As 2009 makes its way into Fall, many of us are in squirrel mode; gathering our resources for winter so that we may relax into the season.  Autumn is often associated with a sense of richness, wisdom and freedom.  Is it also seen as a time to begin to cultivate our inner space, incubating with new ideas to birth next Spring.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui (translated from the Chinese to wind/water) is the ancient Asian art of space planning to profoundly improve quality of life.  It can be a powerful tool in aligning us with our life’s purpose. As a Feng Shui Consultant, this time of year is filled with assisting clients to create nurturing environments and sacred space, aligning goals and intentions with personal surroundings.

As the popularity of Feng Shui in the West continues to grow, so has confusion around the subject. Many of us interested in learning more about the practice can be overwhelmed by the abundance of information on the subject in the ever growing section on “Feng Shui” a the local bookstore.

Many approaches offer varying cures to Feng Shui challenges, from simple practical remedies, to those that encompass complex astrological charts. I often hear questions like, “Where is my wealth corner?” and “Do I need to place an ancient Chinese symbol there to activate my prosperity?” The answers vary on different schools of thought. And although the practices take on many different forms, the goal is the same: to promote balance and harmony within our physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.

The two main perspectives of Feng Shui – Compass and Form – originated in China and date back several thousand years. All other schools are derivatives of compass or form with various Asian interpretations and influences. Some of these fascinating disciplines include:

Black Sect Tantric Feng Shui, The Three Harmonies Schools, San Yan School, School of the Nine Starts, Yin Yang School, Taoist Schools,  Intuitive Feng Shui and Cantonese Schools.

Although understanding any one school can take years to master, here are some of the brief similarities and differences of the two main schools mentioned earlier, Compass and Form School.

Compass School

This is the most traditional school of Feng Shui. It is very specific and strongly associated with numerology and an intense knowledge of Chinese astrological charts. It takes the birth information of the client and correlates it with the compass to determine which directions are lucky and unlucky. The compass is also used to determine the best direction of the door placement coupled with the occupant’s date of birth and the year the home was built to assess the flow of ch’i or energy. It is yang-oriented practice in that it is based on “fixed” data that cannot be negotiated or changed. Once your best directions are determined, they will always remain the most fortunate direction to place furniture items, like the bed.  Compass utilizes more traditional Chinese symbols like dragons and frogs to enhance money luck. Its use of the mystical Bagua map is directions in its application, to determine life values such as wealth and love.

This school of Feng Shui is a non-directional approach to the study of ch’i (or energy) flow in our personal surroundings to bring balance and harmony into our lives. It does not utilize astrology or numerology in any determination of positive or negative life influences. Classic Form School follows the earth’s energy patterns in mountains, rivers and other natural surroundings to determine optimal surroundings. Its modern practice is to work with a client’s goals and intentions and manifest them through environmental affirmations.  Its yin-oriented approach is flexible and moves with the many fluctuations in our busy lives. It embraces an intuitive approach to working with the energy in a space.  It super imposes the Bagua map over a room, house, garden or property in accordance with the front entrance to determine where life values reside such as prosperity, love career, health, and wisdom.

There is no right or wrong Feng Shui. Regardless of which school you choose to practice, powerful results are seen when you connect your intentions, goals, affirmations and dreams with your personal environment. Take a moment to connect with your surroundings.  Do your living and creative spaces support who you are today? If not, Feng Shui can assist you in activating positive growth.   The outer reflects the inner so doing the work to manifest change will profoundly improve the quality of your life.

For more info on Feng Shui, visit CherylJanisStyle.com.
Photo credits:
Compass image via: 1
River image via: 2

Many of us these days strive for balance, but how many of us actually cultivate it on a daily basis? In today’s world with text messages being sent at the speed of light, e-mails to be answered and seemingly endless work to be done, inner peace is essential to balance the chaos in our daily lives and get out out of that “overwhelm” feeling. Confronted with the stress of Western lifestyles, how can we slow down and just “be” when we are constantly in a state of “doing?”

More than 70 millions Americans suffer from some type of sleeping disorder. As a Feng Shui Consultant, I can see why. We spend one third of our lives in the bedroom – a space meant for relaxation, recharging our batteries and reconnecting to our mind, body and spirit.

In Feng Shui, the bedroom is the most yin space in the home in which the chi’ or energy flow surrounds us with calm and nurturing support. But many of us have turned our bedrooms into areas of high charge activities with clutter, computers and televisions as commonplace items. How can we expect to cultivate inner harmony with all of this chaos around us?

With the application of some simple Feng Shui principles, you can begin to create a personal oasis in the bedroom where rest, relaxation and optimal health reign. It doesn’t take much time or work.  It does require a commitment. A commitment to honor yourself and your space.  The outcome can change your life and your perception of the world around you.

