Feng Shui Your Writing, Part 3

Feng Shui Your Writing
Part 3

Welcome to the final installment of my 3-part series on using the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui to help give a boost to your writing! Time to wrap up this series by covering the rest of the bagua octagon, as well as offering a couple final pointers.

Last time, I covered the Family, Fame, and Marriage zones. This month, I’ll be covering the final three Feng Shui “zones” in your home, as shown on the image below.



As a reminder, this bagua map is used to identify where each Feng Shui area exists in your own home or room. To use, mentally place the map so that the top “Career” line rests along the same wall as the entry door. You can apply the techniques described in this series to the entire house as a whole, to an individual room (say, your office?), or even to a small space like your writing desk. For an even greater impact, “echo” the effect by applying the guidelines to all three!

Here’s a quick recap of the 1-2-3 method approach I like to use when tackling a Feng Shui zone (I talked more in depth about this last month). First, streamline the area by getting rid of clutter and dust. Second, fix or nix anything that is broken (burnt out light bulbs, for instance). Move or apply Feng Shui “cures” for any element or color that works against the intention of that zone (for instance, curing a fireplace located in a zone where water is the natural element). Third, introduce elements, shapes, and colors into the zone that reflect the intention, as shown on the map.

Okay! Let’s move onto the final three zones.

1. Creativity/Children

As you’re standing in the center of your room/home facing the door, this area is located on the left wall. Optimizing this area is a boon for writers to enhance their creative flow! It’s also helpful for family authors, for maintaining a balance in this area helps boost the balance in our children’s lives as well. You might also notice on the bagua that it mentions the future...an important consideration for writers as well!

You’ll note on the bagua map that the natural element for this zone is Metal, and the color association is white. The shape correspondence to Metal is the circle or dome. White metals in this area are of particular use, especially if round. For instance, how about a round mirror on the wall here? Gold, silver, or bronze tones are good metallic-inspired accent colors for this zone. As Fire melts Metal, avoid reds, triangular shapes, candles or fire-related decor in this zone. A fireplace in the Children’s area can throw a child’s energy out of balance, and can thwart Creativity. Do you get writer’s block often? Scan this zone for fire-related shapes, colors, and elements and move or cure them.


2. Helpful People/Travel

While at first glance this zone in the left front corner might not seem like the most vital from a writer’s standpoint, it is actually quite essential. Boosting the propensity for people in your life to help you can be of great value when it comes to finding publishers, critique partners, beta readers, reviewers or promoters willing to take on your work, and more. Travel comes into play when you’re on the road doing signings or research, too.

As this is a “corner” zone, there is no natural element associated with it. However, whites, blacks, and grays are the attributed colors, which we have learned correspond to metal and water-inspired zones. I keep my Helpful People area largely white and black, with some pops of green to accent. I also have small electric tea candles that I light when I need help, or when someone I love is traveling—to help aid the path. Travel-related art/decor (travel souvenirs) are handy kept here, or to boost the Helpful People aspect, a picture wall containing friends or artwork denoting people helping their fellow man. Avoid clutter, jagged decor or sharp points here, as these can represent barriers to smooth travel or in getting help.


3. Health

Standing in the middle of your home or room, you are in the midst of the Health area. The “heart” of your home is vital for obvious reasons, and keeping this area clear is believed to aid in your overall health.

The Health area’s element is Wood, so wood furnishings and oblong-shaped decor is useful here. Metal cuts Wood, and Fire burns it, so these should be used sparingly. Color associations for your Health area are yellows, greens, and browns. What I find most helpful for this area is to keep it clean, sparse, and free of clutter, which reduces blockages along the path to good health. Also, of particular use in this area is the inclusion of green plants—preferably live plants, which give off oxygen and promote positive chi in this zone. Avoid sharp plants and those with spiky-shaped leaves. A water fountain is also useful here, for stirring fresh chi.

That's it! We've come full circle (or should I say, full octagon) and have covered all nine zones.


Other Tips

Now that you have learned about the nine zones, which one is most important? The answer is: ALL of them combined. In order to stimulate your Wealth area, for example, you could clear a space there and add a money tree. You might even notice a difference. But to truly achieve the maximum benefit, there must be a balance in all areas. Wealth without health or a happy family to share it with can be a difficult thing. Achieve the greatest benefit to your writing career and life by making the up-front effort to implement Feng Shui in all nine zones. It will take a little time, depending on the scale you are tackling (home vs. room or desk), but the efforts are worth it.

