Ms. Feng Shui on NPR
The following article is from a news story that aired Saturday 6/7/2014 on NPR (National Public Radio) regarding Feng Shui and its use in new home developments and in selling existing homes. Jessie Kim of Ms. Feng Shui was quoted in the story with a few Feng Shui tips. You can download the audio here.
To Sell A House In California, It Might Need Good Feng Shui
About 40 miles east of Los Angeles, houses in the new College Park subdivision are designed to have good feng shui. Miles Bryan/NPR
If you leave Los Angeles, Calif., on Interstate 10 and head east for about 40 miles, you’ll run into a quintessentially suburban phenomenon: the opening of a subdivision.
The number of Chinese buying homes in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2007, with most of those sales in Southern California. Some are buying for investment purposes — prices are positively cheap compared to the market in Beijing or Shanghai — and others are planning to start a life in the states.
Marketing to those Chinese buyers has meant learning about what customers want in a house’s design, says Mark Torres, a division president for Lennar Homes, the company that’s building the subdivision.
“We consider feng shui elements in all our designs,” Torres says. “Everything from the water-fire elements and making sure that we don’t have those types of conflicts [and] designing the entry of the homes to keep all that positive energy in the home.”
In a house with good feng shui, the staircase leads away from the front door so the energy doesn’t rush out before it can do good for the house. Courtesy of Jessie Kim
Just a few miles from College Park is the town of Chino Hills, which Lisa Dutton calls home. But her house has feng shui problems. It’s had issues since she bought it from a Chinese seller 15 years ago.
“As he was moving out, he told us the reason he was moving was the house didn’t have good chi,” Dutton says. “We had no idea what chi was! Had no idea whatsoever. So, we bought the house.”
Dutton’s house had been on the market for 30 months, but she was getting nothing but lowball offers.
Jessie Kim, a feng shui consultant, has the answer to those questions. Standing in the foyer of Dutton’s house, she points out the problem.
“When you open up the front door and then you have a stairway coming right at you, things like to go to the lowest point,” Kim says.
For a lot of Americans, a big fancy staircase is a status statement. But if you are into feng shui, Kim says that’s a non-starter.
“You don’t want all the energy that are upstairs being rushed out to the front door,” Kim explains. “You don’t want those things lining up.”
To help, she put a red rug below the stairs to channel the energy back up and installed a fountain in the lawn to balance the water element. She also added a big welcome mat outside the front of the door to invite in positive energy.
“It should be welcoming,” Kim says. “None of those, ‘Wipe your paws,’ or, ‘Don’t come in here,’ those funny doormat sayings. You don’t want to do that.”
With these changes, the offers started rolling in. Dutton says she’s just closed on a deal with a Chinese couple worth almost $100,000 more than her previous best offer.
Back at the grand opening of College Park, Eddie Yung is taking a break from walking through model homes and enjoying some complimentary lo mein. He’s looked around in other Los Angeles suburbs but he likes the house he saw here. In fact, he’s going to sign a deposit on one.
That was the fourth home sold at College Park before noon. When the chi is flowing in the right direction, the money will too.
https://www.npr.org/2014/06/07/319536325/to-sell-a-house-in-california-it-might-need-good-feng-shui
Next Steps
Learn about how Ms. Feng Shui helps developers design homes and how she can help homeowners prepare their homes for sale the Feng Shui way. Contact Ms. Feng Shui today!
Do you know someone that has been having trouble selling their home that could use a little Feng Shui advice? Share this story with them on Facebook!
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Kaley Cuoco Hires Feng Shui Consultant
I’m normally not one to gossip, but…
In case you hadn’t heard, Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco proved that, despite the character she plays on TV, she may actually be one of the smarter actors on the cast.
She and husband Ryan Sweeting reportedly hired a Feng Shui consultant to cleanse the old marital home of Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom not long after they closed escrow.
The 27-year-old actress is probably best known for her role as Penny in the award-winning comedy The Big Bang Theory. Her husband is Bahamian-born American professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting.
The Purchase
The two bought Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s home in Tarzana, CA for $5.5 M shortly after the two split in December of last year.
Sadly, the marriage of Kardashian and Odom got frigid when the 34-year-old professional basketball player was caught engaging in… extramarital activities. Evidently, he was also not willing to accept professional help for his drug addiction.
So, it would make sense to rid the home of the negative energy that may have been causing such a toxic marriage with a Feng Shui cleansing, right? Unfortunately, I think that there is a lot more to it than that.
