“Acknowledging the good that you already have is the foundation for all abundance.” — Eckhart Tolle

THIS IS MY 50TH COLUMN FOR THE BENICIA HERALD! I consider each to be a Feng Shui blessing. As I celebrate this milestone, I am filled with gratitude to The Herald, to my readers, my students and my clients. It has been quite a journey.

Thank you to The Herald for allowing me this opportunity to share the benefits of Feng Shui with the community. I am so thankful for readers who email me with questions and acknowledge me and my column around town. I love that my students, both through Benicia Parks and Recreation and at Walnut Creek Acalanes Adult Education, have kept me on my toes. They have allowed me to reevaluate and tweak lessons and keep the information fresh. I am eternally grateful to clients who have taught me the value of enthusiasm, patience, tenacity and a belief that life changes are definitely tied to the energy in your environment.

As I review my past columns, I see that I have covered a lot of areas. I have shared the benefits of beginning with decluttering and letting go of items no longer useful in your life. A great many columns were focused on using the Feng Shui Bagua (Ba-gua) Map, represented as a grid of eight sectors, with the center symbolizing grounding and centering. The Bagua originates from the Chinese philosophy, “The I Ching,” meaning “eight trigrams.” The Western School, also known as Form School or Black Hat, believes that each of the nine sectors represents a treasure in your life, and by mapping your home by placing the map at your entrance you can identify the areas of your home that may need enhancing.

Over the years, incorporating the Bagua into all my columns, I have written in detail on how to enhance all specific rooms in your home one by one; what to look for when buying or renting a new home, and how to prepare your home for selling; how to correct problems in your home as they relate to different areas in your life, including love, prosperity and health; how to host holidays or weddings in your home; how to prepare for home improvement projects; how to create vision boards; and so much more.

I hope you enjoy these columns as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. Whether you’re a new reader or faithful follower who needs a refresher, all of the columns can be found on my website: http://www.fengshuibymaria.com/newspaper-columns.html.

To make it easier to find what you need, I have reorganized the columns and grouped them into categories. See my new table of contents below:

Feng Shui Basics:

• Feng Shui and the Bagua — August 2011, October 2014, May 2015
• Anchoring Your Home — November 2013
• Decluttering Your Home — July 2011, October 2013, January 2015
• Finding Balance With the 5 Elements and Yin and Yang — September 2011, October 2011
• Common Cures — May 2013
• Vision Boards — August 2013

The 9 Bagua Areas:

• Career — November 2011, March 2015
• Knowledge and Self-Cultivation — December 2011, June 2013
• Health, Friends and Family — January 2012, April 2013, May 2014
• Wealth and Prosperity — March 2012
• Fame and Reputation — April 2012
• Love, Marriage and Weddings — February 2012, February 2013
• Children and Creativity — May 2012, September 2013, March 2014
• Helpful People and Travel — June 2012, July 2013, June 2014, April 2015
• Centering and Grounding — July 2012

Feng Shui in the home:

• Bathrooms — October 2012
• Bedrooms — August 2012, July 2015
• Dining Rooms — November 2012, November 2014
• Entrances — September 2012
• Gardens – March 2013
• Holiday Decorating and Gift Giving — December 2014
• Kitchens — December 2012, December 2013
• Offices (Home and Business) — January 2013, April 2014
• Selling, Buying, Energizing a Home — July 2014, August 2014, September 2014

Lunar New Years:

• Year of the Horse — January 2014, February 2014
• Year of the Sheep — February 2015

Through all the columns you will find infused the three main Feng Shui principles:

• Everything in your home is alive — Items can either drain or energize you.
• Everything is connected — The enhancements you make directly affect your energy.
• Everything is constantly changing — Life is always in the form of transition.

And lastly, “intention” plays a significant role in Feng Shui, so writing or stating affirmations is the way to get the most out of your Feng Shui fixes.

So what does the future hold?

Life is always filled with opportunities when the energy pathways are cleared. Looking forward, I plan to continue supporting my readers, students and clients.

