Those of you who have a cat companion know that they like to sleep in weird places sometimes. There can be a spot in the middle of the floor that makes absolutely no sense to pick as a favourite spot, yet this is where your beloved cat chooses to sleep – all the time!

There might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. Cats, as opposed to dogs, are attracted to Geopathic stress. They like to sleep in it. Dogs on the other hand will avoid it. So if you have an area in your one where your dog just won’t go for no apparent reason, that’s as much an indicator as a sleeping cat that this area likely is affected by Geopathic stress.

And what is Geopathic stress?

Geopathic stress is a wide term used to describe several different phenomena that have an impact on the Earth’s magnetic and/or gravitational fields and the effects this in turn has on a site or person. Put very simply, Geopathic stress is when something is going on in the Earth that is causing an imbalance, and this energy reaches the surface of the Earth and affects people, animals and plants in that area.

There are several forms of Geopathic Stress

• Geological faults are faults, fractures or cavities found in the ground. A fault line is the surface trace of a geological fault. It is along these fault lines that most earthquakes appear.
• Geomagnetic lines, the Earth is surrounded by geomagnetic lines that can be likened by the acupuncture meridians of the human body. They travel between the poles of the Earth in a corkscrew manner. Geomagnetic lines are one to two metres wide and always move in a north to south direction.
• Watercourses are streams or veins of subterranean water.
• Hartmann and Curry grids are energetic grids that relate to the physical and geopathic stress of any given environment. The Hartmann grid is related to human consciousness, while the Curry grid relates to the Earth’s consciousness.

This is by no means a complete list of Geopathic stressors, and it gives you an idea on what I’m talking about.

So why is this important?

Our environment affects our bodies. In today’s modern society we meet a lot of challenges when it comes to living a healthy life, such as electro magnetic radiation, chemicals, radio and micro waves to only name a few. There is also a link between the Earth and our health that is not commonly spoken about, the connection between Geopathic stress and illnesses.

Each organ system in the human body has its own particular frequency with which it resonates. This means that if something outside of the human body resonates with the same frequency, this phenomenon will have the ability to affect the organ system within the human body. If the frequency of the outside source resonates in harmony with the human body a positive effect will be experienced. However, if the outside source is in any form of dissonance with the organ system then the body will be adversely affected and over a period of time being in this situation may lead to the development of an illness.

What to look for

Signs that tell you that a new geopathic stressor might have been introduced in your environment include insomnia, restless sleep, anxiety, bedwetting or sleep walking in children, as well as ant or wasp nests where there were none before.

What to do

Get a professional Geomancer or Feng Shui consultant with training in Geomancy to do a site assessment for you. A geomancer can neutralise any stresses in the environment that might be contributing to imbalance in the site by implementing geomantic cures. These are cures that are placed in the Earth to help bring balance to the site.

I encourage you to look at your home with new eyes. Has anything changed lately? Is your cat sleeping in a weird spot? Is your dog avoiding certain areas with no apparent explanation? And have you noticed any changes in your health and wellbeing?

Listen to your cat and feel better for it.

Source: Olsen, A. 2010, Geobiology, Australian College of Environmental Studies, Melbourne.

My husband showed me this awesome picture that one of our friends sent him (thanks for the inspiration Ian!). It’s a solar energy fuelled garden mirror that reflects the sun into your home. Such a brilliant idea!

I’m sure most of you have noticed the difference in feeling in a room that is dark and gloomy, and a room that is bathing in natural light. Walking into a sunlit room always makes me smile. It just feels better. Maybe it’s because we actually need sunlight for our survival? Without the sun we can not live, it’s as simple as that. Growing up in Sweden where it’s dark for half the year and then very light for the other half, I’ve certainly noticed the difference in how I felt. Even now living in Sydney I notice how much easier it is to get up in the morning now that the light is returning.

So no wonder that lighting and natural light in a home is such an important aspect of the atmosphere.

If you don’t have enough natural light in your home, using artificial lighting in the form of various lamps will certainly make a difference for the ambiance. It might not have an effect on your health in the way that the sun does, and it certainly will help you feel more at home and happier.

You can of course also use light to create certain moods for certain occasions. I find that at night, especially in winter, I really enjoy candle light. It’s softer on the eyes and it has that cosy feeling, well it does for me anyway. And who can avoid being mesmerised and lose themselves at least a little while staring into an open fire?

Take a look at the light sources around you and notice how you feel in that space. Happy? Lighthearted? Heavy? Gloomy?

