Feng Shui Your Mind

What is it about Feng Shui that allows us to create such profound shifts in awareness that translate into living a life that’s filled with miracles? Well, I have discovered that Feng Shui is the ultimate map. Think about it. Everything is energy, right? And Feng Shui is all about the dynamics of how energy flows. As we say, once you know “how to harmonize your own energy with universal energy, the results are amazing–doors open, opportunities arise and life feels truly magical.” It’s so interesting to observe how this works in life. The more we practice letting go, the freer we feel because we’re not wasting our energy trying to control people and circumstances that we have absolutely no control over! I see this time and time again, not just in my life, but in my practice, I hear so many of my clients sharing similar stories. Although initially it tends to be really hard and we can feel anxious about letting go, it seems the more we practice it, the easier it gets. Like a well toned muscle.

Click here to listen to a portion of our tele-course The Metal Element

And Maureen always says, we feel stress when, instead of going with the flow in life, we oppose it. So, as the year draws to a close, Maureen and I invite you to set an intention (or two). Try embracing the practice of letting go when circumstances are not yours to control. Open to experience something more expansive to flow into your life. Remember, the key to those magical doors opening is in your hands. We welcome your comments!

(excerpted from Feng Shui Your Mind)
We are all here in the physical realm to learn how to master our energy. When we allow our spirit to guide us, it’s so much easier to choose peace. Every time we do, we expand our Metal energy. Judgment does the exact opposite – it contracts our Metal energy and separates us from one another. Our soul would never dream of judging others or ourselves. Our soul is very clear that we are all here as diverse, unique expressions of Divine energy. If we purposely focus on experiencing our oneness with each other, we feel connected and experience a sense of deep peace. We also can look at it this way…we get the opportunity to witness all the different ways there are to walk through life. The challenge is to elevate ourselves by choosing to awaken, becoming more expansive in our awareness. Instead of spiraling down into judgment and unhealthy competition, focus your thoughts on inspiration and love. How? See the world from a place of neutrality and curiosity. Choose the enlightened perspective – that person or event is an interesting manifestation of the bigger universal energy. Viewing others this way allows us to peacefully co-exist with those we formerly judged. Free of judgment, we reclaim our Metal energy and channel it to serve our soul. So practice being mindful of judgment. Pay attention when you feel judgmental toward yourself or others. See this as your opportunity to transform judgment (contracted Metal energy) into love and peace (abundant Metal energy). Cultivating compassion for the people you tend to judge, frees up your energy. Compassion allows you to be less reactive which reconnects you with your power to choose peace. You can also rewrite the story: This is a great way to elevate your Metal energy and take your power back. Every time you think of someone who triggers your judgment (because they’ve offended, disappointed, hurt or betrayed you), focus on trying to understand where they are coming from. Through understanding, we are open to feeling compassion for others as well as ourselves. Remember, the idea is to transcend your pain and stuck energy so that you are back in the flow of life. Also, focus on why this person is in your life – what have you learned from their presence? How is your life better because of what you have learned?

As we begin to feel the season of fall coming on, it’s a great time to contemplate the energy of the Metal element, one of the five elements in Feng Shui. In fact, this is Jill’s favorite element and she’s been wanting to write about it ever since we started blogging. What does she love about it? She loves that the Metal energy is all about cultivating deep unwavering faith through releasing everything that doesn’t serve us. When we talk about the Metal element in our book, we refer to the energy as Metal Magic where you cultivate your ability to “spin straw into gold”. Yes, it’s about stepping into our power as the alchemist of our life!
And here’s why…

(passage below is excerpted from Feng Shui Your Mind)
Are you familiar with how monkeys are trapped? The deal is that monkeys are captured by placing a tasty banana into a coconut shell with a small hole. The hole is just big enough for the monkey’s hand to reach in and grab hold of the banana. With the banana in hand, the monkey can not withdraw from the coconut shell because his fist is too big. If he only knew that letting go of the banana would set him free!

And we’re no different. We are so conditioned to think we need to control everything, we get really nervous about the idea of letting go. That’s typical Metal energy out of whack. We assume that if we actually let go, we’ll turn into couch potatoes, too lazy to get anything done. Or, that if we let go, nobody else will do the job properly like we can. And of course, you know, everything has to go perfectly, according to our plan. Before we know it, we’re trapped, thinking we need to keep holding on to that banana for dear life. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Letting go and living in faith is at the heart of Metal energy. That’s what freedom is all about. Look at it this way. When our energy is not consumed by the stress of trying to control everything, we are free to enjoy life. Trusting that we are being guided by God’s loving energy, we can choose to live in faith. Letting go – essential for healthy Metal energy – is such a powerful practice. The benefits are so great. Instead of being run by stress and perfectionism, you reclaim your freedom when you let go.

Speaking of freedom, we are being supported by the universe right now to experience, not only our freedom, but the highest, most powerful part of ourselves–our awakened Self. Most people know that there is a great shift in consciousness going on. It’s as if everything — old cluttered thoughts and outdated beliefs — is being squeezed up and out of us. Just like the monkeys — when we Feng Shui Our Minds and really release all of the clutter, we position ourselves to manifest our dreams more quickly than ever before. Here’s the bottom line. We can either go kicking and screaming in resistance about the challenges that arise in our lives, or gracefully move forward by learning how to let go. It’s really all up to us!

