Category — Feng Shui

What is a Locked Phase? Some schools of feng shui call it “the Imprisoned Star” and in Master Sang’s school we refer to it as a “locked” phase….It is a cycle that every house must go through at some time or another. Just like a certain time frame in a woman’s life, when she must go through menopause, the Locked Phase of a house will be a time frame when the negative aspects of a house are more likely to influence the occupants. If a house type is already prone to accidents, illness, or arguments–then the Locked phase will make it worse.

HOW LONG DOES THE “LOCK” LAST?

The longest Locked Phase will last for twenty years. There are also annual locks that repeat every nine years. And there are even monthly locked phases, but most practitioners do not concern themselves or their clients with a negative phase of such short duration. But an example of a monthly lock might be experienced as a “bad month.” Perhaps in that month there could be illness or a decrease in income.

WHAT ARE ALL THE EFFECTS OF A LOCKED PHASE?

If a house is in a “People Lock” it could make a challenging marriage worse, it could make it difficult to get pregnant, or intensify any particular problem associated with health or relationships. If a house is in a “Money Lock,” then the income of the occupants could decrease mildly to significantly or contribute to any type of career-related aggravations.

Sometimes a house can be “locked” for money and for people at the same time or in consecutive years. As an example, a house which faces West and built in the 1950′s was in its 20-year Money Lock from 1984-2003 and on top of it, in 1997 that same house was also in a one-year People Lock.

WHAT ARE THE REMEDIES FOR THE LOCKED PHASES?

Whether a house is locked for money or for people and whether it is in a 20-year lock or just a one-year lock, the remedy is the same: the occupants must be able to HEAR and SEE circulating water. Indoor and outdoor water falls can be quite effective in reducing the effects of the locked phase.

• You should not rule out buying a house in a one-year lock because it will be over in 12 months or less!

• A house that is just beginning or in the middle of a 20-year lock may not be the best choice just because of the duration of the lock.

• Theoretically, placing water fountains or aquariums anywhere in the house where you can see and hear them will “unlock” the lock; however, there are going to be some locations for water that will be better than others based on the energy patterns of each area of your house.

• When does a house enter the twenty year lock? It is different for each house type.

Some will enter a twenty-year lock shortly after being built, while other house types may not experience a 20-year lock for 40 or more years after it is built. A house has a major cycle that spans 180 years and at some point in those 180 years, there will be a 20-year money lock and a 20-year people lock.

• A house or building which has voluminous waterfalls, pools, or aquariums may not experience the locked phase at all.

• A house right on the beach with the sight and sound of water as a constant part of the living experience, may not experience a locked phase either.

• The Locked Phase is specific to the house. The occupants do not cause the locked phase.

• The Money Locked Phase will easily explain why a business may prosper for a number of years and then experience struggles during the locked time frame.

• The People Locked Phase for a business can contribute to employees not getting along and/or a high turnover of workers and lack of loyalty or a workplace plagued with gossip.

• The locked phase can be understood as an additional layer to the basic feng shui of the house, which complicates it unless remedied.

Would you like to know if your house or business is in a Locked Phase? This is just one of many details included in a classical Feng Shui analysis. Kartar Diamond is available world-wide for consulting and addressing your concerns.

You can also learn how to determine when a Locked Phase will occur by reading Kartar’s first book, Feng Shui for Skeptics or her third book, The Feng Shui Continuum. Kartar is the author of four books and two e-books and she makes a point of putting information and real case study experience into her books that are not found elsewhere in any other books on the subject.

You can find Kartar Diamond on Facebook as well as http://www.FengShuiSolutions.net and follow Kartar on Twitter under the name of FengShuiRx

We have an expression in our own Western culture: “ground-breaking.” It refers to something momentous, brand new, significant, and capable of changing the way we think, behave, respond, or create in the future. A “ground breaking” scientific discovery can lead to the cure of a specific disease and forever alter scientific research thereafter.

A “ground breaking” musical performance or artistic achievement can lead the way for variations on a new trend or open doors for like-minded people who needed such a catalyst or leader to precede them.

In a more literal sense, we still use the words “ground breaking” to refer to the beginning of a construction project. The day we “break ground” is the day the first shovel or tractor comes in to move the earth. So, how did the literal action of moving dirt take on the metaphorical connotation of important change? This is actually a major feng shui concept at its core. Both primitive and evolved cultures have historically tracked the seasons and the climate, created calendars, established farming schedules according to the cycles of the moon and we have basically looked to nature for the timing of many important activities and rites of passage. The power of the earth, combined with the timing of nature is understood naturally by people of all backgrounds.

Buildings are an extension of the earth and literally made of earthen materials, such as stone and concrete. We have made our homes in caves and we have built tall virtual mountains called “skyscrapers.” Even the biblical saying “from dust to dust” reminds people of our connection with the earth.

