Feng Shui Architecture Blog

The blog of Feng Shui Master Consultant and Teacher Simona Mainini, Dr. Arch.

7 Feng Shui House Tips : How to Boost Your Energy this Spring

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7 tips to boost your Feng Shui House Energy

Find in which direction is your power spot and set it up to spend more time in it.

Spring is Here!! Are you ready to boost the Feng Shui energy of your house?

On an energy level, doing a “spring cleaning” stirs up and activates multiple areas in your house that relate to your Feng Shui “personal life destiny”. This opens up the space and creates a vacuum effects that attracts new opportunities faster than before.

Find your power spot based on your Animal sign

Contrary to popular belief, for each of us there is an area for health, friends, romance, marriage, career and financial success. And it is based on our year of birth.
(If you do not know your Chinese animal sign, you can find it here ).

But because these areas are based primarily on your specific date of birth, they are in a different directions from person to person and consequently from house to house.What works for you, may not work for your spouse, or for your children.
Here are tips to improve your Feng Shui house for each of you and your family members based on your date of birth.
Feng Shui, as you know, deals with life-force energy (Qi). There are many levels of life-force energy in a building, all interacting together:

There is the energy of the building, the energy of the year (month and day), the energy of other buildings, streets, cars surrounding the building, and the energy of all the people living and working inside said building.
During a consultation, the Feng Shui master has to take into consideration all of these levels and make suggestions that are aesthetically pleasing,  financially reasonable, and acknowledge these complex energetic dynamics.

Feng Shui is not just a matter of good design. The Feng Shui Master understands what is causing the problem on an energy level, or having negative effects on your life, and give you directions on how to mitigate adverse energy (Sha) and activate favorable energy (Qi).

2) What can Spring cleaning do for Us?

There are multiple ways that you can boost the energy in your house or office. The simplest is to do a thorough spring cleaning and focus on these specific areas.
It is never too late (or too early) to reorganize your house and your life.The simple process of going through your belongings and identifying what is no longer useful or important to you and getting rid of it is highly liberating on a psychological level. It helps you to refocus and clear your slate so that you can then create new things to look forward in your life.

On an energy level, this “spring cleaning” stirs up and activates multiple areas in your house that relate to your “personal life destiny” – opening up the space and creating room to bring in new opportunities.
For each of us based on our date of birth, there is an area for health, friends, romance, marriage, career and financial success.
Because these areas are based primarily on your date of birth, they are in a different directions from person to person and consequently from house to house.Again, what works for you, may not work for your spouse, or for your children. Hence, the practice of doing a thorough house cleaning will ensure you hit all of the good areas for everybody.

A while back, I had a client who became depressed after being laid off from work. To take her mind off of her financial struggle, she decided to give her house a once-over, cleaning the entire house with the exception of the storage room in the back (where she never spent any time).

Later, during one of my classes, she found out that that room was in a direction that related to her own date of birth and her Chinese astrological sign. This part of the house corresponded to her personal energy: The stagnant and cluttered space contributed to her own stagnation and frustration.

After the class, she went home and decided to reorganize the storage room, and, in the process, she began spending much more time there. Soon, while still in the process in fact, she had some interesting business ideas and decided to transform this room into her office (she moved her stored belongings, now organized in numbered plastic containers, into a separate storage unit).

She had barely gotten her computer situated on a new desk, when the phone rang with her first important business contact. Then another, and another. The energy was definitely flowing! She has since developed her own manufacturing and import business and has left the corporate world behind.

3) Find Your Sign’s Direction (so that you can activate it during the Spring Cleaning)

Below, I have listed the direction corresponding to each sign (in Chinese astrology), so that you can identify the section of your house that corresponds to your own sign (some directions are associated with more than one sign).

RAT ———–North
OX ————NorthEast
TIGER ——–NorthEast
RABBIT ——-East
DRAGON ——-SouthEast
SNAKE ——–SouthEast
HORSE ——–South
SHEEP ——–SouthWest
MONKEY ——SouthWest
ROOSTER —–West
DOG ——— NorthWest
PIG ———- NorthWest

 

4) Our 7 Ways to Boost the Feng Shui Energy in Your House in Your SIgn’s Direction

Once you found your sign’s direction, these are 7 tips to make it to use for your benefit:

Feng Shui Tip 1 : Identify the area of the house that corresponds to your birth animal. It could be a corner, or it could be a middle section of a room or wall. I recommend using a compass to make sure you identify the correct magnetic direction.

Feng Shui Tip 2: Clean and organize the area, removing all clutter. It doesn’t matter if it is a bedroom, bathroom, closet, or pantry. That section relates to you personally, so any chaos in there is going to manifest as chaos in your life, too.

Feng Shui Tip 3: Any redecoration of this area is going to give a further boosting to your own personal life as well. This is recommended especially if you’re going through hard times and everything seems particularly bad. Redecoration doesn’t have to be major; it can be as simple as changing the linens, painting a wall, or rearranging the furniture.

Feng Shui Tip 4: Make sure this area is well lit at all times. Light is Yang and intensifies the energy, boosting it up even more.

Feng Shui Tip 5:If the area of your house corresponding to your birth sign is missing, don’t panic: You can go through the same process with the corresponding section of your bedroom. For example: If you are a Tiger and the North East section of the house is missing, locate the North East section of your bedroom and boost the energy there, as described above. This works particularly well for apartments.

Feng Shui Tip 6: If you live in a house, you can clean and de-clutter both inside the house and the corresponding area in the garden just outside. If this section of the house is missing, create a sitting area (complete with light) outside, in the space where the missing corner would have been, to activate it.

Feng Shui Tip 7: I recommend that this cleaning, de-cluttering, and organizing be done on a regular basis, so that the energy never stagnates. In fact, I actually recommend you do this throughout house at least once a year, preferably in the spring, since spring is when the Life-force energy of the New Year begins and is at its strongest. That way, you’ll maximize the positive changes that you can make in your environment and in your personal life.

Would you like to learn more on how to increase the energy in your house or work place? Our Feng Shui classes are available online and in video self study.

Our Certificate Program for aspiring Feng Shui consultant is also available in video self-study online and you can access it from everywhere in the world 24/7. I look forward to have you in one of our classes!

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

 

INTRODUCTION TO FENG SHUI FOR ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN & LANDSCAPE

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INTRODUCTION TO FENG SHUI ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN & LANDSCAPE
1-hour Live Webinar

April 20, 2019,
11am-12pm PDT

This exceptional one-hour webinar presentation by Feng Shui Master Simona Mainini, Dr. Arch. will show you how to use this ancient technology to bring value to you and your clients by infusing your design with enhanced energy that will maximize health, wealth and abundance in whatever space you create.

This webinar is recommended for interior designers, architects, landscapers, realtors and other design professionals. Feng Shui enthusiasts can join as well.

Register Here for this free presentation

Dr. Mainini will address:

– How Feng Shui was created
– The mechanics of how it works and how to use it
– How to use the principles for buildings design
– What it can do for you as designer
– What it can do for your clients

This webinar is also an introduction to Dr. Mainini’s 18-weeks Certificate Program in Feng Shui Architecture, Interior Design & Landscape scheduled to be held online starting on April 23. Read more about this Certification Program Here.

Dr. Mainini shall personally teach each sessions, answer your questions and review your case studies.
This program is also recommended for interior designers, architects, landscapers, realtors and other design professionals interested in offering the benefit of Feng Shui to their clients.
Feng Shui enthusiasts can join as well if space permits.

Register Here for this 18-weeks Certification Course and take advantage of our Promotional Offer.

Register now to reserve your seat. A new webinar secured login link will be provided after registration.

NOTE: This Presentation will be recorded and a playback link will be sent to all registered attendees unable to attend the Live Webinar.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOUSE FOR THE CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE PIG 2019

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Chinese New Year 2019 is the year of the Pig and it is going to be on February 5 (starting sun down the night before), while the “Spring Stand”or Li Chun is on February 4 at 1128 am.

In Feng Shui, the “Spring Stand” is a particularly big deal (based on Seasons Sun’s cycle), even more so than the Traditional New Year (based on Lunar cycle). This is so because the “Spring Stand” is the midpoint between the Winter Solstice (December 21) and the Spring Equinox (March 21). This is the official time when the Yin-ness of winter ends and the Yang-ness of spring begins. Hence the definition: “The end of Yin, the beginning of Yang” (hence the term “Spring Stand”).

