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I read a terrific little book last week called “Who moved my cheese?” by Dr Spencer Johnson. It takes 1 hour to read and is an absolute gift to yourself if you are going through a time of change that you are finding difficult.

In this little book you get to view four characters and how they adapt (or not) to change. The wisdom in these pages is profound. The idea is that the quicker you let go of the old (way of being, relationship, job, family situation etc.), the sooner you will find the new. The idea is to enjoy the adventure of the search rather than resisting letting go of what is no longer appropriate.

It’s a peculiarity of the human condition that we experience such discomfort around change. Most of us don’t like it—even when we know it will bring much needed relief from our current situation, we have a “better the devil you know” mentality about it!

Yet, the one certainty in life is that everything changes. Dawn will change into morning, into noon, into evening, into night and so, back to dawn again. Childhood into puberty and adulthood and so on….We have no control over it, it simply is a fact of life.

Feng shui is based upon the teachings of the I Ching—the book of change—a 6,000 year old text which studies man and nature over time. “Essentially the I Ching identifies patterns of universal energy at work within the world. It reflects the belief that the world is in a state of ceaseless flux or change. Everything is constantly evolving, being born, growing, reaching maturity, decaying and dying. The world is always changing, in complex but orderly and rhythmic patterns.” The I Ching workbook by Roger Green.

The aim with feng shui is to mirror the dynamic balance found in nature i.e. ever-changing and moving balance—the dance of life.

This month I invite you to start with the little things make small changes while dreaming big!!

I have been to California where I was fortunate enough to spend a day in a forest of Giant Redwoods. It was one of the most awe-inspiring days of my life. Standing among these huge trees, which have been around for centuries and even millennia, helps put things in perspective!! You couldn’t help but wonder what these wonderful trees thought of us tiny humans bustling about at their bases—they surely have seen it all and then some.

I am reading Wayne Dyers book “change your thoughts– change your life– living the wisdom of the Tao”. Its relevance to the very essence of Feng Shui is not lost on me. In feng shui we make changes in our environment to effect positive change in our lives, it requires a leap of faith, what one of my teachers, Ron Chin, called “transcending logic” – trusting the process.

Trust in the process and enjoy!

I am  currently reading “Holistic Home” by Maxine Fox, published by Findhorn Press. It is a thoroughly excellent read. In it the author discusses the connection between us and our homes “the subtle yet profound impact that the home environment has on our physical and emotional being tends to be overlooked by many,….in truth it is in the realm of interaction (rather than aesthetics) that the alchemy of turning a house into a home really happens”.  I held a space clearing and clutter clearing class last week, in which the participants  were led on  a guided meditation/journey during which they developed their awareness of the energy of their spaces. All were very much taken by this deep intuitive connection between each of us and our environment. How some spaces feel immediately comfortable and others make us feel like leaving again. This first step of acknowledging how we feel in a space, is fundamental to the application of feng shui and space clearing to our space. First analysing what is and then deciding what needs to change. A great morning was had by all, and everyone left with the tools necessary to make positive changes to their environments and as a result their lives when they went home.

Chinese New Year – Year of the Metal Rabbit begins February 3rd
“A placid year, very much welcomed and needed after the ferocious year of the Tiger. We should go off to some quiet spot to lick our wounds and get some rest after all the battles of the previous year. Good taste and refinement will shine on everything and people will acknowledge that persuasion is better than force.” -”Money can be made without too much labour. Our life style will be languid and leisurely ans we allow ourselves the luxuries we have always craved. A temperate year with unhurried pace. For once, it may seem possible for us to be carefree and happy without too many annoyances” – Theodora Lau “Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes” – Doesn’t that sound like a welcome new energy to herald in!!

World Feng Shui Day is celebrated on February 5th

Watch out for upcoming courses and conferences – see a selected list below:-

January 15th “ 9 star Ki, Feng Shui and Creating the Year Ahead”
To mark the beginning of the new year – Jan 1st in the western world and Feb 3rd (this year) in the east, we are taking a look at what to expect from the year ahead.
During this class we will look at our individual energy signature and the way we enter into a different type of energy each year over a cycle of 9 years. Learn what your personal energy is for this year and how to ride on the wave of that energy—going with the flow rather than swimming against the tide.
We look at how we can enhance specific areas of your home to energize particular areas of your life using your 9 star ki as our guide.
Finally we create a vision board to copper fasten our intentions for the year ahead. Create clarity for yourself on what would bring you joy and ignite your passion for life and then literally draw it in!
February 5th 2011 WORLD FENG SHUI DAY. This is a world-wide event aimed at enriching and empowering millions of lives throught the awareness and application of feng shui. Join me for a feng shui coffee morning at my home where you can bring along your feng shui queries and have them answered and discussed by fellow feng shui enthusiasts.
February 6th 2011 Feng Shui and Soul Coaching Day. Join Edel Cleary of Feng Shui Design and Paula Hughes of Oak Whispers for this unique opportunity to explore the ancient wisdom of feng shui and the powerful tool that is soul coaching. For the very first time these two extraordinary fields are presented in one life changing workshop. Venue- Dunboyne Castle. Your investment €95 for full day incl. lunch and refreshments. For further details see below
Feb 12th 2011 Space Clearing—learn how to cleanse and enhance the energy of your home. Remove any negative or draining energy and create an enlivened and enlivening environment. Includes making your own space clearing mist
April 9th 2011 Feng Shui for entrances and bedrooms—find our your best directions to face while sleeping and working and how best to enhance these very important areas of your home. the importance of symbolism and furniture placement in your home, including the use of colour in feng shui, colour psychology and colour and health.
All Courses:-
You will need:- a plan of your home, your date of birth and those of your immediate family (for certain classes), pen and paper to take notes and a sense of adventure!
Venue:- 4 Shielmartin Drive, Sutton, Dublin 13.
When:- Saturday mornings unless otherwise stated above 10am to 1pm. Limited to 8 participants.
Your investment:- Saturday morning classes €40 including notes and light refreshments

At last the reworking of my website is just about complete – it has been a real revelation looking back over the pages of my original website and deciding what still works, what needs reworking and what can now be done without. In the process of this I was struck by how many analagies it held with applying Feng shui to our homes.

Periodically, we need to reassess, de-clutter and rework our surroundings, to adjust to the new gait of our lives, I suppose, a website is like a virtual home in that way. Another similarity I have found is that it is a work in progress – it can never really be “finished” any more than a spring clean will finally, once and for all, clean your home – unfortunately or fortunately it is a constant progression. The beauty of this realisation is that nothing we do has to be perfect, which in its essence, is a static position, it simply has to be moving towards perfection. Time to let out a sigh of relief!

In Feng Shui we talk a lot about surrounding ourselves with what we love, inspiring ourselves through our surroundings – as a very wise person once said – “your home should rise up to meet you and make your soul sing” .

We also talk about how, with feng shui we are trying to mirror the beauty and harmony and natural rhythm found in nature. If we look outside in any moment, on any day of the year, we can see that the view is never the same, it is constantly evolving and changing. Our challenge then, is to do the same. Constantly reassess and adjust as we go along, so that the clear out or rearranging doesn’t become an huge task and is not overwhelming.

The good news is that we are always in the right place, at the right time, doing what we need to do, at that time, to learn and grow and move forward. So look around and ask yourself, what is your subconsious teaching you via the environment you have surrounded yourself with today?

I will leave you with a quote that I found inspirational – ” if you ask me what there is to do, the answer is that there is nothing to do, but there is everything to be! All action will flow from that new being” Andrew Harvey “The way of Passion”