When the rays of sun hit the ground (or the concrete foundation of a house being built), it establishes a connection between earth and sky (heaven.) Feng Shui practitioners like to quote Sir Winston Churchill, who said, “We shape our buildings and then they shape us.”

The timing of when we alter or move the earth can have an enduring affect on the people who inhabit that area or that structure for many years to come. This is why so many people refer to the Chinese Almanac and feng shui calculations for the best time to begin a construction as well as when to specifically avoid the beginning of a construction.

Like other popular expressions, such as “going with the flow” or “setting the tone,” the words “ground-breaking” have their origin steeped in metaphysical awareness.

This year, 2009, the directions of northeast and southwest are both tugging at each other and are considered precarious directions for building or remodeling. Some of my clients are building new houses this year which are sitting in the northeast or southwest. (The expression “sitting” means the back of the building.) Since the back of the building is the “spine” and partly the essence of the building, I have advised each client to proceed cautiously and we have even gotten into the details of what months and days are better than others to begin the project.

Kartar Diamond is the author of four trade paperback books on Feng Shui and an e-book titled “Feng Shui Tips for for Realtors” available for download on her website, http://www.FengShuiSolutions.net
Another e-book, “Feng Shui Tips for Architects” will be available in August 2009.

Diamond has been a traditionally trained practitioner since 1992 and she has had thousands of clients.
You can find Kartar Diamond on Facebook as well as Twitter under the name FengShuiRx

Along with all the other rooms in the house, there has certainly been a lot written about what kind of Feng Shui impact the kitchen has on its occupants. Many myths abound and I have had clients needlessly worry about features in their kitchens, some of which will be addressed in this issue.

Firstly, the residential kitchen is not normally looked upon as the most important room in a house. In fact, with the way we live today, fewer people actually cook on a daily basis. There may even be an ironic parallel between how high-tech and ostentatious a kitchen is, with how little cooking actually take place.

And yet it is one of the more important rooms in the house which could make or break a real estate deal. Here are some of the more popular kitchen myths: (READ: not true)

• A mirror behind a stove brings prosperity: I have walked into kitchens where clients had propped up make-ups mirrors behind their stove burners or had placed one large mirror propped up or against the wall because they had heard that this brings in more money. Aside from the fact that grease and food will splatter onto the mirror and look bad, I don’t recommend this practice. This notion has something to do with creating the illusion that the more food you are cooking, the wealthier you are. Nice concept, but not very effective. In fact, if you really want to be spiritually rich, it would probably be better to pack an extra lunch each day and then give it away to the first homeless person you see each day.

• A sink placed right near a stove, or a refrigerator right near a stove, is bad Feng Shui: this is very intangible. And I would not argue with a kitchen designer about the most functional placement of appliances. The Feng Shui myth is that hot and cold (stove/refrigerator) should not be placed side by side because it would be a conflict of the yin-yang energies.

None of the authors who claim this is a problem have given information about what the measurable consequences are when stove and fridge are next to each other. Not worth worrying about.

• When a person stands at a stove and cooks with their back to the entrance, this is seen as vulnerable or prone to accidents. I can see some truth to this, although I have never in all my years of practice heard a client blame a kitchen accident on their having their back to the entrance. (And since mothers supposedly “have eyes on the backs of their heads,” this should be a mute point for a large percentage of the people who cook in the family kitchen.

• Kitchen in the center of the house is bad luck: This seems to simply be a poor design and possibly more prone to a fire. It is more practical for a kitchen to be on the side of a house where there can be a window for direct escape of cooking odors, excessive heat or steam.

• Bathrooms next to kitchens are bad Feng Shui: This concept is hinged on the notion that there could be a sanitation problem by having “elimination” energies in close proximity to a food prep location. Just remember that you can walk across a whole house with unwashed hands and end up in the kitchen also.

Some of my consistent findings, using traditional Feng Shui, is that when a kitchen ends up being in the most positive area of the house, the client often reports that this is in fact the favorite hang-out place for occupants as well as guests. Conversely, when a kitchen is located in a particularly accident-prone area of the house, there are more injuries and/or appliances break down a lot.

Another consistent finding: when the kitchen resides in the Northwest quadrant of the house (NW=metal and cooking produces fire), the result of fire symbolically melting metal can create a home where the children are unruly and do not listen to the father. (NW is associated with the father figure.) There is no physical explanation for this, but the feedback supports this association.

A commercial kitchen in a restaurant or catering company should be in a positive location within the building because the success of the business is based so much on the food.

Finally, we are all psychological and programmable beings. When people enter the house from the kitchen, there seems to be a universal agreement that the occupants will feel like eating whether they are hungry or not.