So, what does it all mean?

It means that the energy of the previous year is fully exhausted and that on Spring Stand day, the New Year’s new, vibrant energy is going to come in, like a newborn baby.

This is why, if you have done any business with Hong Kong or Asia, you have noticed that the month of January in general is not a good month to start any new business ventures—contrary to us in the West where we love to implement our New Year’s resolutions on January 1.

This is an acknowledgment that the energy globally is exhausted and so what is the point of starting something new now? You might as well just wait until after the Chinese New Year and the Spring Stand when the energy is fresh and vibrant.

But how do we prepare for it to make sure we get the very best out of this New Year’s energy?

Below I have included the 4 main things I recommend for all my clients to do. In addition, this is the perfect time to have a Feng Shui Consultation for your home or office to make sure the New Year will support your living and working environment at its best.

Also don’t forget to attend my Free, Live, 1-Hour Online Webinar Presentation for the 2019 Feng Shui Forecast, the Year of the Pig, on Saturday January 26 at 11 AM, PST. If you have not registered for it yet, you can do so Here.

Here are my 4 key tips on how to prepare your house and yourself to receive the prosperous vibrancy of this New Year:

  • Go through your house, garage, office, and any building you own and discard anything that is broken or unfixable. Even things you have meant to fix for a long time but have still been left sitting there forever (because you didn’t have the time); they all have to go. And I mean everything: clothing, furniture, bikes, cars, or anything that has just been sitting there collecting dust; either fix it or toss it now. For every one of these broken or unfixable items is holding back a piece of your energy if you let it continue to just sit there. However, the simple act of fixing or letting go of these items will release the quantum particle of your own energy you have left trapped in them. This is a technique to bring more of your own energy back to you.
  • Ideally, this is the very best time for spring cleaning. Though you may have already done so in preparation of the Holidays, this is a spring cleaning with a purpose. While you are actually dusting off, brushing up, and polishing up things, you are also removing stagnant energy from every room of the house and opening up the space for the life-force of the New Year to come in. I promise you’ll feel the difference immediately!

P.S.: This and tip 1 above are not a martyrdom exercise. You can have a professional organizer, your housekeeper, or your friends and children help out. If fact, often because they are not as attached to the items involved as you are in the process, they may help you move through it all faster and more effectively. The real point is “just get it done” however you can.

  • Next, redecorate some areas based on the new Feng Shui energy. When I consult with you on your house, I will tell you where the best locations are and where the bad locations are throughout it. This way we can fix or avoid the bad spots and rearrange the furniture so you can spend more time in the good areas instead of the bad ones. In the process, we may also shift some of the furniture from room to room too, so you’ll have a house makeover in addition to an energy makeover. (You will not need to buy new furniture, unless you want to.)
  • After doing all this work, take a few minutes to sit down and think about people and circumstances in your life that are broken, especially ones that upset you a bit (or a lot) over the past year. Can they be mended? Relationships are not like furniture. Most time it is easier to fix them than replace them. Can you do that? What would it take for you to do that? Holding a grudge into the New Year is a sure way to guarantee the same problem or circumstance will continue on. Could this be a good opportunity to fix what is broken with the relationships involved in your life? No matter how bad things are, if you are willing to make amends and kindly allow others to do the same with you, there is no relationship that can’t be fixed (even if fixing it means finally letting it go). This is especially true if we are late into our years in life; for if there is life, there is still hope. Don’t let it get too late. And what if they don’t want to mend the relationship with you? As long as you have honestly done all you could to mend your side of the fence then there is nothing more you can do. (Just be honest with yourself in the process and make sure you really are doing all you can.)

Why is it so important to fix all these things before the New Year starts? Because the newly arriving energy of the year can either be supportive for you or not supportive. If you are stuck for a whole year with un-supportive energy all things that are precarious in your life—physically, health-wise, and in your relationships—will come back to haunt you. You can bet on that! And there’s nothing better than preventing the drama from happening just by doing these 4 tips.

And don’t forget to attend our 1 hour, Live Online Webinar Presentation on the 2019 Feng Shui Forecast, the Year of the Pig, on January 26 at 11 AM, PST (2pm East, 1pm Central) . The session is Free,but you do need to Register Here to receive the log in link.

Let me know when you’d like to schedule your consultation for the New Year. Since you are cleaning and decluttering your space, you might as well let me tell you how to rearrange your furniture now too for maximum benefit for this New Year! Call me at 310-860-8989 to schedule an appointment. See you soon!

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

DO YOU HAVE A FENG SHUI MONEY DOOR ENTRANCE?

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The Feng Shui discipline is full of strange and complex names, but only a few stand out as much as the highly coveted “Feng Shui Money Door Entrance.” Contrary to popular belief, in Feng Shui not every front door is a Money Door, nor can you turn any door into a Money Door. It is a rare and wonderful occurrence that favors some buildings and not others. Only about 10% of buildings have a natural Money Door—meaning that without even knowing Feng Shui, the architect randomly hits it right when he or she designs it. Of course, if you are designing a building from scratch with a properly trained Feng Shui Master he or she can recommend where a Money Door should be opened intentionally (without leaving it to just “chance”).

Note: For the consumer’s sake, it is important to state that the amount of training necessary to identify a true Money Door is vastly superior to the average Feng Shui training. I have received that advanced training during the fifteen years of study I have done with my Master teacher, but I have noticed that not every Feng Shui consultant I have met understands the application of this concept, although they have heard of the name. Some will even make up their own version of a Money Door, which obviously is not the same thing I am talking about and I’m not sure how accurate it would be. So please do your research if you are planning on using a Feng Shui consultant to create a Money Door for your building to be sure he or she is qualified to recommend a true one.

How does a Feng Shui Money Door work and what are the expected results?  I’ll give you an example:

I was recently consulting for a client who owned a commercial property that she had been leasing to a video rental business for several years. Sadly, the video rental business never did very well and literally struggled to make rent, even in a high market. And when new technology took over, it pushed it right out of business. My client decided to then rent the space to a different business, a French pastry and coffee shop. The new tenant came in and, following their established formula, redesigned the space to better suit their needs.

In the process, they closed the old entrance (on one side of the façade) and opened a new one on the other side. The new business hit the ground running and has been very successful from the first day of opening six months ago.

I just like this picture very much, but in truth a bit more “red” is preferable (when you have a money door)

My client, who had originally requested a consultation with me for her own residence, was puzzled by this improvement and asked me to take a look at the commercial space, hoping to ensure that the good luck would be consistent in the future.  I did and that is how we found out that during the renovation, with the relocation of the main entrance they closed the old door (which caused delays, accidents, and was not good for business overall) and the new door—a Money Door nonetheless—was opened instead. This was done purely by accident, but with great results at this exact location. If it had been the building next to it or the building across the street even it would not have worked out as successfully. It worked out in this case; out of pure luck! 

But how many of us have this kind of luck? Given the low availability of Money Doors around, I can tell you not much. In fact, most buildings designed without Feng Shui planning (which is about 90%) end up missing the Money Door, even if the potential for one is there.

If this was your building, house, or office would you want to leave it up to fate? What if you could control your luck by working with a qualified Feng Shui Master instead? Smart entrepreneurs and business executives usually don’t test fate, which is why they are so successful (I worked with a number of them, in fact). And I have noticed in all of my consultations that the most successful enterprises across the board have Money Doors placed correctly either upon entering the building where their corporate offices are or where their retail businesses are.

Call us for a consultation so we can help you find YOUR Money Door—and the money potential of your building so you can take advantage of it!

Or, if you are a designer or a professional consultant interested in being more proficient in Feng Shui and want to find Money Doors for your own clients (whether you are a beginner or a more mature student), join our Certificate Programs in Beginning+ Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape (live-webinar, in-person or self-study on demand). I am looking forward to working with you and teaching you how to use many more of these incredible Feng Shui secrets.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

5 Tips to Buy a Good Feng Shui House

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Feng-Shui-House

 

I have been practicing as Feng Shui Master for 20 years (this month is our firm anniversary) and I have seen many choices of available real estate over the years, both residential and commercial. I also often consult for buyers and developers.

