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Sometimes, I just need to play!

Olioboard is a great tool for designers to use for clients and for themselves when coming up with initial ideas for a space.  Or if you are thinking of re-doing a space, give Olioboard a whirl.  You can even buy the products on-site, and it calculates a budget to boot!

They also have tons of contests (I have no idea what you win), but when I saw one for a TURQUOISE LIVING ROOM, oh, I just had to….

This is what happened:

I’d live here, would you?   To each her own!

If you are so inclined, and you are reading this in November, consider voting HERE… you know, just for fun!
xo, K

Wow.  Ebola.

Let me tell you how to cure that one:

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…or get rid of it altogether.

It’s called sensationalism, people.   You’ve got better things to do.

The short answer is YES!

YES times a billion and times infinity!

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So…why is this even a topic?

The fact is, I moved back to the South (aka The Bible Belt) after years of being out west, and since my return, I have heard little whispers amongst some folks that feng shui may go against their religion.  Therefore, I am writing here today as a way to clarify and bust through that myth once and for all.

FENG SHUI IS NOT A RELIGION.  Nor will it mess with yours.  In fact, it is my job to work with whatever religion and/or spiritual practice you prescribe to!

Isn’t that awesome?!

It’s true.

But hold tight.  What that means is that feng shui is also for Muslims, atheists, Jews, Pantheists, Buddhists, Hindis, Baha’is, Taoists, yogis and yoginis, Wiccans, Sikhs, Hare Krishnas, Pagans, and any other religious or spiritual practice under the sun.

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Because feng shui is just that:  spiritual.  It’s not a religion.  It’s an ART and a SCIENCE with spiritual undertones.

And even if you don’t even consider yourself spiritual, feng shui will work for you!

I pride myself on working within the context of my client’s lifestyle.  In fact, that is the point of feng shui.  My suggestions must work for YOU, the unique being that you are.   I’ve worked with clients who practice religions with names that I cannot even spell or pronounce (or remember for that matter), and you know what?…

It’s ALL good.

But just in case you are Christian, and you still have doubts, keep reading, so I can once and for all, erase any thoughts that feng shui is not for you.

WHY FENG SHUI IS FOR CHRISTIANS TOO:
First of all, you are probably already practicing feng shui.  The truth is, if you clean your home regularly, make it nice for guests, take care of your furniture and belongings, declutter often, have some sort of organizational system, and change up the pillows or artwork now and then, you are practicing a basic form of feng shui.  You do not have to put up dragons or crystals to be “doing feng shui.”

I sometimes tell clients to get their house “ship-shape.”  Surely, Noah did to some extent?

Feng shui is about HONORING YOUR SPACE, or, in more religious terms, making your space holy, sometimes in very simple ways.  Sadly, in today’s disposable and fast-paced society, most folks don’t even know what honoring one’s space even means.  Which is where I come in.  🙂

Furthermore, I will be bold here, and announce, in all my unscholarliness, that it may be that Jesus “did” feng shui. 

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And so did Mary, and Moses, Abraham, Lazarus, and other Biblical persons.

Here’s the bottom line:  These spiritual figures more than likely had some sort of order to their belongings, but did they call it “feng shui”?  Probably not!  But that is because they didn’t speak Chinese.  (…that I know of.)

“Feng shui” translates to “wind, water” in Chinese, which has to do with the “flow” in a space.  In feng shui, a home must be inviting.  There are countless stories in the Bible that involve inviting people into one’s home, are there not?

Also, feng shui may just be IN 
the Bible…(again, it’s just not called that).  Think about it:  Solomon was given implicit instructions for building his temple.  Again, art meets science in the form of deliberate architecture.  Was it called feng shui?  No, because the temple was not in China, but the idea of building with intention is 100% aligned with feng shui-like concepts.

And consider this:  A priest, when blessing a space, is practicing a basic feng shui ritual.

Even Luke knew a little feng shui:
Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ Luke 10:5 
In feng shui, this is known as as setting an intention, a.k.a saying a prayer.

So please, if anyone tries to tell you that feng shui is “against your religion,” ask them first — in a nice way — what they know about feng shui.  I guarantee you that they know very little and that they have made some false, uneducated assumptions!

In the end, people only come to feng shui when they are ready.  It is powerful work, and yes, I believe  that it is “holy” work.

My theory with feng shui?  Don’t knock it until you try it.  No matter what your religious beliefs may be!

AND I ALSO PRACTICE FENG SHUI! (Source)

Yum.  I made up this recipe the other day using what was in my kitchen, and it turned out!

So here is goes, without amounts. because I just threw it in the pot!

In large pot, heat COCONUT OIL on medium heat.  Add a generous amount of TURMERIC and CUMIN and a clove or two of CHOPPED GARLIC and stir until a bit heated.  Then toss in chopped CELERY and  CARROTS and sauté for a bit.

Boil some water on the side.  Add a vegan BOUILLON CUBE and a good amount of REAL SALT.

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Peel a SWEET POTATO and chop it up into bite-sized pieces.

In main pot, add the BOILING WATER (with dissolved bouillon cube), then put in the sweet potato, some already-cooked CHICK PEAS (I made mine the day before according to the package — makes an awesome snack with olive oil and salt — but canned is good too), a can of STEWED TOMATOES, and some QUINOA.

Add some VEGGIE BROTH if you have it, for another layer of taste.   I also put in a BAY LEAF and some BLACK PEPPER.