Feng Shui Solutions, founded by Kartar Diamond, is dedicated to advancing the information about Feng Shui as a natural science. Author of four books and two e-books, so far, Diamond has taught introductory classes to over 10,000 students and has had over 4,000 clients as of 2009. She began her consulting firm in 1992, and has studied with a number of Feng Shui Masters, including Master Larry Sang of the American Feng Shui Institute. Kartar is one of his senior instructors and she also moderates the Institute’s on-line Forum for on-line students.

You can find Kartar Diamond on Facebook and her Twitter name is FengShuiRx
You can also join Kartar’s monthly e-newsletter and find out about her global services at http://www.FengShuiSolutions.net.

Feng Shui is a process that affects your internal landscape just as much as it affects your physical environment. In order for your spirit to be nourished by the enhancements you make to your home, you must start the entire process by looking inward, and this is an important Feng Shui tip that most Feng Shui consultants like me would offer to all Feng Shui beginners. This in fact is the essence of spiritual Feng Shui which looks at the Feng Shui at a higher level than the other types of Feng Shui which mostly aim at improving at a niche level; be it your office, home or bedroom.

The Spiritual Feng Shui sees the whole concept of Feng Shui at the universal level, the level to which your soul belongs and relates. If you practice spiritual Feng Shui you can never think of improving your life at the expanse of harming your neighbor or your environment. The Feng Shui tips that are offered in the article not only aim to highlight the important points one has to remember before practicing it; it also introduces the Feng Shui beginners to the new horizons that the spiritual Feng Shui can open up for them.

Though the spiritual Feng Shui communicates to your environment, your home, your office through the bodily objects, it heals your soul — to know how it works it is important for you to remember the following Feng Shui tips. All these free Feng Shui tips have valuable advice contained in them so try to imbibe them before you start your practice.

There is nothing religious about the Spiritual Feng Shui. It talks about purifying your soul, not only the empty or occupied spaces in your house. The purified soul has the radiations that are reflected from you to have strong positive energies; in Feng Shui practice, these positive energies referred to as Chi, which is the universal energy and the guiding principle.

As one would never build a new home on a rotting foundation; likewise, it is essential to clear away the debris of negativity before you create your new Feng Shui space. Only then can your spirits soar with true energy and vitality.

As you come to recognize the importance of cleansing your old attitude and beginning anew, what ever Feng Shui enhancements that you use for a Feng Shui home design seem to be working for you.

Here are some free Feng Shui tips for everyone:

Look deep into yourself and don’t be afraid to do so! That is the only way to develop and change in a beneficial way. Be honest with yourself – you deserve truth and awareness.

Open your palms, close your eyes and reach your arms up and out, as though you are waiting to be picked up or embraced. (This is necessary for unifying your soul with the universe).

Imagine the energy radiating from your heart, your lungs, your palms and that the energy is touching everything in its path.

Beam the energy away from you, sending it into the farthest corners of the universe.

Repeat this mantra: “I am open to positive change in any form it takes.”

Before you start feng shui decorating with various Feng Shui elements, my sincere Feng Shui advice to all the Feng Shui beginners is to strictly follow the spiritual Feng Shui tips.

May be as your Feng Shui study goes deeper and deeper you would not mind spending some money for buying e books on Feng Shui, but the absolutely free Feng Shui tips that you just now have are the like the foundation stones for the spiritual Feng Shui practice. Remember that these free Feng Shui tips are going to help you a great deal in your long Feng Shui journey.

Once you are positive about accepting changes in your life the Feng Shui is there to help you in what ever you do; remember that Feng Shui is about focusing intentions, rather than just coasting on auto-pilot. Feng Shui is about getting you back into the driver’s seat of your life, it is about accepting responsibility for yourself and your actions not only in this materialist world but also the metaphysical or spiritual world.

Nurturing yourself with Feng Shui practice and making use of the philosophy of Feng Shui in the home design will help you regain your own sense of destiny and purpose within the universe. Before you start any Feng Shui practice, whether it is about understanding Feng Shui Bagua or knowing Feng Shui Elements remember that Feng Shui is a spiritual discipline. It is just not about doing furniture placement using Feng Shui interior design but knowing yourself and your universe better so can get the positive energies from the universe and its objects. Feng Shui elements are nothing different from the elements of universe. If you follow this important piece of Feng Shui advice and bring to practice the above mentioned free Feng Shui nothing can stop you from deriving benefits of Feng Shui.

The Feng Shui masters have provided you with the technical know-how and valuable Feng Shui tips for evaluating your home and implementing Feng Shui techniques and cures. But it is up to you, and only you, to envision and bring about the specific environment and quality of life that you desire.