Naturally not every house is alike, so when you are in the process of buying or renting, here are some good tips to follow to make certain that what you are buying is a good Feng Shui house. And, if not that good don’t panic: a good Feng Shui Master can help you fix anything.

1) Good Energy Potential

The first rule of thumb is to determine how a building makes you feel. We are naturally attracted to a building that has good energy– not just a good design, but good potential and specially what we feel is good potential. Whether we know about Feng Shui or not, it is our natural instinct to go by our gut feeling.

Houses that have great energy attract occupants effortlessly, so they are less likely to be on the market for a long time. In my experience this is the underlining reason behind the so-called “curb appeal.”

2) Previous History

When selecting a new house there isn’t a “cookie cutter” approach to it simply because each house is very different from the next. The house orientation is different, its layout is different, the construction time is different. Luckily, as I said, a good Feng Shui Master can help you fix even the worse houses.

What I recommend to my students and clients is what I do myself: When in the process of buying or renting a building first inquire about the history of the previous occupants. If they were successful and moved to a larger or better location that is always a good sign.
If they did poorly, whatever had caused the problems for the previous occupants is more than likely going to effect any other occupant after them in a similar manner.
GOOD NEWS: you can still make a good Feng Shui house out of it by making Feng Shui changes, but will need to consult with a Feng Shui Master to find out what to fix it and determine the cost of fixing it. I recommend doing this before closing escrow, just in case you decide to back out of it if the house is too expensive to be fixed.

3) Long Time Empty or Vacant

Houses that have been on the market for a long time could be a red flag. In most cases a house that has remained unoccupied for a long time will signify that something is wrong with its energy (not attractive to people). In many cases the corrections can be quiet easy, easier than finding a new house if you really love this one and it has everything you always wanted. In this case also Feng Shui evaluation before moving in will also help you decide if the building can be corrected in with in your budget, or if it is more convenient for you to just choose a different one.

4) Great Bargains

When looking at a new house most of us are attracted by a great financial deal, but please look carefully into those. Most of the time if a house comes with a great deal it is because it has been empty for a long time and then you will find yourself back to the case mentioned above. This could also work out to your advantage thou: by paying less for the property, you’ll have some extra budget to do the Feng Shui corrections and end up with a great Feng Shui house after all.

5) Can Any House Be Corrected?

This is the million-dollar question: “Can any house be corrected?”
Since houses are man-made buildings, YES they all can be corrected; however, some buildings require more corrections than others.
Some corrections could just be just cosmetic – colors, materials, furniture layout.
For some could be a more expensive structural endeavors.
The only way to really gauge what a house will need is by doing a walk through visit before moving in to assess the overall quality of the house and what needs to be corrected to make the building Feng Shui proof. This will help you also choose colors, floor finishing and furniture layout.

Overall, it will give you peace of mind and confidence that you are buy a really good Feng Shui house.

I’ll be happy to discuss more on what’s needed for you to get started on the right foot from a move-in Feng Shui inspection of the house you bought to the best time time to begin moving in.

Please call at my office for a consultation at (310) 860-8989 or e-mail me at dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com to set up an appointment.

Good luck in your perfect Feng Shui house search!

Would you like to learn how to do a Professional Feng Shui Consultation? Read more about our Pre-Recorded Video Course and our Live webinar Course.

Are you buying Investment Properties? Check out our article on Feng Shui for Investment Properties

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

FENG SHUI HOUSE RENOVATION: NOT A GOOD ONE

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feng-shui-house-ronovation
I was called in a couple of days ago to consult on a recently renovated house in Pacific Palisades, California. The owners—let’s call them Alex and Jill—had moved in only six weeks prior with their two children and, so they told me, a string of “unusual business losses” had suddenly unfolded for the husband and one of their two sons was having a “horrible time adjusting to the new house” whilst their second son had suddenly began receiving daily notes from his teachers lamenting “bad behavior and difficulty with other children.”

Those of you who read my newsletters regularly are probably rolling your eyes right now and thinking “there you are—evidence that the energy of the house needs adjusting” and you are right. After consulting on it I found that the house had some serious problem that needed urgent fixing. That was not an issue, they came to the right place for that.

But what is peculiar about this particular case is that I had also found out that the entire renovation had already been designed upon another consultant’s Feng Shui recommendations. The owner’ scope for renovations was significant, and so was the budget, and several design choices were made specifically based on this previous consultant’s recommendations.

I am not going to go into the details of who the consultant was and what was not pointed out correctly. However, it serves to say two main points about this particular situation:

1)            The previous consultant came from a spurious background, meaning: she mixed and matched some elements of Traditional Feng Shui with those of Western Feng Shui. This is very rarely, if ever, a good idea. Traditional (and Scientific) Feng Shui differs significantly in its application than any other derivative of Feng Shui and they often contradict one another. In addition, aspects of Traditional Feng Shui are extremely complex in their applications and one should be very fluent at it to know what aspects take precedence over another. Based on her applications I can tell she wasn’t proficient in it, and hence the directions she gave were inappropriate for the building and its occupants, in some cases, even conflicting.

2)            To make matters worse, this particular consultant had no proficiency in space planning or any experience in design either. How do I know that? Because the recommendations she made didn’t make any sense from a design stand point either. For example, one of the sons belongs to the Wood element in Feng Shui. This means his ideal sleeping direction is East. By no means should a Wood element person like him be sleeping with his head lying towards West. But instead, his bedroom was designed so that the only position the bed could fit was with the headboard on the West wall. Closets, windows, and built-ins were then added in around this during the renovation. But how easy would it have been for a properly trained designer to see on the plans that the headboard was in the wrong place for a Wood element, correct it, and THEN place windows, closets, and built-ins around it? For a trained person, this would be a blink of an eye. For a ‘civilian’, a nearly impossible. Yet, I see this every day with my students: those with a design background could work on a project like this, but those without a design background can only analyze houses that are already built and have difficulty recommending appropriate design changes.

In addition, the house had significant Feng Shui problems due to the original time of its construction which took place forty years ago. If I had been the consultant, it would have been my first priority to acknowledge how this renovation was going to possibly modify its earlier “energy issues” and provide concrete, easy solutions on how to turn the Feng Shui of the house around while under renovation and within the client’s budget. Instead, this was not done by the first consultant and as a result the house still carries the same problems it had even before the renovations began.

“Can they be fixed now?” Some of you may be wondering.

The answer of that is twofold: Yes, we can correct the home’s problems by eliminating what works against Alex and Jill and their two sons and make the house the best it can be for them all. However, we cannot turn it around from bad to good in the same way we could have done while doing the actual structural work or without doing further, expensive structural work for which there is no more budget left at this point.

In short, Alex and Jill did the right thing by wanting to have their home consulted on by a Feng Shui consultant when they first decided to do renovations on it.  However, they missed a big opportunity by not having a properly trained, qualified consultant working on their house in the first place and they are now trying to do the best they can to feng-shui-house-renovationcorrect that for the benefit of their whole family.
If you are planning on investing several hundred thousand dollars in a major renovation of your home and you’d like to incorporate the best Feng Shui possible into your design, give me a call at 310-860-8989. Either I or one of my highly trained students will be happy to assist you properly and help to maximize your renovation budget with clear, easy suggestions that you can integrated seamlessly in your home’s new design.

If you are in the design trade and would like to attend our 12-week Feng Shui Certificate program in Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture, Interior Design & Landscape Online visit our Feng Shui Training Center site at www.FengShuiTrainingCenter.com for schedule and to register.
The next Live Webcast course is scheduled to start on Tuesday November 1, 2016 at 6pm PT. This course is online and you can login from anywhere in the country or abroad.

I am looking forward to helping you turn your renovation into the best Feng Shui house!

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

For more information about our Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Training Center Website Here.

FENG SHUI HOUSE THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU

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feng_shui_house_2I often use the term “Feng Shui compatibility”, a phrase I made-up to explain how the energy of a building relates to the people living or working in it.

Feng Shui per se’ has a wide range of energy like the building’s energy, each person’s energy, the year’s energy, etc. and they all interact together, so the trick sometimes is how to prioritize in effectiveness and in the applications of corrections.

