Perpetuating the Cycle of Life

by Sharda Chaitanya

All the devas and elementals that resided in this tree before it was destroyed (by natural causes, one would assume) have been welcomed back by the many plants that have replaced it.

One of the overarching rules of Feng Shui is that you don't want anything dead in your environment.  That may see obvious, but you'd be surprised by how much of what no longer has life is allowed a place in the average home.  

As memorable or as sentimental as they may be, dried flowers from an auspicious or happy day still need to go. Take a nice picture of them when they are fresh, and frame it instead!  It will go much further in enhancing the chi.

Having part of a deceased tree on one's property is all too common.  And not advised from a Feng Shui perspective.  When I was on vacation at a bed and breakfast in Santa Fe a few years back, I saw that they had taken the care to put some life back into a tree truck that was sitting on their premises.  They had put a few Feng Shui items on and around it.  On closer inspection, I noticed a small Ganesha statue inside a tiny nook in the tree.  It was then I realized these folks had done the Feng Shui!

Feng Shui, Bohemian Style

 

by Sharda Chaitanya

The above design speaks volumes about individuality.  I love this room for everything that it is not - it's not conventional, it's not "arranged", it's holds to no conventional decorating rules and it's not for everyone.  This room is a wonderful homage to the Bohemian lifestyle of the intelligenscia of Paris and New York - following no rules other than free expressions of thought and art.

The first thing that strikes me is that if follows the 60/40 rule of Feng Shui which states a room should be 60 percent Yin and 40 percent Yang, and I think this room gets pretty close. It's open and large and has a lot of empty space (Yang).  And it is matched by the soft colors, intimate accent pieces and personal proximity of furniture (Yin).  The draping of fabric on the back wall brings a feminine (Yin) quality into the room, that could have easily been overwhelmed by that over-sized wall (Yang).

The Bedroom Walls ~ Why Choose Pink?

Traditional Bedroom by Brooklyn Architects & Designers CWB Architects

by Sharda Chaitanya

It is almost universally understood that pink is the color of love, of the heart and, by extension, of romance.  If you are in a relationship (in this case I refer to those of a connubial nature) then pink is the ideal color for the bedroom walls.  If you want to keep the connectivity and spice in the romance, then the color pink is the way to go.  I am aware that pink in not the most favored color, and many people snare and snarl at the very thought of pink and having it anywhere near the vicinity of where they live or dress.  

So in light of that, there are a few ways to make pink walls (or other things in the bedroom or relationship corner) palpable.  First of all, it doesn't have to be bright  pink - it can be a subtle, softer pink.  (Note:  not to be confused with peach, which, though similar, has a different purpose!)  And it needn't be all four walls of the room that get painted pink, it can be one or two, with two being better.  

Stuff Over the Headboard Needs Consideration

Traditional Bedroom by Barrie Architects & Designers Caroline Harrison Designs Inc

by Sharda Chaitanya

It is never a good idea to have anything protruding above you over the headboard.  It gives an underlying sense of tension, a feeling that something unexpected might happen.  Although intellectually, rationally, we know that shelf in the picture, for example, is tightly secured to the wall, nonetheless, it does and will affect us on a more subconscious level.

When I owned the cafe, one of my regular customers had come in for his usual coffee and bagel.  I noticed he had bad gash on his forehead.  I asked what happened and he said the he smashed his head into bookshelves that were over his headboard!  No surprise there.  The very fact that you hurt yourself in your own bed, the place you should feel the safest, is clear indication that something is wrong.

Slanted Ceilings and Their Cure

Contemporary Bedroom by Middletown Design-Build Firms Aquidneck Properties

by Sharda Chaitanya 

There are a few issues in this bed/bedroom situation.  I hadn't even looked that closely until just now, so I will come back to them another time. What I want to focus on is the slanted ceiling (on both sides, no less) and the fact that the bed is directly beneath it!  Ahhh...I am getting a headache just looking at it.  Living with slanted ceilings is never a good Feng Shui idea and if you think about it for just a sec, you can see why that is.  The energy created by the slanted ceiling is reflected in the energy of your astral body and of your subconscious; which in turn puts unnecessary pressure on your body that will eventually cause headaches, even perhaps migraines.  The is particularly true if the ceilings like this are in the bedroom.  When the body is asleep it is vulnerable/susceptible to the things that surround it. 

As well, the person(s) who sleep here will find that they are having trouble making decisions, following through with plans or just generally stuck in their life, unable to make any progress, despite the best of intentions.

I have a client, as of this writing, who has this exact same problem.  He is feeling a great deal of lethargy in his life and feels no impetus whatsoever to act on any number of offers from others or of  his own volition.  The frustration is nearly unbearable and life takes on a depressive shadow when one feels incapacitated for no apparent reason.  With this kind of sleeping situation, illnesses can arise such as joint pain or constrictions in the circulatory system.

The cure would be to hang 2 bamboo flutes with red ribbons from the seam where the slant meets the ceiling.  As well, one should hang a large faceted Feng Shui crystal from the ceiling in the center of the bed.  Consult a Feng Shui professional for specific details on how to hang the flute and to understand which are the differing types of flutes to use.