Candace Connors Vorhaus | Feng Shui

Transforming a Healing Center – A C3D Case Study

Candace Vorhaus — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:53:24 +0000

As part of my life’s journey as a healer and teacher, this past winter I earned my Reiki certification. Developed in 1922 by Japanese theologian, Mikao Usui, Reiki is a hands-on healing practice that balances ch’i (life force energy), and can help you relax, reduce stress, sleep better, reduce the negative side affects of drugs and heal faster from illnesses.

While in my training, Reiki master and owner of Inner Healing Arts, Charyl Ozkaya and I discussed Feng Shui. We talked about how my mission was helping people transform their lives and businesses by focusing on their personal spaces, and Charyl asked how her center could improve.

I told Charyl that arriving for my first class I immediately felt blocked. Why? Because on entering the main room, there were coats, clutter, and a stack of folding chairs behind a makeshift curtain at the main door. Here is a picture before C3D Feng Shui:

My advice was simple: add color to promote healing, clear up the entrance clutter, make a Feng Shui design adjustment to the blocking wall at the entrance, and because of Inner Healing Arts warm and peaceful intentions, once the suggestions were done, the ch’i would take care of itself.

Take a look at the results. Charyl couldn’t be happier. Inner Healing Arts painted the room a sunny yellow, the color of health in Feng Shui. They cleared the clutter and organized the space. Most importantly, they removed the clutter from the main entrance and placed pleasing art and a lovely plant against the blocking wall.

That’s it. Color, Clutter, Ch’i, and Design, C3D Feng Shui. How can I help you transform your life?

Retirement Home Feng Shui

Candace Vorhaus — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:12:35 +0000

Retirement homes and medical facilities don’t have to be drab and dreary. My 91-year-old mother now lives at Indian River Estates, an ACTS life care community, in Vero Beach, Florida. As her health declined, Mom was assigned to “Medical” where she has 24 hour supervision. The former facility was institutional. To visit her room, we walked down a long, dreary hallway lined with patients in wheel chairs, biding their time. It was depressing. I felt so sad and conflicted leaving her there.

Six months ago ACTS built a new facility for the nursing home patients that has wonderful Feng Shui. My family and the staff could not be more pleased. Most importantly, Mom is very happy. She now says she’s at home, and her memory function seems better. I believe the reason my mother and the staff are happier is because of the good Feng Shui.

The exterior has a beautiful entrance surrounded by trees and flora natural to the area.

Guests and residents are welcomed into the interior with a gorgeous fountain. Fountains bring life and good ch’i to the building. This is especially important in a retirement home where the ch’i of residents is waining.

Mom’s room has traditional looking furniture that is more like what she is used to. Most important, the room configuration is Feng Shui correct. She is more relaxed with the bed in commanding position, ie she is away from the door and she has a clear view of anyone coming in the room. No longer is the bathroom within the bedroom, but around the corner in the antechamber. That’s good Feng Shui.

The common rooms are designed to be open, warm, cheerful and feel like a home. There are several pleasant areas throughout the facility where families can spend time together.

C3D Case Study – Bedroom Before and After

Candace Vorhaus — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:46:49 +0000

Client: 30-something, single, woman
Location: East Coast apartment
Budget: Moderate

Bedroom – Before

In process: Cleanup, Organization and Introduction of Color

After

Can You Feel the Shift?

Candace Vorhaus — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:44:56 +0000

Happy New Year! The holidays are over and we sailed through 2012 without experiencing the end of the world, or did we?

According to the Mayan calendar, December 21st was the completion of a 5,125 year cycle. For thousands of years, we lived in the Age of the Mind, from the evolution of humanity, to the primitive daily fight for survival, through the Stone and Bronze Age, the Renaissance, and more recently, the Industrial and Technology Revolution.

Now, 2013, we’ve entered The Age of the Heart.

Moving forward, humanity’s power will be from the heart, not the brain (ego). Thought leaders will become heart leaders. Problems will be solved through cooperation, not competition. And new models for relationships, finance, communities and health will shift from the ego’s singular choice of “either-or,” to a more connected heart-centered experience of “and-with.”

Can you feel the shift? Is your heart opening? Is your consciousness expanding? Have you observed heart-centered awakenings around you? Moving forward this year, choose to consciously become part of the new Heart Era.

