There’s more to Feng Shui than moving furniture and hanging wind chimes. Feng Shui is often described as both an art and a science. Certain results can be expected when specific actions are taken – that’s the science. The art is incorporated in matching those actions, and the objects they utilize, with the underlying energetic understanding behind the science. This is magnified by adding our intention.
Intention
There has been an explosion in both the understanding and conscious use of the power of intention in the past twenty years. Wayne Dyer and Abraham Hicks are two influential teachers that opened my mind to this vital skill. My personal study and practice of setting intention has produced consistent and meaningful results. That’s why I share this step as part of the Feng Shui process.
Our thoughts are powerful. The power of intention is an integral part of our ability to achieve our goals. Intention is behind all that we accomplish, good or not so good. Applying conscious intention to our Feng Shui adjustments will enhance their effectiveness.
Intention and Our Environment
In Feng Shui we say, “As within so without, as without, so within.” This speaks to the idea that the energy of our home is an expression of ourselves. It holds all of our hopes, dreams, fears and ideas.
We use Feng Shui to both discern why some situations may not be what we want as well as to forecast what the present arrangement of your space may generate for you in the future. Many of my posts explain various scenarios and the Feng Shui adjustments that can be made to shift the energy to produce positive change in your life. You can take the suggestions that apply most to your particular circumstances and use the Feng Shui advice in your own home.
When your Feng Shui adjustments are made, the environment is consciously altered and can then begin to shift. This allows new energy and situations to emerge that support the intended goals. The change on the outside can serve to change us on the inside.
Clarify Your Intention
Remember the saying, “Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it!” It is essential to get very clear on your intention. You need to determine what is most important to you for a particular situation.
If you are uncertain on how to get clear on what you want – make a wish list then choose one item that seems most desirable. Prioritize the changes you want. Focus is key as trying to do too much at first may scatter your energy.
I leave each of my clients with a priority list of five or six Feng Shui adjustments they can do first to create powerful and meaningful change most quickly. What would be on your list? Answer these questions to give you some direction.
- Do you want to accomplish a specific goal?
- Is there one nagging situation that you would like to rectify?
- Are there specific projects you have slated for completion that could run more smoothly or be enhanced with a bit of Feng Shui?
Answers to any of these questions can define an intention. If you haven’t determined the Feng Shui behind your intention and would like additional support to craft the Feng Shui adjustments or enhancements I can help. Contact me and we can set up a telephone consultation. If it’s a quick question or clarification you need guidance on, leave a comment below, and I’d be happy to answer your questions.
The Empowerment Process
Once you have determined your intention and the Feng Shui you will use, the Feng Shui adjustments are most powerful when you make an emotional commitment to the process. Do you believe adding a plant to your Wealth and Prosperity corner will help your bottom line? It’s OK if you or someone in your household isn’t a firm believer. In Feng Shui we expect that thoughtful, conscious adjustments will yield positive results.
However, and this is the big point here, when your focused intention is added to your physical action – when you add the other side of the energetic spectrum – energy is activated on the esoteric level and your results can expand.
Let’s take the example of wanting to generate additional funds to go on a vacation. After reading my post on The Feng Shui Bagua for Wealth and Prosperity, you decide to incorporate the Feng Shui adjustment of adding a healthy, live plant to the back, left corner of your living room.
You can simply place the plant on a table or supercharge your enhancement by consciously adding an intention to the process. Follow the steps below to lead you through the process.
Step One: The Physical Feng Shui Adjustment
Transfer your “wish” or intention into something concrete – the Feng Shui adjustment. Adjustments do not need to be elaborate. Placing a crystal, cleaning out one drawer or hanging a picture are sufficient. Try to use items that you already have and love for the adjustments. You don’t necessarily have to go out and get more stuff.
When placing the adjustment, concentrate on why you are making the changes and what you are trying to achieve. In this case, you are intending to generate additional funds for a cruise vacation.
