Commanding Position

I can’t tell you how many home offices and business offices I’ve walked into where the individuals  desk was either facing a wall or a window and their back was completely exposed and the door was out of sight.

In Feng shui ,doors are the mouths to opportunity from where the chi or energy enters.

When your back is to a door, it could be literally creating a blind spot and you may be missing some very important information or opportunities. Having a back to the door is metaphor that you are not in control of things. If you want to be the cause of your life and not just the effect, it’s important to set yourself up for success while you’re in the office. Not being able to see the door over a long period of time triggers the flight or fight response system in our body and it basically has a negative impact on our nervous system and contributes to feeling stressed out and overwhelmed!

Who do you want to be the driver of your business and finances?

When you can’t see  the door it may be an indicator, that things are falling through the cracks and you are not in command of your business and finances. First thing is to make sure that from your desk you have the widest perspective of the entire room including the door.  Except you don’t want to sit directly in front of the door. That’s considered the line of fire and can make it difficult to get things done and focus.

Make sure that there is a solid wall behind you, which represents security and support. Another very important piece of placing yourself in command of your business and finances is having a strong chair that really supports you.

When you have a rickety chair that’s almost falling apart or that has holes in the upholstery, or your just borrowing one from the kitchen denotes energy loss.

All through history kings, emperor and those who have held high rank knew the symbological significance of a throne.If you want to feel empowered, invest in buying yourself a chair that screams I’m the king of my castle!Sit in it and say our intentions out loud for your business, “I Am in Command Of my Finances. I am Deciding to Be Wealthy and Abundant Today!”

Some offices, like cubicles, it’s really challenging to gain the commanding position becasue they are already designed with the back being exposed to the entrance. In such cases it’s important to take the virtual command position and place a mirror somewhere on your desk or even on your monitor so you can see what’s behind you. It’s like having a rearview mirror on your desk and helps you feel at ease knowing that you are in command of your life!

How to Convert a Bedroom Blunder into a Heart-Centered Wonder

A FENG SHUI TELE-SEMINAR!!

What message does your bedroom send out about you?

Is it holding your single status in place?

Whether you’re single and looking for the right partner, or in a relationship and want to deepen your intimacy, then the first place to start is in the bedroom!

In this Tele-Seminar, you will learn sure fire tips to transform your bedroom from hum drum and boring into a sanctuary for love!

We will……….

1. Identify Major Bedrooms Romance Zappers

2. Show you how to arrange your bedroom for Rest, Romance & Rejuvenation

3. Turn your bedroom into a Drama-Free Zone!

4. Apply the “Love” grid to your bedroom to amplify your intentions!

When: Wednesday February 11, 2009, 7:00PM-8:30PM

Cost: $10, refer a friend and pay $5!

Where: Tele-Seminar Conference Line.
Once you have RSVP’d, you will receive an email with the phone number and access code!

Please RSVP by sending me an email: fengshuifromtheheart@yahoo.com. Payment can be made via pay pal or by check!

Inessa Freylekhman, professional Feng Shui Practitioner and MA in Spiritual Psychology offers life-enhancing services to men and woman from all walks of life. Her work has appeared in LA Yoga Magazine, on KPFK, Star 98.7 and various Internet Talk Shows.

Wow! I was so excited when I heard that yellow is the color for 2009! In Feng Shui Yellow radiates healing, health, joy and optimism. It’s also the color for strengthening and balancing your mental, emotional and physical body.

Yellow can be introduced into the space in a myriad of ways. Imagine, pops of yellows from Sunflowers, or a Chihuly  blown mustard yellow glass bowl that makes the perfect addition to any table, and especially the one that greets you in the foyer.

Placing pictures of the sun and yellow flowers will also work, or what about a bowl full of lemons in your kitchen.

I just bi-located to Seattle, so I’m already missing the sunny weather of Southern California. The overcast skies can really cast a sense of gloom even for this high energy Feng Shui gal!