If you integrate all the above home design tips into your Feng Shui practice you would soon start noticing the positive changes it is having on your life.

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art, where placement of objects in a room depends on the movement of chi or natural energy of our environment. Based on the patterns of nature, a Feng shui master will tell us where to place every individual object in our home or workplace. A master will also provide advice on how a building should be positioned on a property. Feng Shui shows us how to support the flow of energy in our lives for better health and prosperity.

The best location for a bedroom, according to Feng Shui is in the rear of the home. This is where it is said that all “restful” energy lies. In order to preserve this energy the bedroom should have only one door connecting it to the rest of the house. It is best that the bedroom is not located over a garage. If it is, to preserve a restful sleep, one must use heavy solid objects on the floor or hang a mirror on the garage ceiling so that it will reflect the image of the car away from the bedroom. If a kitchen is located over the bedroom, place a mirror on the ceiling of the bedroom reflecting downward, sealing off the bustling activities occurring in the kitchen.

There should always be a door connecting the bedroom and the bathroom, and the door should always be kept closed. Feng Shui recommends not having a television in the bedroom as it causes less interactions between couples. If one is present, it should be covered when not in use. A work station in the bedroom is also discouraged as is exercise equipments because these release opposite energies than that of restful energy.

Mirrors in a bedroom can be a problem as they are said to reflect one’s negative energy when one is sleeping, thereby causing nightmares. This principle applies to any object that reflects like paintings, computer screens or metal surfaces.

Feng Shui recommends that a person sleep with legs facing away from the door because such a position is referred to as the “coffin” position. Colors in the bedroom should be subtle, as should the colors of bedroom furniture. Clean up clutter in the bedroom including closets for good energy.

Bedrooms are rooms to go to for peace and relaxation. To distract negative energy Feng Shui encourages a good circulation of natural energy and plenty of fresh air.

Has your home lost that loving feeling? Do feel nurtured when you are at home? Is it lacking vital energy that makes you feel alive and nurtured? Maybe it’s time to add some romance to your home. Using Feng Shui principles can be a simple way to make your home loving and inviting. Your home is a place where you can create a tranquil haven from the hectic outside world. Adding some romance to your home does not mean that you have to decorate it in a particular way, such as a Victorian-styled home with lots of lace and floral patterns. Romancing your home is rather a way to create a beautiful, inviting and harmonious living environment, which you can express through your own personal decorating style.

Feng Shui is widely used to create harmony and happiness in all types of relationships: romantic, family, friends, and work associates. One of the most important objectives in Feng Shui is that of family happiness. One simple way to support harmonious family relationships is to have a dining table that is round or oval in shape to encourage a smooth flow of conversation and energy. Feng Shui also puts importance on diffusing obstacles that can create negative energy, such as overhead beams, a protruding display or bookcase, or knives exposed in the kitchen. Overhead beams can represent heavy energy bearing down on you, especially if the beams are over your bed. Look around your home to see if any of these obstacles could be creating an uninviting home for you. It is also a challenge to be romantic in the bedroom if your computer and television are there vying for your attention. It is best to locate these items in another part of the house. If you must have a television in the bedroom, place it in an armoire so that it can be hidden away when not in use.

Once the obstacles of negativity are diffused, you can bring in positive, enriching energy by displaying symbols of love and romance. Try keeping things in pairs, such as a pair of candles or have a pair of rose quartz hearts on your bed side table. Images of love birds or mandarin ducks are often used to visually represent being in a loving relationship. You can also strengthen relationship energy in other rooms of your home with the pairing of Yin and Yang opposites, such as artwork depicting water and mountains or statuary of a man and woman.

Color is very much a part of creating romance in your home and will affect the overall feeling you have in a room. Are your color choices encouraging a loving and harmonious living environment? The bedroom is often considered to be the most romantic room in your home. What are the dominant colors in your bedroom? The following color guide may help you in choosing the romantic atmosphere you are looking to create.

Pink is known as the color of love and will give your room a soft approachable feel.

Red is a strong passionate color that can create feelings of power and excitement. In your bedroom, it is best to use this sparingly as an accent instead of painting all walls in the color red.
Green is a calming color and gives a sense of safety and stability to many people.

White is the most common color that people use on the walls is their bedroom. Although it creates a fresh and relaxed feeling, it has a tendency to be a little on the cool side. Consider warming things up a bit with flesh-toned sheets or a painted accent wall behind the head of the bed.

Blue is another calming color, and like white has a tendency to be a little on the cool side. Again warm things up through your accent colors and accessories.

Creating your own romantic home might take some effort. However, once you have applied the principles of Feng Shui and inviting colors to your environment, you will be able to enjoy the results each time you come home at the end of the day.