Feng Shui to the Rescue Ezine
June 2018  
An e-magazine to help you rearrange your home, office, and business   
and transform your life with Feng Shui.
STAY CONNECTED:
From My Feng Shui Window

A Month for Gratitude 
Last month's post about the "Language of Flowers" resulted in many positive comments. Thanks to everyone who took the time to write. I've had many discussions with readers and clients about flowers since that post - which resulted in a great opportunity.    
 
Tulip Pair, Martha Brettschneider
I'm often asked to recommend art to use as a "cure" for specific rooms in a home. When I'm working with a client, I look at the art they already own and make suggestions for relocating it. But, when it comes to recommending new art, I'm always looking for images that will activate the energy of specific bagua areas. There's no one image that will work for everyone - but now, I think I've found one that will work for most people. Photographer Martha Brettschneider's photo, Tulip Pair, works perfectly to enhance the Love/Relationship area. I'm happy to announce she's making it available through the Art Gallery section of my Feng Shui store. Click here to read more about why I chose this image, and where to hang it to attract or enhance love and romance. 
 
In previous ezines, I've
written about Martha's garden photography and her book, Blooming into Mindfulness. She started out as my client in Virginia. Then, when she opened up her house to my video crew with a d ay's notice when the client's home I originally planned to use fell through, she became my savior. Martha is also an eloquent author who chronicles "how the universe used a garden, cancer, and carpools to teach me th at calm is the new happy." She included an entire chapter about her exploration of Feng Shu - in person with me and long distance with my colleague Bridget Saraka in Canada. It's such a treat to be a part of Martha's journey, and I'm excited that she's given me the opportunity to showcase her photography.
 
And while I'm expressing gratitude this month, I want to thank everyone who registered for the Modern Coping Skills for Women workshop. We sold out so quickly that we added more seats, and now we're at capacity! If you want to get on the wait list, please email me today. The workshop is about finding new ways to reduce stress, so this month's seasonal post is about the color green, the Wood Element color that does just that. Green represents growth, health, and expansion. The more you connect to the living world by bringing the color green inside, the more you can achieve balance and balance.
 
Happy June and happy reading! 
   

Carol M. Olmstead, FSIA
Feng Shui Master Practitioner
Feng Shui For All Seasons

Feng Shui Tip for June: Go Green For Summer 
Summer doesn't officially arrive until later this month, but everything i
s a lready feeling lush and green. Green is the color of the Feng Shui Wood Element that encourages creativity, growth, health, and expansion. The most obvious way to activate this Element and its attributes is by dis playing living plants around your home and workplace. You can also unlock the power of the Wood Element by using the color green as an accent in your rooms, wearing green clothes and accessories, or surrounding yourself with objects in its shape (rectangular) and composition (wooden objects and plants).
 
Adding the color green to your indoor environment helps you get in touch with the natural world. Like the plants that the color represents, the color feels alive and fresh. Adding green can help you jumpstart a project. You can wear some green when you're taking classes and learning new skills, or anytime you need an extra boost of energy. Wearing green can also help restore mental equilibrium and reduce stress and tension. But, it's good to avoid wearing too much green when you're restless, because it's such a stimulating color.
 
Green is a nourishing color that's good for living rooms and family rooms. Pick the shade of green based on how you need the room to feel. For example, sea foam green is soothing, lime green is playful, moss green seems natural, and Kelly green feels fresh. 
 
Try these six simple ways of going "Feng Shui green" to improve your overall well-being:
  1. If you want to encourage family harmony, add green accents like pillows and throws to your family room.
  2. If you want to find a new job, place a beautiful green box on your desk and put a positive affirmation inside.
  3. If you need to feel energized on a cloudy day, wear a green tie or scarf, clothes made from cotton, or floral patterns.
  4. If your household is prone to family arguments at dinner, set the table with green napkins to promote harmony.
  5. If you're surrounded by a lot of electronics, place a plant within 3 feet of your equipment to balance any negative energy, especially in a home office or home theater.
  6. If you feel blocked, place a bushy green plant on your desk or prominently in your workspace to get your creative juices flowing.
 