Today I got this great idea to create little offerings with yellow and pink flowers. I made a little offering in every room by placing flowers and candles on small plates ( I learned this as a part of a larger space clearing ceremony in Bali). Boy, can I tell you what a different it made. Every room has an ambience and a special glow and it viurtualy cost me nothing!

Basically, a little yellow can really go along way in helping lift your spirits during this holiday season!

Listen to what design experts are saying…………..

“There’s a prediction from a leading color source that cheerful and sunny yellow will be the influential color of 2009.

Pantone, which provides color standards to design industries, specifically cites “mimosa,” a vibrant shade of yellow illustrated by the flowers of some mimosa trees as well as the brunch-favorite cocktail, as its top shade of the new year. In general, Pantone expects the public to embrace many tones of optimistic yellow.”

For the full article, please visit Yahoo News!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081203/ap_on_re_us/color_of_the_year

Water in Feng Shui represents Abundance and Life Force energy.

I make it a habit to go to the ocean at least twice a week. I find that it cleanses my body, mind and soul. Its a way of re-setting my chi. Especially after I’ve been in a session or woke up not feeling so great.

I like to come to the ocean and to release anything I may have picked up from my client that doesn’t belong to me, or any negative thoughts that are spiraling around in my mind.

In Feng Shui we bring the energy of water-abundance and life force into our homes to promote Prosperity, Tranquility and New Energy in the following ways:

1. Purchase a water fountain and place it in the far left hand corner of your home-from the front door-thats the prosperity section of the house. If there is bathroom there or a sink there, then that can represent an energy drainer, or a money drain. You can counteract that by introducing a plant, like bamboo to symbolically absorb the water, or a live plant, or even a picture of a tree or a plant! It’s that easy!

2. You can get a picture of water, like a water fall, lake or ocean and hang that in your prosperity section. The other area that water corresponds with is the career are, which is always on the same wall as the front door, but not necessarily the front door, it falls in the middle of the wall.

There you can also place a water fountain to bring in new opportunities, or prospects, or when you are ready for a new career. Make sure the water is flowing into the house and not out, so you’re not loosing opportunities.

3. Hang a mirror facing the ocean an direct it to draw in the energy of abundance and life force into your home!

I hope those suggestions help and just visiting the Ocean is such an abundant, self-nurturing activity. I feel so good every time I go. Even  if it’s just for 10 minutes.

So what are you waiting for!

I spent almost three weeks in Bali. Not enough.

For the first week of my trip I studied space clearing with Karen Kingston in Amed, a fishing village in the east of Bali. It was very educational, but the highlight of my trip was living at at Santra Putra a fine art studio/guest house run by internationally acclaimed abstract artist I Wayan Karja and his wife Gede.

I have to say living with Karja and his wife and studying painting and Balinese cosmology, which by the way is very similar to Feng SHui was a powerful opening to my own artistic side and a deeper knowing of how color can deepen our experience of life and the divine.

“Karja combines the philosophy of the Balinese Hindu Mandala colors with modern international techniques in order to build a bridge between the micro and macro cosmos.

The mandala functions as a spiritual tool, in its presence the viewer is not only affected by each color in particular but by the balance of colors through which a state of inner harmony is created in the viewer.

For example red might not only symbolize passion or heat but may also reduce those sensations by reflecting or absorbing those energies.” (content from website)

I tapped into my creativity. It was my first time painting and I found myself seeking to harmonize and blend colors in the same family rather than pick contrasting colors-which I think will probably be the next phase for me. What you don’t see is that the coil overlaps the symbol of the ana-hu-the root of the present word God is the Sanskrit word hu which means to call upon, invoke, implore.

In between painting classes and watching the amazing view of rice fields from my balcony, I ate the best Satai in the world at Mades Warung 15 feet from my guest house with my girlfriends and meandered through the rice fields and visited temples.

Every moment I spent at Santra Putra was infused with color. I really felt the power that color plays in our lives. The Balinese Mandla represents every color except for purple which I thought was really interesting. Purple is the color for wealth and opulence and their is a lot of poverty in Bali-not sure but maybe there is a connection there. I will write more on teh subject of cosmology and art that I learned from KArja in the coming days for now enjoy the pictures and if you want to know more about this Master Artist, please check out his web site: http://www.wayankarja.com/about/

Get out a 8×11′ piece of paper and make a line in the middle creating two sides. On the top of one write, “My 10%.” On the other write. “for the Greater Good 90%.”

