After my friend Jane told me a little about feng shui, the Chinese art of placement, I made several attempts at learning more by reading about it. I found the books complicated and hard to apply.<\/p>\n
I forgot all about it until I noticed a lecture that was being given at Border\u2019s by two feng shui practitioners. A friend and I decided to attend.<\/p>\n
Little did I suspect that it was going to turn me into a madwoman. The lecturers gave use some simple tips about things we could do in our environments to improve the chi (energy flow). They introduced us to the bagua, kind of a blueprint for placement.<\/p>\n
I spent an hour or so in bed after the lecture mentally moving furniture. I decided that my office was completely backwards, feng shui-wise, so the next morning I began rearranging things.<\/p>\n
Six hours later, my office had taken on a new airiness and was more inviting than it had ever been.<\/p>\n
They also told us that in order to get things flowing forward in life, we should go home and move twenty-seven objects that hadn\u2019t been moved for a year. I had no difficulty locating twenty-seven things that were overdue for relocation. I changed mirrors and hung crystals. I fretted over sharp corners and pondered ways to soften them. I had a ball seeing my old familiar surroundings with new eyes.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s so intriguing to me about this feng shui business is that it\u2019s a wonderful way to become more clear about the metaphors in your life.<\/p>\n
For instance, after I moved my computer to the other side of my office, I needed a longer cord. The one I had was quite tangled and I was going to just plug it in when I realized it would be going through my partnership area. \u201cI don\u2019t want tangled partnerships,\u201d I told myself and decided to take the time to straighten out the cord.<\/p>\n
Now when I notice it, I affirm that all my partnerships are running smoothly. It can get even more cosmic than this, but I will resist the urge to go on and on about the metaphysical insights gained from moving furniture around.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cCare for our actual houses,\u201d writes Thomas Moore, \u201cis also care of the soul. No matter where we live, we can cultivate this wider piece of earth as a place that is integrally bound to the condition of our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0But, then, the Chinese knew that centuries ago.<\/p>\n
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If you\u2019d like to learn more about feng shui, a delightful introduction can be found in Karen Rauch Carter\u2019s Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After my friend Jane told me a little about feng shui, the Chinese art of placement, I made several attempts at learning more by reading about it. I found the books complicated and hard to apply. I forgot all about it until I noticed a lecture that was being given at Border\u2019s by two feng…<\/p>\n