Last month, I promised you one secret tip that will truly activate all the benefits of your Feng Shui efforts. KNOW YOUR INTENTION. As you work on your Wealth area, focus on WHY you are clearing clutter. WHY you are using the colors you are choosing. As you clean, imagine clearing a path that brings in money. Applying your mental energy to this process is a key that can help truly activate these techniques.

Finally, once you’ve got everything in place, keep things in order. I “activate” every zone once a week by dusting the area, clearing clutter that likes to creep in, and stirring positive chi by lighting a candle, burning incense, tinkling a windchime, or cleaning the fountain. And as I do, I think about why I am doing it. I picture my family laughing happily together while I straighten the Family area. I envision my reputation improving as I light candles in the Fame area, and so on. Feng Shui is a lifetime pursuit that can net you many rewards, in exchange for as little as a couple of minutes each day. I wish you the best in your efforts!

I hope you’ve found this series helpful. Next month, I’ll be giving my first quarterly update on my G.R.I.P.E. (Great Indie Pub Experiment) and introducing the next 3-month series. Until then, happy Feng Shui-ing!

Feng Shui Your Writing, Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of 3 monthly blog posts where I'm talking about using the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui to help boost your writing career—and life in general. Last time, we covered the basics about Feng Shui, along with discussing the first three of the nine “zones.” I also talked about my 1-2-3 approach to adjusting an area’s decor using Feng Shui Principles. I’ll recap that approach first, and then we’ll move on to the next three zones.

The 1-2-3 approach

When you apply Feng Shui techniques, it is important to understand which “zone” you are making changes to, what specific things that zone affects, and which elements and colors help or hinder in that area. This 3-step process will help you shape up each area of your home/office/space to optimize Feng Shui.

1. Streamline
Go through this space and give it a thorough cleaning—the kind I tell my 7-year-old daughter is “Mama clean.” Nix all clutter, evict dust bunnies, and take a hard look at each item in the space to determine whether it truly needs to be there. A more minimalist approach is preferred in Feng Shui over the simple addition of numerous chotchkes. Keep a few that you love and retire the rest.

2. Eliminate Hindering Elements
Now that the zone is neat and tidy, put on your Feng Shui-colored glasses and take another hard look. Fix or get rid of anything that is broken, replace burnt out light bulbs immediately, and last but hardly least, move or “cure” any element or color that works against the intention of that zone. For instance, if you have candles (Fire element) in the Wealth zone (natural element=Water), move them. If you have a fireplace you obviously can’t “move” it, so cure it by counteracting with the addition of water-inspired features and/or colors.

3. Add Helper Elements
Do include in each zone shapes, colors, and elements that are considered natural “helpers” for each zone. Candles in natural Fire element zones, fountains in Water zones, etc. By the end of this 3-blog series, you’ll know the element and color correspondences for each of the nine zones.

Okay! Now let’s move onto the next three zones. I’m including the bagua map I posted last time to help as we go along. As a reminder, this map is used to identify where each Feng Shui zone exists in your own home or room. Mentally place the map so that the top “Career” line rests along the wall that houses the entry door to the room/house.


1. Wealth
Need I even point out why the left rear corner (when you’re in the middle of the room facing the door) is an area of the home that is important to writers? Thought not, LOL. On the bagua you’ll see that the natural element associated with the Wealth area is Air (wind), and color associations include blue, purple, and red. I’d also like to add green to this list. Jade is a good money association as well. I’ve also found that in general feng shui, moving water elements like a fountain are believed to help stimulate the flow of wealth. So in my Wealth area I use both Air and Water elements, and with water present I eliminate red and purple, which are closer associated to the Fire element. A good and simple “Air” element to add to your Wealth area is a windchime. Yes, they work indoors! Hang it in this corner and give it a brush now and then as you pass by to stimulate some good chi energy. Another cure I like to use weekly to “activate” this area is incense. The smoke wafting through the area is a nice scent cure, as well as a visual representation of air. If you elect to use a Water element, make it a moving one such as a fountain or aquarium. Then make sure that the flow of water is not pointing at your door, which represents money flowing away from the house.

In looking at hindering items here, bathrooms present a particular issue for wealth. Water represents the flow of money in a home, while drains and toilets suck money away. Keep toilet lids down, especially while flushing. Keep drains closed when not in use. If you have any leaky faucets, that represents money leaking away, so repair them. This is especially vital if a bathroom is located in the Wealth area, but important regardless of location.

One other thing that can help encourage the flow of money into the home is to position a fountain outside, with the flow of water strategically pointed toward the door. Not out toward the street!