Cook for at least 20 minutes more, so that the vegetables are at the consistency that you like them and the quinoa cooks.

YUM!

The result should be a nice soup with a bit of sweetness from the carrots and sweet potatoes in a lovely golden hue, thanks to the turmeric.

Enjoy!  Satisfying and healthy!

My darling readers!

I am taking an unexpected break from blogging for a while —

The truth is, as much as I love to write, this Year of the Horse has already taken off for me — has it for you too? —  like crazy fast that I can barely keep up!  I gotta make sure I have my balance so I can take ‘er full speed ahead!  One of the things I’m letting go of is the pressure to blog, and I tell you what, it was a strange relief to make that decision.  Took some pressure off myself, really.

If you happen across this message, perhaps it is a sign that you too can cut back or let go of something that you hadn’t considered?  

I’d LOVE to see you over email however!  If you’d like my every-so-often emails in your Inbox, please contact me at katierogers777@gmail.com.  And Like Katie Rogers Feng Shui on Facebook.  I will be piping up in these places from time to time….

…but for now — it’s focus time!

…and no worries, I’ll be back.  Trust me, I have blog ideas galore, just waiting in the thresholds.

Cheers, and I hope to hear from you elsewhere!

All in good chi,
Katie

P.S.  Please:  Use the search engine right there to your right with the little magnifying glass:  I have so much material on here.  Words like “money” “romance” “books” “space clearing” — you name it, should yield results!  Thanks!

I am not naturally organized.

And I don’t care.

I have other talents.

But I do sometimes envy those OCD folks because, oy, organization is SO SO SO SO SO important to feng shui.

I do my best.  And I must say, I’ve come a long way since being the messiest roommate in the college suite.

Of course, in my weaker moments, when I have let things go a bit, I cough it up to my creative energy or right-brainedness or whatever mumbo-jumbo…
…and it’s true, my strengths are there (even in mumbo-jumbo)…and I’m not going to fight that, because I’m lucky in that regard…but still….

…if you know anything about feng shui, you know that it’s a total COP OUT to not get organized, no matter what side of your brain you tend to favor.

Don’t COP OUT, People!  I have help for you!!!   And it’s easy as 1-2-3.   Literally.  Yay!

My feng shui teacher, Sharon Stasney, (look up her books), taught us this method.   It works for creatives and neat freaks alike.

Here it is.  Dun, dun, duuunnnn….

—Priority 1 items are the things you use almost every day and are placed in the most accessible places.  The most accessible places may be your desktop, your countertop, or next to the sink in your bathroom, or the top of your nightstand.  The ONLY things that should be in this highly accessible places are things you use frequently!!!

(Note:  All these kitchen photos are a Real Simple Real-Life Kitchen Makeover.)

there is still quite a bit out. let’s hope these people actually cook and drink coffee.  I bet they do!

see how when you leave only Priority 1 items out, it just looks sooooooo nice and clean and fresh.  rest for your brain!

—a Priority 2 area!  i.e. The bookshelf.  I’d still like access to them, but honestly, even as I write this (I don’t have many because I pared down greatly over the years), I’m wondering if I should pare down even more!  Anyway,Priority 2 areas are places that are accesssible but not in your immediate experience all the time.  In the kitchen, it’s the drawers and cabinets that are easy to get to. In the office, it’s the file cabinet that you may need to reach a little further for or just across the room.

Priority 2 in the Kitchen.  You don’t need pots and pans on the counter!

I see Priority 1, 2, and 3 here, really.

I thought I’d post some happy photos that I took on a Spring day a year or two ago to remind us all, that indeed, Spring is imminent!

I think we all need a reminder of that, as this Winter is seeming slow to thaw out….

(Plus I’m going to be making a little “Spring-y” announcement soon and wanted to give you a visual peek.)

Enjoy!

Can you tell I like tulips?!

(All photos taken at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, except the last one, which is my dining room table…)  

Here was the question:
Hey Katie!  My parents gave me this drawing when they downsized. I love this artist, love the drawing (it’s all pencil!), and love the way it is framed. But it is a ship on a stormy sea! Not the best feng shui I’m thinking! If I can hang it, what section of the bagua would it work????

Alright.  Here’s the deal.  Sailboats in motion are AWESOME feng shui in the Money section of the bagua.  I have one in my Money corner, in fact, a pencil drawing as well, and I love it.

But, Oh, this is a tricky one…
…because there is definitely a storm a-brewing in this picture.

Or is it a storm a-waning?

Regardless, it’s a mighty boat on a mighty sea with a mighty sky.  That boat is absolutely harnessing the power of the wind, and that’s exactly what the Money sector is all about — harnessing those Winds of Fortune, in fact.

My advice to this client:
 Since you love it, I will say Yes, hang it in your Money sector, and only in your money sector.  But be forewarned — you may have quite a strong wind of sorts coming your way, so please prepare yourself.   According to the size and strength of the boat in the picture, you are prepared!

This is a case where I would have you hang it, but pay extra special attention to what happens in the days and weeks after hanging it.  This is a riskier piece than some, given the storm, but if you feel like “playing” a bit with the feng shui, then I say go for it…. but learn as you go!  And I 100% support you in taking it down if things seem a little rocky for you after you do hang it.  

And, by all means, let us know what happens!

P.S.  This is a little bit more advanced feng shui, but it should be noted:  Remember that each room has a Money section in it — so if it doesn’t really fit aesthetically in the home’s Money section, the back right corner of any room will do!  Especially an office!