If you find that you feel uncomfortable at your desk for expamle, look at the lighting situation around you. In many modern offices lighting is actually appalling! Most of the light is coming from fluorescent lights that sit high above your head, and sometimes even shine you in the eyes. It’s also possible to be affected by too much, too bright daylight coming in through the windows. With the overhead lights and sunlight from windows, the best that you can sometimes do is move your desk a little. If that doesn’t work, ask if you can have the light moved, or if you can put some blinds or curtains up in the window. If lighting at your desk is not sufficient, that is much easier to rectify. Get an appropriate table lamp, and problem solved.

I encourage you to take a look around you, really look at the light where you spend your time. What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? And what can you do to make it a way that you like and that serves you?

Happy Feng Shui Friday!

PS. For those of you who like the solar powered garden mirror idea, check out the Home Heliostat via the link below:

http://wikoda.com

The Sunflower – Home Heliostat from Wikoda

I hear lots of people refer to yin and yang these days, which is awesome! This means that the concept of these opposite and complimentary forces of the universe is becoming well known and something that people are resonating with. Yay! But what does it really mean?

Anything can be considered yin or yang depending on what you are comparing it to. For example, a flower is considered yang compared to a blade of grass and yin compared to a tree. Sometimes the definition yin or yang has got to do with size, but not always. There are also objects, feelings and actions that are generally considered yin or yang in nature. The moon is yin while the sun is yang for example. Here’s a short list with some more examples:

YANG:
– sun
– day
– masculine
– warm
– light
– active

YIN:
– moon
– night
– feminine
– cold
– dark
– passive

The concept of yin and yang comes from the Tao and it describes the law of unity of opposites, put simply, how opposites really only can exist in relation to each other. So in a way you can say that up creates down, high creates low, dark creates light and yin creates yang, and vice versa.

The qualities of yin and yang are complementary and they interact with each other within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system. The yin and yang qualities can be stronger within specific objects and they often change over time.

Certain rooms of your house will have yang energy, while others are more yin. Generally speaking this comes down to the activities you do in these rooms and how often you spend time there. Your bedroom for example is yin as you sleep in there, while your living room often is yang as you spend your time there participating in different activities.

How can this knowledge benefit you? The main thing I would recommend is to look at the way you are utilising the rooms and spaces in your home, what do you want them to be? Active or relaxing? Then furnish and decorate according to the use of the space. Bright, uplifting colours in your office and living room. Calm, soothing colours in your bedroom or meditation nook.

You can change your mood and state of mind with colours and light, the brighter the light and colours, the more yang the energy and the more active you will feel in this space. The more soothing the colours and the more dimmed the lights, the more yin the energy and the calmer you will feel in this space.

Put this to practice and see how it works for you! Feel free to post and met me know how you go, I’d love to hear about it!

Happy Feng Shui Friday!

Neo and Rufus sleeping together in a Yin – Yang pattern

How is this related to Feng Shui I hear you ask? Let me tell you – it is!

Clutter is one of the worst enemies we can encounter when creating positive flow of Qi (energy). Why is that? It gets in the way, it weighs the energy down and it generally stops the flow. Not just the Qi flow, but also the flow of ideas, the flow of opportunities, the flow of inspiration and ability to take action. Clutter creates a negative, heavy and messy feeling wherever it is present. And it doesn’t work hiding it away behind closed doors or in shut drawers. The clutter is till there. And you know it!

I believe we’re all here to create something magical, wonderful and worthwhile. We’re here to give value to the people around us, our community, the world and ourselves. And clutter gets in the way of us doing that.

You might have a great idea that you’ve never actioned. You might have promised your kids you would do something for them. Or maybe your parents? Or you have a strict deadline, and still can’t seem to find the motivation to get to work. So you’re stuck in one way or another. You don’t know where to begin. You don’t know where to turn for inspiration…

There is an easy solution! Clean or declutter something! It can be anything really.

I always suggest starting with your sock drawer. Why is that? It’s normally not a very big task. Most people haven’t done it in years. It may take you 15-30 minutes at the most and the result is amazing. You will not believe how such a small thing can make you feel so good and so light!

So there’s my tip for today. Whenever you’re stuck – clean or declutter something. This will bring in new ideas, fresh energy and it will inspire you to keep going. It’s a simple concept. And it works.

Happy Feng Shui Friday!

You’re taking your vitamin C and echinacea, you’re rugging up, you have your warming cup of tea in front of the heater at night and still you can’t seem to fight off that cold or flu. It’s frustrating! Here’s some tips on how you can increase your health and build up your immune system by applying Feng Shui principles to your bedroom.

