This Week on Instagram

feng shui in the bedroom with the five elements - water (image), wood (plant), metal (white walls, earth (brown furniture), fire (LED lamp) 

#41. do not wear shoes as a hat. #ChogyamTrungpa #lojong #shambhala

what's your vedic numerology?!? mine is #3, Jupiter. look at holisticspaces.com #vedicsquare#sacredgeometry #numerology

happy #mantraMonday. today DURGA yantra, for rebirth. Mantra: Om Hring Dung Durgaye Namah Om. Durga is a Hindu goddess, a symbol of the divine mother. In Sanskrit, Durga means “invincible”, as she also destroys evil and transforms it into harmony and balance in the world. This is a powerful yantra because it can create destruction, but for the sake of universal harmony. You may need to let things go before you can welcome the new. The overlapping triangles also invoke fire energy. Fiery passion is required to destroy and bring forth new beginnings. This Durga yantra mandala is the symbol in the Holistic Spaces logo because we seek to establish balance in your spaces. #mantra #yantra#mandala #healing #vedic #holisticspaces

dont you just love this kitchen?!?#beforeafter gut renovation where we opened up the kitchen to the living room

A cute little model we just did to do paint color studies #3dmodel #interiors#architecture #rhino

Question of the Month: How to Store Divorce Papers

My question concerns the storage of toxic papers and files from my divorce. Which bagua area is the best place to store this material?  Which file/container colours are best to use?  And is there a yantra to balance the bad vibrations emitted by these documents?

Giuliana G., Lille, France

First of all, I’m so sorry to hear about this difficult time in your life.  But life presents challenges as opportunities for growth.  I hope you can use this knowledge to ease the process.

From a feng shui perspective, I suggest the “Completion” area of the feng shui bagua map as the best place to store the divorce files.  See the image above and lay this Bagua map on a floor plan of your office or your entire home (not the bedroom!).  Align the bottom of the map with the entrance wall of your office or entire home, then determine where the white “Completion” area occurs.  Placing the divorce papers in the “Completion” area signifies that you are ready to complete and be done with that chapter in your life. 

As for the container in which you store these documents, red is a very auspicious and protective color in feng shui.  It doesn’t matter so much the color of the filing folders, as long as the box is red.  On the surface of the container, it may be advantageous to place a yantra.  Lucky for you I was at a yantra workshop this weekend and discussed with my teacher Mavis Gewant.  She suggested Durga for protection, Kali if you want to purge things you no longer need (but beware, Kali may also remove things you want to keep), Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles, or Bagla Mukhi, who power over enemies.  Bagla Mukhi paralyzes the tongues of your adversaries.

by Anjie Cho

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Thanks for reading our “Question of the Month”.  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers.  Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions! 

Note:  To locate the Path in Life or Abundance areas of your home, please refer to the Feng Shui Bagua Map above   New blog post to come soon discussing the Feng Shui Bagua Map!

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Yantras as Feng Shui Adjustments

Almost 9 years ago, I started my spiritual journey.  At that time I started taking yoga and meditation classes.  During one of those classes, I was introduced to the yantra.  Since then, it's been the most personal and meaningful form of meditation practice for me.  

On the right is the first yantra I encountered. This yantra is called the the Chinnamasta yantra.  Chinnamasta is a Hindu goddess who chopped off her head.  I later found out it was quite appropriate to be drawn to this particular yantra, not because I wanted to chop off my head, but because this form of meditation practice truly resonated with me.  The act of cutting off one’s head actually represents cutting off your five senses so as to attune your intuition (your sixth sense) and reaching enlightenment.

While creating a yantra, I can truly sit still and concentrate.  Everything falls away and time disappears.

CHINNAMASTA YANTRA

TARA YANTRA

So, what is a yantra?

Yantra is a Sanskrit word, yam  “means supporting or holding the essence of an object or concept…[and tra means] liberation from bondage.”[1]  Yantra is a tool for centering and meditation.  “As a tool, yantra meditation is used to withdraw consciousness from the outer world, so as to help the student go beyond the normal framework of mind.”[2] 

A yantra is a physical manifestation of a mantra from Vedic tradition. They are a type of prescribed mandala because the colors, shapes, and proportions have been pre-determined.  Each yantra always consists of the same colors, even closely matching the tone and shade of each color is significant.  For Instance, just above is the Tara yantra.  Tara yantras always look the same.  The design around the yantra is my own, but the actual yantra requires no artistic decision-making.In the process of creating a yantra, you start at the center, and then expand to draw a circle.  Then you draw clockwise, from the outside in, until you reach the center again.  You chant the associated mantra as you circumbulate the yantra.  The movement and chanting is a clockwise tightening to build a powerful talisman.

You can see that yantras use a balance of shapes and colors, so they form balanced and harmonious chi.  They have all have the bhupur, the circle, and the shapes and colors of at least a couple different elements.  Also, as I just explained, when a yantra is created it is imbued with the intention and energy of the mantra, and the deity and energy that has been prescribed to it.  The following are three examples.

G A N E S H A    Y A N T R A

My yantra teachers have taught me to always start with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.  Ganesha is the god that represents the beginning of things.  The associated mantra is:

Om gang ganapataye namaha

The colors and shapes represent the wood production cycle.  We start with the green wood, then red fire, and then the center with the yellow earth.  Because Ganesha is ideal when starting new things, I relate this yantra to the Zhen/New beginnings gua (area of the Bagua, the Feng Shui Map), and the element of wood. 

Ganesha also had his head cut off by his father Shiva, while protecting his mother Parvati.  Similar to Chinnamasta, Ganesha became enlightened when his head was cut off, and he was able to see that he was the same as his mother and father.  Therefore resolving family issues.  Which again brings us back to Zhen. 

As a feng shui adjustment, the Ganesha yantra may be placed in the Zhen area of your home, office or bedroom for assistance in starting new endeavors or family issues. 

The Venus yantra was the first yantra that I painted.  The associated mantra is:

Om Shum Shukraya Namah

In Hindu, the planet Venus is feminine, having to do with relationships, love and higher love.  Venus is considered a beneficent planet and associated with the reproductive organs.  The cascading squares looks like they’re sinking, falling, it’s very womb-like.  The pale yin colors, delicate pink lotus petals and square earth shapes suggest the Kun/Relationships gua and the element of earth. The pale blue of wood and the gold and silver colors of metal offer the two elements that deplete earth.  So this yantra may harmonize an excess of earth.

V E N U S    Y A N T R A

As a feng shui adjustment, the Venus yantra may be placed in the your bedroom, since that’s the room that’s closest to you, to assist with relationships as well as self-love and self-nourishment.

M A R S    Y A N T R A

The Mars yantra depicts deep reds and pinks, with many triangles.  The associated mantra is:

Om Bhaum Bhaumaye Namah Om

Mars is a planet that is associated with masculinity, anger and war.  It’s also a planet related to instability such as of fire.  The reds and triangles are also related to fire energy and the Li/Recognition gua of the bagua.  The central upward pointed triangle represents growth, as do the more dominant red interior triangles. This suggests that an excess of fire may be transformed into a more positive and productive direction.

As a Feng Shui adjustment, the Mars yantra may be place in the Li area of your home, bedroom or office for assistance with passion.  This yantra may adjust lack of passion and fame by adding fire.  But it can also balance excessive fire, because the upward pointing triangle suggests growth in a positive direction

[1] http://www.sanatansociety.org/yoga_and_meditation/yantra_meditation.htm 
[2] http://www.sanatansociety.org/yoga_and_meditation/yantra_meditation.htm

note:  the images I've shared here are all yantras that I've made myself.  

by Anjie Cho

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