The success of a business depends on many factors, however we believe that Feng Shui represents as much as 30% of this success.

Although we start by looking at the form, or the physical distribution of furniture and how that affects the flow of chi, this alone is not enough to bring good results.

The use of classical formulas, like the Flying Stars and the BaZhai, in conjuction with the Form Feng Shui, are also fundamental to the business success.

Let’s just look at Form Feng Shui first and what we aspire to achieve for a successful layout of the office or workplace.

The flow of chi in a business represents the flow of wealth and opportunities, and supports the harmony and good health of the employees.

The entrance is very important and a great place to start.

One important observation is how the chi approaches the building, which type of chi (positive or negative), and which directions they come from when reaching the entrance. We want to cure the sha chi and enhance the sheng chi (positive or beneficial chi). This often can be done by aligning the entrance to favour the positive chi, using possibly pot plants or moveable barriers. Also the positioning of the name of the business can be a good way to attract the good chi in.

The reception area is the ‘mouth of chi’, so the size of the space here is relevant. We want to collect that positive energy in this area, so it can enter the remaining office area, preferably in a smooth way. Rounded reception desks without sharp corners have been popular for many years now and this is good for the flow of chi. Lots of plants and even a small water fountain (location calculated with the Flying Stars) are welcome here. When designing the layout we always suggest curved walls as well, the curves bring the yin or caring element to the area and this is especially important in the health and allied-health industries.

Energetically the reception area is your business card. It needs to translate what your business is about.

I remember once I went to visit a business and the owner was a counsellor/coach. She had, however, decided to rent the large room at the front to a personal trainer who transformed the area in a small gym. The reception area was very aligned with the personal trainer, but had no energy of the owner’s business, so the rental turned out to be a negative outcome for her counselling business.

After the reception area, we look at the flow of chi in the common areas. The best design is always to have space between the desks and the walls to avoid creating stagnant energy. Stagnant energy creates unhealthy energy, generating illness, tiredness and disharmony in the work place. Clusters of four desks can work well in a larger space, especially when the employees have they backs to a partition.

Now we have the basics and can start looking at the classical feng shui formulas.

The Flying Stars is calculated using the facing direction of the building and the year the office was last renovated. It reveals the hidden luck of the space.

Finding the Flying Stars is fundamental to the success of the business as we use them to discover the wealth star and cure or remedy the negative potentials of other areas.

We want to activate the long-term wealth and the immediate wealth. This is done by identifying the area where those two stars are and activating them, often with a small water fountain or a citrine crystal. Simple, but very effective.

The same is repeated for the negative stars: star of arguments, star of litigation, star of illness and star of robbery, which are in turn cured with simple remedies, such as a lamp, a picture of water, a metal object.

The Flying Stars are also excellent to know when planning the office space from the beginning. This way we can make sure the Managing Director/CEO and the Accountant/CFO are sitting in auspicious areas.

These are just a few things that we look at in a Feng Shui consultation for business. There are many more details that need to be looked at, such as auspicious directions, colours, and relationships for instance. So it’s a very complete and wholistic approach that is always tailored for the individual needs of the business and its owner.

The results our clients receive have shown us clearly along the years that Feng Shui with no doubt helps businesses attract more clients, increase profits and promotes the well being and satisfaction of the employees.

Imagine waking up and being thankful for the miracle of being alive in another magnificent day?

Imagine being able to have amazing things falling into place, meeting the right people, being at the right places, getting the jobs you want, daily in your life?

Imagine feeling happy for no particular reason day in and day out?

And can you imagine doing that even when life is not all that rosy?

Well, according to spiritual teacher Behram Ghista, that is all possible.

Two weeks ago Behram taught a workshop in Sydney entitled “In Partnership with Providence”.

Although most of us think of ‘providence’ as being the positive situations, events, material things or people that come into our lives, Behram taught that providence is actually neutral.

According to his teachings providence is an infinite source that supplies us everything we experience. It is also a source that is neutral, which supplies us with whatever we focus upon. If we focus on the negatives, we will receive negative results. If, however, we focus on the positives, we will receive positive results.

He continued to point out that what we believe is real is only an interpretation of what we perceive and experience. Our joys and sorrows do not originate from reality itself, they originate from an interpretation of it. When we are faced with an unpleasant situation we have the choice to view it as a confirmation of our incapacity/inadequacy or as an invitation to bring out what is best in us.

Reality itself is neutral, however our translations of it become our ‘reality’. Our translations determine our focus. Our focus influences our character, and our character influences our responses. So if we are constantly translating things in a negative way, our focus will be in what is not working. And our character becomes negative, our responses will be unpleasant with people and life itself, and we will continue to attract more unpleasant experiences.

However when we filter the positives, constantly bringing our attention to whatever IS working in our circumstances and experiences, we start to see the opportunities and creative possibilities that come with each challenge and learn how to live and walk in a friendly universe. Whatever I focus upon, life will provide me with. Cause and consequence. This is one of life’s basic principles that cannot be violated. Life wants me to succeed, so much so that each difficulty comes not only with a solution, but also with a blessing attached to it.

When we awaken to the fact that our reality is determined by our beliefs and interpretations, it’s a liberating and empowering experience!

After the workshop I made a commitment to myself: I am going to stop complaining, I am going to wake up every morning and feel grateful for the wonderful day ahead, and I am going to put my best effort to retrain my mind in finding the positives and the blessings in each situation.

The good news is, I have been feeling positive as never before and some blessed things and people have come into my life in these last ten days after the workshop.

Is that easy? Not really, it requires constant focusing, a lot of mindfulness and a bucket full of kindness!

But it’s all worth it. After all, the Universe wants us to succeed!

love,

Ana

A few times I have come across some people that, although they present themselves well, their home is in a state of war: dirty dishes piled up in the kitchen, rubbish hasn’t been thrown out in days, every room is not only cluttered but messy beyond belief. And some of those were well-off families and not teens!

I believe we would all agree that self-neglect is not a positive thing. Most people I know make an effort to tidy their hair when they leave the house, or to simply wear clean clothes to work. But sometimes we only understand someone suffers from deep self-neglect when we walk into their home.

From the psychological point of view walking into a home that looks like a war zone it’s like sliding straight into someone’s subconscious mind: the self neglect, lack of discipline, lack of self-esteem, and lack of gratitude are yelling out on your face. So it’s quite distressing and I need a lot of compassion to deal with clients like that.

One of the things I am most passionate about in life is to bring awareness to everyone about a very simple, yet powerful fact: our homes represent ourselves. The same way a very messy and dirty home reinforces someone’s low self-esteem, having a negative effect in their health also, a home that is well looked after, de-cluttered and tidy will have a positive effect on their physical and mental wellbeing.

For a disempowered person, having a home that looks and feels good may appear an impossible task at first. However taking care of one’s home can be learned and will slowly help people with low-self esteem, or even depression, to start feeling more positive about themselves and the world around them. It will also help to unblock their creativity, so they can find easy solutions for what appeared to be a difficult task before, and they will feel more vibrant as the life force in their bodies will start to flow again as well.

I have had clients that six months after starting to take good care of their small flat, improved their relationship, lost weight, and started feeling more vibrant about life. So much so, that their landlord asked the flat back and they ended up moving from a mouldy, dark and below-the-street apartment to a water front, full-ocean-view one, that they could have never dreamed of affording before their consultation.

Feng Shui is a very simple and yet profound way of bringing lasting positive changes into people’s lives. And that’s what I love about it!