As we continue to tap into the power of the Earth element as it relates to relationships, we revisit one of our favorite images~the pipe! Why the pipe? Well, because the Earth element is all about balance, that’s right, balance.
We are here to receive the Light (Divine energy) so that it can be shared, through us. How does this work? Well, picture a pipe with openings at either end. The opening at the top of the pipe represents our willingness to open to the Light of our Creator~that Light is pure, unlimited love, abundance, generosity, peace, kindness, creativity, etc. You know, the good stuff we’d all like more of. The power of the Earth element assists you to stay open to receive that Light. The more aware and awake we are, the more we turn to the Light to guide us which allows us to live in the flow of ease and effortlessness. This is a Kabbalistic principle and the Kabbalah actually means, “to receive”. Now, the opening at the other end represents our willingness to share the Light with others. As we write in our book, sharing is also a form of Earth energy.

So this week, we invite you to pay attention to your experience of opening to the Light and sharing the Light in your life. Imagine your own “pipe” and see how wide or narrow the openings are at either end. Great! Now let’s apply this principle to relationships. In order for a relationship to be healthy, giving and receiving need to be balanced. If things are out of balance where one person is doing the bulk of the giving & the other person is pretty much the receiver of the energy, ya know what’s going to occur, right? That is a recipe for frustration and resentment. Low, unhealthy energy. So, become aware of how mutually supportive your relationships are and remember to keep the flow of giving and receiving in balance. As you apply this principle to your daily life, cultivating balance within your relationships, you will notice ease and magic showing up increasingly. Try it out and you’ll see what we mean!

Yep. We’re still on the topic of relationships! We love this topic and there are so many Feng Shui insights that can really get your relationships going. Being that we’re in the harvest season, let’s look at what the Earth element has to offer you. Earth element is all about abundance. And when you’re feeling the energy of abundance, it’s a kick in the pants to get you pointed in the right direction in any relationship. Weird thing is, we hardly feel abundant in our relationships. In fact, our cluttered minds enjoy sitting around, focusing on what’s missing in our relationships–you know, if he were just more…or if she would just be less….You know those cluttered thoughts that keep you from enjoying the people you love the most. That kind of thinking definitely creates a lot of reruns of bad events in our minds which, of course, fuels our anxiety even more. In the end, the cluttered mind and its lack of trust can be the source of what makes things fall apart. So let’s use the Earth element’s power for a minute and do just the opposite. Earth is all about releasing worry though building trust. It’s about acknowledging the gifts in life and feeling grateful. So begin by making a little list in your head or on paper about the good things in your relationship. What do you love about your partner, friend, sibling, parent or child with whom you are having trouble? What do they do right? Feel that energy for a minute. Take it in. Embody their goodness in your Being. Now think about what’s not working. Instead of going into a tail spin of anxiety, choose to trust the process. Repeat these words out loud, “I trust that we can work this out.” or “I trust that what ever happens, I’m going to be OK”. Or better yet “what ever happens, it will be in the best interest of all involved”. When you trust in that, the big Kahuna is taking care of you, you know, God and the universe; you can see that you will be OK. You are receiving everything you need right now for the unfoldment of your soul.

Jill Lebeau and I (Maureen Raytis) have had several juicy conversations lately about expanding our experience of love and how to amp up that magical, magnetic energy in our lives.  Both of us agree that love is not just a sentiment but a powerful practice.  A practice that creates an amazing energetic tone from which we can live our lives.   The more we attune ourselves to being in that place of love through our thoughts and emotions, we emanate the highest vibration therefore attract the highest vibration in return.  In Feng Shui terms, this connection to love is fueled by the Fire element.  In nature, the Fire element warms our body and relaxes our mind.  Not only does it help us attract deep satisfying relationships, it also encourages us to expand our consciousness.  And how do you feel on a warm summer day?  Open, spontaneous, ready to have fun?  Yep, that’s it.  When you think about the spirit of Fire energy, think joy and warmth.  Think laughter and lightness. Think la joie de vivre.  Oo la la!

Oh yes, your Fire energy inspires you to live as a free spirit. Rather than live according to someone else’s design, you live by your own truth.  And here’s an interesting little factoid:  Chinese medicine associates the health of the heart with living your truth.  So the more you march to the beat of your own drum, the more your healthy heart opens naturally, just like a rose in full bloom.  Like the beautiful rose, your energy is equally alluring.  And people are inextricably drawn to you.

We were talking about the powerful practices that we each use to tap into this energy.  Jill loves her sacred walks around the bay–her heart is instantly filled with gratitude as she enjoys the majestic display of nature.  To this sacred practice, she adds listening to inspirational music or words from her favorite spiritual teachers.  It is so effortless and at the same time so rewarding for her to walk in nature and sing along with her favorite songs, reminding her to “release and let go”–and don’t we need daily reminders to do just that?!   Maureen takes her young children to the most magical meadow where she can relax in the sun while she hears her children laugh and play.

When you know how to connect with the love that is always within and use the Fire element connection within each one of us, you have a very potent way to raise your vibration which protects you from the “doom and gloom” way of thinking that is so prevalent today, and it is our job to shift that perception through Feng Shuiing Our Mind.  Remember, when the mind is free of clutter, it is easy to open to higher states of consciousness.  And Maureen and I are all about EASE!!