Then under your 10% write all the things you really want to experience in your life and also the things that are currently causing you worry, fear, feel unhappy, depressed, distracted, and tired.

Now I want you to circle the things that are under your immediate control. The things that aren’t I want you to cross out and transcribe to other side of the paper under the heading “for The Greater Good 90%.”

For example if one of the things I want is to release 10lbs and get in shape, but Im afraid that I will never have the willpower. I would place the”never have the willpower” on “for the Greatest Good” side of the page!

Can you allow yourself to let go of those things that you have no control over right now?

Place your hand on your heart and say, “I and allowing myself to let go of my fear that I won’t have any money. I am allowing The Greater Good assistance in my life as partner to support me.”

Great!

How many of the things under “My 10%” can you take a simple next action on in the next couple of days? What is that next action step? Write it down! Commit to a date. Call a friend or coach or email them to help you stay accountable to getting it done!

Are any of the things on your list, “someday one day maybe items”? It’s important to capture everything on paper! Create a separate someday one day list. Someday one day I will bungie jump!

According to David Allen, author of, ” Getting Things Done,” we are likely to seize opportunities that arise if we have identified and captured them as a possibility.

Once your mind is free and the greater good is your partner you can now co-create from a place of inspiration and imagination and presence because you no longer have all of these cycles of incomplete action running in your mind!

I am in preparation mode for my trip to Bali to study Space Clearing with Karen Kingston.

The process of clearing, releasing, re-setting the energy grid in my body, mind and spirit begins now.

Old things, broken things, papers with scribble and doodles, gifts from old lovers, love letters, books I haven’t looked at in 3 years, books I will never read for another 10, and much more has left my space.

I have tossed, burned, gifted and sold many of the belongings that have taken up stock in my life and kept me anchored to a past that I now bless, but no longer need in my life.

The universe abhors a vacuum and I am ready for the NOW where abundance, love and peace grace every area of my life!

When you look at the ocean do you judge it for being too big, too small, the wrong shade of blue, not quite magnificent as you had expected, or perhaps too magnificent? Do you say, “this ocean isn’t good enough for me!”

Unless you’re a surfer and always looking for that perfect wave, I would venture to say probably not. If you’re like most of us, when you go to the ocean, you probably pause in awe of her majesty, beauty and perfection.

In feng shui we look at the yin and the yang, dark and the light, the hot and the cold, and the hard and the soft. We don’t say that one is better or worse than the other, but instead we focus on the interplay of these two energies and the perfection that emerges from their dance.

We have an innate acceptance and appreciation for nature. Even when there is an obvious imbalance, like a tidal storm or an earthquake. There is still this part within us that accepts it as having to be so. Yes sometimes we scream at g-d and maybe even blame the eco-system, and yet there is a silent understanding an immediate forgiveness of nature, right?

These last couple of days I’ve been comparing myself to my friends who I think are “making it,” or to the girls on the beach who I think have “hotter bodies than mine,” or to all those people already where I want to be. I even found myself comparing myself to the idealized version of me in my mind.

Until today.

I sat on the beach, took in a deep breath and looked at the ocean. I looked at her and was overcome with a sense of compassion.

Why is it hardest to find compassion and acceptance for ourselves?

It isn’t.

It’s as simple as giving yourself permission because if you don’t no one else will. You have the turn key that can make that change. You are the master waiting for yourself to wake up.

Roberto Assiogoli, modern psychologist, student of Freud and Kabbalist, would do this exercise where he would have you imagine the ocean. Feel the love, the appreciation and acceptance you have for it, and then turn your eyes back on yourself and look at yourself from that perspective.

Try it now.

Imagine you are sitting on the sand and you see the sparkling waters. The ocean stretches farther than you can see. Past any limits and any parameters. Endless flowing love. Feel the acceptance.