Once the adjustment is complete, let go of the outcome. Trust. When you see, clean, use or maintain the items that were used, you will continue to call new Ch’i (vital energy) to your intention. Whenever you see the object or area adjusted, it should trigger, in your mind, the future you are welcoming.
Setting an intention in this way requires faith. You can’t dictate the details of the outcome. It’s best to detach and trust in Nature and the Universe that you will be given your original intention or something better.
Step Two: The Affirmation
Immediately after placing the adjustment, clearly state your intended results. You may say it out loud or write the affirmation down and place it under or near the adjustment. The affirmation should be in the present tense, stated “as if” the desired result has already occurred. For example, “By June 1 I generate all the funds I need for my dream vacation .”
Words are filled with power to change your future. You may repeat the affirmation (or improve upon it as you work with it) every time you see the adjustment, at a scheduled regular time each day, while riding in your car or whenever the urge strikes you. It is ideal to work with the affirmation until you “feel” that it is true. When that feeling is achieved, it signals that the Ch’i is shifting and new energies are coming into your life.
Step Three: The Visualization
After stating your intention with the affirmation, see an image of the situation you wish to achieve. A simple, single image is fine. For example, envision yourself in the location doing the activities you plan for that dream vacation. Imagine that you are on the cruise ship’s upper deck with a cold drink in hand, feeling rested and relaxed.
If you sense any type of resistance in your body or thought patterns, continue to work with the image each day until it evolves to a scene that evokes satisfaction and self-assurance. If you are new to these techniques you may need to practice, but it is the focus on the intention, and the repetition, that helps to bring its energy into your life.
Step Four: Closing
Signal to the Universe that you have firmly expressed your intent and would like to release the situation for the highest and best good of all involved. You may wish to add, “So let it be” or simply, “Thank You” to your closing.
Recognizing Results
As stated above, in Feng Shui we expect to see results when adjustments are made with conscious intention. Results don’t always come in the way we think. Maybe with your intention for a dream cruise vacation you are invited to a friend’s beachfront cottage for a week which allows you to save more money for a better cruise later. It is important to be open to the myriad of possibilities.
If you are not seeing any noticeable results within a few weeks of the adjustments, take another look at the bigger picture. Is your intention clear?
For example, if you’re a bit afraid of getting seasick during the cruise, your apprehension may be steering your intention to other outcomes. Look at the visualization you have made for the situation and continue to work with it until you can feel the changes you want to happen.
My book, I Hold the Power of Peace, is a 48 page guide which includes a detailed, step-by-step formula for developing your intention. Intention is an ability that we use every day. Developing the skill to utilize the power of intention can change your life forever.
Your Personal Paradise
Your home and environment is there to support you in all that you do. In Feng Shui, it is your job to be clear on your intent and arrange this environment so that it is supporting you on your highest and best path. Then, this knowledge and practice of Feng Shui can assist you in creating a “Heaven on Earth” in your home or workplace. Intending to live in your personal paradise can send heavenly blessings to not only you and your family but those in the world around you as well.
What insights have you gotten about intention? How will you use them in your home and life? Have you identified any intentions for yourself? We can expand our understanding together so please share any comments below.
Have fun,
Carol
Good morning…I have been reading up on Feng Shui, and my question is, are you supposed to have plants in your bedroom and bathroom? I have read yes and no in both rooms.
Oh Terry, you have asked a question that describes how tricky it is to make blanket statements about Feng Shui. First of all, during my Feng Shui training I was taught, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In the bedroom, if you are sleeping soundly and waking rested, I would encourage you to continue with what you are doing. Next, Feng Shui is about Ch’i energy and how that energy interacts and either supports or depletes each individual. There in lies the challenge, as each individual has their own specific needs. That is when we should observe our environment, feel what areas are most desirable to us and which are not, and make changes (using basic Feng Shui principles) when we are not totally in love with some part of our surroundings. I’d also take a look at which Bagua areas these rooms are in and evaluate whether our life is running well in that area. If we have a jungle of plants in a bathroom in the Wealth and Prosperity gua and the our finances are in a jumble, perhaps the plants should be thinned out a bit! Does this help?