Clutter Clinic
 
Backpack Red
End of School Year Clutter Clearing   
If your kids aren't already out of school, they probably have only a few more weeks to go. Remember how hectic it was at the end of summer when you had to get them ready to go back? With a little clutter clearing in June, you can wrap up this school year and be prepared for the next one at the same time. Try these tips from Unclutterer.
For Younger Kids:  
  • If your student attends a school that requires a uniform, make sure the pieces are cleaned and stored away for the summer. If you expect your child will outgrow any of the components before next term, check to see if your school accepts donations of gently-used pieces.
  • Help your children clean out backpacks and pencil cases, then get rid of anything that's too used-up to be re-purposed for next year.
  • Sort through all of the artwork and papers from the year and keep a few of the best. Take photos of the rest to store digitally.
  • Remove everything school-related from the fridge door to make room for summer activities to take their place.
 
For Older Kids:
  • Ask high school students to sort through papers and materials and get rid of anything they won't reuse or need for the next school year.
  • For college students, suggest they sell textbooks through the campus store or online before they return home. Find an out-of-the-way location at home for those reference books they do plan to bring back and keep.
 
For Teachers:
  • Take a photo of how each area of your room is set up so you'll have a reference when you set it up again next year. 
  • Decided whether to donate, trash, or hand-off to another teacher anything you know you won't use next year.
  • It's heartwarming to receive gifts from students and families, but if you're a veteran teacher they do accumulate. Come up with a plan for deciding which gifts you're going to keep, which you'll donate, and which you'll re-gift. (It's OK - I give you my "Feng Shui permission" to pass along these gifts, rather than letting them accumulate.)
Read more.
Success Story
 
Here's another success story from my forthcoming book, Feng Shui to the Rescue.
 
Bonnie Repairs Her Broken Marriage
A friend gave Bonnie a copy of my book as a gift, and she was shocked to realize she was living in a home missing the Love/Relationship Area. She told me she felt her marriage had been broken since they moved into this house. The major correction I made was to recommend anchoring the m issing Love Area to bring it back into the home. She placed two bright red ceramic planters in the appropriate spot to make the correction, and grew lovely red and purple flowers in the pots during the warm months. A few years later, Bonnie called me for a return visit because she and her husband were arguing again. Bonnie said it felt like something was once again broken in their relationship. The first thing we did was go outside to check whether their Love Area correction was still in place. I found that one of the pots had cracked from repeated freezing and thawing over several winters.
 
Here's what Bonnie wrote:
SuccessStory
I'm still amazed by the symbolism of the cracked pot and the broken feeling in our relationship, and how you reminded us that Feng Shui cures need to be che c ked and renewed periodically. The message was clear. Both of those pots are gone now, and my husband replaced them with a pair of beautiful stone carvings to more permanently anchor the missing bagua area and symbolically ground our relationship. Thin gs are peaceful for us again! Thank you for the remind er that cures do wear out. We plan to check all of our corrections at the end of each year, and will make adjustments so we can start each new year with a balanced home. 
 
 
Ask the Feng Shui Maven
Questions
 
Q: Is it OK to save the dried flowers and ribbons from my wedding bouquet? I keep the bouquet on my dresser, but we've been married for 5 years and the flowers are really starting to crumble and make a mess.
A: I often hear from women who want to hold on to their dried wedding bouquets or dried rose from their first love. I'm as sentimental as anyone, but dried flowers are considered negative energy in Feng Shui, especially when they become unattractive. If your wedding bouquet is crumbling, it's turning into negative chi. An alternative is to save the bouquet ribbons in a scrapbook or keepsake box, and let go of what's left of the flowers.   You'll encourage growth in your marriage by displaying living flowers or plants on your dresser instead of a dried bouquet.

Q: I am avoiding doing some needed household repairs because I don't want to spend the money to hire someone, and I never find the time to do them myself. I have heard that this can bring bad Feng Shui luck.
 
A: In Feng Shui, things that don't work right in your home are equivalent to things that don't work right in your life. Leaking plumbing represents the loss of abundance, creaking doors represent the lack of smooth progress in your life, burned out bulbs represent blocks in your life. It may help to consider this expense as an investment in a balanced life rather than just a cost. If you don't have time to do the repairs yourself and you don't want to hire a repair service, try bartering for the services with a neighbor, colleague, or friend.  
 
