Plants do wonders for our interior spaces.  They give life to a depressing office cubicle and bring refreshing energy into a home.  By adding a plant to your space you’re bringing a living object that will cleanse the air and also inspire growth, renewal and forward motion.  Your new green pal may be just what you need to make that lifestyle change or ask for the promotion.  



Plants are considered a Wood Element of Feng Shui which makes since why we associate Springtime with the Wood Element.  This season you’ll find new growth and blooms everywhere you look.  The plants and trees are coming out of their winter hibernation and showing us their beauty.

Here are some basics for plants:

1.       Look for soft rounded leaves
Sorry, cactus aren’t your friends if you’re looking for good Feng Shui in your space. Look for soft leaves with a rather rounded shape, avoiding sharp points. 

2.       Make sure to keep your plants happy
Don’t have a green thumb?  A faux plant is always better than a dead plant on your table.  If faux plants are not your thing, then opt for artwork of plants and flowers in your space. 

3.       Water them with love
When watering your plants, do it with love.  Maybe even talk to them and befriend them. Water with something special such as moon water or natural spring water. 

This season is just the perfect time to bring in a new plant so head out to your local greenhouse and select a beauty. 

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Photo: Jordan Whitt

You may know someone who has smudged with sage or perhaps you’ve even burned sage in your own home.  It definitely shifts the energy of a space and some people really enjoy the scent.  Did you know that by burning sage in your space you’re actually cleansing the air though?  It’s much more than some “woo” ceremony.  You’re making your home cleaner!
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White sage is both antimicrobial and antibacterial.  Just like your favorite salt lamp, burning sage also is believed to release negative ions.  These bind to positive ions which eliminate bacteria, mold, pet dander, allergens and dust.

Burning sage also acts as a chemical free air freshener and deodorizer too.  Have a funky scent from last night’s dinner?  Burn some sage!

For my clients who are allergy or asthma sufferers, I recommend in addition to the use of salt lamps, that they routinely smudge their home.  Of course, those that struggle with these ailments should not be directly inhaling the smoke.  I always encourage another family member to do the actual cleansing, so any smoke does not aggravate the respiratory system.  Additionally, I always recommend having some windows open so fresh air can easily flow through the space.

Lastly, just like the salt lamps, the negative ions of sage help balance the mood. There is no denying the wonderful, refreshed feeling of a recently smudged space. This is like the icing on the cake. No only is the air cleansed in your home, but the general feeling is oh-so good. 

Ready to have a smudging ceremony but need a little more direction?  Check out Good Chi’s Space Clearing Kit for a complete set of all the necessary supplies along with step by step instructions for your very own smudging ceremony.
​(Click here to learn more: https://goodchishop.com/collections/crystals-kits/products/home-blessing-kit)




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Photo: Brittany Collette
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Life has been full of so many new beginnings in my life lately.  If you’ve been following me for awhile you probably know that I recently moved.

Here’s the scoop; we moved to a new city, in a new state due to my husband’s new job, we found our new dream home and interestingly enough its’ numerology equals a 1 (meaning new beginnings), we moved into the home on the New Moon (yet another new beginning), to top this off I have a home office so my entire business had to be packed up and moved to a new space too.  Heck, I even got a new haircut during all this!  Yes, it’s almost laughable how much everything is in alignment to start us off on this new path.  Everything in life is a new beginning right now and it’s so exciting.  Let me tell you though, it took a lot of work for these shifts.  I employed every Feng Shui tool I could think of to create our new life (which is a dream by the way).  In the end I know it was one major tweak that started this huge shift for us. 

It all started when my husband was getting anxious to move to a new role with his company.  Things were beginning to feel stagnant for him and he was ready for a new challenge.  He was working hard to find his next role so I wanted to do what I could on my end.  While I incorporated Feng Shui into his office, I knew that this shift needed to come from home.

In Feng Shui there is an area of the home connected to your career.  I often help people employ this space to help them tweak their job or reach a professional goal.  For us in our previous home it was where I had a beautiful cabinet.  On top I’d typically keep beautiful decorative pieces, especially since it was one of the first items to see upon entering our home.  Unfortunately, we had lost our beloved dog Bear and we just naturally placed some items on top of this cabinet.  We had a family photo, his collar, and a few mementos as we needed to see this daily while grieving.  While I’d picked up most of his items, I just couldn’t bring myself to move his final pieces from this cabinet though.  When I made a point to investigate the career gua of our home to assist my husband in his career,  I realized that not only were these sad items in this area, but they were also the first thing you saw when you entered the room and even entered the home.

