Feng Shui Journal from a Decorator’s Point Of View Part One: “The Love Stones”

I am not here to challenge the ancient art of Feng Shui; Believe me, I am merely attempting to correct my Chi without compromising my decorating sense and I am inviting you along on a journey that I have never taken before. This is my journal…

As I am opening my first Feng Shui book, looking for some guidelines I could apply from this mysterious art in my own home, I quickly realized that if I did what was asked of me, my home would look like a Chinese restaurant! I hit my brakes of course and pondered confidently as I would any decorating challenge; How on heaven and earth am I going to use chimes and crystals and mirrors and love the results, oh my?

Feng Shui is a serious business and I respect that, but what it tells me to do just “tickles” my funny bone.

Chinese Buffet vs. Ritz Carlton!

Question to the Ba-gua – how do I use Feng Shui to turn up the thermostat in my bedroom?

Answer from the Ba-gua - you can find your Love in the South West Sector of your home.

Problem - My home faces north and according to the Ba-gua this puts the southwestern love and sex sector right smack dab in the middle of my kitchen table.  What? That’s interesting!  “What is my family going to think?” My next thought was “Ah that's why they love my cooking…it’s sexy!”

Feng Shui tells me that I may have some problems if my kitchen is in the southwest sector of my home…ya think? My goal is to work on my bedroom first so to make a long story longer, I will leave this path of aligning my kitchen’s Chi and find out what to do with my bedroom…

Feng Shui Solution: I now head to the information regarding the South East Sector of the Ba-gua where my bedroom lies and what do I find in that sector?

• Money
• Great people
• Having it all

Who knew? Maybe some red velvet draperies with fringed lamp shades, dim lighting, soft music, and my money issues will be solved!

With that not an option (although it does explain a lot) I need to continue the search for the answer to my initial quest.

Ah, here is something…crystals can cure anything that ails you no matter where your bedroom is. Feng Shui says “love and relationships are ruled by earth so if I toss some precious stones in the southeastern corner of my southeastern bedroom then they will raise my vibration”. (Footnote: you can also wear stones on you to dispel any problems you are having in your relationships. Are you supposed to throw them I wonder?) I am reading along and now I see the stones have different purposes. I can’t believe what I am reading! I just have to list them here for you because you won’t believe it either! (I apologize to all Feng Shui Practitioners but it is funny)

• Sapphire – helps you resist violence and lust, hmmm.
• Yellow Topaz – helps you release drunken or abusive partners, hmmm, whose left?
• Rose Quartz – promotes a sense of self-appreciation and self love, improves your mood and enhances your feelings of joy. Hmmm, what are they trying to tell me?
• Diamond – helps you perceive beyond surface appearance and understand the truth about another person. (Where are they going with all of this?)
• Emerald – helps you learn lessons so you don’t repeat mistakes in your love life.
• Ruby – helps to dispel feelings of discouragement and self-doubt. This is the stone to wear if you are drowning in self-pity. (things aren’t exactly looking up)
• Amethyst – helps you let go of past hurts and relationships (will it make him leave?)

You know, I am just going to have to trust that this will all lead to Great Love in the bedroom so I am going to go for it. Since I do not have gemstones laying around that I can gather up and throw into the love corner (my housekeeper would think I was off my rocker) the decorator in me is going to figure out how to take a vase and create a mosaic masterpiece out of the alternative faux stones (semi-precious) like; agate, aquamarine, carnelian, garnet, lapis, jade, moonstone, onyx, opal, pearl, quartz, and crystals…all of which I have in my jewelry box and my little girls toy box.

The excitement is building and I am ready for the challenge. I am taking my first real step to decorate with Feng Shui! (This could take years at this pace) I’m off to make my love pot.

Next day: Voila! I came up with a Feng Shui concept that I can live with...I love it.

I used several stones on the list and placed them in a glass vase and until I read further, I threw in some luck with a Lucky Bamboo plant and a ceramic blue fish. You won’t see this in a Chinese restaurant!

So the final analysis here is: If your bedroom is anywhere besides the southwest sectors of your house (per compass) then try doing something like this in your southeast corner of your bedroom. It is too soon to tell if this is really going to work and I am sure it is going to take much more effort than some rocks in a vase but it's a good start.

Part 2 will address what to do when other rooms are located in the Love sector of the house and the next step on what I can do next to attract love and romance in a bedroom located in the darn money sector.

I have written about Feng Shui before in one of my newsletters if you are interested in how to upgrade some other suggestions I found interesting.

Footnote: You may not think that this post has anything to do with real estate but in fact, it really does. If employing Feng Shui principles to create a more desired lifestyle where I am living now does not work, I will be looking for a really good real estate agent!