Traveling with Feng Shui

For Christmas, my son and I took a little trip to visit the sites in Moab, UT at Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. We had a hotel room for two nights and brought all our gear to campout for a third night which didn’t end up happening thanks to the snow and bad weather that rolled into town. Since I’ve already written about proper camping Feng Shui, I’d like to talk this time about hotel Feng Shui. The layout and design of the spaces we stay while on vacation are just as important as the spaces we inhabit day to day, so I am going to share some of the things that this hotel did right and the things that they did wrong.

As soon as we walked into our hotel room, I started to see the room with my Feng Shui eyes. The first task is always to just do a mental inventory of what is seen. Since most hotel rooms are going to have the basics of a bed, tv and bathroom, this process takes mere seconds. Right away, I noticed that there was a very inviting armchair with its own lamp overhead in the right hand corner of the room. I couldn’t wait to get cozy in the chair and catch up on some reading with one of the books I packed.

Such a nice place to sit and read at the end of the day. Too bad that lamp is just there for looks!

In case you are new to Feng Shui, the right hand corner of any room falls into the Relationship gua of the bagua as it relates to the entry door. This was a fine for a trip with my son, but if I had been with a romantic partner, a small couch or a space for two people to enjoy would have been better. A single chair in this area of a room does not promote togetherness. If there is only one chair, there is only room for one person.

It looks like an ordinary outlet, but it is winking at me!

Once we got unpacked and settled in though, I found an intriguing problem with this area of the hotel room. Upon further inspection, I discovered that the overhead light was unplugged and that the only outlet within reach had the most bizarre outlet plug that I had ever seen. It was literally impossible to plug anything into it! At first I thought it was just that I wasn’t plugging it in correctly, but then I got down on my hands and knees and saw that the outlet could only accept one appliance, and the much-needed heater was already using it.

From a design perspective, this is literally the dumbest thing a hotel could do. Why add anything at all if adding it is just for looks and isn’t functional? Suddenly, the chair lost all its appeal and I ended up using it to pile hiking gear instead. Strike 1.

In the left hand corner of the room was a desk. This area relates to our money, abundance and prosperity. The placement of the desk was not in command position because it was not facing the entry. It invited the user to sit and stare at the wall, it was very cramped and crowded and also not very functional. Strike 2.

The nice thing about this room was that it came with a microwave, a hidden mini-fridge and a very large flat-screen tv with cable. Free wifi was also part of the package here. When you are like me and you don’t have a typical tv setup at home, it can be fun to chill out in bed and watch tv. Once again though, if a couple had been on a romantic getaway to this location, having an exposed television in the “bedroom” is not ideal. This goes for at home as well. I am a firm believer that tv, laptops and computers should all be banned from our bedrooms.

The two queen beds were placed in a command position with a solid wall behind and a view of the front door. This is very good bed placement because it is a perfect example of the command position rule which creates a feeling of safety and security.

“Our living spaces display an external reflection of our internal lives. Using Feng Shui as a tool to discover that which is hidden within us is the great gift that this ancient wisdom provides.”

~ Logynn B. Northrhip

The bathroom was perfectly placed in the front right-hand section of the room which aligns with the travel and helpful people area of the bagua. The element for this area is metal and since bathrooms are known for all the water and draining they produce, having a metal element room is one of the best because it “holds” the water element. When a bathroom is improperly placed, say in the money area, the water can represent a potential for flushing away of income.

As I completed my brief analysis of the space we would inhabit for the next two days, I could see that it was going to provide us with the precise energy that we needed. In other words, it was an energetic match from a conscious and a subconscious perspective. Since our plan was to be out and exploring and hiking, a simple room was all we needed.

One of the more curious aspects of Feng Shui is that we are always attracting the design of any space we inhabit to provide us with the exact experience that we need. If there is deep emotional healing needed, we will fall in love with the house that can provide that healing. However, that same house can be a nightmare if we do not know how use our spaces to create the life that we are seeking. When we know how to work with the ancient concepts of Feng Shui, we can intentionally create better and better experiences for ourselves.