But when I talk about “building-person compatibility” in a Feng Shui House I refer specifically to how the energy of a building supports– or antagonizes– the person living or working in it.
Yes, the energy of a building can in fact support you or sabotage your efforts in creating your wellness, relationship, career, business, etc.
And if it is sabotaging you in many cases it can be corrected, but once in a while it cannot. In these particular cases, if your experience is really bad and nothing else works, it’s often just best to cut your losses and get out of the space. I usually never recommend people to move because with my experience I have many techniques I can use to improve their place and make it so that they do not need to move.

How do you know if a house has a Feng Shui that is good for you or not?  The simplest is the “empirical” way, meaning you move into a building and if your life improves it means the Feng Shui is good for you; if it gets worse, it means the Feng Shui is not good.

This is a bit drastic and time consuming, not to mention emotionally tiring. It is however the way most of us have done it and continue to do it.

Another, more effective way to know if you have a good Feng Shui House, is that of having a consultation with somebody like me, simply becasue I have trained longer and I can spot solutions faster. Then, during the usually two-hour process I can tell you:

  • What the problem is and how to fix it.
  • If it is really, really that bad and the cost of fixing it so high that makes more sense moving (this is very seldom and I usually advise for the improvements first anyway)

For example:

During my work as Feng Shui consultant, I was visiting a house in Pacific Palisades, CA yesterday and the woman living in it was a Wood person while the building itself was a Metal building.  Amongst other things (for various aspects of the house), I recommended using blue colors and water elements to decorate with to transform the incompatibility and mitigate the adverse effects the house would otherwise have on her.
In fact, Metal “chops” Wood, but if you had Water then metal feeds the Water and Water feeds Wood.
She was very receptive to doing this rather minor correction in favor of having a positive experience living there. That is one of the ways to turn a bad Feng Shui house into a good Feng Shui house.

Some cases can be easier than others, but there are things that can be done for every scenario, and in these days and age, seem we all need as much good energy as we can to support our endeavors.

We have seen in last week class on the Five Elements how each of us belong to an Element and what houses can be more or less compatible with us. We also learn what colors and elements to use to decorate our house to support our own energy.

Here are the Elements you should use based on your house orientation:

BUILDING FACES FIVE-ELEMENT
Facing North FIRE
Facing NorthEast EARTH
Facing SouthWest EARTH
Facing South WATER
Facing NorthWest WOOD
Facing West WOOD
Facing East METAL
Facing SouthEast METAL

If a person lives or works in a building that is not favorable to them, they should use the missing color and element to decorate the house or office with so as to turn the unfavorable match into a more favorable, positive one.The trick is to pair-up the element of a person with the element of a building. Ideally, the most compatible building for you is the one that belongs to the same element as you. That is a good Feng Shui house. We discussed more of this in our Five-Elements class. If you missed it, you can view the video recording of the whole class here.

One note of curiosity: most people who feel “good vibes” from a building are in fact experiencing a high level of compatibility from it, and as a consequence they usually end up buying or renting it. Some have described it as “like falling in love at first sight” with a building. I’ve found this to be the “Feng Shui reason” behind the expression “curb appeal.”

However, in Feng Shui it pays to take an even better, closer look, for not all buildings that are compatible with you are necessarily going to be good buildings based on the building’s own energy of construction (Building’s birth-energy). In fact, some of them could be so bad they could completely defeat the advantage of the compatibility.

What has been your experience in your place so far? Would you like to know more about what you can do to improve your house or work place? Schedule a consultation with us by calling us at 310 860 8989 or email us at dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com.  We are looking forward to hearing from you!

If you are interested in learning more about Feng Shui or want to attend a Certification Program in Feng Shui, visit our new training center site at www.FengShuiTrainingCenter.com for a list of Feng Shui classes and Certification Courses online, details descriptions and registration forms. Our classes are available as live webinar and as pre-recorded videos.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

FENG SHUI ARCHITECTURE: How To Hire a Qualified Feng Shui Consultant

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Feng_Shui_ArchitectureI had just been hired to review the plans for a new, sizable property in the West Los Angeles area. It is an interesting situation because I am faced with two challenges:

The first is: the design has been done by one of the most famous Los Angeles authority in the field of architecture – very high profile AIA senior member and a gentleman I have known and respected, as architect, for a very long time.

I am at an advantage in this case since I have also received an architectural training, hence I have more sensitivity toward the details of his design than a regular consultant would. In addition I have been teaching Feng Shui at the Department of Architecture and Interior Design of UCLA Ex. for 15 years, so I know how to give concise and sound instructions that are effective from both the Architecture and the Feng Shui perspective without interfering with the original creative thinking. In other word, I am less likely to butcher the project it in the name of Feng Shui.

My other professional challenge is that I am not the first or second Feng Shui opinion requested, but rather the third or fourth. It is not a real challenge thou, since most of the previous consultants did not specialize like I do in architectural projects, so I am pretty sure the solutions they provided are not as effective.

In fact, after reviewing the recommendations provided by previous consultants, I had to conclude that they are simply “inappropriate” for an architectural project. Obviously any of the previous consultant didn’t have an architectural training, and possibly a rather dubious Feng Shui training too (given some of the recommendations), and the kind of suggestions they had made were rather unsuitable for the lot, the architectural design and the lifestyle of the client.

Some has recommended to rearrange a few piece of furniture – which really doesn’t achieve much in a several thousand square feet home. Another has recommended to “flip” the floor plan on the lot (completely disregarding the zoning and building department requirement, BTW) and frankly not getting much of an improvement on a Feng Shui level. Yes, I know what you are thinking, but that is what you get when a consultant lacks proper Feng Shui training. I see this all the time.

So, after meeting with the owner and the design team, and after reviewing the entire property, I came up with six alternatives that still fit the city requirement and maintain the architect’s vision. Admittedly, some are probably more sensible then others, but they are all valid from a Feng Shui Architecture perspective.

After brainstorming with the architects and the property owner, we have narrow down our choices to one, which is under redesign right now. And all of this was accomplished in only two meetings. THIS is what you get when you hire a truly experienced and qualified consultant like myself or one of my FSA Training Center graduates.

What about the previous consultations, you may ask? Well, my client is not going to get any benefit and no reimbursement either from any of them. So I guess they were a waste of time and money. That is why choosing a really qualified consultant is important (and make sure they credentials are verifiable too).

Whether you are designing a new building, renovating one or planning to purchase one to live or work in, you can most certainly benefit from having a Feng Shui consultant working along the side with you to make sure your project is successful. Because since building effects occupants, the Feng Shui of your building is going to have an effect on you too.

But when you deal with an architectural project, the skills and knowledge of the consultant you choose will make all the difference, as they have made for my client.

If you’re planning on hiring a consultant and are not sure about their qualification, drop me a line and I will be happy to give you some “pro” suggestions. Or visit our site at www.fengshuiarch.com to learn more on what you should be looking for when hire a Feng Shui professional.

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

Feng Shui Tips for Chinese New Year 2015

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Sheep2015-350Just a reminder that Thursday February 19  is the beginning of Chinese New Year 2015 (in the Lunar calendar). While the Spring Stand (February 5th) tends to effect the buildings most, the new lunar year will effects mostly people, state of mind and well-ness.

Here are some quick tips on how to attract as much of this new energy as possible.

1) Old, broken or unused got to go: everything in your life that is irreparably broken – objects especially – need to be repaired of discarded. Appliances, clothes, furniture, car, old papers are “breaking” your energy every time you attempt to use it and can’t. So if they cannot be repaired, they need to be replaced with  working ones. I know you think is not that easy, but as I am typing this, I am actually clearing all my file cabinets in my office. Easy? No! But it feels great when it is done and you’ll experience your energy raising exponentially as you make your way to the garbage bin.

2) Early Spring Cleaning: after removing any broken or unused object it is time to do a good spring cleaning. I am not going to be to particular about this. If you are very neat and want to do the proverbial toothbrush cleaning go right ahead. If you do not have a time and you want to do a vacuum-dust off cleaning that is fine too. No matter what, as you do it, you are cleaning AND shaking the energy in the space, allowing it to flow more. And because you have make space by getting rid of old stuff, that will have a “vacuum” effect in attracting new 2014 energy to fill up the space. As I am also experiencing it right now, I promise you’ll feel the difference immediately.