The Cleansing
According to a source for In Touch Weekly magazine, “Kaley and Ryan hired a Feng Shui expert to restore the positive energy. Kaley doesn’t want their future affected by anything left behind.”
Smart girl. Particularly with negative energy like the Kardashian/Odom home, a Feng Shui cleansing is a great start to putting things right again. When combined with an ideally situated and laid-out home, proper interior decorating according to Feng Shui Bagua principles should keep the positive energy flowing for Kaley and Ryan, right?
Feng Shui Success?
Based upon her recent successes, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kaley has been utilizing Feng Shui for several years.
For instance, she has a hit TV show that has won several awards. And it wasn’t her first. But how about more recently?
Sweeting proposed to Cuoco a few days after they made a significant red carpet debut together at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. The couple got married on December 31st, 2013 (perhaps the rush was for a tax deduction).
Something may have been right in the Love & Relationship Corner of her old home.
As she told Cosmopolitan magazine, “I admit it happened fast, but that’s who I am. When we met, I knew he was the one.”
“[At the wedding], I felt like a rock star and a bad**s. What was amazing in that room, it was so full of love. It was like nothing I’d ever been to before, and it was exactly what we wanted it to be. It was the eighth wonder of the world, the greatest wedding of all time,” she added.
Unfortunately, that may be where the good news stops for Kaley. As a big fan of The Big Bang Theory and Kaley, in particular, what I have to point out next saddens me.
The Property
My feeling is that Kaley (and even Khloe) should have gotten some quality Feng Shui advice on the home before before making their purchases. First off, it is at the end of a cul-de-sac, which is where energy can become overwhelming and destructive.
The front door can’t be seen from the street. Hidden houses have the opposite effect as the cul-de-sac, where not enough energy comes in. Also, the front door faces a hill, resulting in a potentially uphill battle for the Career Area.
The pool straddles the Fame & Reputation Area as well as the Relationship Corner. The key element of the Fame & Reputation Area is fire, which is doused by the water of the pool.
How about a fire pit in the Relationship Corner? Only if the residents want fiery relationships with her spouses.
The Interior
There are also reports that Kaley has kept at least some of the furnishings that Khloe and Lamar had in their home. Pictures have surfaced showing her with the same couch pillows and blankets as those seen in pictures that Khloe had been crying on earlier.
So, I took a look at some interior listing pictures. If the reports on the furnishings are true, I have some free advice for both the Big Bang star as well as for Khloe when she furnishes her new home.
In the home, you could find a sad and lonely portrait of Marilyn Monroe, as well as a painting of a single woman dancing. Keeping these items in the home may result in a sad and lonely outcome for its residents, as it did for Khloe & Lamar.
The home also had a floating Buddha head in the foyer and detached angel wings. You never want to have detached body parts, especially of religious symbols. A complete Buddha should be placed higher, as if on an alter. The ideal spot is in the Helpful People Corner.
Kaley’s Next Steps
If Kaley were my client, I would suggest she throw it all out and start over again. Don’t do a cleansing and keep all of the innately harmful elements in the home. Unfortunately, Feng Shui doesn’t work like that.
So, Kaley, if you’re reading… call me. We’ll make sure to keep your life and career harmonious and balanced through Feng Shui. You are a great actress and I really want you to remain successful and happy.
It is my hope that Khloe Kardashian also finds a peaceful and happy life, perhaps through Feng Shui.
Celebrity Use of Feng Shui
Celebrity use of Feng Shui is nothing new. Steven Spielberg, Courtney Cox, George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey are but a few that practice the 3,000 year old art and science.
One of the richest men in the world, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, is also a fan of Feng Shui. His home is located such that the hill behind it offers protection and boosts his Fame & Reputation Area. In front of the home is Lake Washington, which enhances the Career Area of his house. He also has a dragon and tiger on each side of the home, which are used to attract Chi, or Feng Shui energy, and to provide protection.
Billionaire investor and real estate mogul Donald Trump says, “I don’t have to believe in Feng Shui. I do it because it makes me money.” Trump used Feng Shui principles in the construction of Trump International Hotel & Tower by placing it so that it faced Central Park in New York. He believed it would increase positive Chi for prosperity and success.
Your Next Steps
If you, too, are looking to create a harmonious and balanced life through Feng Shui, start with your home.
Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to ensure proper Chi flow in your home or office.
