could make such a difference to our health?

Light in the Bathroom ~ Have you ever used a bathroom in a rest area or train station? It probably left an impression on you, but I doubt that it was positive. These facilities usually have a bluish-cold lighting that causes us to keep our visit as short as possible. On the other hand, if you have ever had the opportunity to use the restroom in a luxury hotel, the experience was, more than likely, the complete opposite. Chances are good that you felt refreshed by the golden light and golden tones of the mirror there.

Gold tone mirrors may not allow us to see things as clearly, but the light flatters our skin and surrounds us with a shimmer of warmth and a touch of elegance. The choice of lighting we use in our homes can determine how much we enjoy our visit to the bathroom. Use warm lighting and gold tone mirrors to create an environment of relaxation, warmth, and elegance.


Light in the Corridor/Hallway ~ In some floor plans, the hallway runs through the middle of the home or apartment and subdivides the remaining areas into different rooms. Hall lighting fixtures are usually sad creations without any illuminating power or esthetics.

The center of any home corresponds to health, so hall lighting should be of the utmost importance. The light in the middle of the home has the function of a sun that wants to send power into all the adjoining rooms. The more radiant the sun, the greater the energy will be. Select a hall light that is bright and reminiscent of the sun at high noon.

Light in the Living Areas ~ You must experience a sense of well-being in the living areas. This is the primary basic rule. The light must correspond with the needs that you want in each respective room: quality lighting for watching TV, good and bright light for reading, and warm light for snuggling. However, the light should not be blinding. If you like halogen lamps, be sure to direct them so that no one is “blinded” when looking at them. Hanging lamps with bulbs that are not covered by lamp shades can also be changed and refined through the proper choice of a bulb.

Dead Corners ~ Every home has a “dead corner” somewhere. These are areas in which dust likes to collect. The energy cannot circulate freely in a corner and this area usually becomes limp. A standard lamp will work well in these areas, but using a crystal lamp is ideal. Add a few plants and a limp corner can be transformed into a comfortable retreat.

Treasures, Pictures, and Decorative Objects ~ Most of us have a few treasures and decorative items in our homes. Quite frequently, these precious things simply gather dust and their auras become weaker and weaker. You can use track lighting to showcase your treasures or create a space in a bookcase for a decorative object. When you additionally illuminate the object, you are activating the energy of joy. Change the Feng Shui of the space by installing special lamps above the frames of your pictures.

Some rooms are completely transformed just by illuminating the pictures on the wall. Not only does this transform the ambiance of the room, but it also improves the Feng Shui of the room.

In Feng Shui our homes are regarded as sacred places. Therefore it is very important that we maintain our homes, just as we maintain the hygiene and health of our bodies.

Hence, the second step to incorporating Feng Shui into your daily life is to fix and repair everything in your home, office and garden. Oftentimes, we hold onto items that are in need of repair, but never get around to repairing them. Broken items are symbolic of a broken life and who needs that?

How much stuff do you have that needs a screw, a dab of glue, a stitch or two? Make time to sort through these items and determine what you really want and what you know you will never fix. Determine the value of this item and if it is truly something you want to hang on to, take the time to fix it or take it to someone who will fix it for you. If you are ready to part ways with the item, place it in the trash, sell it or donate it, but get rid of it.

There is much symbolism used in Feng Shui and the more you learn about this art, the easier it will become for you to make these connections. These include:

• Clutter and broken items are symbolic of clutter of the mind, holding onto the past, and things which no longer work.
• Windows are the eyes of Qi (life force energy) and affect your clarity, so replace broken window panes and clean the windows. If you’re having a hard time “seeing” things, take a look at your windows. Chinese culture teaches that broken windows create conflicts with a child or inner child.
• Broken or blocked doors block the voice of the adult.
• Plumbing represents our digestive system, so repair leaky faucets and clogged drains.
• Electricity and electrical devices represent our neurological system, so tend to your electrical needs – you don’t want to ‘short-circuit’.
• A sticking door or two doorknobs banging together, can contribute to tension between partners, so ease a tight fit. Tie red ribbons on doorknobs that bang against one another.
• Garbage cans should be put away and always covered with a lid.
• Toilets, sinks, tubs and shower stalls are drains. Connected with the water element, these are symbolic of your wealth. Keep your toilet lids down and close the drain plugs and bathroom doors to avoid draining your wealth.

The main entrance to your home or building is the main ‘mouth’ of Qi. Symbolically this is where all of the Qi enters the building. It is important that the main entrance be clear, open and well defined. Below are tips to help you strengthen the entrance to your home or office:


Eliminate obstructing clutter that blocks your path.
* Check for a squeaky door, broken handle, uneven door frame, uneven steps or a broken doorbell.
* Check your doorknobs, repair broken hardware and add oil until the door opens flawlessly.
* Clean the entrance area and get rid of cobwebs and dirt.
* Make sure the entrance is well lit, as good lighting will create a flow of good energy into your home.
* Make sure that the access from the street or sidewalk to your home or business is clear, so that people can easily see the entrance door.

