5

Katie Interviews Katie

I get asked so many questions about feng shui that I decided to, well, interview myself, on the topic for a hopefully interesting FAQ of sorts.
Here it goes:
Interviewer Katie (IK): Katie, someone once told me that feng shui was like “psychic decorating”?  Would you agree with that?
Katie Feng Shui (KFS): (laughs)  That actually isn’t too far from the truth.  Basically, your space — like, your home or office — represents you, so when I go and assess a space, I can sort of read it. 
IK: So, if you came to my house, you could tell me if I was going to win the lottery?  Or move to some exotic location, like, Zimbabwa?
KFS: Well, there would be clues as to whether you are good with finances, whether your money situation is stable or unstable, whether you are attracted to exotic locations, and perhaps need or want a big move. 
IK: So you’re not able to tell me my future or anything like that?
KFS: Okay, it goes like this.  When a client calls, I tell them I need the floorplan of their home and pictures (if it’s a distance consultation) and their Three Objectives.  The objectives are things that they want to improve in their life, such as their finances, their health, the relationships at work or in their family, their career, or even their reputation. 
IK: Love life?
KFS: A very popular one.
IK: Not surprised.  Okay, so then what?  How does one get a love life after calling you?
KFS: When I go to their home (or talk to them on the phone if it’s a distance consultation), we hone in on the areas that they want to improve.  See, by that time, I have looked at their floorplan and done an assessment using the Bagua map.  
IK: A map?  
KFS:  Yep.  The ancient feng shui dudes created it.  Thousands of years ago, they were more in tune with things like energy of a space, and they realized that the way the energy moved in a space represented different areas of one’s life.
IK:  So there is a map that can tell me which parts of my home reflect which parts of my life.  Does this really work?  I mean, it seems so weird.   It’s kind of saying, your home is a map to your life.  That’s just kind of — 
KFS:  Look, I pride myself on keeping integrity in all that I do.  So, yes, I’ve put it to practice a zillion times, because honestly, I didn’t believe it myself when I first started out and I had to see for myself.  Believe me, there were amazing, crazy, can’t-deny-it results in some capacity or another every time!
IK:  Because of a map invented by some Chinese people thousands of years ago?  
KFS: And other things, like the elements and chi and yin and yang.  The map is based on the I Ching.
IK: The E what?
KFS:  Never mind.  Next interview.  Maybe.
IK: So Love.
KFS: Yes. Love.  So I find where their Romance/Love/Marriage section is in their home.  When I see the pictures, I can tell what sort of vibe they are putting out to the Universe.  For example, if my client is a single woman, and she has a huge painting of a woman looking very solemn and alone, I know that she needs a little help romantically.  I suggest she take it down immediately, which she usually gladly does, and then I tell her she needs some artwork that suggests love and romance.  A happy couple.  Two doves.  That sort of thing.
IK: Okay, so she had a pic of a single woman, when she needs pics of couples.  What if the client is in a relationship and having trouble?
KFS: Same thing.  Things in pairs in this section.  I make sure there is nothing so-called blocking the potential for a happy relationship, such as a closet full of dirty shoes, or that sort of thing.
IK: So no dirty laundry in the Romance section.
KFS: And no tools.  It makes Relationships seem like work.
IK: But what if the laundry room is there?  Or the tool shed?
KFS: Then I give “cures” for those things, but it’s a little more complex in those instances, so it’d have to be specific to the home and client.  But there is always a cure.
IK: You mean, like putting up a dragon statue or something?
KFS: Only if the client is into dragon statues.  It doesn’t have to be Chinese décor to work.  I rarely suggest Chinese décor, because we are in the West, and most people have Western décor.  If the client doesn’t like what I am suggesting, then it’s not a good cure, so we find something else.  And it would have to be two dragon statues in the Love section.  Remember, pairs?  And only if that person wanted a fiery, passionate, mystical sort of relationship. 
IK: So doves may be better.
KFS: Depends on who you are.  But generally, yes.
IK: Cool!  Okay, thanks, Katie! 
KFS: My pleasure.  I hope you got some insight.
IK: Well, since I’m you, I really knew all of this stuff anyway.
KFS:  Yeah, okay.  
IK: You know, we were doing this for fun, to educate people.
KFS:  Yeah, I know that.  It was my idea.  And I think we should stop now. 
IK:  Okay.
KFS:  Ok.  
IK:  Bye.
KFS:  Stop.
IK:  Bye!  For real.  Bye.  
4