Does your home have the negative energy or harmful elements that I pointed out in Kaley’s new home? If so, contact me to inquire about a Space Clearing and/or Feng Shui Consultation because the disharmony caused by such negative or destructively-flowing energy can be very dangerous to your health, career, marriage, fertility, etc.
Considering buying a new home? Take a look at the recent new home projects where my Feng Shui consultation services were utilized or contact me so I can make sure you purchase a property with good Feng Shui.
Do you know someone with any of the above issues in their home (or do you know Kaley or Khloe)? Share it with them on Facebook!
Be sure to register for my email newsletter or like me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with my latest posts.
Grand and Spiral Staircases in Feng Shui
We’ve all heard that front doors opening directly to stairs are bad for Feng Shui. In fact, I’ve written about it in a previous post where I described that such designs lead to income problems.
Just as dangerous to a home or office’s Feng Shui is a spiral staircase or even a grand staircase. I want to get into why they can be so harmful and, of course, give you some remedies.
Feng Shui, translated as “wind-water”, is about harnessing the flow of a natural energy called Chi just as boulders in a riverbed work to temporarily divert the flow of water.
Spiral Staircase Dangers
When working with home builders, I always recommend against designs with a spiral staircase. Even though they are an efficient use of sometimes limited space, the benefits simply don’t outweigh the dangers. Potential buyers conscious of Feng Shui will see a spiral staircase and simply walk out.
Consider a spiral staircase to be like a corkscrew digging into a particular section of the Bagua in the home or office. Please also keep in mind that each section, or Gua, of the Bagua represents a part of the body.
As an example, a spiral staircase in the middle of a home, or Health Area, will figuratively dig into the heart of the Bagua. I have found that those living in such a home frequently have health issues related to the heart or blood pressure.
Many spiral staircases are made of metal, which only exacerbates the digging effect. The same goes for any staircases (spiral or otherwise) with metallic coloring, whether they are gold, silver, bronze, copper, etc.
Any staircase with the color red is morbidly characteristic of blood flowing down the stairs. Circulatory issues are common with residents of such homes.
Another problem related to most spiral staircases is the empty space between each step, preventing Chi, that natural flowing energy, from rising to the upper levels. Rather, energy only flows down — and painfully so.
Spiral Staircase Cures
What if you have a home that already has a spiral staircase? Certainly, replacing the staircase isn’t usually financially feasible.
First and foremost, find a creative way to cover the openings between steps. I suggest using wood because it has the energy of growing up, like a tree. Feel free to cover it in a fabric, such as carpeting.
Use neutral colors instead of black, red or metallic colors. It is better to use the colors of plants or trees.
Now, we need to find a way to work against the downward corkscrew energy. To do this, I recommend the use of lighting and plants.
The lighting should point upward from below, again pushing Chi up the stairs and working against that painfully downward force.
The use of certain plants and trees also move energy upward. Tall trees based at the bottom of the stairs will do the trick. Ivy along the railing will further influence the energy to move upward.
Grand Staircase Dangers
Luxury builders often want to utilize grand staircases. They are beautiful, opulent and, well, grand. They are also very dangerous to the Feng Shui of a home.
Because of their often circular nature, any energy that flows up the left staircase at the Family Area just goes right back down the right staircase at the Creative Area, completely bypassing half of the second floor’s Bagua.
Thus, grand staircases often prevent Chi from giving life to the upstairs offices and bedrooms representing the Wealth Corner, Fame Area and Relationship Corner. That’s simply bad for business and bad for the business of love.
The same rules apply here as with other types of stairs — metals and the colors of metals are bad. Likewise with the bloody effects of red.
When working with builders, I often suggest some very specific modifications to the design to ensure proper energy flow while maintaining the grand effect of the staircase.
Grand Staircase Cures
Again, what remedies are there to cure a grand staircase that already exists in a home (aside from tearing it out and adding the Helpful People, Career, and Knowledge areas back into the upper floor)?
First, add a red rug at the top of the right staircase. This works to slow the energy that is attempting to flow back downward.
Second, make sure that you have a large, shiny chandelier above the foyer and another shiny chandelier at the upper floor where the two staircases meet.
To keep with lighting, up-lighting or upward sconce lights along the staircase will help push and keep energy upstairs.
Just as with spiral staircases, you can use tall trees at the bottom and ivy along the edges to help influence Chi upward. You can even use wood trim designed with the effects of ivy.