If you would like to deepen your heart-centered C3D (color, clutter, ch’i, and design) experience, consider working with me for a private and personalized 2013 C3D Six Month Personal Transformational Journey.

Be the Light!

Candace Vorhaus — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:59:28 +0000

It’s four o’clock in the afternoon and now that the dark days of December are here, hubby, Robbie, starts a fire in our fireplace. Meanwhile, in our cozy town of Sag Harbor, the shops along Main Street cast a warm glow across the sidewalk, while the Ladies Village Improvement Society sets up the Christmas trees, wreaths, and brightly colored lights along the street.

An important part of C3D (color, clutter, ch’i and design) Feng Shui is uplifting your ch’i (universal energy), especially (depending on your hemisphere) during the seasonal short, dark days. While waiting for the winter solstice, when the days start getting longer again, many people experience depression, or heaviness of spirit, due to light deprivation. One of the most vital ways to antidote the darkness and depression is increasing both your inner and outer lighting.

The quality, placement and amount of lighting in your space has profound impacts on health and emotions, and consciously raising the light in your personal spaces, whether in your home, office, and even on vacation, raises your spirit, supports your immune system, and allows you clarity in both body and mind.

When you raise your inner light, you also brighten those around you. Take a moment and imagine light filling every cell in your body, allowing that light to flow from your smile, your eyes, through your pores. Be the light for yourself, family, friends, co-workers and strangers, too. Now see how you feel when you choose to be the spark for the world around you.

Here are six ways you can lighten your life and brighten the world around you:

Make sure the front entrance (known as “the mouth of ch’i”) to your home or office is well lit, with both a bright light inside and outside the main door. Your intention is inviting light into your life.
Keep your desk and work areas well lit with task lighting that is fun, colorful, and attractive. Your intention here is choosing specific light to illuminate your work and bring clarity to the projects in front of you.
Avoid fluorescent lighting, which can negatively impact your mood and also disrupt sleep cycles. If possible, replace fluorescent fixtures with full spectrum lighting, which scientifically helps replace lost vitamins and solar energy.
SAD – seasonal affective disorder – also known as the winter blues, is a condition known to lower immune function, contribute to depression, weight gain, and fatigue. Along with light therapy, Vitamin D has been proven to help brighten your health during periods of reduced sunshine. Get outside, open the shades, and make a conscious decision to bring more light into and on your body.
When you see family members, friends and strangers along the street, smile with your entire being to bring light to their lives. Your light is an unimaginable beacon for goodness.
Practice my C3D Sunlight Buddha Meditation: Get outside, and if you can, even if it’s cold, stand barefoot on the ground. If inside, imagine your feet touching the ground, and face the sun, wherever it is in the sky. Raise your hands over your head and visualize sunlight entering your body through the top of your head and the palms of your hands. See the sunlight and the light from all the Universe, traveling down to your feet with the feeling and sound of “woosh.” Replacing any hidden darkness, sadness or depression, and visualize the bright light circling and swirling though every cell and system of your body, allowing yourself to literally be filled with light. See the sunlight leaving your palms and through the top of your head and travelling back up to the sun. You’re good to go.

Happy holidays and let your light shine!

Just One Thing – Brighten the Hallway

Candace Vorhaus — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:01:10 +0000

One of our new favorite hotels is The Lord Jeffrey Inn, in the center of Amherst, MA, on the beautiful Amherst Commons, adjacent to Amherst College. Son, Connor, is a new student at UMass Amherst, and the Lord Jeffrey is quickly becoming our home away from home.

Recently renovated, The Lord Jeffrey is a jewel. The lobby is traditionally decorated with soft green walls, warm white wainscoting, and coral and blue upholstered furniture. The rooms are bright and beautifully appointed with gorgeous blue and white fabric drapes, warm woods, and toffee colored walls. The beds and pillows are so incredibly comfortable, we didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning.

In the hospitality industry, every successful property tells a unique story and should have an effortless flow. The Lord Jeffrey may want to consider just one thing:

For Sunday brunch, we heard great things about The Lord Jeffrey’s restaurant, 30Boltwood. Asking for the entrance to the restaurant from the hotel’s lobby, a friendly staff member directed us to, “go down the long, dark hallway.” She wasn’t kidding.