My Latest

Doing the Miracle Paintings for St. Paul’s Church in Mobile has put me in the mood to “branch out” into other subjects.  And what better subject than trees?   And birch trees have such a beautiful mystique.

I knew I wanted something aqua blue with hints of deep green and gold.  My initial vision was a more pastel version of what became the end product, but during the process, I became so focued on making sure the contrast was intense, so the pastel idea was dropped.

The painting is 4 feet by 2 feet, and it’s about 2.5 inches thick, so no frame.  I’ll call it Birch in Blue.

(Please excuse the iPhone photography!  I’ll post a better pic later.)

1

Romance and Feng Shui

You gotta love love.  Right? 
In feng shui, there are areas of your home that “match up” to areas of your life.  This is the Ba Gua map.  
You lay it over your floorplan, lining the bottom of it with the wall that aligns to the front door (i.e. in most homes, you will either walk into the Knowledge, Career, or Helpful People guas).  Considering your home isn’t missing any sections, you can find out where your Romance section is, Money section, Career section, etc.
Therefore, if you are standing at the front door, your Romance (Relationship) section is the back right section of your home.
According to feng shui, what is happening in your home in each section is affecting that part of your life.  For example, say your bedroom is there, and it is sweet and romantic.  Then most likely, you are in or will attract a healthy balanced relationship.  However, if there is a closet full of items that you’ve kept from all your exes, you may want to consider cleaning it out!   
It’s a good idea to put “cures” in place to help with that area of your life.  In the Romance section, color-wise, red, pink, and white work well.  Earth is the ruling element here, so muted tones work too.  (i.e. beige, terracotta, even brick red.  Yellow is also okay because it represents Earth.)   
It’s a big no-no to have anything glaringly single there.  Best to have things in pairs!  Or photos of you and your honey.  Or paintings that depict a romantic scene.
A client of mine wanted to spiff up her Romance section in order to attract love into her life, so she went hunting for something to hang above the door of her kitchen, where her Romance section happens to be.  Here’s what she found:   
Very nice in that it’s a pair, it’s pink and earthy tones, it’s of the Earth element (clay), and they are squares, which also symbolize Earth.  
She did land a hot date (that turned into a hot weekend) very shortly after hanging these!  The key, too, is intention!  Now that these are in place, her subconscious must oblige and send out signals to all the single honeys out there.
However, she wants to get hitched.  Time will tell of course, but a good feng shui consultant cannot ignore what was going on in another pic she sent….
Let’s take a closer look:
Yes, she’s got a pair, but that lone apron sure does sing out SINGLE!  I like to play it safe with these sort of things.  How about a His and Hers apron?  Or put that thing in a drawer!  I mean, why risk it?

When I alerted her of this, she responded good-humoredly in an email:  “Hahaha!  That f***ing apron is now hidden away in a drawer. 🙂 I had to laugh. As soon as you pointed it out, it was obvious. And ironically, now that it’s gone, I actually think that pantry door looks cleaner and less cluttered.” 


Makes you wonder — what is perhaps going on in your home that is affecting your life?  Feng shui is AMAZING in that it can help you unblock and move forward….  and it could be a simple as putting an apron in a drawer.



0

Skin Regime Experiment on Ritalin? (or needs to be)

Following up on my March blog —  Skin Care Regime Experiment #1 — (which is now a combined 2,3, 4, and 5 all in one):
The olive oil was not so great.  I mean, it was fine…but fine is not okay with me.  I used it for at least three weeks, so that’s better than nothing.  It wasn’t doing anything bad, but I want something that does good. 
So I switched to coconut oil….(because I read something like this.)  