Next Steps
Generally, it is best to avoid a home with a spiral or grand staircase in terms of Feng Shui. But, at least there are cures available to improve such designs to minimize their negative effects.
Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to ensure proper Chi flow in your home or office.
If there is something unique about your stairs or layout, such as scissor-stairs, contact me to inquire about a Virtual Feng Shui Consultation because stairs can be a dangerous element.
Considering a new home? Take a look at the recent new home projects where my Feng Shui consultation services were utilized.
Do you know someone with a spiral staircase? Share it with them on Facebook!
Be sure to register for my email newsletter or like me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with my latest posts.
Ground Blessing Lessons for the Home
Bless the Ground Before Breaking It
Last week, I had the opportunity to perform a great Feng Shui Ground Blessing on a new condo development before the home builder broke ground.
The goal of the ceremony was to re-energize the site and provide success during construction and for the community’s future residents.
The ancient Chinese tradition of Feng Shui encourages harmony and balance by restoring positive energy flow, or Chi, along the creative cycle.
Home builders that are conscious of the energy flow of the land where they intend to build are taking the best interests of future residents seriously.
The five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal in their creative cycle.
Why a Ground Blessing?
Depending on the prior use of a property, lingering energy can be quite destructive, going the opposite direction of the creative cycle depicted here.
In the case of the ground blessing I did last week, the land was previously used in an unsuccessful commercial venture.
While the energy wasn’t particularly negative in this case, it felt stagnant. In fact, it was so stagnant, I felt that the land had no energy at all.
When I began the process of a rice blessing, the rice sounded like rocks dropping to the ground without any bounce.
By the end of the ground blessing, the rice that I tossed sounded like drops of rain splashing into a pond, a sign that energy had been re-introduced into the creative cycle.
Fortunately, the residents and the home builder will benefit from the ground blessing.
Bless the Home While You Feng Shui It
This lesson can be carried over into the space where we already reside, as well.
When a home or office’s energy is stagnant or negative, it can have far-reaching effects on the residents, including the loss of a job, wealth, health, fertility, etc.
Like a Feng Shui Ground Blessing for future construction projects, there are also Feng Shui Ground Blessings for homes and offices that already exist. Perhaps it is time for a remodel or the land simply has poor Chi.
Additionally, there is something called a Feng Shui Space Clearing for individual homes and offices that would take place in the interior of the home.
Renewing the Energy
A ground blessing and/or a space clearing is effectively like pressing the reset button on the energy flow.
Further, when combined with proper placement of items and colors to coincide with the Feng Shui Bagua in your space, a space clearing will get the creative cycle moving again.
In the case of a prior negative event in your space, such as a tragedy (death, flood, fire, etc.) or financial hardship (foreclosure or short-sale, for instance), Feng Shui’ing your space won’t be enough.
A Feng Shui Space Clearing and/or a Feng Shui Ground Blessing will likely be required to get that energy flowing in the right direction again.
Next Steps
Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to ensure proper Chi flow in your home or office.
If things still feel stagnant for you after following my Bagua advice, contact me to inquire about a Feng Shui Ground Blessing / Space Clearing or a Virtual Feng Shui Consultation because you cannot afford to live without healthy Chi flow.
Do you know someone that has had such hardships in their home? Share it on Facebook!
Be sure to register for my email newsletter or like me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with my latest posts.
Feng Shui in Business Logo Design
The art and science of Feng Shui may be thousands of years old. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t apply it to even the most modern of concepts like logo design.
Of course, proper Chi or Feng Shui energy flow in an office is ideal. But, you also need to complement Chi flow with Feng Shui applied to other areas of the business, such as basic marketing concepts.
I am currently working with a company to help them choose a new logo design to represent their business. As such, I have recently paid a lot of attention to how logos represent businesses in terms of Feng Shui.
Navigating Through Water
I just saw one such logo this past weekend at the grand opening of King Harbor Brewing Co. in Redondo Beach, CA.
Much like people, businesses are born with dominant Feng Shui elements (earth, wind, water, fire or wood). In the case of a brewing company, it might not surprise you that the element is water.
Unfortunately, too much of one element can be overwhelming to the owners and employees of a business. By applying Feng Shui to our logos, we look to complement or channel the dominant element for our benefit.
In the case of King Harbor, they rightly decided to navigate through their dominant water element with a sturdy ship with visible anchors.