The entrance to this big, bright and comfortable restaurant is a narrow, dimly lit hallway reminiscent of entering a deep, dark forest. Although the tight, winding hallway tries to create a sense of comfort with it’s dim lighting and dark brown walls, a human’s eye can’t adjust to the dramatic and sudden absence of light, creating a feeling of being closed in, and an unconscious sense of dread and uncertainty.

I’m certain the hotel designers, who did a remarkable job with the recent renovations, were trying to create a dramatic effect, which they did. However, from a Feng Shui perspective, the unintentional effect literally stops potential customers in their tracks, questioning whether they want to continue through this dim entry.

From an integrative interior design perspective, The Lord Jeffrey Inn may want to consider creating a brighter, more welcoming entrance to 30Boltwood with lighter colors, such as a butter yellow, along with adding bright wall sconces, which match other lovely details throughout the hotel.

With one simple solution, my experience tells me business will increase, and more guests will clamor to enjoy a special dining experience at the lovely and delicious, 30Boltwood.

Feng Shui Your Vacation

Candace Vorhaus — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:20:07 +0000

Our family loves traveling.

Over the years, we’ve traveled together across the U.S., visited Hawai’i, the Caribbean, France, England, Ireland and Italy, along with taking wonderful trips to Australia, Thailand, and Canada, all with surprisingly few major problems or delays. For us, traveling is an enriching experience, combined with collective learning and bonding. We love making new friends, exploring large cities and small towns, discovering unique cultures, and especially, eating local foods.

When it comes to July and August though, we enjoy staying home, right here in Sag Harbor, to host our friends and family, by the sea. A favorite local expression is, “You never know how many friends you have until you live in the Hamptons.”

Before summer guests arrive, we practice our own C3D, making sure we spend time focusing on the guest room’s color, clutter, ch’i, and design. We make up the guest beds with clean, colorful sheets, set out fluffy, bright towels, and make sure all the blankets and comforters are clean, aired out, soft and inviting.

Bathrooms are filled with small baskets of soaps, shampoos and lotions, and colorful, clean towels. Lawn furniture is cleaned and we handpick small, elegant posies from the garden for placement in the guest room, kitchen table and around the home. The refrigerator is stocked and beverages are kept ice cold as we await the sounds of cars pulling in the driveway.

Whether you stay home or travel, focus on your space, start where you are, and Feng Shui your holiday.

Here are five C3D tips for a successful vacation:

For color: Use colorful luggage or tie a red ribbon to your luggage. An easy tip to distinguish your bag from others, and if you visualize your luggage returning to you unharmed, you’re sending a powerful message to the universe to guard your bags.
Remove all stagnant ch’i (life force) from your vehicle by clearing the clutter and consider thoroughly washing and vacuuming, too. Before all our trips, even if we’re just driving to the airport, we thank the universe in advance for a fabulous, effortless trip, open all the windows, and make sure there’s a very noticeable exchange of air flow from the old to the new. It’s fun, try it.
For positive, safe travels, also hang a 40mm faceted crystal from the rear view mirror of your truck, car, or RV. If you’re flying your own plane, or piloting your boat, hang the crystal from a point that allows light to reflect as you move forward. A multi faceted crystal disperses fast moving energy and also supports your intention for safety and averting danger.
For clean, clear ch’i when travelling to hotel rooms, bring some scented oils such as orange oil or purification oil and bring cotton balls. Douse the cotton balls with the oil and place them in the air conditioner or ventilation system to purify any stale energy left in the room from previous occupants.
If you arrive to your hotel and you’re given an oddly designed room with angled walls with knife-edges, this could turn out to be very disconcerting for your stay. Ask for a room change so you feel comfortable and relaxed while on vacation.

Bon voyage, and send me a postcard!

Preparing Your Home For Summer

Candace Vorhaus — Thu, 31 May 2012 00:58:19 +0000

My mother, Molly Gayle, grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, where the summers are long and extremely hot. During World War II, while still in her early twenties, Mom met a handsome young Army lieutenant (my dad, Donald Francis Connors) stationed at Barksdale Field, marrying him less then a year later. When the war was over, they moved back to Dad’s hometown of Queens Village, NY, where the winters were cold and the summers short. They eventually moved to Garden City, Long Island, because my mother said the beautiful homes and lawns reminded her of Shreveport.