Q: Do you have any recommendations for quick action in attracting a desired job. I'm about to finish graduate school. I ordered your book.
 
A: Take a look at what images, furniture, and objects you have in the rooms that occupy the Future, Knowledge, and Helpful People Areas for your home. Make sure everything is future-oriented, and represents where you want to be going with your career. Remove anything that's broken, dirty, damaged, negative, or relates to the past. If there's a specific company or industry you want to work for, display images that specifically relate to it in your Future Area. Thanks for buying my book - Chapter 6 has information about activating each bagua area to reach your goals. Good luck with your job hunt!   
 
Feng Shui Consulting

Home, Office & Business Consulting

Find out how my Feng Shui consultations can help you rearrange your space, shift energy, an d transform your life. I offer on-site consulting for home or office and business. My off-site consulting options include phone and Skype consultations, floor plan analysis, and the popular Room Rescue, designed for one room of you r home or a single office.

All sessions include 30 days of free Feng Shui coaching by phone and email to help you continue to make changes and move forward.

People Are Talking About Carol's Feng Shui Consultations:
I followed your suggestions and cleared out everything that didn't remind me of success. Thank you for helping me to enjoy going to work again and for helping me to triple my income. --JP

Yesterday, a person came who worked for me a couple of years ago. When she walked in, she said, "Your house feels so good. It always was lovely, but it feels even better now." How about that? I have only started to make the Feng Shui changes you recommended during the consultation and already everything feels so much better! --SD

Just wanted you to know the open house at my store was a huge success with the help of the changes you suggested at our consultation. Thanks again for all of your help. --JW
 
Feng Shui Workshops
 
SOLD OUT -- THANK YOU!
Click here for the wait list.
   
Modern Coping Skills for Women
Using art, personal energy, and Feng Shui to find inner calm in a chaotic world.
 
LOOKING FOR CALM IN A CHAOTIC WORLD? THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU!   

Saturday, June 30, 2018 
9:15am - 3:00pm,
Sunrise Springs Wellness Spa
Santa Fe, NM.

Feng Shui Master Practitioner Carol Olmstead and Clinical Mental Health Counselor Nancy Olson will help you distance yourself from negativity, clear mental clutter, and achieve inner peace - all in a beautiful, healing setting. The workshop includes an opportunity
for gourmet lunch at the Blue Heron Restaurant and spa appointments.
Discount hotel reservations are available. 
 
Your will learn how to: 
... Identify your own "energy vampires" 
... Distance yourself from negativity 
... Reinvigorate your coping skills 
... Use the support of friends & community 
... Experience art as healing 
... Create a Feng Shui home sanctuary
... Enjoy the power of place as relaxation 
... Thrive despite troubled times 
... Develop a positive world view 
... Find guilt-free self-care strategies
Quick Guide Cover
Feng Shui Media
Books, Videos, Classes, Podcasts 
 
Feng Shui Quick Guide For Home and Office: Secrets For Attracting Wealth, Harmony, and Love
Winner, "Best How-To Book"
This award-winning book contains my best Feng Shui advice in one place, including Feng Shui basics, success stories, a monthly guide to clutter clearing, and a tip-a-day calendar of 366 Feng Shui secrets. Available in print and electronic editions.
Order your signed copies.  

People Are Talking About Carol's Book: 
Thank you for writing such a brilliant book. I have just finished reading it and thoroughly enjoyed every page. I am very much looking forward to trying out your tips. Although I am also a Feng Shui practitioner, I love that there is always more to learn and tips that I haven't seen or learned before. I will definitely recommend your book to my clients! --PG
 
It's the first time in years that I carry a book with me just in case I can read another page or two at a stoplight or wherever! When I read it at home, I read a bit and then start scouting for places in our little loft that I can declutter! --SE
 
Your book is my bible! I finished your amazing book and constantly refer to it. Currently I am listening to your video class, which I find extremely informative. --TN 
Video Class - Grow Your Business with Feng Shui

My 90-minute, self-paced course includes tips for activating the Career/Work bagua area, along with simple changes you can make in your home that will advance your career or business. You'll learn six amazing tips that will help you create a space that supports you and your business. Watch as I use Feng Shui principles to conduct a hands-on transformation of a client's workplace and create a dynamic home office that opens the door to success.
Watch the class preview.