3) Rearrange your furniture: Everybody’s house is different. I just turned the room from where I broadcast my classes around to have better concentration with my students this year. As I have explained in my live presentation, different “energy” are going to occupy different areas this year and so you can rearrange the furniture to spend more time in the section of your house with better energy.

Have fun and enjoy bringing in more luck for 2015!

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.https://www.fengshuiarch.com/feng-shui-consultant-services-los-angeles.html

Feng Shui 2015: End of Yin, Beginning of Yang in the Jade Year

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Feng Shui 2015 Jade YearToday, February 5 is officially the mid-point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Hence, it is considered the End of Winter and the Beginning of Spring in the Scientific Feng Shui tradition. This is part of the Feng Shui 2015 for the Jade Year.

Now is the time to consult for your houses, offices and business to set them up for maximum benefit in the next year. Since Spring energy is the strongest, it is advisable to take advantage of it as much as possible.

If you already had a consultation with us, this is the time to do a Yearly Update, which is a smaller consultation geared specifically toward this year’s energy.

Full consultations done during the month of February will receive a complementary yearly update as well. Call us at 310 860 8989 to schedule an appointment.

Best wishes for a blissful Jade year!!

FENG SHUI HOME RENOVATION

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feng_shui_house_renovation_3A Home Renovation with Feng Shui is possibly the most exciting and challenging of all Feng Shui applications, although the difficulty often varies depending on the extent of the renovation.
Some renovations may be cosmetic– changing colors, perhaps flooring, adding some new furniture– while other renovations are much more planned-out, restructured endeavors, sometimes involving adding the addition of an upper floor (full or partial), or a room extension and addition (especially for master bedrooms). So, how can you use Feng Shui to make the best out of your home renovation?

Here 3 things to be specially mindful when you are getting ready to start such task:

1. Doing all your inspections ahead of time will save you money and any bad surprises.
Whether is a residence or a commercial, if you are in the process of buying a building that you intend to renovate it is especially important for you to run full, standard inspections before you buy it, and having a Feng Shui inspection can be very useful too. If you are buying a building that will end up being a tear-down rather than a fixer-upper you may unexpectedly find yourself in case #2 below rather than in case #3, and being stuck in a situation that you could have avoided if you had done some prep work ahead of time. In today’s investment world this little investigation can save you a lot of money now and save you from some real bad Feng Shui later on.

2. The entire energy of the house can or cannot change based on the size of the remodeling.
The energy of any building is established at the time of construction and it requires a significant structural renovation to change it. This often involves the full removal (or the majority) of the total roof, internal ceiling, and/or a portion of the building. This can be good news or bad news. For instance, if your building had bad energy (and you’d know this if you had lived there for a while), changing it could be a good thing. But if the building was good to you, then you want to be careful before tearing everything apart because this drastic update can change the building’s essence. Unfortunately there is no cookie-cutter approach of how to anticipate the results other than having a Master Consultant do an analysis for you. So if you are set to take on a drastic renovation, having a professional Feng Shui consultant advise on it would be your best bet and, in the long run, the most convenient one too.

Last week I consulted on a house built in 1943 in San Diego whose energy, albeit a bit old, was rather nice and supportive to the owners. The owners, who are currently renting, expressed a desire to eventually buy the place. They also shared how they intended to upgrade the place, which was indeed needed because it didn’t quite fit a modern 2015 lifestyle. However, after running an analysis we figured out that in changing the energy from 1943 to 2015 it would turn the house from one of being “good for health, relationships, and success,” to one of being “bad for health, relationships, and success.” This is an exception to how a “new house” wouldn’t necessarily mean a “better house.”
So what should the owner do? My suggestion was to work the upgrades into the house in such a way that it didn’t change the energy of the building, or, if it did, it would only be partial and in a limited number of secondary rooms related to the occupant’s life, like closets or bathrooms. I am assisting them and their architects with this phase.

3. Colors, materials, and furniture layout improve a room’s energy, but do not change its core.
Let’s say that in the course of the Feng Shui consultation you have been advised to use certain colors, materials, or were advised to change the furniture layout of a space. In the course of the room’s renovation it is the perfect time to introduce such changes. Since you are not tearing up walls, this is basically a “low-impact renovation” and the best way to do an upgrade on the energy of the house. (But it wouldn’t change its essence like the example in #2 would.) Still, having a Feng Shui consultation will positively affect this type of renovation and help you create a fresh look, by also learning where your best “power areas” are and how to maximize them. You may find my book, Feng Shui for Architecture, How to Design, Build, and Remodel to Create a Healthy and Serene Home, very useful for this, especially if you are doing it entirely on your own. (See https://www.fengshuiarch.com/feng_shui_book.html  )

You can also learn more about Feng Shui by attending our Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape Certification Program Online. This class is specially designed for architects, designers and other professional in the field who’d like to provide their clients with this service. Go here for more information or to attend one of our introductory session.

I wish you the best of luck with all your renovating endeavors and please let me know if there is anything I can assist you with the Feng Shui aspect at 310 860 8989 or dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com 

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

Feng Shui Colors: How to Choose Them for Decorating your House & Office

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Feng Shui Colors Feng Shui Decorating feng Shui House Feng Shui Office

How to Choose Feng Shui Colors for your House and Office

As we delve deep into the season many of us feel the need to bring some color into our homes and do some Feng Shui decorating. Using colors based on Feng Shui Elements (aka Feng Shui Colors) is the easiest and least expensive way to bring a new look into our house and work place, and in light of this current day and age of “challenges” it can help lift even the lowest of moods with just a small budget.

In general, to create a psychological sense of stability and harmony in an interior, it is better to choose a more classic selection of colors in an environment. Having a lot of contrast, though it may be eye-grabbing at first, cause us to feel “unsettle” and “restless,” feelings that most of us find unappealing in the day-to-day crunch. (Though it can work for short-term advertisements, so it’s there we should leave it’s use for now).

For a good Feng Shui house– or a good Feng Shui office (where stress control is a priority)– a more harmonious choice is always preferable because after all, you’re going to be looking at it for several hours every day for weeks, months, and years. So the goal is really to have color embrace you, not punch you all the time.
A few accents of darker or saturated colors are acceptable, but the overall feel for the room should be of lightness and comfort.

Highly saturated colors (such as with “higher” density or darker) usually provide a high contrast and painting the entire room with one of them– or more than one– may not be the best solution. De-saturated colors (such as those “lighter” or more in the “pastel” color family) are easier on the eye and make you feel immediately comfortable.
In addition they reflect the light and bring more luminosity into a room, hence maximizing natural light rather than dimming it down and making it necessary to use artificial lights. You can understand right away how a dark room is not that inviting. Softer colors soften the light “radiance” too, so they do well in room with excessively bright light exposure.

One of the most popular color trends today is the extensive use of grays or gray-based colors. Major paint companies launched lines of gray-based colors with the tag line “anybody can mix and match them and still make them work”. As enchanting of a concept as that is (“easy” always seems to do it) most of the colors in the fan deck looks like rain, fog, and mud. And you do not need to be living in California to appreciate a sunny day.

If you look around in nature on a sunny day the colors are all clear and vibrant. However, on a gloomy, rainy, or foggy winter day everything takes on a tinge of gray. Most of us cannot help complaining after a few days of winter weather as we wish for the sun to come out again. And countries in Northern Europe (such as Scandinavia) have gray winters that last for months where people often become depressed and even suicidal because of the sad mood that a gray landscape brings on over time. So why are we subjecting ourselves to gray-based colors? Seriously???

I have been in many buildings in my profession, as you can imagine, including historical buildings that have been the homes of kings and queens and I never saw any gray-based wall colors, tapestries, or upholsteries. The Feng Shui color palette was always composed of clear colors like aqua, pinks, reds, azure, turquoise, greens, yellows, and gold– no browns, no grays.

In an office, gray-based colors can easily have adverse effects, not only in the mood, but also in the creativity, focus, and productivity of anyone from the receptionist to the CEO. The only offices that can really do well with the use of gray-based colors are those in which people spend the majority of their time staring at a computer screen. In this case the off time from looking at the computer screen with a gray-based color wall helps with the “balancing” of the eyes. But other then that, no grays– not on the walls, not on the floor, not on the ceiling, not on most of the furniture.