I’m excited also to collaborate with my daughter on a book, sharing more of the benefits of Feng Shui. I am already visualizing meeting more of you at our book signings.

Affirmations and inner work

In Feng Shui, intent plays a significant role. That’s why all enhancements need to be made with intentionality; written or stated affirmations are very important. It is also important for them to be expressed as if they are already happening.

Examples of affirmations: “The energy I’ve put into enhancing my home has created renewed energy in my life.” “Many wonderful opportunities are being provided for me.”

Feng Shui at work

A client was renting out a room in his home. Unfortunately the renter had become problematic and my client was ready to have him leave. Wanting to avoid a confrontation, he asked about positive Feng Shui cures. I recommended placing a small mirror on the wall facing the renter’s office unobtrusively behind a painting. Since the room he was renting shared two common walls, my client did this on each wall, and wrote/stated the affirmation, “My renter found a better location and has happily moved.” (Keep it positive — you never want to wish harm.)

It didn’t take long. Soon after the correction, the renter received a job offer in another state. My client shared that he will be moving soon.

Another client asked advice regarding what color to paint her home. Since the house sat in a heavily wooded area, I recommended a shade of gray or white (metal element) to help control all the wood. She chose a medium gray with a white trim and sent me a picture. The contrast was spectacular — but even more spectacular was what I noticed about her front door. When I first visited her home, the front door, which was in her Career area, was very plain — stark and not very welcoming. Upon my recommendation she painted black (representing the water element, allowing the flow of Ch’i) around the door, hung windchimes to further call in the Ch’i, and lined the entrance with beautiful healthy potted plants.

These, along with interior enhancements, transformed her home to a beautiful paradise and she proudly hosted a magical wedding soon after.

Feng Shui on a shoestring

Feng Shui enhancements do not have to cost a great deal. Cleaning up your front walkway, replacing dead flowers with healthy ones and hanging a flag, windchime or mobile can make a huge difference.

Remember: Your front entrance is the “Mouth of Ch’i” where the positive energy enters, and is one of the most important areas of your home.

Questions, questions, questions

I encourage you to email me with questions, to which I will respond in this column or by email.

Reader: “My mother, who lives out of state, is ill. Is there anything I can do in my own home to help? Looking at the Bagua I see that my Health and Family area is in my extra room. Sadly, this is my cat room. It basically has cat boxes and a couch for them to lie on, and I otherwise use the room for storage. Does this matter? What can I do?”

Dear Reader: “The good news is, yes, you can definitely send your mother positive energy, and hopefully help her through her illness by incorporating Feng Shui into your own home. In Feng Shui every space counts — closets and attached garages included. The first thing you need to do is clean, declutter and straighten the room. If you can’t move the cat boxes, at least place them in covered containers and keep them clean. The Health area of the Bagua is governed by the Wood element, therefore bringing in shades of blues and greens and healthy plants is essential. Flowers symbolize good health, so hang pictures of radiant flowers, and add floral carpet, throw pillows or a flowered throw on the couch. I recommend placing one or more flowering orchids in the room, which are powerful Ch’i enhancers.

“Display pictures of your mother in a state of good health with affirmations such as, ‘Mom is healthy and thriving.’ If possible, hang a 30-mm, round-faceted crystal in the center of the room to move the energy. Your cats will like this transformation also. If possible, have your mom do this in her own home also. I wish you mother good health and many Feng Shui blessings.”

Classes

My next series of classes will begin at Acalanes Adult Education in Walnut Creek on Thursday, Sept. 17. Check out my website for registration information.

For questions or home consultations, email me at mtmccull@aol.com and put “Feng Shui” in the subject line, or visit my website at www.fengshuibymaria.com, where you can read past columns, or on Facebook at “Feng Shui by Maria,” where I post pictures as examples to enhancements.

And check out my blog — just go to the website and click on “Blog,” where you can view many pictures and I will respond to your questions quickly.

Until then … Blessings!

Benicia resident Maria McCullough is the owner and founder of Feng Shui by Maria. She is a speaker and educator with more than 15 years’ experience specializing in residential, landscape and business consultations.