Q&A Sunday: Recommendations for Geopathic Stress

For a long time I have believed our home makes us sick. I was just reading about geopathic stress, and this really resonated with me. As moving is not an option (teens, schools, work) what type of cure do you recommend? I have been space clearing and de-cluttering since New Year and it will probably take me until the end of the year.

Naiomi P., Toronto, Canada

Hi Naiomi

Thank you for your question, and for listening to the podcast! 

I’m so sorry to hear that your home is causing sickness for your family. I’m not an expert on geopathic stress, however i spoke about it with my mother-in-law, Shabari Bird Lovel, who is familiar with geopathic stress. 

First, it sounds like it may or may not be geopathic stress, but in order to find out, you can work with an expert dowser. Shabari said that many accomplished dowsers can move geopathic stress lines. She also recommends reading The Divining Hand by Christopher Bird. He was my husband’s late stepfather.

Most feng shui practitioners do not have experience with geopathic stress without additional training, but it does relate to the energy of your space. Essentially, geopathic stress results from spending time in a home that is above or near certain factors, including underground streams, mineral concentrations, fault lines, etc., which can disturb the natural energy of the earth through weak electromagnetic fields. 

I asked my teacher, Katherine Metz, and she did have some recommendations for dealing with this issue. First and foremost, it's important to determine that this is, in fact, the problem. The problems you're experiencing could be caused by geopathic stress, but they could also be caused by bad feng shui, toxins, EMFs themselves or any number of elements. Katherine's first piece of advice is to move step to step to determine what the real cause is. 

To do this, we recommend you activate the Benefactors area of your home's bagua to attract the best helpful people to you to find out what the issue is. You can also work on the Health area to work with the overall health of your family and try to counteract the stress. 

I share ideas on how to activate the Benefactors area on the Holistic Spaces podcast here. You might also look for practitioners who are trained in dowsing, like my friend Beth Grace. You can read more about her here! It may be the case that you don't even have geopathic stress and can actually make some simple adjustments to solve the issue! 

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

My Favorite Things: 5 Back-To-School Must Haves

Welcome to My Favorite Things! Each month, we highlight products to help you create a holistic lifestyle that inspires and nurtures you, so that you can be happier and feel supported.

As summer is wrapping up, many of us are gearing up to head back to school or double down for the fall season. Of course, it's much easier to take on a busy few months if we're organized and ready for what's ahead. So this month we've curated our top recommendations for getting back into the school season swing with a clear head and a neat space. Be sure to also check out our next podcast, with Diane Lowy from New York at Home. Diane creates "apartment solutions", and she's offered our listeners tips on getting organized!

Focus Mist

Our most recent podcast features my good friend and colleague, Andrea Giordano, who is a feng shui and essential oil expert. She also helped curate the Holistic Spaces Apothecary collection, and the Focus spray is one of my favorites!

A blend of fair trade essential oils and carnelian crystal, our Focus Mist was created to provide grounding, clarity and mental focus, and it's ideal for back-to-school!

Available at: Holistic Spaces

Mini Round Boxes

In our next podcast, I chat with organizer and space designer, Diane Lowy, and ask her advice on getting organized. 

Diane was also kind enough to recommend some of her favorite organizational tools for this month's My Favorite Things, and these mini round boxes made the cut!

"These are great for pretty much anything small that's otherwise tough to find in a drawer or your bag: SIM cards, paper clips, earrings, safety pins, a pair of earplugs, Tic Tacs, Tylenol. 12 clear boxes for $2.29 makes them an easy yes."

Available at: The Container Store

Recycled Notebooks

Notebooks are great for keeping notes and lists, setting goals and even organizing your thoughts through journaling. 

I love MUJI notebooks! I use these to keep all my notes, from meditation class to client meetings. It makes it easier for me to keep things in one location, and I like to write it down rather than put it in my phone. I love that they're recycled too!

Available at: MUJI

Post-It Tape

Another of Diane's favorites is Post-It tape.

"Post-It Note Tape is a great way to make labels anywhere that just peel off without leaving a residue but stay in place for as long as you need it. It comes in white as well as highlighter colors, and you can write on it just like paper. 

Labels can be super helpful when brainstorming for layouts after a move or renovation. They are also great reminders for that first week or two after moving stuff around and are very helpful when living with roommates!"

Available at: Amazon

Saraswati Yantra Mandala for Knowledge and Creativity

I love the Saraswati mandala because it is useful in so many ways! This yantra is associated with the Knowledge area of the bagua, since Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of wisdom and the arts. 

For inspiration in these areas, place the Saraswati yantra mandala in the Knowledge area of your space. 