Once you have created that feeling within you..the feeling of peace, acceptance and gratitude, now get up and go to the mirror. Look at your face as if you are looking at the ocean. Can you see the perfection? The grace with which it was created. Can you see how every line, pimple wrinkle, freckle and dimple were stamped there by the hand of the creator?

If you can have acceptance for just one thing in this life, be it an ocean, the way your husband snores, or the cellulite on your rear end, then you can find acceptance for all things.

The Feng Shui of Dating.

I’m not much of a dater. Never have been. I usually know within the first 5 minutes if you’re the person I’m going to marry. This eliminates lots of time spent wining and dining me and getting to know each better.

One day a friend of mine, an author of books on attracting love and dating suggested I re-frame my notion of dating. She said that perhaps dating didn’t have to feel like an energy drain, but could actually be fun! I didn’t know what could be fun about sitting across a table from a guy that you know you’re never going to marry, you’re never going to sleep with, and you’re never going to kiss-if I want a gourmet free meal, I can go home to my parents. My mother is an excellent chef!  

Nevertheless, one night while I was experimenting with this new possibility, I went to a friend’s art openings and met Frank. He was nice and cute, but extremely short. He said he was documentary producer and a tutor on the side. I got this strange feeling about him that I can’t really explain. Since I was donning my new attitude I decided that I’m not going to assume I know everything.

We set a date and time. We were to meet at a nice Thai restaurant in Santa Monica for lunch. I wore my new pink sweater with tight jeans and an adorable blue hat that framed my face. I was excited and I liked this new feeling of not placing a label on Frank. I noticed my mind wanting to go to its familiar place of “OK, so what’s the hit? Is he the soulmate?” But instead I said, “I won’t go there, at least not until after the date.”

As I was looking for parking, I got a call from Frank. “Hey, listen, I’m on my way. I was in such a rush leaving the house that I left my wallet at home and I’m already so close, would you mind covering for me?” I thought about this for a moment. The old me would say, “That’s OK, I’ll wait for you. Why don’t you turn around and go home and get your wallet.”  But this was the new me, so I said, “Oh no problem.”

I’ve always had men pay for me, so I was stretching myself here. The newness of my attitude was refreshing, but simultaneously I was experiencing nausea creeping up in my belly. When I got to the restaurant, he was already there-sitting on the side of the table that had the widest view of the entire room, up against the wall, and in Feng Shui that would be known as the “commanding position.” It’s basically the power spot. He didn’t ask me where I wanted to sit-so I sat right in front of him, with my back exposed to all the traffic of waiters walking by and customers being seated at their tables.  For a Feng Shui practitioner, or anyone who is hyper attuned to their environment, it’s a very uncomfortable position. Not to mention it’s not very courteous of Frank! Here’s how the rest of the date went:

Frank: Hi, so nice to see you.

Frank doesn’t get out of his seat to greet me.

Inessa: Sorry I’m a few minutes late. I was looking for parking.

Frank: Oh, ya. Listen, do you have $2 in quarters. I parked at the meter and like I said, I left my wallet at home.

Inessa takes out two dollars from her wallet.

Frank takes the money and runs out of the restaurant. While Inessa sits and waits she becomes increasingly more and more irritated and decides to make herself more comfortable by switching seats and taking Frank’s place. Frank comes back into the restaurant.

Frank: I don’t get it.

Inessa: You don’t get what?

Frank continues to stand with his mouth gaping wide.

Frank: Why did you take my seat?

Inessa: Well, as you know, I practice feng shui-the art of placement- and I was feeling very uneasy sitting with my back to the door.

Frank: Nice one.

Inessa: I can move back if you’d like.

Frank: That’s fine, but just this time.

They look through the menu and order. There is a tense silence. Inessa occasionally taps her glass with her fork.

Frank: You know, in my house, I always got the chair with the best view.

Inessa: Really, well in my house we had this thing called chivalry, and the men honored the women.