Straight up.  And because I LOVE coconut water like a fiend (and lotion and candles and smell and cookies and milk).   I even put a glob (because it’s globby, not liquidy) of it in a little tin to leave in my bathroom rather than my kitchen cabinet (Major Tangent: coconut oil is to die for as a substitute in brownie mixes and instead of butter for pancakes and French toast.  And to sauté many different veggies.  FYI.  And it’s good for you too).  The coconut-oil-face-treatment-created-by-moi lasted about 4 days.  In truth – and this is in no way scientific — it was doing less than the olive oil.
Dear Reader, I need to give an overview.  I ain’t 21 years old, Folks.  But I ain’t 50.  And I’m not so into botox, although I must say, I know some folks that use it, and it definitely takes ten years off.  I, personally, would rather not go there, because I have strange luck with those sort of things, and I have a fear of my face — never – moving – again – ever. 
After the coconut oil attempt, I had some samples of some really nice stuff by Ole Henriksen, and I thought, what the heck.  

This stuff was nice!  I almost went and bought it, but I never got around to it.  Which only tells me and you that it really was just “nice,” and well, if I’m going to spend a few bucks, I’d rather it be effing amazing. 
I sort of gave up after that, y’all.  I went back to my ol’ Alba from Whole Foods.  I just sort of settled.  I’m really wanting natural, eco-goodness is all.  

The Alba cream actually worked really well when I lived in LA —  but Alabama skin and LA skin differ in the humidity department, and sorry, Whole Foods, but I’m going to be taking it back…
…and exchanging it for this:
 Why? 
…because I was in LA this past weekend and having a delicious brunch (with flakey service but who’s counting?) at the fairly-new Sauce on a side street on the cusp of Venice and Santa Monica (my old hood – love you) with two of my dearest girlies when one of them asked the other what skin care product she used, because hell, this one friend of mine has flawless skin. 
I spoke up, with cilantro/avocado/eggs in my mouth:  “It’s her genes.” 
But the other friend insisted on knowing what she used, because even if it’s genes, everyone uses something unless they are 17 years old. 
Surprisingly, the answer was the above-product mentioned.  My friend had heard about it from another woman I know, who also has flawless skin.  The catch is, it’s a hand cream that they use on their face.  And you buy it at Whole Foods.  Sixteen little dollars.  Eat that, Carita! 
I’m buying it tomorrow.  I’m giving it a few weeks.  I’m hoping it’s one of those things where you give up looking, and walahhh, the perfect thing appears.  Can it breeze through the humidity test?  Can it give me genes that I only wish I had been born with?   Can it blow the tox off of botox, leaving only beau?  

Stay tuned…

0

The Frog and the Cat

Sometimes, I just need to write a fable.  Yes, you read correctly — a fable.  I’m not writing a lot of fiction lately, and I’m not sure if that is so good for me.  Therefore, I have to dive into something short and punctuated to ease that ravenous inward Muse when she’s been hungry too long.  Sometimes it’s bits of a novel, sometimes it’s jotting down a commercial idea…and sometimes, it’s a fable.  Other times, when she’s completely starved or either well-fed, plump, and happy (it’s either/or), it’s a screenplay.  I look forward to indulging Her on that one again one day.  That will make her very happy.
Anyway, for the fable-writing, my process is like this:  Sit down (preferably on my sofa), open my spiral college-ruled notebook, un-cap my felt-tip pen, and start.  I don’t know what I’m going to write until I start writing.  I know it is going to be a personification of an animal, but that’s it.  It’s great exercise, and yes, I will even endeavor to call it satiating.  
There is always the risk of nothing happening when I do this.  I think that’s why it’s such a good workout.  
Here’s what came to me today:
THE FROG AND THE CAT
A frog sat upon a rock near his local pond.  He was shaded and content, not moving except to blink his big eyes on occasion.  He was as still as the stone upon which he sat, and the reeds and water around him were quite still too.  It was a quiet day and a lazy one at that.
The frog, however, did not see the cat in the tall grass who lay crouching some short distance behind him.  The cat was a master stalker, and silence was her forte.  Although frog was not her favorite meal, she thrilled at the thought of catching him, taking an indifferent bite or two, then moving on to the next prey.
She gathered herself, measuring the moment that her pounce should prove successful.  Her hind legs geared for activity, one…two…three, and she sprang swiftly into the air, landing perfectly onto the rock where the frog was pinned beneath her paws –
–or so she thought.  Opening her grasp, there was nothing but the sleek stone where the frog had been.  She looked up; the frog was sitting on a lily pad on the other side of the pond. 
Bewildered, she called out in question, “How did you know I was there?”
Frog replied from where he was:  “Instinct aids those who sit still and listen.”