To shift the energy, I knew that I must find a more appropriate space for these items from Bear and I made a lovely little memorial area for him in a different area of the home.  Next, I thoroughly cleaned and dusted the cabinet, smudged it with some sweetgrass, and then decorated it beautifully.  I added a gorgeous lamp and then some smaller decorative pieces that had some sparkle. Lastly, I finished off with a small plant.

Like clockwork, an amazing new job opportunity was presented to my husband.  Fast forward six months and here we are.  Still finding our grounding in a new space, but loving it.  I’m laughing at all the synchronicities with this new beginning.  No, it’s not magic, it’s just manifesting and turning our goals and dreams into reality using Feng Shui.  I’m so happy that I could help my husband reach this goal and that we have the home that we’ve always dreamt of.

Photo Credit: @tumbleweedcreation
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Often in a consultation I’ll be talking to a client and mention a rather bold aspect of their home such as lighting, wall color, or furniture style and it’s as if they’ve never seen the piece before.  I’ll be honest, sometimes I can’t help but chuckle a bit on the inside.  I’m amazed at bold items that some people get used to seeing every day and forget that they're even there.  We get so used to seeing our home through our own eyes that we don’t always see it as a visitor would and I’m completely guilty of this too!

My husband and I recently listed our home for sale.  It was a home that would work perfect for a family with a large kitchen, several bedrooms, finished basement and great yard.  We decorated as we liked and lived in the space as we always would even though its just the two of us.  Upon selling I did a few updates such as painting a rather bold paint color back to a neutral, tweaking some décor that was used in the space and also taking a spare bedroom that I’d turned into an office space and turned back to look like a bedroom. I just knew I’d thought of everything.

The professional listing photos were taken, and they were beautiful.  It looked like a beautiful, pristine, well designed home.  Problem is…no one was interested! We double checked the price, we discussed with the realtor what the issue was. Then one day over breakfast we were looking at photos online of the home wondering what was going on!  There were literally NO showings.  Then while clicking through photos suddenly it dawned on me.  Our lifestyle is not that of a family with children.  My husband’s a little “type A” and loves a spotless home, our overall aesthetic is pretty clean lined with a touch of rustic industrial, and the main piece of furniture that you saw upon entry was a wine cabinet.  The pillows on the sofa were beautiful, but they didn’t read as “cozy up to watch cartoons”.  Even the upstairs bonus room was filled with business books and my raku pottery collection.  Probably not the place a parent would feel great with their kids running around while they’re trying to decide to buy it.
I just knew, that while the home looked great and worked for our lifestyle and even to someone else with a similar lifestyle, I just wasn’t seeing the home through the perspective of EVERYONE.  While the professional photos were beautiful, it wasn't possible to understand the comfortable feeling once you walked in.  The people searching online were just seeing the pictures of a home that may not appeal to them and then not getting the chance to really experience the space.  I took the time to go through each photo to see how the space was being viewed through the eyes of potential buyers and it was very eye opening.  Many changes to the space occurred as I tweaked even more items to appeal to a growing family. 
It is so easy to think you’re on the right track only to be surprised (I like I was).  I’ve began to use photos more in almost every consultation.  I’ll ask the client to look at the photos they sent me and we go through them together.  So often people will be surprised and see items they forgot were even there!
Looking to make some shifts in the energy of your home but aren’t sure where to start? Take some photos! Maybe even head to a coffee shop to go through them so you can see them outside of your space. This will really help you get a different perspective.
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​I often get called by clients to discuss issues of either not bringing in enough money or money continually running out.  We begin by doing the Synchro Alignment visualization process where we discover the client's deeper feelings of the home and how the home may be adjusted to better provide the client a connection to the home and a sense of wealth. 

We then proceed with a floorplan review. One of the main things I look for when a client mentions struggling in this manner is to look for the placement of the front door in relation to any rear door.  Having a front and rear door in perfect alignment creates a line of energy flowing right out the door.  Energy that enters your home will run directly out the back taking all your money with it!

Fortunately, there are easy ways to address this.  Here are a few examples of how I’ve approached this situation.

Mary, a recent client struggling with finances was wanting a beautiful bookshelf for her space, so we strategically placed it in between the two areas.  It creates a shift to the line of energy while also providing a beautiful place to store books and place decorative accessories.

In a yoga studio, I arranged a decorative screen to counteract this flow.  It also added a decorative element to the space hiding the ugly door that led out to the dumpster.

Many times, I’ve also used large plants and placed them in a way to direct energy away from the back door.

