A few weeks ago a friend and I met for lunch. She is a marketing and PR expert who happens to have a huge love for all things decorating and design. As we played catch-up she blurted out in the middle of our conversation, so what the heck is this fung shcmay you keep writing about?

It was then that I realized that despite writing about feng shui on my blog for the past five years, not everyone was paying attention, including those nearest and dearest to me. I thought everyone already knew the basics and what I was writing was simply common knowledge, however, just because I am an expert and know these things, doesn’t mean everyone else does. Not only do I write for the local paper, but I write for this blog, have a newsletter and teach classes at the local library. I just assumed that at this point everyone was an expert in this topic too! What a great lesson.

So let’s take it from the top.

Feng shui utilizes a tool known as the Bagua Map (pronounced bag-wah.) The map is divided into 9 sectors that relate to big things in our lives, known as individual guas. These guas not only reference areas of our lives, but are also associated with parts of our body, colors, elements and numbers. So it’s no surprise that feng shui ties in closely with numerology.

The goal is to super impose the bagua map over the footprint of your home. If you don’t have blueprints you can simply sketch your home out to get an idea of what falls where.

It is my belief that the condition of a particular gua in a person’s home or office can reveal a great deal about them and their psychological state. For instance, I worked with a gal named Carrie last year who thought she needed to redecorate her guest bedroom. Might I mention it had already been professionally decorated. She was fidgety and filled with anxiety. After walking through the rest of her home I asked her how her love life was and she said she didn’t have one. I knew this simply because the relationship gua in her home was a disaster.

Now whether you choose to believe in the art of the feng shui philosophy or not is besides the point. What it really comes down to is one thing: FOCUS. Our inner worlds and our outer worlds are grossly connected. Our physical environments are influenced by our emotional states and vice versus. The whole idea of doing a “spring cleaning” is essentially doing feng shui. It helps you release those mental and emotional blocks subconsciously, ultimately improving your physical connection with your home.

Practicing feng shui attunes you to the subtle energies and vibrations around you. The goal of the bagua map is to help you form a connection between your inner self and the outer world. The bagua map can be looked at as a feng shui blueprint to you and your home that helps you get clear on your intentions.

Some homes feel like a warm hug that you never want to leave, others feel so heavy they hit you in the gut and all you want to do is run. This is your subconscious telling you whether something is good or bad. Therefore, you’ll want to start paying attention to how you feel when you enter a space, because your intuition is rarely wrong.

Below I’ve included a Bagua Map. Print it out and super impose it over your home. Sit for a minute and think about what it is you really want. Are you looking to boost your career, wanting a relationship, sell your home, or maybe add more travel in your life? Find out where your intention falls in your home layout and start adding elements that drive that intention forward. For example, if you are wanting to add more travel in your life you will focus on the front right corner of your home. Add pictures of places you would like to go, maps, and helpful people that can make it happen. Why does it work? It really comes down to one thing: FOCUS. Try it out, you’ll be amazed at your results!

Do you practice conscious living? If not what are some of the most challenging aspects to grasp when it comes to your own home?