The Five Elements
The first thing you must do is determine your business’s Feng Shui element. Some of them are rather easy to determine, while others may require the help of an expert. Here are a few examples:
The five elements of water, wood, fire, earth and metal in their creative cycle.
- Wood: Anything devoted to education, clothing or paper
- Fire: Anything where creativity, athleticism or food is required
- Metal: Anything centered around money (banks/accounting) or technology
- Water: Anything regarding beauty or cleanliness
- Earth: Anything that has to do with construction, agriculture, or moving/building in the earth
Now that we know the primary Feng Shui element of our business, it’s time to move on with design elements.
Logos and other marketing design principles require special attention to color, shape, images, symbols and other elements.
Stimulate With Color
Color is probably one of the most important aspects to choosing a logo. Color can be used to stimulate a variety of human emotions, such as calming, hunger, excitement, etc.
It is important to choose colors that will create emotions that are congruent with your product or service and/or support your business.
The use of blue would be a more soothing element to use than red, for instance, when choosing colors for a massage therapy business.
Moreover, a garden center may want to use green or brown, as representative of wood and earth, than red. This is because red is the color of fire, which is destructive to wood.
Choose the Right Shapes
Shapes and imagery are just as important as colors in your logo. Various shapes occur naturally in nature and represent the five elements. For example:
When talking shapes, a BBQ restaurant would be better-served with a triangular design in their logo representing fire than a wavy design representing water.
A square would only muddy the waters in a cleaning business, which is probably why Swisher Hygiene chose an S in the form of flowing water. The use of fiery red around their S may even help with the disinfecting process!
Final Thoughts
One design element that I frequently see in logos that is contrary to Feng Shui is a line or arc running through the graphic or company name. Just don’t do it. It splits your business.
Whenever possible, use imagery that is empowering, healthy and safe. Whatever colors and design elements you choose, make sure they are harmonious for your business, customers and employees. Whatever your logo represents will probably be represented in your business.
So, all ahead full, my beer-brewing friends!
Next Steps
Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to learn more about each of the various design points and be creative in using them in your logo.
If you need a little expertise for your business, contact me right now.
Does your business feel stagnant? Inquire about a Feng Shui Space Clearing or an Office Feng Shui Consultation now because you need your business to be profitable!
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Feng Shui is About Harmony & Balance
While it may be tempting to make your love corner completely pink or your wealth corner completely purple, don’t overwhelm one area without balancing the other spaces in your home’s Bagua.
“I’ve turned my entire relationship corner pink and I still haven’t found love.”
This is a pretty typical of emails I get from people inquiring about Feng Shui consultations.
Whether you want to improve your health, wealth, fame, career, fertility, relationships or love, keep this in mind: harmony and balance.
Harmony and balance shouldn’t just be your desired outcome.
Harmony and balance are also required in Feng Shui placement and decor in order to get what you want.
The Purple House
The following pictures are from a home that was recently listed for sale in Middlesex, England.
For soon-to-be obvious reasons, the listing agent neglected to say much about the interior.
While the home was attractive from the outside, every room inside was completely purple.
Purple is certainly a color of royalty and wealth. And I’m not saying that I don’t like purple.
But this… is overboard.
Residents of homes like this don’t experience an abundance of money while living there.
And people certainly don’t sell homes like this at a premium, especially when you factor in the costs of the decor. (Though, this one received enough viral coverage that someone with a purple predilection may have spent too much money just to have it.)
Moreover, residents in over-the-top homes like this usually have career, health, relationship and marital issues.
Harmony and Balance
As I said, you need harmony and balance in your home’s decor and placement in order to have harmony and balance in your life. But how?
Most ideal would be to spend careful time in each area of the Feng Shui Bagua to ensure proper and steady flow of Chi, or Feng Shui energy.
At the very least, start by ensuring that opposing corners or sides of your home’s Bagua are balanced.
As you see results from the opposing areas, move onto another pair of opposing areas.
All the while, be sure to pay special attention to the Career & Life Path Area of your home by your front door by making sure that it is clear and clean to attract Chi into your home.
Remember, don’t go all purple on me!
Next Steps
Spend some time learning about the Feng Shui Bagua to ensure proper Chi flow in your home.
If things still feel stagnant for you after making the above changes, contact me right now to inquire about a Feng Shui Space Clearing or a Virtual Feng Shui Consultation because you need healthy Chi flow.
Think this purple home is hilarious? Share it on Facebook!
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