Just say no to televisions, computers and exercise equipment in the bedroom

Televisions, computers and exercise equipment activate the energy of a room, calling out to be turned on or used. When placed in the bedroom, these items can disrupt our resting patterns and interfere with our intimate relationships. It is best to move these things to a more active part of the home.  When this is not possible due to space limitations, give such items their own homes by placing the television in an armoire or covering it up with your favorite tapestry when not in use.  Exercise equipment, desks and computers are constant visible reminders of work that needs to be done and projects yet to do.  Use screens or drapes to cover this equipment, dividing it from the sleeping area.

Use color in the bedroom to create a sensual, cozy and inviting atmosphere. When choosing colors to paint the walls, fabrics for window treatments or bed lines, stay away from the cooler reptilian greens and blues. The best bedroom colors are found in the skin tones of all the world’s races – pearly beiges and tans, creamy cocoas, rosy pinks and peaches, terra-cotta and/or bronze.

Create a romantic, serene atmosphere in the bedroom where are senses are stimulated. Surround yourself with your favorite books, journals, oils, lotions, scented candles, aromatherapy, fresh fruit, teas, soothing music and anything else that makes your heart sing. Honor your surroundings as an expression of your inner being and your Spirit will soar.

Clear Clutter from the bedroom (and any room) and from underneath the bed with immediately bring harmony to the chaotic energy flow that clutter creates. Removing any items with negative associations will open you up to new opportunities and experiences.

Claiming a personal oasis at home with Feng Shui will profoundly improve your quality of life. These tips are a great way to begin to cultivate sacred space.  The bedroom is a place to reconnect with our inner spirit. By improving on its nurturing characteristics, we will have a place to relax, renew and most importantly, just “be.”

For help with creating your persona oasis at home, visit CherylJanisStyle.com.

Sustainable modern homes are one of my favorite topics these days. Dwell magazine recently highlighted this green home:

Though visible elements of green design are found throughout the residence—from the recycled-glass and concrete countertops to the energy-efficient appliances—the straw bale that’s cleverly packed to make two-foot-thick walls is  is perhaps the owners’ favored sustainable solution. A waste product that’s typically burned in the fields after the harvest, straw both acts as an excellent insulator and reduces the amount of wood used in construction. For Siegel and Subbotin, the act of packing the straw into the walls was the perfect excuse for a party. “After the house was framed, it came time to put the straw bales between the framing,” Subbotin says. “So we invited a bunch of friends, brought food and coffee, and everyone got to work and did it.” Over 90 percent of the baling (described by Siegel as “the modern-day experience of a barn raising”) was done in that one day. Easily inserted into the post-and-beam frame, the bales were cut to size, tied, and literally stacked within the walls of the house.  Via: Dwell

With temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in the summer, energy-efficient climate control was central to the design.

What a dream home. For the complete article visit Dwell.

Watch this video where one man devotes his life to helping the working poor by building homes made completely from recycled materials (like frame samples on the ceiling) and that cost a fraction of the price of new homes. This Creative, Dan Philips, has often been referred to as the Dr. Seuss of home building.

Watch the video and you’ll see why.

P.S. Thank-you Jeff.

Above and below: “Assembled piece by piece from local scrap yards, this house of reclaimed metal and wood echoes the industrial sheds of the local landscape.” Dwell

(Below)

“Australia’s extreme climet led to Mary Henning and Ann Wansbrough’s green wall—a one-of-a-kind gray water filtration system—and the house it services.” Dwell

Solar roofs in addition to gray water collection. I’m inspired.

To see more green houses, visit www.dwell.com.

Live Earth commissioned some serious talent for a series of short films on the environment and global warming that was shown at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. This one called, “Think” by Rupert Jones is short,  funny and delivers a great message.

What do you think?

I suddenly noticed this interesting musician (show at left) singing and playing the guitar.

Thinking of Green Streets, I approached him, introduced myself and asked a couple of questions which he was happy to answer. Here’s a glimpse:

PPnG: What’s your name and how old are you?

Peter: I’m Peter and I’m 42.

PPnG: What do you think of green living and how do you practice it?

Peter: I think it’s great. I’d love to export it to my original hometown of Atlanta. Being green happened to me (in Portland) by osmosis. I’ve been living here for most of the past 17 years and I just became accustomed to putting bottles and cans in the proper receptacle where they can be recycled. Everything makes sense. It’s not that difficult and it doesn’t make any sense not to do it. I consider myself a steward of the earth and I am happy to do all the wonderful green things that we do here in Portland and with no complaints.

How are you green? Leave your comment here and we’ll publish it.

As an interior designer and lover of earth loving gadgets, this latest creation by Korean designer Sungho Lee got my creative receptacles giddy with new ideas. Lee recently designed this battery operated LED pin that lights up the object that it is attached to.