The important thing for you to remember is that all these things affect the way Qi (energy) flows through your home and workplace. Although this energy is invisible, it is there. Feng Shui provides you with the tools to harness this energy and put it to work in your favor.

In our homes there are three sources of good energy – fresh air, warmth and light. How we deal with these powerful sources and thereby stimulate the flow of chi/qi energy in our environment is totally up to us. This discussion will assist you to harness these three sources and use them to your benefit.

Fresh Air ~ Without air, we simply would not exist. Air provides us with oxygen, which allows us to breathe. If there is too little oxygen in a room, the air feels sticky, musty, and stale. It is our natural instinct to open the doors and windows to obtain “fresh” air.

In every home there are two areas where smells can infiltrate the entire home – the kitchen and the bathroom. Smokers put an abrupt halt to fresh air and some hobby rooms, where people solder, paint, varnish, and glue, are enveloped in acrid air.

There are numerous causes for the air losing its freshness, and airing on a regular basis is the simplest solution. However, certain rooms need extra help.

Some bathrooms contain an entire family’s dirty laundry. A simple remedy for this is to place a few drops of pure essential oil onto a fragrance stone and place it on top of the clothes bin or on a shelf near the clothes bin.

Always use the ventilation fan when cooking in the kitchen. This draws the smells out of the area and helps to circulate the air. It’s a good idea to use a fragrance stone, aroma therapy diffuser, or potpourri in the kitchen for “scent cleansing”. Never leave greasy, smelly pots and pans in the kitchen sink overnight. It is not a good way to begin your morning, as it is symbolic of an incomplete task. If you don’t tend to it before you go to the office, it will remain in the back of your mind throughout the day and cause you to be distracted.

Additionally, take out the trash after the evening meal. Much of what we throw away has “smelly” qualities and can create a not-so-pleasant aroma the next day. Always keep a lid on garbage containers.

Warmth ~ Each of us has a personal temperature sensor that lets us know whether we feel comfortable or not. Many people are very uncomfortable when the temperature falls below 73°F. They shiver and reach for the nearest blanket. Others wear T-shirts, shorts and sandals at 32°F. When we heat our homes, we generally have some control over how warm we would like to have it.

Temperatures slightly cooler than in the living areas are ideal for healthy sleep, but there shouldn’t be a breeze hitting you in the face when you enter the bedroom. A pleasant and cozy warmth is necessary in the living room, where you would like to relax. The activities that take place in a workroom, will be the deciding factor for temperature control.

The most perfect source of heat is from a visible fire. The location of a tiled stove, or a fireplace should be as central as possible so that the warmth of the fire can radiate in all directions like a shining sun. If your fireplace is intended as a decoration, it is still important to use it on a regular basis during the cold season. A fireplace or oven that does not burn is a symbol of “extinguished” fire.

Light ~ Light is probably the most interesting source of good energy because we have enormous potential to optimize it. Look for our article titled “Feng Shui and Light” to discover helpful tips on the use of lighting in your environment.

Regardless if we are aware of it or not, we are affected by our environment. We are impacted by natural and man made environments alike. I am sure you would agree that spending time in a peaceful garden affects us differently then sitting for hours in a car, stuck in traffic. Feng Shui deals with this interrelationship. It teaches us how to maximize and benefit from our interaction with the environment.

Feng Shui originated in China over 4000 years ago and is an age-old practice that embraces the idea of living in harmony and balance with the environment. Feng Shui (pronounced fung schway) literally means wind and water and is the study of energy and how it affects people. Feng Shui knows what elements have the potential to create positive as well as negative energy around us.

The idea that the “spirit” or energy of a place has an affect on your well being is widely accepted, but in Feng Shui it has developed into a complex integrated system of theory and practice that embraces almost every aspect of people’s lives. In other words, it teaches you how to harness and control the visible and invisible energies that surround us.

The underlying premise of Feng Shui is that everything in your surroundings, down to the smallest detail of furnishing and décor can either further your goals in life or work against you. By understanding the subtle currents of energy that flow through your body and through everything in the universe, you can arrange your living and working environments to help you reach your goals.

The arrangement of your home or office can affect your peace of mind and physical health. By applying the principles of Feng Shui, it is possible to make your relationships healthier and to create living and working environments more attuned to the life force that surrounds each of us.

Feng Shui is a creative and intuitive science. The practice of Feng Shui represents a belief that there are subtle forces in our surroundings that can impact our lives. It provides a framework for understanding the secrets of how energy moves in our surroundings and how the landscape, the style of buildings, and their interiors affect us at a subtle level. Using Feng Shui, you can enhance your entire life and minimize obstacles and misfortune.