Q&A Sunday: Water-Themed Art in the Bedroom

I read somewhere that paintings of water were bad feng shui. Is this true?

Magalie R., Los Angeles, CA

I have been taught that there are no feng shui issues with having images of water in the bedroom. Actually, I personally have a photograph of water in my bedroom above my bed. I am a water person and love being near and seeing water. It is calming. In four pillars I am yin wood, so water also nourishes me in five element theory.

I have been taught that water elements like fountains and fish aquariums are not ideal in the bedroom. Perhaps this is where the question comes from. The moving water may be too active for some people, and a bedroom is a yin space where we seek out rest and relaxation.

As with most objects in the bedroom, be thoughtful about what the images represent. If you have trouble sleeping, a painting of a rushing river or surfers riding waves might not be so calming. Use your intuition to determine if that piece of art is appropriate for the type of mood you want for your bedroom. A bedroom is there to support and nourish you while you sleep in a passive yin state.

If there is a particular piece of art you are looking to add to your bedroom, please feel free to submit it for Q&A Sunday!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design feng shui cerfication program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. Check us out at www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui and Headboards

What's so important about headboards in feng shui?  And how do I select the best one for my bedroom?

Stephanie S., Jersey City, NJ

Thanks Stephanie!  This is a great question. I find that a lot of people don't have headboards for their beds. Headboards are so important for relationships in feng shui because they represent stability. A solid and sturdy headboard is like a strong backbone for a relationship. They should be attached securely and mechanically to the bed. So a headboard that is attached to the wall and not the bed does not work in this situation.

In selecting the best feng shui headboard, something that’s solid is very important. If possible avoid headboards with bars that can resemble feeling imprisoned. A headboard with many perforations is also not preferred because this can represent holes or insecurity for one or both partners. The most ideal shape is rounded or heart shaped. Since my aesthetics are a bit less traditional, I prefer rectangular headboards.

There is not a huge difference between a solid wood and a soft upholstered headboard, as long as both partners are comfortable with the style. Remember, it’s there to support both of you!

I can say from experience that this feng shui adjustment works. I didn’t have a headboard for years, until I met my husband. Not only did I go get a headboard, I also re-arranged my room so there was space on both sides of the bed.  And we still live happily ever after! 

by Anjie Cho

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Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Create sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Difficult Neighbors

So excited your podcast is back. I'm really enjoying trying to incorporate feng shui into my home. I am wondering if you might be willing to suggest if there is any way to deal with unfriendly, aggressive neighbors? I am starting to feel like I attract them. I'm honest to goodness a normal decent human being/mom with two young kids. I've had to get restraining orders against neighbors and eventually moved to a new home to avoid them. Now, I have new neighbor who is becoming very paranoid and aggressive. I've got a turtle and a frog on the front porch. Would wind chimes help? Appreciate your time and any adjustments that might address neighbors.

Sarah S., Tacoma, WA

Hi Sarah,

Thanks so much for writing in. We’re excited that our podcast is back as well! Thanks for listening!

That’s great that you’re trying to incorporate feng shui into your home. I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve had some run-ins with unfriendly and aggressive neighbors. That’s pretty extreme that you’ve had to have restraining orders against your neighbors and that you’ve had to actually move!

I don’t know if this has happened more than twice, but oftentimes the universe presents us with the same challenges over and over again until we work through them and resolve them. As a general rule, I like to work with issues as they arise rather than pushing them aside, because I know they will come up again. This is not to say that you’re doing this; I’m just speaking in general.

I’m not sure what the turtle or the frog on the front porch does. There are many, many schools of feng shui, and in BTB feng shui I have not learned any adjustments that have to do with putting a turtle or frog on the front porch.

There are some secret BTB feng shui cures you can work with if you work directly with a practitioner, but they’re not adjustments that you share without an exchange of energy and without hiring a consultant. What happens in these secret adjustments is that you transform the harmful people into helpful people. What I can suggest without working with you one-on-one, are ways for you to protect your family while still opening your heart. By doing this, you can transform harmful people into helpful people.

If we look at the feng shui bagua map, you can look at a few areas that may help with the situation. There is the Benefactors area, which relates to helpful people, so you can activate that. You would activate that area in your home, not outside, because you can attract helpful people and transform harmful people into helpful people by becoming a helpful person, and maybe becoming more helpful to your neighbors.

Another area you could address is protection, which you can do by repeating this mantra called Ho’ opono pono:

“I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.”

Ho’ opono pono is practiced in Huna, a spiritual tradition from Hawaii. The idea is that you ask people that are hurting you to forgive you, because everyone in the community is responsible for everybody else. If some wrongdoing happened in a community, everyone in the community would be responsible, not just the person who did the wrongdoing.

Note: There are other secret feng shui adjustments that look at protection. Again, these are shared through one-on-one transmission.

You can also work to heal any karmic ties you may have by performing one good deed a day for 27 days. This will help to heal any karmic baggage that needs some attention at this point.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes. It may be helpful to find a BTB feng shui consultant in your area. Or, if a consultation with a full-fledged consultant is not something you’re interested in, we have students in our Mindful Design program who offer consultations at a reduced rate, and they would be able to share those secret transmissions with you. If you’re interested in a student consultation, please reach out to us at Mindful Design School.

Thank you for your question, and thanks for listening to the podcast!

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish. Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com.

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!