2. Fame/Reputation
Obviously as writers we want to be well known and have readers seek out our books, so the rear wall of your home or office is important for affecting how others see you. Fire is the element, and that should come as no surprise! You want your career to burn bright. Reds and royal purples are great in this zone, and this is the ideal spot for a fireplace or for candles. This is a nice spot to display book cover art, writing awards, your author headshot (get one if you don’t have it already), etc. I light a candle in this zone once a week to activate the energy.

If a bathroom or water elements exist in this area, it can dampen your personal flame—especially if you are using “watery” color schemes like blues or greens in the decor. Move water features and “cure” Fame area bathrooms by using bright reds, triangular shapes (representing flames), purples, and candles—big jars or pillars and red if possible. Hang cover art in the bathroom! Though I might stop short of suggesting your head shot, smiling at folks while they visit the commode.

3. Marriage/Romantic Relationships
Where would we be without the support of that special someone? And for romance writers in particular, inspiring romantic energy by sprucing up your Romance zone can be a bonus! A master bedroom is the ideal area for this area, located in the back right corner of your house/room. The Marriage area is a natural Earth zone, so clay decor and plants are a plus here. Red, pink, and white are the best colors to use in this area—red for passion, pink for romantic love and fidelity. Too much red can cause chaotic emotions, however, so go easy. My Marriage area contains photos of our wedding day, our first date, and pink quartz stones. I use a small candle in this zone, but because Fire can spark too much tension (i.e., arguments) I only use an tiny electric tea light to subdue the spark. I also place a fresh rose to activate this zone weekly—almost always a pink or red rose. Red or pink sheets in the bedroom are a big must, too, or if you can’t get away with it, place a large, flat piece of red fabric beneath the mattress (smooth it over the box spring).


Next month we’ll cover the final three zones, I’ll tell you which of the nine is THEE most important—and I’ll tell you what one secret tip can make or break your Feng Shui efforts. Happy organizing, and be sure to post any comments or questions!

Feng Shui Your Writing, Part 1

Welcome to my next 3-part series, Feng Shui Your Writing!

When I decided to take the leap into fiction writing, I soon realized I had to organize my writing space, my writing time, and my writing mind. It was around that time that I first stumbled over the art of Feng Shui. I found the principles so useful that I not only credit them with helping me land my first sale (a short story sold to FUTURES magazine), but sparked a long-standing life practice that I use on a daily basis.

Over the next three months, I’ll be talking about some ways this ancient Chinese practice can enrich and streamline your writing career (if not life as a whole). Today I’ll give a brief description of Feng Shui and the nine areas encompassed by it, along with giving details on applying Feng Shui techniques to the first three zones. Parts 2 and 3 will go on to help you organize and optimize the remaining six zones, by which time you could have applied the principles to your office, desk, or even entire home for the ultimate in repetitive reinforcement to enhance your creative flow.

Feng Shui: What is It?

My simplistic, Cliffs Notes answer is this: Feng Shui involves the strategic placement of items within a space to help achieve balance in nine essential areas of life. “Item” placement can mean everything from furnishings and accessories to the use of color, the elements, and light. In short, it is the belief that anything within/on a space (a home, single room, desktop, etc.) can either become an obstacle that blocks “chi,” or the energy that flows around and through us, or an enhancement that helps move positive, healthy energy.

How does it work? There are varying debates on this, some highly metaphysical, others very practical (such as replacing burned out light bulbs to enhance knowledge). For the purposes of this blog series I won’t be discussing the mysticism or lore behind Feng Shui, nor can I offer more than a rudimentary knowledge. But I can tell you that I have seen amazing results in using it. For now, let’s skip the “how” and jump right into the “how-to.”


The nine areas/zones of Feng Shui are:


Career
Knowledge
Family
Wealth
Fame/Reputation
Marriage/Romantic Relationships
Creativity/Children
Helpful People/Travel
Health (in the center)

This octagon, called a Ba-Gua, serves as a sort of map to be used in the space you will be working with. The Career line of the Ba-Gua faces North, and in traditional Feng Shui special compasses are used to find exact placement. In the modern practice that I use, however, positioning is done easily by considering the wall with the entry door as North. (If you want to apply Feng Shui to a smaller area, such as a desk, North is considered the edge of the desk farthest from you when you’re sitting behind it.)