Peop
le Are Talking About Carol's Videos & Podcasts: 
Carol, you're a rock star! I loved listening to the
podcast of your interview with "Law of Attraction Talk Radio with Jewels," so I took your class. You continue to be an inspiration to me and have forever changed the way I arrange each home I've lived in since I first heard you speak in 2012. Keep up the good work! --GO

I took your class and watched several of your videos. Excellent! You have an absolute warm and welcoming approach. No wonder you are so successful. --CW  
 
This video class is nothing short of a delicious treat for your career. I loved it! Great practical pieces of advice. Well-taught in a fun, inspiring way. --RW 
 
Beyond Feng Shui
 
How to Avoid Getting Sick from a Plane
airplane-illustration.jpg
Here's some good news for your summer vacation plans: a new study shows you're not likely to catch the flu from your flight. But (isn't there always a but?) the researchers say a lot depends on who's sitting near you, what you touch, whether you use the lavatory, and how carefully you wash your hands.
 
The research team took five round-trip flights from Atlanta to West Coast cities, some during the flu season, and recorded movements of 1,540 passengers and 41 crew members. They found that 38% of people never left their seats and 38% got up just once. The rest left two or more times. Only 43% of people sitting by the window got up, but 62% of middle seat occupants and 80% of those on the aisle got up at least once. Only one-third of passengers used the lavatories even once, and half never used them at all. 
 
The researchers found that 84% of passengers had close contact with someone beyond a one-meter radius of their own seat - either other passengers or the crew. How much contact passengers had with their fellow travelers varied by seat position: those seated at the aisle averaged 64 contacts, the middle seat 58, and the window only 12. People sitting in the middle of the cabin had more contacts than those sitting in the front or back.
 
Estimating one meter as the distance required for transmission of the flu virus, the researchers constructed simulated flights based on two situations: a person with the flu sitting in seat 14C (an aisle seat near the cabin middle) and a flight with an infected crew member. They calculated that the 14 people sitting closest to 14C - in the same row and one row in front and behind on either side of the aisle - had the highest likelihood of being infected. Throughout the plane, people sitting in aisle seats are more at risk. But, the risk declines quickly with distance - a person sitting in the window seat in row 16 has almost zero likelihood of catching anything from 14C, barring some kind of direct contact. Regarding contract with sick crew members, the researchers say it would be even less likely to be infected by them because they are less likely to come to work when they are sick.
 
According to the researchers, it's clear that if you're seated more than a meter away from an infected passenger and you're careful with hand hygiene, you're unlikely to get infected with the flu.
 
Also, the team collected samples from airplane surfaces before and after passengers boarded, and found that airplanes are pretty clean. Of 229 samples collected, not a single one showed any evidence of any of 18 common respiratory viruses.
 
Sounds to me that while you might get sick of being on a plane, it's not as likely as you thought that you'll get sick from it.
 
F Y I
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Schedule a Space Clearing or House Blessing.
Carol Olmstead is an Ordained Minister specializing in Feng Shui house blessing ceremonies and space clearing. Call 1.800.652.9038 or e-mail Carol Olmstead for details.

Schedule a Consultation or Workshop.
If you would like to set up a home, office, or business consultation, or schedule a customized workshop, contact:
Carol M. Olmstead, FSIA
Feng Shui Master Practitioner
Call 1.800.652.9038 or
 
IFSG
Carol M. Olmstead, FSIA,
was certified by the Feng Shui Institute of America and earned Red Ribbon Professional Status from the International Feng Shui Guild.

Feng Shui for Real Life, LLC, and the Feng Shui To The Rescue newsletter serve as a reference and guide for the principles of Feng Shui and as such bear no responsibility for results that a client or reader experiences. Individual results may vary based on the client's participation and intent.

©2018, Carol M. Olmstead

Carol M. Olmstead, FSIA  
Feng Shui For Real Life, LLC