When I was young and living at home, Mom told me stories of when she was a young girl, how my grandmother would prepare their home for summer. My grandparents would drag all the rugs outside to a fence or clothesline and beat out the dust of winter. The rugs would then be rolled up and stored away until late fall when the weather cooled down again, keeping the floors cool to bare feet, and rugs free from summer dirt dragged in by Mom’s neighborhood friends.

My grandmother would also remove the heavy window drapes that kept them warm in winter, now allowing the slightest of summer breezes to cool the house. All before air conditioning was the norm, they also set up oscillating fans in every room. I can still hear the hum of the fans as they slowly swung back and forth on my summer visits to my grandparent’s home.

My mother kept this southern tradition going. She was an excellent seamstress and sewed all our curtains, drapes and hand made the slipcover for our sofa. In winter, green velvet draped the windows and green and gold, velvet, striped the camel back sofa in the living room. At the first hint of warm weather, a bright pink and green summery slipcover was placed over the velvet sofa, heavy drapes came down, and light, airy cotton curtains were positioned to frame the windows.

Focusing on C3D (color, clutter, ch’i and design) is the missing link to reaching your highest potential, and there are many things you too can do every season. Here are seven things to lighten your spirits and mark time for summer:

Move the furniture to make a shift in family patterns. In our home, our sofa is set up to face the large screen television. Our family hibernates in front of stacks of DVD’s in winter. Now that it’s almost summer, we’ve moved the sofa away from the TV and set it up so it’s more inviting to summer guests.
Clean out kitchen cabinets. Crumbs and dust collect inside kitchen cabinets throughout the winter and sometimes insects can nest in cabinet corners. Clean out old foods and make room for farm fresh summer produce.
Summer slipcovers are a great idea. If you don’t have the resources to buy or make slipcovers, change the throw pillows to bright blues, greens, pinks, reds, oranges and yellows.
Put away dark or drab wintery colored tablecloths and placemats and bring out tablecloths and placemats in bright summery colors.
Remove any dead or wilting flowers and plants as well as dried flowers from around your space. These represent death and can be a drain on your energy. Replace these with living plants or flowers to symbolize life-giving energy.
Plant flowers around your property or in pots by your front door to welcome natures ch’i that is coming alive with summer. Flowers and plants attract birds and butterflies as well, which bring good ch’i.
Bring home a bunch of colorful, fragrant flowers from the farmers market and place them in the kitchen, living room and bedroom. Fragrances stimulate and support positive emotions, long-term memory, positive behavior, a higher state of well-being, and increased awareness.

How do you prepare for summer? Leave me a comment to let us know.

Sacred Baths in Australia

Candace Vorhaus — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:45:38 +0000

We just returned from a two-week trip to the magnificent land down under, Australia. Hosted by our dear friends, the Lollback family, we were blessed with perfect weather and a wonderful reunion of kindred spirits.

There is no easy way to Australia, as our trip took 28 hours door to door. Leaving Sag Harbor, NY, in the early afternoon on Saturday, we finally arrived at the Lollback’s gorgeous, north Sydney, water-view home midmorning on Monday. Surprisingly, after a two-hour drive to JFK airport, two wonderful Qantas flights, long customs, security, and immigration checkpoints, I was so happy being in Australia, I didn’t feel a bit jet lagged.

Alisa Lollback, a leading and very talented holistic healer specializing in Body Psychotherapy, made sure we didn’t waste a moment of time and on our second day took us for a bush walk in neighboring, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, to visit ancient Aboriginal sites. As a special treat, Alisa, asking the boys to stay behind, expertly guided us off the tourist trail, down a little known hidden path, under bushes and through brambles, until we emerged onto a stone plateau overlooking the stunning ancient valley.

Along the plateau were several deep pockets in the craggy stone that when filled with rainwater became sacred Aboriginal baths. For centuries, off limits to men, Aboriginal women came to this hallowed place to cleanse, purify and give birth to their babies.

Throughout history, many cultures have created consecrated bathing rituals to purify the soul, cleanse the body, and heal from illnesses. In the Jewish tradition, the sacred, ritualistic, rainwater bath is called a mikvah. Christians purify a new baby by baptism. Catholics will travel to France to receive the healing waters of Lourdes so they can hopefully cure their diseases when doctors have decreed no hope. In the Hindu religion, taking a bath is considered the most important daily ritual to prepare for the day ahead.

For me, I carve out a special time at the end of the day to make my own sacred bath. To clean my body, purify my ch’i, and cleanse my spirit and soul before bed feels good, and I sleep better. My family knows my bath time is mine and anything short of an emergency will have to wait.