Saraswati can also be used to cultivate abundance! Deepak Chopra shared a story about this in his book, Creating Affluence. You can read more about it in my blog post on attracting abundance. 

Available at: Holistic Spaces

Q&A Sunday: Colors and Meanings of Crystals

I was wondering if you could talk a little about crystals, what colors they are and where to place them for the effects wanted in your life.

Andrea S., MA

Hi Andrea, 

What a great question! I love to use crystals in feng shui adjustments as I find many people are attracted to them. Here are some suggestions for how to apply crystals for feng shui adjustments. In the Holistic Spaces store, we have crystal sets for the seven chakras and the nine areas of the bagua map as well as rose quartz for love, citrine for abundance and black tourmaline for grounding. There are many types of crystals, and I can recommend some reference books if you are interested in other types.

As for the stones we sell at the Holistic Spaces Store, I've provided some information about each below!

Green Quartz

We offer green quartz to represent the New Beginnings area of the feng shui bagua, thanks to its color. This crystal may inspire new beginnings and help sprout projects of all kinds. To get the best results from green quartz, place it on your desk for help with projects or in your home to work on inspiring new beginnings with your family. 

Amethyst

Amethyst is a purple or lavender stone we associate with the Abundance area of the feng shui bagua map. The colors of amethyst echo the royal colors associated with Abundance area which attract abundance of all kinds. For best results, place amethyst in the Abundance area of your desk or bedroom.

Tiger's Eye

A natural Tiger's Eye crystal is offered to resonate with the energies of the earth and the Health area of the feng shui map. It is typically a collection of earthy hues. These earthy colors, coupled with the ability of this stone to provide grounding, make this crystal a great addition to any holistic space. Tiger's Eye is also said to anchor change in the body, balance yin and yang energies and heal issues of self-worth and self-criticism. To activate this crystal, place it in the center of your home or bedroom. 

Smoky Quartz

The darker shades of smoky quartz relate to the Benefactors area of the feng shui bagua. Smoky quartz is beneficial in your home, as it provides protection (like benefactors) and is a stone of cooperation. This means it may stimulate energies to work together toward the same goal, and it can attract helpful people to your life. Smoky quartz may also assist in tolerating difficult times. This stone may also be effective in the Benefactors area of your home or desk, depending on where you need help. 

Clear Quartz

Clear quartz is a perfect addition to the Completion area, as it is said to provide clarity and the precision of the Metal element. Clear quartz may aid in concentration and unlocks memory and can be used to transform thoughts in sounds, thus bringing ideas to completion in the world.  If you're using a clear quartz, place it anywhere in your home or bedroom for optimal results. 

Blue Sodalite

We love Blue sodalite to work with the Knowledge gua, which may unite logic with intuition and brings information from the higher mind down to the physical level. This crystal may also be used to deepen meditation, eliminate mental confusion and encourage rational thought. Blue sodalite is best used as a pendant near the throat or placed in the Knowledge area of your desk. 

Carnelian

Carnelian, a crystal of a red color, is helpful in bringing fame and recognition, much like other adjustments in the Recognition gua. Carnelian gives courage, promotes positive life choices, motivates for success and is used in dramatic pursuits (like taking that huge leap of faith). To get the best outcome, place Carnelian in the Recognition gua of your home or desk. 

Black Tourmaline

Black is the color of wisdom and relates to the Path in Life area of the bagua. Black Tourmaline works to absorb negative energy and transmute it into wisdom, making it a wonderful addition to a holistic space. In addition, Black Tourmaline is very effective in spiritually grounding and providing protection from EMFs. For this reason, placement between yourself and EMF sources is also very helpful. 

Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz is one of the most useful crystals in feng shui, as it is known as the stone of unconditional love and peace. Rose Quartz teaches the true essence of love, purifies and opens the heart at all levels and brings deep inner healing and self-love. This crystal is also known for its power in helping to attract love, and you can place a pair on your nightstand or in the Relationship gua for this effect. If you're looking for self-love, opt for one stone!

Citrine

Citrine is known as one of the stones of abundance, and rightfully so. It teaches how to manifest and attracts wealth, prosperity, success and all good things. Citrine also encourages sharing what you have and simultaneously helps you hold onto your wealth, a concept that we are very familiar with in feng shui! Citrine is helpful in your holistic space or even in your wallet!

As I mentioned, these are just the few of the many crystals available for healing work. I would recommend The Crystal Bible and Love Is In the Earth if you are interested in learning about more crystals and how they work. As a note, when you purchase sets for feng shui, like the Feng Shui Bagua Natural Crystal Set, it's best to only use the three you need the most. Use the crystals as you need them, but don't just place them in all nine baguas, since you'll likely forget about them there. Choose the three most important areas for work, and consciously place the stones there. 

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

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