2

Red, Meaning of

I had unusual dreams of a house with a cat that resembled a teeny tiger and a garden on the back patio and a kangaroo in the bed.  Besides all of that, the home was decorated to the detail, and there was a LOT of red.  I commented that the woman who lived there must have known about feng shui.  (Take note, dear reader:  In real life, just because a person decorates with red does not mean that they have an understanding of feng shui.)

Therefore, in honor of weird dreams, I have decided to wax poetically on RED in today’s blog.
  
Red, in traditional feng shui, is considered lucky, lucky, and more lucky.  It is associated with money, opportunity, energy, and of course, fire and passion.  Red ribbons around toilet pipes will protect money from leaking out of your bank account.  Red frog statues at the front door will capture money for you and bring it into your bank account.  Red candles in the Fame/Reputation/Self-Expression [center back section of your home according to the front door] will ignite recognition for your talents and achievements. 
Why red?  It vibrates at the slowest rate and therefore catches the eye quickly.  It is considered “hot,” and therefore associated with vitality.  Think: Life force.  After all, our blood is red.  It is a power color (i.e. superheroes), and it can also represent danger, aggression, or anger (stop signs, warning flags, and seeing red).   Red can also waken the libido; it’s not an accident that it is associated with sex and sexiness.  While you wouldn’t want this color floating around too much in your aura, to place it strategically in your home, can really get things moving.
Red sends a message.  Imagine the difference that occurs when a woman wears a bright red dress compared to a soft light blue.   Which one would you consider bold and bright compared to submissive and sweet? 
If you are feeling a little blue, or you need some motivation or extra energy, playing with red is surely a cure.  I suggest painting your toenails red, wearing a red scarf, or buying some red flowers and placing them in your home or workspace.   You could even use a red pen for a day for your personal notes.  If you’d like to activate your love life, try a red pillow here or a red rug there.  Even a red picture frame will make a statement of some sort.   Red lingerie, or course, will say it all. 
And then, there is the famous “red door” cure.  I rarely suggest this –painting the front door red — to clients, as it is a bold move, and it is not for the weak of heart.  It is mainly for those, 1. whose house would look ascetically pleasing with a red door, and  2. who are ready to live an amazing life and move forward in the direction of their dreams which can mean big change fast for some folks – which can be a daunting.  For the clients who have chosen this cure, I have seen almost instant improvement in their lives that can only be  referred to as miracles.  One woman who complained about a lack of romance and a lack of respect in the office saw a turn around in her collegues’ responses in a week and also met a great man. 
What does this say about red?  Red announces to the world that you are ready and willing to step out and let people know who you are – that you, like them, are a life force and a lovely one at that.  It says that you will not rest easy and that you intend to get your point across.  Red proclaims that you have something to do and something to say.  A little red can go a long way, so use it with care, as you wouldn’t want to come across as a fire-engine wailing in certain circumstances. 
With taste, red can shake things up in just the right way.   And while you may not want to douse your home or yourself in it, it could just be the cure you are looking for.  
1