To find the most suitable colors to enhance the Feng Shui of a building that accommodates multiple people is really the work of an expert, as it is defined by many variables and a wide scope, impossible to be fully covered in an article.
However, to further assist you in choosing your personal ideal Feng Shui colors, I have created a list below based on your Feng Shui Trigram (Gua). Your Feng Shui Element is based on your date of birth. If you do not know your Feng Shui Trigram, you can find it in the chart posted here.

Once you have identified your Feng Shui Trigram you can  include them in your house or office by painting the walls, choosing a sofa, chairs, curtains, etc. Overall, I’d suggest for you to pick a clear version of the colors rather than grayish ones. Also a lighter, not very saturated color is preferable.

Feng Shui Trigram (Gua) ———————–Natural Element and Feng Shui Colors

Zhen ————————————————————-Wood: Aqua Green, Bright Green
Xun ————————————————————–Wood: Aqua Green, Bright Green
Li —————————————————————–Fire: Red, Vermillion, Cadmium
Ken —————————————————————Earth: Indian Yellow, Yellow Ochre
Kun ————————————————————–Earth: Indian Yellow, Yellow Ochre
Qian————————————————————–Metal: White, Gold
Dui —————————————————————Metal: White, Gold
Kan—————————————————————Water: Lavender, Blue, Azure, Black

Note: If you’re planning a larger project and feel overwhelmed by your choices, feel free to contact me at 310 860 8989 or dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com and I’ll be happy to assist you.

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

How To Buy A Good Feng Shui House (Or Create One)

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How-to-Buy-a-Good-Feng-Shui-HouseAs the real estate market improves, I find myself property-scouting with clients more and more often for properties to buy and live in. But how to buy a good Feng Shui house “as is” is rather complicated, mostly because Feng Shui was only introduced to the U.S. on a large scale very recently; hence, most houses were not designed with keeping Feng Shui principles in mind.

Therefore, overall most of the houses I have seen so far will need corrections in one way or another. It could be on a cosmetic level (colors, materials, furniture layout, etc.) or on a structural level (open a new door or close an old one, change a master bedroom, etc.) but either way, creating a good Feng Shui house from an existing house where Feng Shui was not taken into account requires a little bit of work. It is, however, also easier and less time consuming to do than trying to find the perfect Feng Shui house “ready to go” without having to do any corrections at all. Let’s face it: that is statistically probably one-in-a-thousand and being optimistic. (NOTE: although I may know more then you about Feng Shui, I still have to do the same growling search when buying a property for myself or my family, and seriously, there is no short cut – unfortunally).

So, how to buy a good Feng Shui house, or next best thing, how to do you end up with one?

Three of the most common consultations I am asked to do are:

1) Inspect a Property Before it’s Purchased (to ensure it is a worthwhile building). Some properties need more corrections than others, with an obvious increase in budget to do the corrections. During a pre-purchase inspection I inform my clients on what is needed to be done and they can then get a quote for its implementation BEFORE acquiring the property. This is the most effective way to financially plan your purchase and your Feng Shui improvements all at once. This is done during escrow, or, preferably, before making an offer, which can save you the escrow’s associated costs on the wrong property.

2) Move-In Consultation. This is done after the property has been purchased and happens sometime between the closing of escrow and the moment you get the moving truck at your door. During this time I visit the premises and make recommendations in terms of colors, materials, and furniture layout so when the truck actually delivers your items the walls are already painted in the right colors and you know where to place your main furniture. This is by far the most popular consultation.

3) Renovation Consulting. This is often also done after the property has been purchased and is most needed when the property in question is very old or is in unsuitable condition, or the new owner simply wants to do some structural upgrades to it before moving in. This consultation is more complex than #2 and it could be more extensive and require a larger budget. It will probably involve an architect, or a designer or contractor of some kind as well. This is also the most affective and least expensive way to change the energy of a property by incorporating the Feng Shui corrections during the redesign stage.

What is your situation? Are you buying a new house for yourself and your family? Are you curious to know how to improve your new (or existing) house? We can provide in-person consultations as well as long-distance consultations (thanks to the latest technology resources with satellite views of the property and screen-sharing video meetings) and assist you while you are buying your new home, or move into it (or plan to improve it).

Let me know how we can help you turn your new home into a good, great Feng Shui home. Email me directly at  Dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com

If you are a designer, architect, realtor or other design professional or Feng Shui enthusiast  interested in learning more about Feng Shui to offer this service to your clients, check out our Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture, Design, and Landscape program. This new webinar course (live video and screen-sharing) start on September 29 and you are welcome to join us! Click here for details.

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

Feng Shui for Real Estate: What Feng Shui Can Do For You

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Feng-Shui-For-YouI was out property scouting in Newport Beach, CA last week with a client who had previously experienced living in a bad Feng Shui house for five years – one that we defined as “bad for people (meaning health and relationship),” and also “bad for money (meaning success and financial prosperity).” That is what bad Feng Shui Real Estate can do for you.

After not taking the Feng Shui suggestion to pass on that property back then, he (and his wife) ended up living through five years of “hell on earth” in a very bad Feng Shui house. And now they are ready to move out from that house that caused them so many problems and buy a new one.

I am absolutely delighted, and relieved, to help him and his family find the best house possibly available for them on the market. It is time they move in a good one. And he now knows better and he is taking the consulting I give him much more seriously.

As he, his wife, and I were walking through one of the properties they are now considering he also disclosed to the real estate agent that I was the Feng Shui Master Consultant advising him on his purchase.
Then realtor then proceeded to tell us that the two previous owners, both Chinese, were very successful in the house and how the building was approved by both of the previous occupant’s Feng Shui experts. Maybe so, I thought, but this house had been on the market for nearly two years and has a severely reduced price.

Somehow what the realtor was saying it didn’t seem to make sense from my professional point of view, and in fact, after I finished my Feng Shui analysis on the building, it revealed a completely opposite scenario.

This house was bad for people and bad for money, just like the one my client had been living in for the past five years. And since he had already experienced living in a house with bad Feng Shui he was able to appreciate the accuracy of my analysis immediately this time.

What gave away the realtor? Real “good houses” do not sit on the market.
In fact, in this new Feng Shui-conscious market, it would be preferable for a seller to fix the house before placing it on the market to avoid for it to sit there for too long.

Interestingly enough, this scenario is not unusual.

Anxious to close a deal, some designers, real estate agents, architects, and contractors– for their own personal convenience –“discourage” their clients out of applying Feng Shui suggestions.

In fact, it’s becoming so widespread that there’s now even a new term in sales for it: “overcoming Feng Shui objections.” Some companies have even become so bold as to try and request that I come in and train their whole sales force in “overcoming Feng Shui objections.” To which I invariably reply “The best way to overcome the bad Feng Shui is to fix it. And I’ll be happy to show you how”.

The bottom line is this: when you’re designing a building, buying a house, or selecting a business location, anybody can tell you the most wonderful things about it, and probably in good faith. But ultimately, with my analysis, the Feng Shui quality of a place comes out. Because it is my job to advise you in your best interest.

I can tell you in less then an hour if a house or a retail space is good or bad for health, relationships, off-springs, and even financial prosperity.

And most importantly, I can tell you how to fix it!

With this information YOU will be able to make a really good, informed decision.
And this is the “what’s in it for you” part of Feng Shui.

Want to learn more:

18-Week Class Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture, Interior Design & Landscape starts soon. See details here

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

Yin House Feng Shui: Royal Gothic Romance

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Simona Yin House Feng Shui -2014

Master Simona at Windsor Castle in 2014

This is not your garden-variety Feng Shui.
Yin House Feng Shui is like the PhD level of Feng Shui. In a nutshell, it is Feng Shui for the Ancestors, aka Feng Shui for burial sites.

And who better to illustrate this than a long chain of Royals, whose lives have filled the pages of history.

I am in London this week to visit St. George Chapel at Windsor Castle, where most Royal ancestors are buried, including Henry VIII (Elizabeth I’s father), Victoria’s closest ancestral lineage (all in a closed-to-the –public underground volt, I know, very gothic) and the current Queen, Elizabeth II’s, father and grandfather. Given the worldwide impact that these Queens have had in their long mandates – unique for longevity and historical effects – I can’t but wonder how much of it was due to the Feng Shui of their ancestor’s grave site, know in the industry as Yin House Feng Shui.