It is fun to practice all that you know and are continuing to learn about Feng Shui when you travel and stay in hotels. If you end up at a hotel that has bad furniture placement, go ahead and move the bed. I won’t tell!

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Fighting Foreclosure with Feng Shui

“All things are vibrating energy fields in ceaseless motion” – Eckhart Tolle

In recent years, foreclosure has become more commonplace then ever before. Foreclosure is everywhere and probably coming to a neighborhood near you. There is one thing that foreclosures often have in common; they are in a state of disgrace. If they have been empty for long, they usually look dilapidated. When families are forced out of a home, it is not uncommon for them to destroy the property in retaliation.  Foreclosed homes that stay empty too long, have a tendency to lower the property value of homes around them by virtue of their poor energy.

Ideally, an investor looking for a sweet deal will swoop in, pay cash, give it a makeover, and sell it for a fat profit.  In fact, entire cable programs have grown up around this concept.  There is just one problem with this scenario.  If the structural problems and predecessor energy that contributed to the home’s demise are not addressed, there is a strong probability that the new owners will have the same or similar issues.

If the problem with a foreclosed home was simply ugly carpet or paint, then replacing those items would eliminate the pattern.  However, ugly carpet does not in and of itself cause foreclosure.  In order to understand structural foreclosure causes, we must look to some of the age-old Feng Shui rules for an explanation and creative solutions.

I am going to share a few Feng Shui design flaws that may contribute to a home’s  potential to an unstable financial flow.  Our homes are a mirror to our lives, so when one begins to deteriorate, it is probable that the other will follow.

1. The front door aligns perfectly with a back door – While this design is not enough to create foreclosure all by itself, it does often lead to money coming in and going out too quickly.  Ideally, energy enters a home, meanders around and nourishes its surroundings.  However, with this design, there is no meandering, thus, there is very little energy retainage.  Now, let’s replace the word “energy” with money.  They are synonymous.
2. The front door opens up to a set of stairs – There are many variables that impact this design with the main one being the distance between the stairs and the door.  The closer the stairs are to the door, the worse it is.  The type of stairs also matters.  Stairs that have a landing, can cause less issues than the kind that cascade straight down.
3. A bathroom is located in one of the commanding areas – If you are familiar with a Feng Shui bagua, then you know that the commanding areas of any home are typically in the back of the house.  These areas correspond with the bagua sections of Abundance, Fame and Relationships.

The nice thing about Feng Shui is that by working with the elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, as well as the colors and shapes that represent these elements, we can nullify negative architectural designs.  By learning to rehabilitate homes that have been devastated by the ignorance of improper home design, and using the tools we have been given within the system of Feng Shui, we can create homes that are healed.  As we heal our homes, we heal ourselves, and we create a planet that allows all life to thrive and prosper.

If you know someone that is facing foreclosure, share this article with them.  I’d love to help them prevent that potential outcome.  I can be reached at fengshuidesignconcepts@gmail.com, logynnbnorthrhip@gmail.com or at 512-496-9232.

Let’s Talk about Patios

Do you have a patio at your home or apartment?  Are you curious how to make it a positive part of your home’s overall Feng Shui?  Patios can be problematic if we don’t make the most of them.  A patio in this particular discussion is one that has a covered roof above it.  When the patio is covered it is often included as part of the roofline of your living structure, which means it is also part of the Feng Shui bagua of your home.  Just because it is outside, does not mean that it is separate.  Let me say it in another way, the patio is just as important as any other part of your home.  Whatever you do, don’t disregard it.

If you are in a house, the covered patio is most likely in the back.  If you live in a condo or apartment, it could be in the back, on the side or in the front.  Without getting too technical, let me give you a few tips that will be helpful regardless of its location:

One of the things that will help the most when it comes to a patio, is to actually use it.  Sounds logical right?  However, you would be surprised at how many people shun that part of their home.  One of my recent remote clients was exactly in that group.  She flat out refused to put outdoor furniture on her patio even though in her case, it would have been very helpful for her relationships.  She did do a few things that I suggested, but she was not willing to commit to going outside to enjoy the outdoors from her patio.  So the first step is to use your patio.