No room to add any pieces?  Hang a cut crystal prism in between the front and back door.  This will help divert the strong line of energy from the front to the back.

These are just a few small tweaks to counteract a common problem, there are many more depending on your situation and goals.  Want to see how you can bring in more financial abundance?  Reach out and let’s connect and learn more about your space.

Spring is slowly awakening.  I just know that you're as excited as I am.  This season connects to the Wood Element of Feng Shui.  Think of a plant that's been dormant through the winter, that is slowly waking up and ready to grow and expand.  We're just the same!  We begin planning our summer flowers, gardens, outdoor plans and of course cleaning and organizing our space.  (That is unless you've been "Marie Kondo-ing" all winter. )

​You probably know that clutter is a huge “no-no” in Feng Shui.  I actually tell my clients that the better they clean and de-clutter prior to introducing Feng Shui tactics, the better the outcome will be.
 
Perhaps you’re one of those people who are just overwhelmed by their clutter.  Do you think of decluttering and just feel paralyzed?  Do you think; “Where do I start? How would I start?” or “ Oh brother, maybe just put it off until next month.”  If this is you, I’ve created a few tips for fighting that feeling of overwhelm.
 
1.       First and Fast – I don’t know who taught me this, but it’s a favorite of mine. I used to be terrible at procrastination and this simple concept literally changed my life.  The concept is to take the one job you want to do least and do it first.   Just dive in and get it done and do it fast.   Stalling won’t help you here.   Really give it your all!!!   Once this piece is complete than you’re sure to feel a bit lighter and the rest of your tasks will be oh-so easy!
 
2.       Create a Plan – Create a system for your decluttering and cleaning.  Take the few minutes to write it down because I swear it makes a difference! To create your plan, start in one area, perhaps the “First and Fast” area you just addressed.  Then decide on a path going forward, for example, moving left to right, top to bottom or in any direction that feels right to you.  The left to right, top to bottom works especially well in kitchens, but play around and see what will work for you.
 
 
3.       Progress Not Perfection – It doesn’t need to be the most spotless, perfect place you’ve ever seen.  Just make sure you’re able to make progress in the space.  Maybe tomorrow, you can make even more progress and so on.
 
4.       Reward Yourself – After a tough decluttering session reward yourself with some time in nature.  If you’re easily overwhelmed by clutter, then you may need a sense of grounding.  Head outside and enjoy some time in nature, and if possible, take your shoes off and walk in the grass, or sit against a tree.  Take some deep breaths and you’ll feel so accomplished when you return and see how far you came.

I hope these few tips inspired you to go for it and to not stress or worry about cleaning and decluttering.  Just know the outcome will be worth it! 

I'm so honored to have the following guest post by my teacher LuAnn Cibik...Enjoy!!!


Because color is such a powerful influence of the way a space feels, it can be one of the main things a feng shui practitioner talks to a client about. Even if they are not looking to change the overall color scheme of their space, understanding the influence of that color's energy, and how you might want to balance this is a part of the conversation I have with most every client.

Many clients choose 'white' so that they do not have to choose a color, however, white IS a color, it's all of them in fact. Yes, whites and creams can 'go' with most any other color you might choose. However, the energy of white is of crisp precision and organized focus. The energy of cream is softer, more nurturing, and relaxed.

The current grey trend appears to be going strong, and its energy is what we refer to in feng shui as Metal energy, again, a sense of focus, diligent work, and serious thoughts. That could be just perfect for your space... or it could be why you are not sleeping well in your bedroom; as too many serious 'to do' list items dance in your head.

There are no 'bad' colors. However, there are some colors that just work better for the activities in some spaces than in others. Red bedrooms can have too much active, physical energy for sleep. Teal exercise rooms may cause more sleepy feelings than workout focus.

Another layer that feng shui consultants use with color is the energy map, the Bagua. This map lays over the floor plan of your home, and allows us to see what areas of your home correlate with different aspects of your life, like romance, reputation, family, health and abundance. These areas can be enhanced by color as well. While you might not want your house painted like a colorful quilt to match the Bagua areas, understanding the energy of that color in the space can help you choose decorative accents, colored lighting, artwork and more to call in what you might be lacking.

Working with color is a passion of mine, and helping people choose the right color for them, their lives and their space is one of the reasons I love being an Interior Alignment® Practitioner!

-LuAnn Cibik, Master Educator of Interior Alignment​

You may or may not have heard of the term Biophilic Design.  It was probably a few years after I became certified in Feng Shui that I began to hear about Biophilic Design in the Interior Design community.  Wow, was I ever excited!  The design and architecture community was promoting some of the same principles that we use in Interior Alignment Feng Shui.  That having a connection to nature while indoors working in offices and inside our homes and apartments is of the utmost importance.
 
