The Organized Life archives

Using Feng Shui To Help You Get Organized

Dear Subscriber,

Whenever I walk into a client's home, I get an immediate sense of what's happening in their space even before they begin to put it into words. I have an intuitive awareness of what's going on because my understanding of Feng Shui helps me to feel how the chi -- or energy of the space -- moves and flows.

This sense tells me where their chi is stuck. It guides me to clutter problem spots, and helps me decide where to start the decluttering process. And it can even tell me where the people in this home may be experiencing special challenges in their lives.

Some of it can be seen, some of it is a physical awareness of what makes me feel stymied. If, for instance, I need to step over piles, or furniture feels like it’s blocking my way as I walk across the room, I feel a physical frustration that indicates blocked chi.

If things are stacked haphazardly in the corners, if the doors to rooms or closets don’t open or close all the way, if the place feels dusty or lifeless…. All these are signs of stuck energy, and indications that my client has an opportunity to improve his or her life in a significant way.

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui literally means Wind and Water, two things whose flow brings life and health into our lives. One is invisible, the other visible. Think of the wonderful feeling of a gentle breeze on your skin; imagine a smooth-flowing, meandering stream, providing water that renews itself continuously.

In every space we live or work in, the sense we are after is one of energy flowing smoothly and easily, like a gentle breeze or a peaceful stream. We don’t want our chi to be stagnant; neither do we want it to feel too extreme, like a hurricane or a roaring river.

Each of us is at a special stage of life. As an individual, you have unique needs and wants. Feng Shui can help you create an environment that is “just right” for you by showing you how to keep your chi flowing at a rate that’s stimulating and soothing in just the right proportions for where you’re at right now. It can help you become more productive, and achieve your most important life goals, whatever they may be.

How The Feng Shui Bagua Can Guide You

Feng Shui uses a tool called a bagua as the fundamental way of analyzing a space, whether it’s a plot of land, a home or a room. The bagua divides every space into eight sectors, which can be identified as follows.

Stand in the entryway of the room you're interested in. Starting at the far left-hand corner and moving clockwise around the space are the sectors representing Wealth, Reputation (at 12 o’clock), Relationships, Children/Creativity, Helpful Friends/Travel, Career (6 o’clock), Knowledge, and Elders. The very center of the room represents our overall Health.

Obviously, in order to have the most productive life possible we don’t want clutter – or stuck energy -- in any of these areas.

The Power of Decluttering

So the necessary first step for a space that will support you best is to clear the clutter. In fact, decluttering is required before it’s even possible to implement other Feng Shui “cures” for specific situations. And it often happens that once decluttering has been accomplished, life improves so much that other cures become unnecessary.

Take a look at your home or office and get a sense of how the energy is flowing. Think about the bagua, and the areas of your life where you’d like a greater sense of purpose or clarity. And think of a meandering stream – remember, if the stream goes perfectly straight, it begins to rush like water down a drain. You don’t want that any more than you want it to get stuck and become lifeless.

Get Your Energy Moving

The reason it feels so good to declutter your space, organize it, and arrange the furniture using Feng Shui principles is that it helps energy to flow freely in your space. When chi moves freely, you – your physical body, your mental and emotional energy -- will, too.

Go ahead, give it a try. Or better yet, give me a call at 646-382-3878 if you’d like to change your life with a Feng Shui consultation at your home or office. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next month, Happy Organizing!

Sincerely,

Ann Bingley Gallops
The Organized Life

P.S. For much more on using the bagua and other elements of Feng Shui, take a look at my two favorite books on the subject, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, by Karen Kingston, and The Western Guide to Feng Shui, by Terah Kathryn Collins.

ORGANIZING DISCOVERY OF THE MONTH

My husband and I recently returned from a glorious two-week vacation in Maine. Being on the road for such a long time meant that we had a lot of things to remember to take with us; we like to avoid shopping for things we already own, if at all possible! We’ve largely solved this problem by creating a Master Travel List, which we keep in my suitcase.

We started building our list several trips ago, and add to it each time we return from a trip, having learned what else we could have remembered to bring. Among other things, this time we added resealable sandwich bags to the list – it’s amazing how much use we got out of them, from collecting rocks on the beach to actually carrying sandwiches on a hike.

So I recommend starting your own Master Travel List, and starting to notice what unpredictable things you get the most use from next time you travel.

GETTING IN TOUCH

Call or write to schedule an Organizing, Feng Shui, or Redesign consultation for your home or office in the New York City area.

And please drop me a line with comments, questions, or suggestions for future newsletters.

Ann Bingley Gallops
The Organized Life
646-382-3878
ann@theorganizedlife.net
www.theorganizedlife.net

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Copyright 2006, Ann Bingley Gallops