In a nutshell, I learned that new paradigms are fun to try out and it’s always a good idea to stretch yourself and your beliefs and have more expansive flexible ways of thinking. However, in this situation, the red flags were apparent from the first moment I met Frank when I had a strange feeling.  I want to acknowledge myself for trying something new and taking a risk. I still believe that the greatest knowing comes from within. Even if a book or a friend tells you to so something doesn’t mean that you should go out of your way to do things that don’t feel natural. I don’t believe we are all made equally-some of us are more attuned to our intuition then others, and when we are ready, then the right partner will show up and we don’t need to do things that we don’t like in order to make it happen. For example, it could happen in the store, at the gas station, and most likely it will happen where and when you least expect it.  

So you probably think that since I’m a Feng Shui consultant I have the most amazing Feng Shui. Meaning everything is always in alignment, the water from my fountain is flowing in the right direction, the earth, fire and metal are all balanced in my space, my bed is in the ideal position and I live in a human comfort zone all of the time. Right?

Wrong.

Yes, I’m human, but I don’t always live in a comfort zone. Just ask my car and she will tell you:

The Chi Mobile: I have a bone to pick with Inessa! She likes to occasionally eat in me and sometimes she even keeps her sushi containers overnight. High Alert, high alert, spicy tuna smell lingering.  Please evacuate the premise. At times, Inessa will leave her sneakers in the trunk and then she runs around her home looking for them for like an hour and ultimately she finds them where she left them and we just lost an entire hour that we could have worked out. I truly think this is her way of not having to go to the gym. Oh, and I have to tell you that it gets lonely driving only Ms. Inessa around all over town. You see she gets really embarrassed about letting other people, especially boys, ride in me because well, um…..is that Soy sauce on the passenger Seat?’

Folks as embarrassing as it is to make this admission; I highly recommend you give your vehicle a voice. Not taking care of my car was another way of not showing up for myself my life. My car is what gets me around from one place to another and when it’s not in a state of Zen-well then neither am I and am much more likely to get upset or irritable driver syndrome, AKA “Road Rage.”

After letting my car vent, I decided it was time to Feng Shui her the right way! First I took her to the car wash on Lincoln in Santa Monica, right off of the 10 freeway exit. For only $50, not only were my seats and carpets shampooed, but the exterior was washed, waxed and polished. The Chi Mobile felt like an all new and shiny hybrid!

Then, I emptied my entire trunk, including my sneakers, and the stuff that I’ve been meaning to give away or throw away for the longest time. Next, I hung a crystal from the rear view mirror to deflect road range and circulate the chi. And finally, I blessed and thanked the Chi Mobile for all her hard work in getting me around and for not polluting our environment, like some other cars on the road.

Can I just tell you that having a sweet smelling car, with clean windows so people can actually see me, paid off momentarily!

The following day on my way to see a new client, something that has never ever happened to me before took place on the 110N freeway: A young man honked at me. But that’s not all. He turned and he waved. I was flattered, so I waved back. Then he blew me a kiss, so I decided to play along and blew him one too. Then he rolled down his windows and shouted, ”Those are beautiful eyes,” and so I winked like 30 winks with the only eye that knows how to wink. “Can I get your number,” he shouted. I went along with the fun and games and waved my business card in the air. Then he shouted, “Stop your car!”  I laughed. He can’t be serious.  ”No I mean it. Stop your car!”  So in the middle of rush hour traffic (thank God it was slow, and I don’t recommend this to anyone) I stopped. He then ran out of his car and literally kissed me on the cheek and ripped my card out of my hand. People were honking and it was like a scene out of a movie that has yet to be made. Wow, life is definitely stranger than art.

I’m not saying that by cleaning your car, you’re going to have a gorgeous man in his mid 20’s practically jump your breaks, but sometimes for things to get through my head, I need them LOUD  and CLEAR. Now that the “Chi Mobile” was Shwayed, we were receiving feedback from the universe that when I take care of myself, it feels good and people notice. Not to mention any question about the permanence of my 30 something single status has been washed away- at least temporarily. My self-esteem has been on a high for like a week.

I’m sure you’re wondering if he has called or will I go out with him. I’ll have to leave that for “Tales of The Chi Mobile” part II.”