Merriam Webster defines Biophilia as the following:
 “a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with forms of life in nature.”
 
Take a look around you.  Do you see any nature represented?  Maybe a wood grain floor, stone countertop, or natural light?  You’re on the right track.  If you’re in a sea of cubicles in an office building with fluorescent lighting, we need to talk!  We get it, a cranky co-worker might complain about essential oil scents, most companies won’t re-paint just to make you happy, nor will they be willing to bust into the ceiling to add some skylights.

Here are three super easy ways to bring nature inside your office space.  These easy fixes won’t bother anyone or cost the company anything!​

1)      Bring a plant inside.  Yes, this is probably obvious, but many of my clients  just never break down to actually buy a plant and transport it to their office space.  Keep in mind that depending on the natural light available in your office you might have to occasionally place it near a window sill or take it home to give it extra love.  So, someone in your office has an allergy?  Opt for faux flowers or a silk plant.  They’ve come a long way with silk floral arrangements, and do they ever look real!
2)      Bring a lamp into your office space.  Whether it’s a desk lamp or corner lamp, if you don’t have access to natural lighting a lamp will bring you much better lighting than fluorescent overhead bulbs.  It’s another way to trigger your body into a much more comfortable feeling while being at work.
3)      Bring artwork of nature into your space.  Do you dream of the ocean while at work?  Maybe you have a wooded retreat that you love.  Make a collage or simply frame a photo or two.  Having views of nature around you will make that vacation time seem not so far off.

Here’s a bonus:
Just as you schedule time for a meeting or for a lunch break, schedule even five minutes per day to be outside breathing fresh air.   Make this part of your schedule every single day that the weather allows.

Whether you're a fan of Biophilic design, Feng Shui, or just a nature lover, making these changes will lower stress and bring you an overall feeling of well-being. 

Now we'd love to hear from you! Do you have some great examples of how you bring nature into your office space??? Please share in the comments. 

When I meet new people they always have questions about my Feng Shui work, so I created this post: My Top 4 Likes & Dislikes About Feng Shui.  I hope you find it interesting and that it may answer some of your questions too. 


Like #1    Feng Shui can be a powerful tool for manifesting
Feng Shui is a wonderful tool for manifesting all those amazing things you wish for in life.  I can help you with anything from deeper connections with family, love, health, even money!

Like #2    Feng Shui can be easy to implement
Many times, just a few tweaks can make a major impact.  There is no need to completely remodel your home or make huge changes.

Like #3    Feng Shui cures can be inexpensive and often free
No huge investment is needed to implement Feng Shui principles.  Often times, I have my clients "shop" around their own home for any needed items. 

Like #4    A Feng Shui consultation can easily be done virtually
Because we’re dealing primarily with the layout of your space, consultations can be easily completed virtually.  I personally offer consultations where we correspond via e-mail, sometimes I’ll ask for photos, and then we finish with a video conference call.

Here we go with the dislikes.  Often its simply confusion and not understanding what exactly this work is, or how it implemented.  

Dislike #1   Feng Shui can stir up the energy, so be prepared for changes that might come unexpectedly
Often, people expect that after a consultation only wonderful things will come their way.  For example, if you’re looking for a new job and we create the energy to acquire that job, its important to know that several shifts can happen.  The uncomfortable part of resigning and leaving your current job comes along with that too.  It's not all just rainbows and unicorns. 

Dislike #2    Feng Shui is often misunderstood
The practice of Feng Shui is not a religion as I sometimes get asked.  The style I practice though does allow me to implement your personal treasures and symbolism from your own interests and religious beliefs if you’d like.

Dislike #3    Feng Shui is expected to be a magic quick cure
Sorry folks, you’re not going to meet the love of your life tomorrow.  Some things work fast, other take a while. I have my clients check in on our work every six weeks for progress.  Typically, in this time some positive changes have happened.  However, I’ve also had clients find results in just days!

Dislike #4    Feng Shui principles can sometimes be confusing
Many of my clients have originally looked into Feng Shui on their own, reading books and websites and generally being confused.  The first question I ALWAYS get is "How in the world do I use a Bagua Map?"  Well, it all depends on the school or sect of Feng Shui that you’re working with.  While different schools or sects have the same goal, they’re sometimes implemented differently.

Have some other questions?  Reach out!  ​Leave a comment below or reach out to me on the Contact Page!