Shown above clipped onto a piece of paper. Easily clip one onto the base of a household plant and you’ll have instant mood lighting.

For more info visit SunghoLee.kr.

Very cool.

What a comforting concept; travel far and away to Berlin, Germany and stay in a hotel that is already comfy, cozy, nurturing the moment you set foot in the door.  The Michelberger Hotel, designed by Werner Aisslinger captures this concept in a way that will delight the urban traveler.

Small, quaint and definitely cozier than your average five star European hotel. A lot cheaper too.

The hotel housed in a converted factory building featuring a brick facade, high ceilings, large windows and a courtyard that acts as the social hub of the hotel. Source via: 1.

Anja Knauer and Sibylle Oellerich collaborated with Aisllinger to design the hotel interior using objects sourced from local flea markets, often re-purposing them for other uses, and low-cost materials such as laminated larch.  Source via: 2.

More details from the designers:

NEW HOTEL BRAND OFFERS
Handcrafted, Original Space for the Social City Traveller
First Michelberger Hotel to Open in Berlin on 9th September 2009

Raw, rebellious and creative – these are the qualities that capture the unrivalled atmosphere and spirit of Germany’s capital, Berlin. Constantly recreating itself, East Berlin in particular has become a magnet for travellers from all over the world. Now, finally, a new hotel group is aiming to bring this vibrant way of life and unique historical patina inside the doors of its first property. The Michelberger Hotel, opening in September 2009 next to the famous Oberbaum Bridge and the river Spree, will extend the thrilling experience of the city into every aspect, yet with professional service and administration.

For more information follow me.

For those of you who may not have noticed, I am an avid follower of author Paulo Coelho. And often I’ll share his stories and anecdotes here on PPnG.

Today is one of those days where the following came through the Warrior of the Light and into my daily meditation. Thank-you for this Paulo.

Things as they are by Paulo Coelho

Of course things don’t always happen they way we wish they would. There are moments in which we feel we are seeking something that is not meant for us, knocking on doors that don’t open, waiting for miracles that don’t manifest themselves.

Fortunately that is the way things are - if everything went the way we wanted, soon we would no longer have anything to write about, nothing to guide our daily thoughts. This script serves our dreams as nourishment, but to our battles as energy. And as it always happens with the warriors that spend all their energy in the Good Fight, there are moments in which it is best to relax and believe that the Universe is still working for us secretly, even if we cannot comprehend it.

And so, let us allow the Soul of the World to fulfill its mission, and if we can’t help, the best way to collaborate is to pay attention to the simple things in life; the sunset, the people in the street, the reading of a book.

However, in many cases, time continues passing and nothing exceptional happens. But the true warrior of light believes. Just like children believe.

Because they believe in miracles, the miracles begin to happen.

Because they are certain that their thoughts can change their lives, their lives begin to change.

Because they are certain they will find love, this love appears.

Sometimes they are disappointed. Sometimes they feel hurt.

Then they hear the comments, “you are so naïve!”

But the warrior knows it is worth the price. To each defeat, there are two conquests in his favor.

In an interesting and diminutive book called “The Breviary of Medieval Knights,” there are some passages that have to be remembered in these moments of waiting:

“The Path’s spiritual energy uses justice and patience to prepare your spirit.”

“This is the Knight’s Path. An easy and hard path at the same time, as it urges us to let aside useless things and relative friendships. That is why, at the beginning, we hesitate so much to follow it.”

“This is a Knight’s first teaching: you will erase everything you wrote up to now on your life’s notebook: turmoil, insecurities, lies. And in place of all that, you will write the word courage. Beginning the journey with this word and going on with faith in God, you will arrive where you need to arrive.”

Even so, sometimes we keep on waiting - with patience, resignation, courage - and still, things around us don’t move. But since this is the path we chose, it seems impossible that life’s blessings are not working in our favor. It provokes, therefore, a deep reflection about what we call “results:” our destiny is manifesting itself in a way we are not able to fully comprehend . Jorge Luís Borges wrote a masterly short story about this issue.

He describes the birth of a tiger that spends great part of its life in the African wildness but ends up being captured and taken to a zoo in Italy. From then on, the animal thinks his life has lost sense and there is nothing left to do but wait for the day he dies.

One fine day, poet Dante Alighieri passes by this zoo, looks at the tiger, and the animal inspires a verse – in the midst of thousands of verses – of “The Divine Comedy.”

“The entire battle for survival that tiger went through was only so that it could be at the zoo on that morning and inspire an immortal verse,” says Borges.

Just like this tiger, we all have a reason – a very important reason – to be here, at this moment, this morning.

So relax. And pay attention.

For more on the Warrior of the Light and Paulo Coelho visit: warriorofthelight.com