Why the bedroom?

In Feng Shui the energetic and physical set-up of your bedroom represents your health as well as your relationships. How well you sleep and how much rest your body gets during the night correlates directly to your health situation.

A healthy environment in your bedroom is paramount to help your body relax and recuperate during the night. If your body is busy fighting off energetic imbalances in your bedroom environment during the night, there is no time for the immune system to fight off infections!

Position your bed for health

For the best possible Feng Shui in your bedroom your bed head should always be up against a solid wall to give you support while you’re sleeping. You should be able to see the the whole room, including the door, while lying bed. If your body is in line with the door when lying in bed you should keep the door closed at night to avoid having “arrows” of energy directed at you all night as this is exhausting for your body. You should not be able to see your own reflection in a mirror while in bed. According to Feng Shui it is not recommended to have mirrors in the bedroom at all as they disturb your sleep.

If you can’t put your bed head against a solid wall, a window with the blinds or curtains closed at night is your next best option.

In Feng Shui it’s highly recommended to never put your bed head against a wall shared with a bathroom or laundry, as this will have a draining effect on your energy. Sleeping against a wall shared with a wet room may cause you to wake up feeling tired and drained. You want to give your body energy at night, not take energy away from it.

Don’t go with the flow

It’s a common thing these days to want to “be in the flow”. At night while sleeping, this is actually one of the worst places to be!

When lying in bed it’s very important to stay out of the Qi (energy) flow in your bedroom as much as possible. Qi flow relates to how energy moves throughout your bedroom. Most often Qi enters via the bedroom door and exists via the window. If your bed is placed in this energy flow path I recommend closing your door at night. This will block the flow of Qi and make for a more restful sleep for you.

You also want to stay out of air flow in winter. When it’s hot in summer sleeping in the breeze from an open window is one of the most fabulous things you can do in my opinion. In winter, not so much!

If you’re sleeping by a window you are best to put up thick curtains and keep them shut at night. This is to avoid any draft from the window reaching your head. I’m assuming here that your head is probably the only body part sticking out from under the warm and cosy doona, and as a result the most likely to get cold.

You might have heard that “most of your body heat escapes via your head as heat rises in the body”. This is actually not true, however if your head is the only part not covered by a blanket or doona at night it WILL be where most of your body heat escapes. So avoid sleeping in a draft simply to avoid getting cold.

It’s also best if your bed is raised off the floor. In winter the draft along the floor is normally worse than anywhere else and it’s beneficial for your health to avoid sleeping in such a draft if you can.

Ban EMFs from your bedroom

It’s cold outside, you’re freezing and despite that hot cup of tea you’re still not warm. Jumping into a cold bed doesn’t really seem like such a great idea. So you go out and get an electric blanket. Bad idea!

All electrical appliances create EMFs (Electro Magnetic Fields), as long as they are plugged into the wall. Electric fields are created from anything that contains electricity under pressure. Magnetic Fields are created as a result of current, i.e. flowing electricity. This only occurs when an appliance is being used.

An electric blanket will emit a high level magnetic field while heating, as well as an electric field. If you sleep with the blanket turned on all night you’re lying directly on top of a strong EMF and this is not at all healthy for your body. Even if you turn the heating off in the blanket when you go to bed, there is still an electric field being emitted.

Our bodies need time and opportunity to rest and recuperate during the night. Having to “deal with” the effects of EMFs during this time is not supportive of your body and may have adverse effects on your health.

There is an ongoing debate and research around what influences EMFs have on human health. The strongest evidence that EMF exposure has adverse effects on human health can be found in studies done on EMFs and childhood leukaemia. There are also a number of other diseases and conditions that have been associated with EMF exposure, such as cancers (including brain tumours), clinical depression, suicide, miscarriages, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Therefore I highly recommend that you switch off all electrical appliances in the bedroom while sleeping, and never, ever sleep in close proximity to the meter box. I even recommend not using a clock radio in your bedroom. Please avoid charging your mobile phone in your bedroom too, or using it as your alarm clock. The exact impact of microwaves and radio signals on our bodies while we sleep is fairly unknown at this stage, however the research that is being done is not looking good.

Use a good old fashioned hot water bottle instead of that electric blanket and go back to an battery operated alarm clock!

Don’t get dry in July

In winter I think most of us would agree that living in a home with reverse cycle air conditioning or central heating is very comfortable and the way to go. Well, let’s look at it, is it really all that fabulous?

