Literature and Learning

I have checked out a few books on Feng Shui from the library. Both of the ones I read were "Dummies" types of books that told an overview of the history and background as well as the basics of the art. Amazingly enough, the books were very detailed, up to date and very interesting. I have checked out a few other books as well that were a little more detailed and showed photos. These were helpful but I enjoyed reading the history of feng shui and how it relates to the I Ching. Chinese society has more history that carried over that we realize. And now they are getting the respect they deserved long ago.

Signs of Chi

Yesterday, Rosana and I hemmed the curtains in our bedroom, we had originally bought burgundy but after consulting the feng shui manual, decided on a dark green. We put them up and tailored them and they look great! We also went out and bought a comforter set for our bed and it is green with a pattern of leaves (perfect for the southeast since the element is wood) Right after doing this, I checked my email and had an email about an assistant managers job at a restaurant. Coincidence? Makes you wonder. Anyway, seems like things are starting to happen for us, just as the world economy is doing so bad, our new life is blossoming.

Sunday breaks and inspires

After going back to bed this morning and tossing and tumbling, I decided to get up and make some dent in the clutter that has gathered in certain areas of our apartment. We have taken care of the entrance closet, organizing things and putting a shoe rack there. This is in the east, so, very important. Our work area is on the north wall, and the desk faces away from the door, certainly not a good aspect at all. Anyway, the papers, magazines and books have gathered and needed some attention. I went through it all today and organized everything into shelves or boxes. There was also a bundle of cords, cables and electronic aparatus that was lying on the south wall of the den, which follows the path of the entranceway coming into the apartment. I took care of this as well, mounting things on the wall and tacking down the cords. As soon as I log off here I am going to put the bagua up in the kithen to cut off that poison arrow that is cutting into the space there. This is the northwest corner of the apartment

Green is good!

We had bought some curtains at IKEA last week and I got around to putting them up yesterday. We had originally bought red ones to match the bed, but decided upon reading about the elements and their colors to change them to green (since our bedroom is in the southeast corner, the element is wood). So we decided on a deep forest green color., thinking it may enhance the wood element there. Well, a little less than an hour after I put up the curtains, the phone rang, it was an offer of a potential job, and a decent one as well. I have an interview set up for Tuesday.

Updates

I had gone to the library and checked out some books on feng shui. I read a basic one and learned about the compass method and the principles behind it. I determined that our apartment faces east and read up on the different aspects of this perspective. Our bedroom is southeast, Mickael's is southwest. These things have colors and materials that are enhanced by placing them or using them in these rooms. For example, our room is influenced by the element of wood, so using wood and the colors thereof can benefit the chi there. I also found that glass is beneficial in this area. Our chests are made of wood with glass fronts on the drawers. Rosana's closet is wood with glass as well. We just bought curtains for the bedroom, but after finding the colors more appropriate, we went back and exchanged them for green curtains. In the entrance to our apartment, which is east, I put a dimmer switch on the light since it is a very dark area. The dimmer will allow us to leave at least a small light there burning all the time. We also placed a carved wooden turtle on a green tray, which are welcome in the wood element scheme.

First applications

Since we saw that there was a potential "poison arrow" aimed at our apartment from the edge of the building, we decided to place a bagua, (octagonal piece of wood that is used in feng shui to defect negative energies) outside the window that faces the building. As well, we went out and bought a small wooden turtle (symbol of longevity) and placed it right at the entrance of the doorway. Rosana, being an architect, drew a scaled diagram of our apartment which we will use to understand the directions (north south east and west) and how they affect us. So far, from what we have learned, our apartment door faces east, our front windows face north, and our bedrooms face south (plenty of light). We are hoping to prove out this art/science and use it to our benefit, both emotionally and financially.

Feng Shui

By now most people have probably heard of Feng Shui. It is a Chinese art of building or arranging that attracts peace, harmony and abundance to your home or business. Since we have just moved to Philadelphia and are in the process of setting things up, we decided to research Feng Shui and see if it really works. We went to the library and checked out some books, from beginners feng shui to books that analysed the more affluent applications. Our apartment is only now getting filled out, with a final trip to IKEA last week to buy the chests and curtains for the bedrooms. We found great bargains recently! Still we are in a state of flux and can move things around to suit the energy. We hope to keep a log of the changes we make and our impressions of such since it takes but a few days to a week or so to see results.