Although most people may not care much for dead Royals – not much gossips, I guess – for a Feng Shui Master like myself it is a priceless case study in the effects of Yin House Feng Shui, a very complicated and unusual branch of Scientific Feng Shui that deals with the positioning of a gravesite for the benefit of the deceased’s descendants. A big deal if you are an aging ruling leader concern with the fate of your empire.

Yin House Feng Shui with Master Simona

St. George Chapel – Yin House Feng Shui Case Study of Henry VIII

However, since Feng Shui was not know in the West until the late 20th century, it is safe to assume that the destiny befell upon the Royals—as everybody else who doesn’t plan with Feng Shui—was an “accident” based on the location of the gravesites of their ancestors. (Note: In the enclosed picture, the black memorial stone in the middle of the chapel near the black and white checkered pavement is Henry VIII grave.)

Intriguing how such “randomness” creates all sorts of effect on people’s lives, and more so when such people are decision makers and leaders, and their lives have effects on major historical events. For example: all three Queens were legitimate heiress, however, they also were not the most direct candidates for the throne. And yet, history twisted and turned greatly to eventually lead them there. Pure randomness??? What fascinating circumstances to study!

Yin House Feng Shui with Master Simona

St.George Chapel

So, with dark stormy clouds at the horizon (in true English Gothic fashion) and carrying my best compass, I hopped on my way to Windsor with a friend and once there, “grilled” the willing docents available about each grave, date of burial, coffin’s orientation, and their relation to either current or past rulers.

Truth to be told, all the docents were extremely pleasant and willing to navigate me though the intricacies of British history and family trees for several hours. Hence, I have now gathered enough material for a long, long intricate case study analysis that will keep me occupied for months and I am expecting it will be extremely interesting as it unfolds.

After getting all my information straightened out and the compass orientations marked down, my friend and I began making our way back to London. However, once we left the castle we got caught in the middle of a major storm that made it impossible to travel, so we decided to stop for lunch at a local pub that could trace its roots back to the time of Henry VIII.

Coincidentally, that proved to be a wise decision since while we were having lunch lightening struck twice on the rail road tracks that we were going to be on, sending the entire line into shut down mode. Luckily we were warm and cozy in the pub and made our way back to London later in the day once the line was restored. Could it have possibly been divine intervention via the “Royal ghosts” that had us held up safely in a “Royal Pub” rather than sitting in danger on the tracks due to the adverse natural elements? In true English Romantic-Gothic fashion we’d like to think so! Specially because after all that, we found ourselves “delivered” safe and sound by the Royal Albert Hall, right in front of Price Albert monument.

If you are interested in learning more about Yin House Feng Shui we’ll cover that portion of material in our Feng Shui Professional Consultant Program. But due to the complexity of the material covered we recommend that you first complete our foundation class, Advanced Feng Shui for Architecture (available as a 18 Week Live or 12 Video program). These classes will provide you with the knowledge necessary to take on Yin Feng Shui information.

I look forward to sharing my findings about the Royal ancestors in St. George’s Chapel with you in our Professional classes!

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

5 Most Popular Feng Shui Myths: Is the Feng Shui Door always Red

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Feng Shui Myth Crystal

As any Traditional Feng Shui Master will tell you, all you really need are the five basic elements– fire, earth, metal, water, and wood– to change the energy field of your home or office if it has bad Feng Shui. This is supposing that you’re not planning to remodel or do any new construction. If you are, you can plan it all in advance and perhaps not even need all of these five. The goal of a good Feng Shui Master is to incorporate the correction without anybody noticing, but the benefits will affect the occupants subtly and efficiently.

Paradoxically, the information pool available on-line or on the bookstore’s shelves are full of so-called “experts” calling out for all sort of “remedies” which really have nothing to do with real Feng Shui. This is what we call Feng Shui Myths.

Let’s check out some of the most popular myths:

Feng Shui Myth #1. RED DOOR. The idea of the red door is that red (a substitute for the fire element) will always bring good luck, so it must be on the door to bring good luck in from the entrance. WRONG!

In most cases the color red serves as an enhancer, and by putting it randomly by or on the door all you’d do is enhance any energy that is in that area. Statistically speaking, less than one in ten houses will benefit from having the fire element located at the entrance. More likely, if a household is experiencing problems, there is a good chance that the door be located in an area that does have a problematic energy. Adding red is only going to increase this problem, not take it away. So, do not paint the door red unless so advised by a trusted consultant. (I have dedicated a whole article to the Money Door and you can find it under the category “Feng Shui House”)

Feng Shui Myth #2. HANGING CRYSTALS FROM THE CEILING. They started out being real crystals and then ended up being simply lead crystals. For how pretty they may be, they are absolutely not related to Feng Shui, whether natural or synthetic. They’re usually recommended to remedy a “bad design shape” or a “posing arrow” (pointing corner), but in reality they have absolutely no power to do so. While real natural crystal will effects your so called “subtle” bodies in a very light manner, it is often not enought for correcting the effects of bad Feng Shui. The size of a building is much bigger and the movement of energy caused by a design feature will not change by hanging any crystal, big or small, real or synthetic, in it. You need to address the matter for what it is and use designer solutions to correct the problem. So save your money on the crystals, specially the synthetic ones, which are definitely a myth.

Feng Shui Myth #3. WATER AT THE ENTRANCE. This is a confusing Feng Shui myth becasue there is actual truth in it. Water can be very powerful to create more financial success in a building. I have seen it done so many times, but the location of the water really depends upon the characteristic of each specific building: sometimes it is in the front, but, in many cases, surprise– it could be in the back or even in one of the corners. It’s use is also sometimes temporary and sometimes permanent. To install an external water feature could be quiet expensive and requires quiet a bit of maintenance, so if you want one make sure you place it in the right spot.

Feng Shui Myth #4. FU DOGS. It’s not the animal represented that does the trick, but the element they’re made of. Those “ugly” twin dogs that look like lions were originally made of solid bronze– a.k.a. metal – which is the reason why they were so effective as Feng Shui corrections for eliminating problems. The modern counterpart– usually made of plastic or clay – have absolutely no effect. So if you do want to use Fu Dogs, make sure they’re made of the real element for the most effect.

And the number one myth of all:

Feng Shui Myth #5) FENG SHUI MIRRORS. Books are redundant about using mirrors to attract good energy and reflect away bad luck. But a piece of news: mirrors aren’t that smart to know which energy you’d like to attract and which you’d like to reject. This myth comes from the old days when mirrors were solid heavy pieces of polished metal. Back in those days the Feng Shui Master would visit a house and suggest to place a mirror here or there. But what was being effective as a correction was not the reflectivity of the mirror but rather the metal element it was made off (like the Fu Dogs above). Obviously, “charlatans” Feng Shui Masters wouldn’t know this nowadays. So do not choose any Master who uses a lot of mirrors.

Any other Feng Shui myth you’ve been wondering about? E-mail me the description and I’ll let you know if it’s truth or myth at dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com. To learn more about real, authentic Feng Shui and how to correct house and office problems harmoniously and effectively, join us in our online live and self-study classes available all year round. Check out our schedule for 18-weeks or 12-video Advanced Feng Shui Program and our Feng Shui Professional Consultant Program.

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

Feng Shui Year of the Horse – Warning: June 2014 is Fire Month in a Fire Year

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Month of the HorseThis year of the Horse is plugging along and it is finally starting to feel like it. A genuine Yang-Fire year. After slow beginnings in February and March, the Yang-Fire energy of the Horse has kicked in full blast and it is still rising, getting ready to peak soon in June. So, in this Feng Shui Year of the Horse, we’ll have Fire month in a powerful Fire Year. It is all we needed to get unstuck from last year energy, as we previously discussed in my yearly forecast earlier this year.

Just a cautionary note however: as we enter June – which in the Chinese calendar is also the Horse month and starts on June 6th this year – the already powerful Horse energy of the year it is going to be further increased by the Horse month. Meaning the intensity of the Yang- Fire year is going to be double by the Yang-Fire of the month, and it will reach a couple of high points during the month, coinciding with the Horse days.

While we are tempted to think that if one is good, two or three must be better, the old wisdom of Feng Shui, particularly of Yin and Yang, warn us: when something is TOO MUCH can cause disasters. And so, because the Horse year is the strongest, when paired up with the strongest Fire month and the strongest Fire day it is NOT good news.