Breathing in heated, dry air is actually not great for your body. In fact, dry air is one of the major causes of respiratory infections, nose bleeds and repeated episodes of winter colds. A lack of moisture in your indoor air can stop your immune system from effectively taking care of germs and it may even promote the growth of some bacteria and viruses.

So what can you do?

One way to get around these problems is to use a proper humidifier system in your home. This kind of system will not only regulate the dryness of the air in winter, it will also do the opposite in summer and handle any heightened moisture levels. This method is comparatively expensive and a bit of an ordeal to get installed. Not something you can easily do on your own.

Instead you can invest in a portable humidifier. They come in various sizes and prices and if you do some research online you can find some really good ones.

Another way of adding some moisture back into your indoor air is to simply use a good old oil burner. This won’t be as effective as a humidifier and it will still make a difference. I prefer using oil burners that are not electrical. I like ones with big bowls for water/essential oil as that way I know I won’t run out of water for as long as the tea light still burns. And of course with this alternative you can add your favourite essential oils to the water and create a lovely ambience in your bedroom too!

Now it’s up to you. Time to take action and support your good health this winter! Move your bed if you have to, close your bedroom door, fill that hot water bottle and light up your oil burner!

To your excellent health,
Sara

This is the most common question I get whenever I tell someone I am a Feng Shui consultant. And that makes sense. I totally understand that people are curious and want to know. I want to answer them in the best way I can. And that is not always as easy as you might think.

There are several different traditions, or schools, of Feng Shui. The most well known and used in the Western world (USA in particular) is the BTB or Black Sect school. My understanding of this school of Feng Shui is that it’s a simplified version where parts of several traditional schools of Feng Shui have been mixed and that it was “put together” in China in the 1970’s or -80’s when the interest in Feng Shui started growing in the West. See, people in the West back then figured out that whatever China was doing seemed to be working, and they wanted this information. The Chinese of course, being clever, didn’t want to share too much of this ancient knowledge and “give away” their advantage in knowing how Feng Shui really worked, so they created BTB “for export”. A simplified, easy to use, relatively easy to understand form of Feng Shui built on chosen parts of traditional methods.

BTB is the “typical” Feng Shui that most people I meet have heard of and that uses the nine square Bagua where there is a “wealth” corner, a “relationship” corner etc. in your home. The thought is that you align this nine square Bagua to your front door, and from that you figure out where the nine different sections are placed in your home. If I were trained in this form of Feng Shui, I would easily be able to answer a question such as “What’s the Feng Shui like in here?”.

BTB/Black Hat Sect Bagua – Too simple to be effective

As you might have guessed by now, I am not trained in BTB Feng Shui. Like most other people with an interest in this area I have read several books about it, before I did my training I even overlaid the nine square Bagua on my home and on my office and my desk at work for success. My only problem was… there came no success out of doing that! Things stayed the same.

That’s when I started investigating into the world of Feng Shui a little deeper and found out that there were other, so called traditional schools of Feng Shui, and that these were said to be more accurate and providing better information as they were calculated individually and adapted to each building.

That made a lot of sense to me. I believe that the more specific I can be, the better I can help someone, or the more meaningful the information I provide will be. Compare it to getting your personal horoscope done up by a professional astrologist that takes your place, date and time of birth into consideration, or reading the general information for your star sign. Which one would be more accurate?

So I decided traditional Feng Shui was the go for me. Little did I know that my choice would make it a little bit difficult to answer the question “What’s the Feng Shui like in here?” in an easy way in conversation.

Please understand that I am not here to discredit BTB Feng Shui! It is now really big in the West and the people working with it swears by it. The consultants say it works for them and their clients say it works for them too. All good.

It didn’t work for me and that’s why I went looking for more. And I found it in the traditional schools of Feng Shui.

Form School works with the forms inside and outside your home. Everything in our surroundings can be classified into a form, or element (in Feng Shui these words are interchangeable). There are Five elements in the world; Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each element has certain characteristics and is associated with certain materials, colours and forms.

To give an accurate Feng Shui reading using Form School I need to take into consideration where your home is located, what is in your surroundings and how this may affect your home. I also look at what types of Forms are in certain areas outside and inside your home. From this information I can draw conclusions as to what the energetic impact is on you and your home.

The next traditional school is Compass School. This school relates to the different compass directions in your home and what rooms and objects within your home are best placed in which compass sections and what colours are best used in which sections. Compass School Feng Shui can also be used to create support for specific family members or certain areas of your life. This will add another level of understanding of what is going on in your home energetically.