Second, because it is outside and not something you will use as frequently as you indoor spaces, I suggest that you invite nature to use the patio when you can’t.  Hanging a bird feeder on your patio is a great way to keep the chi active. If you don’t like seed feeders, try feeding the hummingbirds or leaving a little pile of acorns or peanuts for the squirrels.  Animals represent the fire element, and their activity on your patio will keep the chi circulating, even when you are not there to use it.

Third, keep it clean.  Many people treat their outdoor spaces as a storage area for overflowing garbage, a catch-all for kids toys, gardening tools, & unused flower pots, to name a few.  Some other items that I have recently seen on my neighbor’s patios are rotting dog beds, broken furniture, brooms, and dirt-covered knick knacks of all sorts.

A patio can be a place to unwind at the end of a long day with a glass of wine or at the beginning of the day with your trusty pooch and a hot cup of coffee.  If you can find a way to make your patio space colorful and inviting, you will be amazed at the benefits it will provide.

Discovering the Yoga of Your Home with Logynn B. Northrhip

I’ve been discovering everything I can about Feng Shui, and helping others do the same for over 14 years, and I’ve been discovering the joys and challenges of doing and teaching yoga for over 7 years. The thing that strikes me about both of these ancient, and thoroughly modern day practices is how well they go together.

The Merrium-Webster dictionary defines yoga as “a Hindu philosophy that teaches a person to experience inner peace by controlling the body and mind.”  When you get right down to it, Yoga is like Feng Shui for your Body; and Feng Shui is like Yoga for your Home. The difference is that the inner peace we seek through yoga, through the active participation of the body through movement and breath, is applied to the home by controlling, or supporting our surroundings based on the placement of rooms, the elements of the bagua, the 9 life areas, etc.  The common result of both Yoga and Feng Shui is inner peace, and Feng Shui, just like yoga, is always evolving for the individual.  There is always another level for us to shift out of and into.  Feng Shui and Yoga also share another thing in common.  They don’t ever end, because they are essentially a lifestyle choice.

Through the physical action of asana, we learn to quiet the mind and allow a sense of peace to pervade every area of our body.  We say in yoga that we learn to practice this peace on and off our mat.  How we handle the stress of driving in bumper to bumper traffic or a busy schedule with no gaps or breaks can become our”yoga” of the day.  It all begins with the breath and with awareness.

The way that we can apply this same principle to our homes is simple, but requires a re-envisioning of a typical flowing yoga sequence. We begin with a moment of silence and a connection to the breath and our intention process.  During a flow practice, we typically move the body gently at first to stoke the inner fire with twists, with breath-connected movement and action that resembles a wave.   In our homes, we start at the front door.  How does the house breath?  Does it take a “breath” that fills the home evenly?  Or does it take a breath like a smoker with asthma?

In yoga, we learn about our body’s chakras or energy centers.  According to Wikipedia, “Chakras are part of the subtle body, not the physical body, and as such are the meeting points of the subtle (non-physical) energy channels, called nadiis. Nadiis are channels in the subtle body through which the life force (prana), or vital energy moves.”  With this in mind, it is good to point out that Feng Shui is also a subtle energy system, and it thrives on chi as its vital energy.  Chi is a life force energy that meanders throughout nature, and when we build homes, it filters in and around our homes as well.

Using Feng Shui, our ultimate goal is to create a sense of balance in all areas of our lives.  We want our careers to be balanced with our health, our family and all our personal relationships.  We want adequate financial abundance to balance with our creativity and passions, and we want our sense of well-being to balance with the flame of our reputation.   Understanding and discovering the yoga of your home is a way of combining Feng Shui principles with yogic wisdom to create a common ground that unites these two ancient practices and philosophies, and gives us endless opportunities to evolve and manifest the life of our dreams!