In other words, if you had a printout of the Ba-Gua in the exact size of the space (stretched to fit as needed), you would align the Career edge of the octagon with the door or far edge of your desk. Let’s say you’re standing in the middle of the home office where you do your writing. Face the door and mentally apply the Ba-Gua. The wall in front of you is the Career zone, and the wall behind is the Fame zone. Your Family area is the right hand wall, and the Children/Creativity zone is the left. The corners represent the corner areas on the map, and you are standing in the Health zone, right in the middle. To apply Feng Shui techniques, it is important to understand which “zone” you are making changes to, what that zone affects, and what elements and colors help or hinder in that area. I use a 3-step process to tackle and streamline each zone that involves streamlining, removing “hindering” elements , and adding the “helper” elements.

Now that we’ve got the basic map covered, let’s move onto this month’s zones.

1. Career
The Career area is naturally important to a writer because it affects job prospects, which can include sales to publishers. On the Ba-Gua, you’ll notice that the color associated with this zone is black, and the element listed is Water.

First: Declutter! Take a look at the front wall. What do you see? Is there clutter? Stuff hiding behind the door? Cobwebs? Your first trick is to clear all clutter from this wall and around the door, and give it a good dusting. Clutter blocks chi and stifles creativity. Plus it’s just darn unpleasant.

Second: Fix what’s broken. Burned out light bulbs, any chipped or damaged items on display or in use, etc. Broken junk=broken chi, so fix it right away or get rid of it. Next, keeping in mind that the natural helper element for this zone is Water, you’ll want to move items representing its opposing element, Fire. This means candles, the color red, triangular shapes (triangles represent flame). If you have a fireplace on this wall, you can’t move it, but you can “cure” it by applying enough of the helper element to balance or negate the opposing effect.

Third: Add your enhancements. Black (and dark blue) is representative of the Water element, so include this color in the decor. Add a water feature. A fountain with a rotating ball is very useful here, as it represents a constant movement of positive energy in terms of “turning over” book product—finishing stories, turnaround time on submissions, avoiding holdups on releases, etc. Other “Water” features can include water balls (snowglobes), round shapes, aquariums, and pictures or paintings of water (moving water is better than still water in areas where you are trying to move chi, and calm waters like ponds are good in areas you prefer a calming effect). If you need to “cure” a fireplace here, add a large painting of moving water over the mantle, use black or blue colors to subdue the effect, or do what I did in one house—stick a fountain inside the fireplace.


2. Knowledge
The Knowledge area comes into play when you are seeking information, such as researching your next book, markets, promotional venues, etc. Black, blue, and green are the color associations, and like all the corner areas, does not have a natural element.

To enhance your Knowledge area, use the 1-2-3 approach again, and place special emphasis on lighting in this corner. You’ve heard the terms “Lighting the path to the answer” and “The light bulb came on, and I finally got it.” If there is no lighting in this corner, add some. When bulbs burn out, replace them immediately. Candles can also be used here, but their light tends to be less bright and helpful than a good fixture. Also, this is the optimal location for books and/or television. Consider live (or good quality silk) plants in this corner as your green accent. Plants produce oxygen and help detoxify our environment.



3. Family
The Family area, while important for self-explanatory reasons, may not immediately strike you as a zone that affects your writing career. However, since the support of our family is vital, and disharmony within the family dynamic can negatively impact our ability to focus on writing, this area is definitely not one to overlook. The color associated with this zone is green, and the natural element is Wood.

While using the 1-2-3 method here, watch out for Fire and Metal elements, which are destructive to Wood. (Fire burns, Metal (axe) chops.) Wood furniture is the best choice. Pictures of your family are obvious choices, as are plants. I have a triple stalk of bamboo in a green ceramic vase enhancing my Family zone. If there is disharmony among family members, check for candles, triangular shapes, or other Fire associations in the Family zone of your house and in each individual room.


Now that you’ve got these three zones optimized, you’ll want to keep them “activated” on a regular basis for the greatest ongoing effect. Activating a zone can be as simple as chasing away the dust bunnies, putting out a vase of fresh flowers, lighting candles (in appropriate zones), or using aromatherapy. I have a routine of “activating” each of my zones once per week. So next Monday, dust your Career area and shake up those snowglobes or burn some incense. Tuesday, clean the Knowledge zone and light some candles. Wednesday, dust the Family zone and light some incense or add diffuser reeds for fragrance.

Next month, we’ll focus on Wealth, Fame, and Relationship zones (three things that definitely go together for my romance writing career!) . Meanwhile, I hope you’ve enjoyed this basic introduction to Feng Shui. if you have any Feng Shui stories or questions, please post them in the comments. Here’s to positive writer chi!