Feng Shui Your Mind

I want to share with all of you how excited Maureen and I are about the adventure we’re on as authors of Feng Shui Your Mind.  Today I realized that, for the past couple of months, we’ve been consistently hearing stories about people loving our book and naturally inspiring their friends to read it.  People have told me along the way, ”a book has a life of its own.” Now I know what they are talking about — it’s all about energy.  In fact, everything is energy, especially the thoughts you allow to live in your mind!!  When Maureen and I were writing our book, I was constantly engaging her in a little envisioning about our book…”let’s envision that people get as pumped about our book and find it as life changing as we do.”  Maureen, being the sweet, go with the flow kinda gal that she is, would always join in.  Together we infused our little book with our intention that it be carried by the Universe to people who want to create a much better life through ease and effortlessness.   And so it is!  My heart is filled with appreciation.  And a ton of awe.  Yes, it’s true…everything is energy.  When we declutter what does not serve us and envision what we are ready to experience, the Universe answers our call.  We love hearing from all of our readers.  We love you!!  Please feel welcome to share your stories with us so that we can share them to inspire others.  The ripple effect in action.  Life, with a Feng Shuied Mind is magical!!

Oh man! I am so happy! I just feng shui-ed my little life and ended a friendship that reappeared as a blast from the past. Initially I was excited to reconnect with this friend. We had shared many memories together as young adults and initially, had a good time going down memory lane. I tend to be one of those people full of forgiveness, so I didn’t remember much of the dynamics of our friendship until . . . they began to reappear. No matter what I said, she had a passive way of trying to get me to doubt everything about myself. It was so passive that initially it worked. I started wondering and seconding guessing myself about many things about my life. Even things that I actually love about my life, I started to doubt. It was as if her little thoughts snuck in and started cluttering my mind. And I let them!

Honestly, I loved our connection to the past but every time I was with her, I left feeling exhausted and depressed. Finally, just the other day, I realized that I needed to cut the cord. I told her that I felt like I really loved my life and just needed friends that really supported me. Sounds simple, right? I think if someone said that to me, I’d say, “oh I’m sorry, how can I support you more?” But no, I was surprised when that really pissed her off. She attempted to make me feel bad about myself again but this time, I was really clear with a decluttered mind. I was calm, strong and able to be compassionate with her as I held my boundaries. It felt so energizing! I think the little Feng Shui lesson here is to to develop discernment and determine who is really on your side. This is easy to see – people who get excited for you anytime you move forward or experience success are exactly the ones who will support you on your Feng Shui Your Mind journey. They are also the people who reconnect you with your best self anytime you feel somewhat lost or confused. These folks are your kindred spirits, never failing to see the best in you, even when you struggle to find that within yourself. Who are your kindred spirits? Call them today and express your gratitude! Thank them for all the energy they have generated in your life!

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!

What if there were a way that you could experience more joy, love, peace, fun and prosperity in your life through less energy and effort on your part? I have noticed that the more I align my energy with universal energy, the expansion that I co-create with the Divine shows up with increasingly greater ease and effortlessness on my part. What am I talking about? In our book, Feng Shui Your Mind, we say that “when you discover how to harmonize your energy with universal energy, the results are amazing–doors open, opportunities arise, and life feels truly magical!” This morning I was thinking about how magical my life has become. And I was thinking, what has shifted within me? I realized that I have been practicing the age-old principle, let go, let God, more consistently than ever before! How does this work in a practical sense? Let me tell you. Once I declutter my mind that has me convinced that things have to happen according to my mental idea of what should be happening–I choose to let go. I turn it over to God, knowing that I have already tried my best to make things happen. That choice allows me to go through my day using less energy. This feels great because I have created the space for the Creator of the universe to take over. This simple but incredibly powerful daily practice has resulted in the bennies that the principle promises to deliver. Doors have opened. I have been blown away by the support that has shown up in the form of incredible people and opportunities who are excited about helping me live my purpose–to uplift and inspire others. In the past, there was a part of me, Maureen and I call the cluttered mind, that felt the need to push and kick the doors down which appeared impenetrable. That takes tons of energy to do and also doesn’t work! I invite you to join me in this amazing practice. Just let go and turn things over to God. Believe me, the rewards are so delicious, you won’t want to go back to the old, energy-draining ways of the past!

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!

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!!

Welcome to our new blog where we plan to guide you on a quest to Feng Shui Your Mind!

As your guides, (Jill Lebeau and Maureen Raytis) we are thrilled to show you how to become the master of your life. The first step to Feng Shui Your Mind is to understand how your thoughts affect your energy. Energy, or chi, in Feng Shui terms, needs space to move freely, especially in your mind. As we said, when you step into a cluttered environment, you’re bound to feel uncomfortable and on-edge. The same principle applies to the mind. If your mind is cluttered, you simply won’t be able to operate at maximum capacity. And when the house is cluttered, you can’t see the cute end-table or find the phone when it starts to ring. In the same vein, focusing on big, ugly, fear-based thoughts blocks your mental chi and keeps you from living the life you want to be living.

It’s obvious that, when redecorating a house, the first step is to clear the old stuff out. If you want to redecorate your mind so that you can attract vitality, wealth, and love with ease, the first step is to declutter the thoughts that are using up your valuable energy.

What do we mean by mental clutter? Basically, it’s all of the thoughts that have us convinced that we are deficient in some way and that life is scary and must be hard. According to the cluttered mind, in order to be successful, a lot of stress, hard work and struggle are required. You know what we mean…it’s the crack that whip or no pain, no gain philosophy. So when you feel that pressure, just know that you are under the spell of mental clutter. If you remain unaware, you will continue to suffer, feeling confused and hopeless. When you get caught up in the if only syndrome – if only I had more money, a new car, better job or more loving relationships, etc. – you are drowning in mental clutter. It’s like the cat chasing its tail. Whenever you look outside yourself to feel complete, you get trapped in the viewpoint of scarcity. In that case, you feel powerless to change anything about your life. Your power, after all, lies within you – not out there, somewhere. If you allow the clutter in your mind to run wild, your precious energy will be drained.

Jill and I were just talking together and agreeing that the more we practice living this way, the less stressed and easier our lives get.  So do you want easy?  The first step is just observing what thoughts are in your way!  We’re so excited to be sharing these techniques with all of you because we are committed to showing you how to use the least amount of energy to generate maximum success.  Sound good?  So over the next week, really think about what mental clutter you’d like to release and what you would like to create in it’s place.