Front Door Follow-up

I spoke to my friend again – you know, the one that wouldn’t go through her front door even though it might open the way for good things galore. 
Guess what.  She’s using the front door now.  She doesn’t use it primarily, as she corrected me on the fifteen steps difference, and she claims that it feels a lot further when she is weighted down by groceries.  However, she is using it!  There was only one day since I blogged about it that she didn’t actually walk through it, and on that day, she performed the simple ritual of opening it, consciously welcoming her good in.
And welcome good in, she did!  On about Day 8 of the habit-shift, she landed a job doing some “print work.”  (aka, modeling for an ad that will be in print).  Yay! A paycheck.  Not only that, but in that short amount of time, her auditions have been on the up.  Interestingly enough, she got a callback for a national commercial (read: ch-ching), but the callback was on the day of her gig.   Still, she is feeling confident about the number of auditions she is going out for, and her energy – and bank account – is on the rise.
When discussing the change in fortune with her, she did mention another feng shui cure that she had performed at about the same time she started using the front door.  She and I both have a love of angels, and she came up with the precious idea to put angel images on her desktop screen, so that they flash continuously as she works and plays on her computer.  Not only that, but she was brought up Catholic and is schooled in the workings of saints, so she decided to feature St. Cajetan, the Saint of Job-seekers, on her computer as well.
Archangel Uriel by Alma Yamazaki
www.fineartamerica.com

 In fact, I found upon further research that there is a saint (or an angel) for just about everything.   If you are interested in being seriously entertained by the thorough list of spiritual helpers out there, I suggest going to http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron00.htm.  You’ll find help for everything from circus workers to vertigo to brewers to breast feeding to Korean clergy to lost keys.  If you’ve got a problem, there is saint for it. 

I decided that her idea was so good, that my desktop now also adorns some of my favorite such images.  And I haven’t lost my keys since.  

3

Money & the Front Door

A friend of mine needs money.  Her financial flow seems to be at a trickle.  This is not unheard of in the current economy.  I’m sure some of you can relate.

Yet, she has done most of the proper feng shui cures as far as money goes.   She has placed red ribbons on the pipes behind her toilet and under her sinks.  The Abundance sector of her home (back left corner according to front door) is not showing any major feng shui no-nos.  There is a sink there, but she has a stopper in it to keep money from leaking out, and she also has a round-faceted crystal above the sink to diffuse the energy.  She has a thriving plant in this sector, because the element that relates to the Abundance sector is Wood.  The rest of her home has good balance for the most part.  She could probably let go of items from former boyfriends and others, but the home is generally clutter-free and tidy.

So what gives?

Upon further conversation, it came out that she only uses the back door of her home to go in and out onto her daily business.  When I asked her if she could begin to use the front door instead, she came up with a flimsy excuse of some sort.  I explained that the front entrance represents the “Mouth of Chi” in feng shui.  It is symbolic of receiving our good — and that good includes money!  Keeping the door constantly closed is an obvious block to letting good chi in!  I told her that if she absolutely couldn’t come in and out of the that front door, that she do a mini-ritual where she open the front door every morning and say out loud or to herself, “I welcome in my good today and every day.”

On a recent conversation, we were brainstorming avenues of abundance for her, and I exclaimed, “Are you going through your front door yet?”  She broke into laughter and admitted “No” that she wasn’t even doing the simple ritual I suggested.

The amount of steps from her car to her front door is about fifteen steps further that the distance from her car to the back door.  Oh, and the back door happens to be placed in her Abundance sector, so that energy is going in and out the back door, but never getting that good, big whoosh of energy from the front door!

I said, “Just use the front door for nine measly days, and see what happens!”  She said, “Okay!  Okay!”

I checked in with her a couple of days later, and, being the good friend that I am (albeit a little pushy), I said, “Have you been using your front door?”  She admitted that No, she hadn’t!

Turns out the back door was such a habit, that she had to actually catch herself in the process of going out the back door, turn around, and then go out the front door.

The next day and the next, she did a little better, using it on occasion (although I’d love to see her use it ALL the time).