And finally we have the most accurate and advanced out of all the traditional schools of Feng Shui, Flying Star School. Flying Star school is based on numerology and is calculated for your home from its construction date and the facing compass direction of your building. Using this information an intricate energetic map is created that is then interpreted and overlaid on your home in line with the facing compass direction and from that further conclusions on the energetic set up can be drawn. Flying Star School is used to put Feng Shui enhancements in place to create balance and harmony in your home. The main areas I can work with using Flying Star school is your health, wealth and relationships.

A Flying Star reading cannot be done “on the spot” answering a question such as: “What is the Feng Shui like in here?”. And there in lies my dilemma when asked that question!

So while I am certainly able to answer the question “What’s the Feng Shui like in here?” from a visual perspective and give some ideas on furniture placement for enhanced energy flow, that is only a very small part of the whole picture. There is no way I can give a comprehensive and accurate answer to this question from a Flying Star school point of view just by stepping into the space. And in my opinion, that’s the reading that I need to do to really give a person the best possible answer to that question.

That’s how answering a seemingly simple question can be quite a tricky task!

I hope this information is useful in explaining how I look at Feng Shui and what works for me. Thank you for reading!

I have a great article featured in the Innersense – Inspired Living Magazine’s March issue 2012 on how to get started with Feng Shui. Just a few simple tips that will make a big difference in your home. You don’t need any special products or anything to follow these tips, just get started straight away!

You can check out the online e-magazie here: Innersense – Inspired Living Magazine March issue 2012, or read the full article below. Enjoy!

Article

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy on creating balanced environments and harmonious energies. In this article I will share with you some of my top tips that will make your home inviting, balanced and relaxing. That is what most of my customers want and what I imagine you want in your home too. You may be surprised at just how much difference you can make by applying these simple principles.
 

Make your entrance welcoming

The entrance of your home represents opportunities coming into your life and is a reflection of your ability to create wealth while living in this home. Keep your entrance light, welcoming, free of clutter and easy to find from the street. Place a picture or representation of what you want to attract into your life opposite your front door, so that it’s the first thing you see coming home.
 

Create a positive flow of energy (Qi)

A flow of positive energy (Qi) in your home will help you create a balanced, peaceful and happy environment. Qi should move around in a slow, meandering and steady flow. This is best created by placing beautiful objects and furniture in your home in a position that invites energy to linger. I find it helps to look at Qi as if it were a child. What would most entice a child to move from one place to another whilst exploring and discovering your home? Think interesting furniture, colours, textures, light…
 

Set up your bedroom for great sleep

Your bedroom is your haven where you can relax and recuperate. Keep it free from clutter and leave any “busy work” outside your bedroom door. This means no book shelves, no work desks, no computers etc. Never, ever charge your mobile phone on your night stand or use your phone as your alarm clock. Make sure your bed head is up against a solid wall and that you can see the bedroom door clearly when lying in bed. Avoid mirrors in the bedroom as they disturb your sleep.
 

Steer clear of clutter

Clutter weighs on your mind and creates stagnant energy where it is accumulated. In my opinion it kills the spirit of your home. There is no place you can put clutter without it affecting you! We are all energetically connected to everything we own. Clutter is like constantly dragging your past around with you, so let it go.

A great rule of thumb is a yearly Spring clean. Go over everything you own and really look at it. Ask yourself: do I love it? do I use it? do I need it? If the answer is no, get rid of it.
 

Avoid EMFs (Electro Magnetic Fields)

All electrical appliances create EMFs, as long as they are plugged into the wall. Modern studies have linked a variety of diseases with to spending time in EMFs, such as childhood leukaemia, other cancers (including brain tumours), clinical depression, suicide, miscarriages and Alzheimer’s disease. The best way to avoid EMFs is distance. Keep at least two meters away from your TV, never watch the food being heated in the microwave and avoid electrical appliances in your bedroom altogether.

That’s it! If you follow these five steps you are on your way to a healthy, balanced and happy home that feels good! Enjoy the process and good luck!

To your health,
Sara

I’m very excited about this new website! My aim is to post interesting information on Feng Shui and Feng Shui related topics here to support you in creating a healthy environment around you where you can live in harmony and be happy.

I hope you find the information on here both inspiring and interesting. If there is any topic in particular that you would like to read about, please email me and let me know and I will do my best to write about it.

Welcome! Enjoy!

Warm regards,
Sara