Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Career Growth and Direction

I just wanted to say thank you for your amazing podcast! I am also still deciding which Feng Shui school works best for me but I love learning about Feng Shui and your podcast really taught me so much. My whole apartment is located directly above a laundromat. I'm interested in tapping into some good energies for mine and my boyfriend's careers. I need to figure out what direction I want to go in career-wise, and my boyfriend is hoping to grow his business. Thanks for all your help Anjie!

Amy A., Easthampton, MA

Hi Amy,

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for submitting your floor plan. Maybe one day we’ll start the podcast again! But I’ve had a busy year working on my book,  and launching Mindful Design Feng Shui School.

From your email, you’ve indicated that you and your boyfriend would like to have some feng shui advice on how to improve your careers. The boyfriend wishes to grow his business, and you would like some direction and clarity on your career in general.

Feng Shui for Career Growth Floor Plan.png

I appreciate the time and energy you spent on this floor plan, and even drawing it up on the computer! Everything is part of the story for you, including the appearance of this floor plan. My first observation was that that you’ve drawn this with a very thick black boundary. In fact the boundary is even thicker at the front door, and I had to spend some time to even find the front door on the plan. Of course all of this relates to your careers. This tells me that there may be some blocks in how business and career opportunities find you. You and your boyfriend can make a bit more effort to put yourself out in the world more. It can be literally getting out of the house more, as well as opening your mind up as well. 

It's interesting that you live above a laundromat. A few things come to mind...living above a lot of things spinning around in circles. And also people coming in to clean their "dirty laundry" and coming out fresh and clean! Finally, the ritual of cleaning. So maybe in your life, you spin things around a few times, but end up with freshness and new beginnings!

A little more on the entry, since the entry and this large block is in the Benefactors area, I think that it would be beneficial to look for helpful people and to travel outside of your comfort zone. Are there mentors you can work with? Are there friends or colleagues that you can reach out to for support? Be sure the entry is clean, uncluttered, and bright. If you need to, add some lighting, or a brighter light bulb. Make sure the outside of your door is clean, and your house number is clear and easy to see. 

The entry is super important to career. It’s how the world finds and sees you. 

For your boyfriend, he would like some growth in his business, so I would recommend a green plant in the Recognition area of your home, which is in the living room where the table is. Near the table by the window would be a perfect spot for a new healthy green plant or tree. I’ve been loving fig trees lately like this one. The leaves are so lush and soft. The wood element can support and enhance the fame and recognition he needs to see growth.

If you want to have some more clarity and direction, keep your windows clean and clear. Even if they’re clean right now, clean them again! The windows symbolize the eyes of the inhabitants of the home. Keep your eyes open and clear so you can start to see what’s the best direction for you. So you can begin to notice the messages from the universe to direct you towards your life path.

Finally, the both of you can attract more helpful people and benefactors, which is in that entry area. Besides the suggestions above, you can also ring a bell like these to activate the benefactors area. The sound and vibrations will spread out so that helpful people will come to your support. It’s even more powerful if you can do this every day between 11am and 1pm for 27 days in a row! 

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I are launching our program in September 2018. We have a free webinar “Five Feng Shui Tools Revealed: Must-Do Business Boosters for Soulpreneurs and Wellness Practitioners” coming up, too! To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

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!

Q&A Sunday: Five Common Feng Shui Mistakes

What are five common mistakes people make with feng shui?

Jacqueline R., Cleveland, OH

1.  There are mistakes in feng shui! 

I would not necessarily call these mistakes, but rather misinterpretations of feng shui. And sometimes the misinterpretations lead you to what you really needed! My point is: everything you do is right and correct if you do it with the best intentions. But this is a great question, because I always like to share with my clients the meaning and reason for the feng shui concept. If possible, we should strive to do things in the proper way. But mistakes happen and sometimes for a good reason!

2.  Feng shui is simply about moving furniture around

Feng shui is not just about moving furniture around! It’s about creating harmony in our lives by unifying our inner and outer environments. The inner and outer are not separate, because everything that we do to our spaces – positive and negative – affects our daily experience. In BTB feng shui we incorporate many personal chi adjustments (meditations and rituals to change your personal energy), adjusting objects to your space (such as adding plants, mirrors, or crystals), in addition to re-arranging your furniture.

3.  Using items made out of wood for the wood element

The wood element is about new beginnings, family and kindness in feng shui. Sometimes people misinterpret wood as the dead material of wood, like a wood desk. But in fact, objects made of wood do not embody the wood element. To add wood element you can add green plants or objects that are green/teal or tall and expansive. Brown wood objects are actually earth element!

4.  Fountains flowing wealth away from the home

Fountains can be used as feng shui adjustments to bring more wealth into the home. The best way to do this is to position the fountain so that the water flows into the home, rather than right out the door. So just turn that fountain around.

5.  What direction your door faces is very important

In BTB feng shui, it is not critical if your door faces north, south, east or west. We look at the relationship of the space to the formal entry to the room, home or property. We call this the “mouth of chi,” where the energy comes into the space. There are other schools of feng shui that use the compass directions. The other schools are as valid and equal to BTB feng shui. But the feng shui I practice does not follow this particular discipline. We care more about where the energy enters the environment, and how to look at the flow of chi. 

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!

Q&A Sunday: Are Fake Plants Good Feng Shui?


 

Are fake plants good feng shui?

DeeJay A., Brooklyn, NY

Hi DeeJay, thanks for your question!

Green plants are used for many feng shui adjustments. They represent growth and new beginning and cultivate human kindness and compassion. They are related to the wood element and the area of New Beginnings on the feng shui bagua map.

While it is preferable to use living green plants for feng shui applications, my teachers have taught me that faux green plants are also acceptable. The faux plants should be of high quality and as realistic as possible. It is fairly easy now to find good looking fake plants. I believe it is much better to have a realistic fake plant over a dying real one. There are often locations where a plant could improve the feng shui of a space, however the natural light is lacking. In this case, I think it is good feng shui to use a fake plant.

On the other hand, a friend recently asked me about getting some colored orbs for her kitchen. She wanted to know what color was better feng shui-wise. We discussed her intentions, and then I suggested real fruit rather than orbs. She said it was too much of a hassle because fruit spoils and needs frequent replacement. That seems very practical, but you can also be mindful that if the intention for the colored orbs is to add more growth and wood element for example, then it would be all the more powerful to use something like real fruit that needs refreshing. The attention and care involved in replenishing fresh fruit, or caring for a living green plant, cultivates the desired qualities and only strengthens the intention and effects of the feng shui adjustment.

That said, a fake plant is okay for low light locations or for seriously black thumbs. But, there is something to gain from the care and nurturing you give to a living green plant that makes your feng shui adjustment more effective.

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!