Whether she can keep it consistent, we will see.

Moral of the story:  Habits die hard.  Someone once told me that it takes 21 days to make a habit, therefore it takes 21 days to break a habit.  The new habit can replace an old, worn out one.  That’s not very long in the scheme of things, and the results can be astounding.

With feng shui, a little goes a long way.  Playing with easy cures can only be beneficial, and how interesting it is to discover those resistant parts of ourselves as a result.  And sometimes the cures we put in place are simply microcosmic efforts that lets the Universe know that we are serious — that we want positive change and that we are willing to take the fifteen extra steps to receive it.

2

What in the world is feng shui?

An old friend who found me on Facebook messaged me to say, “Katie. 
How the heck are ya? Your name just showed up somewhere. This Facebook thing is amazing. What in the world is Feng Shui?

So I figured a lot of you out there may have the same question.

Short answer:  The Chinese art of placement.  “Feng shui” translates to “wind water.”

Longer answer: (also posted on my website — www.KatieRogersFengShui.com)

No one can deny the difference one feels while walking on a beach in comparison to riding on the New York subway.  Similarly, a person’s home or work place can suggest peace, comfort, inspiration, and safety…or the opposite.  This, in its essence, is feng shui:environment affects us.  

The goal of a feng shui consultant is to create harmony in a space.  In doing so, the occupants of the space benefit in all aspects of their life.  Because feng shui works on a subconscious level as well as conscious, the effects of feng shui become alive in the person immediately, resonating into the outer world.  

For a space to have good energy, or chi (pronounced “chee”), the chi must flow.  Hence the literal translation of “feng shui,” which is “wind, water.”  Wind and water both have the potential to generate power beneficially (windmills, steamboats, waterfalls, breezes) or to harm (tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, blizzards). Chi is the same way.  If it meanders freely through a home the occupants will feel nurtured and alive.  If the chi goes too fast, the occupants will feel overwhelmed, overworked, or over-tired, as if there is an energy leak.  If the chi is “dammed,” the occupants will feel blocked in their lives.  

Feng shui also takes into regard the five elements: earth, metal, water, wood, and fire.  When these elements are in balance in a space, there is a sense of completion and oneness.  When there is too much or too little of certain elements, the occupants could feel scattered, depressed, irritable, drained, nervous, bored, or even ill as examples of a few of the possible physical and emotional responses.  

The Bagua map, rooted in ancient Chinese philosophies such as the I Ching, determines what part of the space is in correlation with the occupant’s life.  The nine sections of the Bagua map are Health, Journey, Self-Knowledge, Family/Heritage, Abundance, Reputation/Fame, Intimate Relationships, Creativity/Children, and Helpful People/Travel/Spirit Guides.  When a person takes note of the different sections of the Bagua and works with the space accordingly, shifts occur.

Feng shui, on the most basic but potent level, is about honoring the space.  This in itself will manifest a life that is fulfilling, inspiring, and in tune with the greater good.  By taking care of one’s personal environment, the greater environment takes care of the person.
1

Green

Colors have meanings.  This is why we typically don’t tend to paint our bedrooms bright red.  And why we use terms such as “wide blue yonder” and “green with envy.”  It’s also why you are drawn to certain colors some days and others on other days.

Spring sprang to life with color after color after color, and it brought me out of my winter slumber almost instantly.  Now the foliage is at full force in a shiny, new green that will hang on until fall…and I love it.

Green is the color of hope.  It lands in the middle of the color spectrum, marrying the warm (yellow) with the cool (blue), and therefore represents balance.  It’s the color of newness (hence the term — “he’s green at the job”) and new beginnings.  It can calm and energize simultaneously.  It’s the color of healthy growth, and healing in general.  It’s also the color of the heart chakra, so it relates to love.  Green also symbolizes abundance — it’s no accident that our money is a shade of green.

Eat greens.  Sit in a green field.  Imagine green light around you.  Doing any and all of these will facilitate balance, health, and opportunities in your life.

 

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