How should we handle this difficult month?

In general, postponing all the important things until past July 7 is a good idea (after which the month of the Horse ends and the month of the Sheep begins).

Depending on your date of birth, you maybe more or less adversely effected by this combination. So here are my suggestions in general and for the most effected signs:

1) People born in the Year of the Rat or the Horse should be particularly careful. With the exceptions of a few, most people born in these sign are most effected by this year and month on multiple aspects of their lives.

2) People born in the Monkey and Rooster year (Metal), or with an abundance of Metal elements in their charts, should also be careful, as Fire melts Metal and so the energy of the Year and month can prove difficult on a health level.

3) Anybody who’s not sure about their personal chart: take everyday easy, one step at the time, day by day. If you notice things are very hard like swimming upstream, postpone important things till after July 7, after which the month of the Sheep will begin.

4) For everybody: avoid leaving fire elements – like candles, fireplace or fire pit – unattended. Since the Fire is strong this month, it can easily get out of hand, increasing the potential for fire disasters.

5) Also, due to Yang-Fire nature, people patience may be short this month. Or shorter then usual. Be patient in all circumstances and try your best to avoid any bad mood escalation. They can have real, long lasting consequences way past this month.

6) If your house faces North or South: avoid ANY kind of construction in your building or surrounding property. Ideally, waiting until past next Chinese New Year (2015) is preferable, but if you MUST have it done now, waiting until June has passed will be preferable. If you MUST have it done before then, I suggest you seek the consult of a Feng Shui expert to help you choose a day in the month that is going to mitigate the effects of this intense combination.

As usual, if you need any assistance with our Feng Shui services, please contact us at dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com or 310 860 8989. We’ll be happy to help.

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

Feng Shui for Real Estate Investments

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I recently did a consultation for a large apartment complex in Alhambra. In this particular case my “client” was the whole investment company who had just bought the complex rather than an individual client occupying only one of the units (as a tenant). Concerned about the predominant presence of a strong Asian community located there, my investment company client wanted to ensure that all “cultural requirements” were addressed during the renovations of the entire property (which included four buildings and 162 units in all).

Is the Feng Shui for Real Estate Investments properties important? The answer is a big “Yes!”. In fact, the potential earning are effected by the quality of the building’s Feng Shui. In brief, good Feng Shui equals good ROI, poor Feng Shui equals poor ROI.

Why so? In your specific, immediate, day-to-day interactions your primary residence plays a key role. However, when you acquire a property and you are planning to derive financial income from it, the Feng Shui of that property is also just as important in effecting your renters or buyers.

If it is rental space (residential or commercial alike), making sure the property is good for financial prosperity will assure that your tenants will always be able to pay their rent (to you). In addition, experience shows us that buildings with good Feng Shui need less maintenance because things don’t break down as much (saving you, the landlord, money).

If the property is good for people’s wellness, your tenants will feel very comfortable in the space and will stay longer (minimizing your turn-over). Moreover, when these tenants leave, the amiable energy of the property will naturally attract more tenants faster than if the property wasn’t good.

If the property being developed are condos – hence for sale, not lease – a good Feng Shui will attract a larger number of buyers because of their superior energy. Also these properties tend to sell for a higher value (then those with poor Feng Shui) and seldomly foreclose or short sale.

Would you say that these are all valuable benefits for an investment property?

I have come to think of it as the ultimate win-win solution.

In my long career as a Feng Shui Master I have consulted numerous times for people looking to rent new spaces for both apartments and business opportunities, and invariably the properties that get “stuck” staying vacant are often bad for people’s wellness and/or finances. And what does a “typical” building manager do when there are vacant spaces in their building? They lower the rent to keep all the units occupied, calling it a “special offer.” Which in the end results in loss of income for the landlord. Sounds like standard practice, right?

However, it doesn’t solve the underlying problem of the building itself, and so though people do move in, they then either aren’t happy there or run out of money– and end up moving right back out. Which also results in a loss of income for the landlord. This is a standard Feng Shui problem.

So, what did I do for my current investment company client to ensure this does not happen to them?

I gave them some sound Feng Shui recommendations on how to enhance the property overall from a Feng Shui perspective to raise the energy of all four buildings using colors, materials, water, and some minor structural improvements that will ensure not only the wellness of their occupants, but also the success of this particular investment. And if they pair this up with a good marketing team, I expect units in this complex will never be vacant for long.

If you would like me to assist you with your own investment property endeavor– or even your current house or business— please contact me at dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com or 310 860 8989.

For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

Foreclosure Home: How to Turn it into a Good Feng Shui House

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Feng_Shui_HouseThe market is right, the financing is available, and you are ready to buy your dream home. How can you make sure you are buying a great Feng Shui House?

Considering the current real estate situation, to have good Feng Shui or bad Feng Shui can make a significant difference in how fast or slow the process goes. This doesn’t mean that a good Feng Shui house can sell significantly above its market value (although most times they do because they naturally attract more people), but it will sell faster than those with bad Feng Shui.

Those on the market for a long time are those needing most “fixing.” The good news is that fixing can be done BEFORE or AFTER the sale. This is the purpose of Feng Shui: fix properties that have bad Feng Shui and make it good. Since most houses are NOT designed following Feng Shui principles, they need improvements. Some more, some less, but they all do.

This leads us to the crucial question: how safe is it to buy a house in short sale or foreclosure? And HOW do we buy a property that isn’t going to be bad for us? 

The answer is: you really do not know for sure unless you take a qualified Feng Shui Master with you when scouting for property.

Only a well-trained Feng Shui Master can evaluate the property accurately and recommend effective corrections so that you won’t have the same problem as the previous owners. I suggest having the visit BEFORE acquiring the property so that you’ll be able to evaluate the extent of the improvements necessary to turn it from bad to good (and decide if it is worth it, or if it is better for you to move on to the next building – which may still be foreclosing, but may need less expensive improvements).

I know all too well the emotional attachment that people can feel towards a property they like, especially if it comes with a VERY convenient sticker price.  For many years I have conducted pre-purchase and pre-lease consultations with clients who knew the advantages of following my recommendations-– or the disadvantages of not following them.

So, in this vastly populated market, how do we know what’s good and what’s not?
The rule of thumb in the past has ALWAYS been, “If a house is in foreclosure it means it has some deeply rooted Feng Shui problems.”  Such problems have caused the previous owners to be vulnerable (to the state of the economy, poor decision making, drop in income, divorce, fatal health issue, you name it) so that their Qi (personal energy) hasn’t been supported and/or neither has their livelihood.

I often heard it referred to as the “previous owner’s curse” and prospect buyers would shy away from buying a real estate property fearing the “bad karma” created from purchasing a house where somebody else had suffer a misfortune (i.e. a foreclosure).  As romantic as this notion may seem, people’s energy can be released from a building very easily. That’s not the real problem.

But mostly the reason of the misfortune is rooted in Feng Shui problems, and if not addressed they will still effect occupant after occupant until they are corrected. When corrected, the house is now turned into a good Feng Shui house where you will live comfortably and successfully, and will be easier to sell when you decide to.

There are a variety of situations-– some problems are caused by the design, some by the orientation, some by the lay-out– and addressing each individually is difficult in a short article such as this. The solution can be as simple as switching the bedrooms, using more appropriate colors (they really depend on the year of construction of the building), or as complicated as doing some structural renovation (luckily this last option is extremely rare). It really depends on what you’re starting with.  The same idea applies to any kind of building, commercial or residential. That is why a well-trained Feng Shui Master can assist you in making more informed decisions and a better investment.

In any case, if you’re planning to buy a house that has been foreclosed on (or a business that is in trouble), I REALLY suggest you also plan to budget for Feng Shui improvements.  Buying a new property is a big investment, so you should think of Feng Shui as your helper to make it a good, productive investment. In the long run, Feng Shui will save you a lot of money and aggravations.

We’ll be happy to assist you with our consulting service. Please contact us at 310 860 8989 or dr.simona@fengshuiarch.com to schedule a consultation.

You are also welcome to attend our online classes, available both live and in self-study courses. For more Feng Shui Classes and Courses, please visit our Feng Shui Training Center Here.

For personalized Feng Shui Consultations for your house or business, find more information here.

 

 

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