To make my bath sacred, I light a few candles and play some relaxing spa-like music. To the bathwater, I add soothing lavender oil, and a few handfuls of sea salt and baking soda. To complete the ritual, I soak for at least twenty minutes. When I emerge I feel renewed, refreshed, relaxed and free of the days worries.

A friend of mine, before entering the tub, uses a dry brush on her skin because she believes it cleanses her aura as well as stimulating blood flow and her lymphatic system. Another friend enjoys a cup of herbal tea while soaking in a bubble bath, surrounded by playful and sensual bubbles. However you decide to make your bath, set your intention to make it sacred.

Now, if only I could take a sacred bath again soon in Australia, I would be, well, ecstatic.

So tell me, how do you make your bath sacred?

How High is Your Ch’i?

Candace Vorhaus — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:43:35 +0000

“A Jedi’s strength flows from the Force.” Yoda

Robbie, and I went vegan for seven weeks.

After signing up for the local Wellness Challenge, sponsored by the Wellness Foundation in East Hampton, New York, we agreed to eliminate from our diet animal products, including meats, fish, eggs, dairy, oils, and processed foods, while eating live, plant-based foods. We also agreed to attend meetings once a week that included wellness lectures, discussions, cooking demonstrations and food samplings. At the end, Robbie and I lost weight, body fat, and our blood work was dramatically better. We, along with about fifteen other participants in our group, successfully graduated feeling healthier and more energetic.

One of the funny things about tackling the Wellness Challenge was the reaction from some friends and, yes, even a doctor or two.

“You’re doing what?” we heard. “That’s really radical! You don’t need to do that. You better be careful.” We got that often.

The reality is we never felt better. We enjoyed abundant meals made with fresh, colorful plant-based foods, including peppers, kale, bok choy, spinach, zucchini, basil, tomatoes, avocados, mangos, cilantro and other yummy fresh ingredients. The result was feeling brighter and more alive. For us, trying a vegan lifestyle — even just for seven weeks — made sense.

We were amazed at how good we felt after eating a plate full of colorful fresh vegetables over rice or drinking smoothies made with fresh kale, basil, mint, banana, kiwi and an apple. It’s been known for centuries that eating an abundance of live, colorful fruits and vegetables raises your ch’i, your life force, because you are literally ingesting life, nature’s vitality.

In my work, ch’i the vital life force energy is a critical component of the C3D path (color, clutter, ch’i and design) to an abundant life. In the Vedic tradition, ch’i is called prana, in Hawaiian culture it’s mana, and in the movie Star Wars, ch’i is referred to as “The Force.” Ch’i includes both your personal and environmental life force energy.

You want to raise and cultivate your ch’i to feel good, to strengthen your immune system, to sleep better, to increase brain function, to be more present and alert, more loving in your relationships, to become more compassionate, to perform better in your work, to become more intuitive, to attract more abundance, and just to be abundant.

A friend of mine says, “You are either involutionary or evolutionary,” meaning, in every moment you have the choice to either feel better or feel worse, lift or lower yourself and others, to lighten or darken.

There are many ways to elevate your ch’i and eating fresh, live foods is one of them. Here are some ways you can raise your ch’i with food:

Eat fresh, live foods preferably grown locally.
Know the ingredients in the foods you eat.
Eat a variety from a rainbow of lively colored, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Eat organic whole foods as much as possible.
Plan to take some extra time to lovingly prepare your meals.
Limit fats, processed foods, animal products and dairy.
Limit coffee and alcohol.
Become mindful when eating. Mindlessly stuffing yourself with unhealthy foods can lead to weight gain, poor health and low ch’i.
Look to other cultures that have elevated mindful eating to an art form.

Other ch’i lifting questions are:

What are my daily choices for personal care and awareness?
What am I going to do today towards my growth and self care?
What is the ch’i of my home and personal spaces, and what can I do to improve it?
Am I making choices that raise or lower my spirit?

Your goal in life is to live more abundantly. Here’s one of my mantras, and I’ll share it with you: “I am abundant. I give and receive generously. There is enough for everyone.”

Focus daily on the many ways to develop and lift your ch’i for more abundance, and you’ll see the results in your health, relationships, career and finances. I send you an abundance of love and light.

So, how high is your ch’i?