Feng Shui to the Rescue Newsletter
Helping you attract wealth, harmony, love,
and much more.
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September 2021
The Newsletter Is Back!
I guess you've figured out that the "Feng Shui to the Rescue" newsletter has been on a long hiatus. Thank you to those readers who checked in to make sure I was well. Yes, I'm fine! I've just been preoccupied with two changes in my Feng Shui practice. The newsletter kept getting put on the back burner. And, I wanted to make sure that I could bring fresh ideas when I relaunched.
First, around the one-year point in the pandemic, I began getting requests from companies to customize webinars for their team members working from home. I kept hearing variations of the same story: employees were getting tired of being at home, boredom was setting in, and productivity was down. Then, as more people got vaccinated and companies planned to reopen, this morphed into requests for webinars for a hybrid workplace where team members were in various arrangements of coming back to work full or part time. It took time to transform my Feng Shui for the Workplace in-person workshops into Work-From-Home webinars, but I enjoyed doing it. And I loved delivering the actual sessions. Plus, now I have new materials to share to help more people as we transition forward.
Second, I became part of the pandemic crafts movement ["What We Learned From a Year of Crafting"]. Like so many of us, I needed something to keep my hands busy during all that time at home. Knitting was a disaster. Crocheting was a success, but how many scarves did I need? Then I rediscovered embroidery, something my grandmother taught me. But, instead of Grandma's classical cross-stitch tablecloths and my 1970s embellished denim jackets, I started doing freestyle designs on silk. And, I couldn't stop! I started to import vintage kimono silk and combine all kinds of thread and ribbon with my vast collection of vintage and new glass and precious stone beads. You won't be surprised that I naturally created designs according to the colors of the Feng Shui bagua. That's when I realized I had developed a line of Feng Shui Fixers that could be used as Feng Shui "cures" and enhancements. Throughout my practice, when I recommended a place where a client needed to add the color or shape of a Feng Shui Element, I would suggest objects in general terms. Clients often urged me to come up with my own line of objects. Now, it seems my pandemic contribution is a line of beautiful objects that achieve this goal! You can read more about the launch of Feng Shui Fixers later in this newsletter, and see an example of one that can be used a cure for the Reputation area below. Feng Shui Fixers are available through the online store on my website now, and they will eventually be on Etsy.
I'm hoping to get back to a monthly schedule for the newsletter so I can continue to write about seasonal Feng Shui topics. This month, I'm dropping the "Feng Shui For Troubled Times" subhead from my Tip of the Month section. I know we are not totally out of the woods when it comes to the pandemic because the Delta variant is raging, but I'm trying to be optimistic that we are moving toward a better future. My articles will of course continue to address trending topics, but it's time to return to putting a positive spin on Feng Shui!
Happy September! I hope it's a month of safe connections and cures for you.
Carol M. Olmstead, FSIA
Feng Shui Master Practitioner
www.FengShuiForRealLife.com
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Feng Shui Fixer
Target Issue: Fame/Future/Reputation; Wealth/Prosperity/Power
Feng Shui Element: Fire, Earth, Metal
Materials: Cotton floss with glass beads on imported vintage kimono silk
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Stand Out and Get Recognized
Whether you're going back to the workplace this fall, continuing to work remote at home, or doing a hybrid variation, it might be harder than before to stand out. You can get recognized by activating the Fame/Future/Reputation area in your office or workspace. If you are standing at the entrance to the space, this area of the Feng Shui bagua is located in the back middle part of the room. It's all about receiving recognition for what you contribute to your world. The area is represented by the Fire Element, which is activated by the colors red, orange, and deep purple, and by triangular shapes. Here's how to activate your career area:
First, locate the Fame/Future/Reputation area in your office or workplace using the Feng Shui bagua. You can download a bagua through the link below. Stand at the main entrance to your space and hold the bagua in front of you.
Next, take a good look at this area to see how it reflects your current reputation, then answer these questions:
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Is this area filled with old and worn furniture that's no longer “good enough” for other rooms? Your placement of the cast-off furniture in your workspace is sending the message of disregard for your reputation and that you don’t deserve anything new. Replace anything that's broken, stained, torn, or uncomfortable. If that includes your desk and/or chair, replace them with the best quality you can afford.
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Is this area cluttered? This represents what I call a "poverty mentality" rather than a "prosperity consciousness." When you think prosperously you send the message that “I deserve to replace worn things.” However, when you operate from a poverty mentality, you hold on to lesser quality things rather than throw them away because you fear you will never again be able to afford them. Feng Shui principles suggest that adopting a prosperity consciousness will help you attract wealth and receive recognition.
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Do the walls need to be repainted? If so, it symbolizes that you are not committed to moving forward in your life, and that life is passing you by. The Feng Shui law of attraction suggests that “you are what you see,” so when you look at faded or stained walls, you are looking at a blank future. Clean your walls or repaint as necessary in a nurturing neutral color.
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Is your artwork depressing? If you surround yourself with images that are bleak, lonely, or remind you of unpleasant situations in your career, that's what you will attract into your life rather than the recognition you deserve. Choose upbeat images for this area that relate to career advancement. This is also a good place to hang diplomas, certifications, awards, and citations for a job well done. If you display awards from your older achievements, surround them with objects that represent the positive things you are doing right now in your career. It's important to select items that have special meaning for you and make you feel good about what you have accomplished and will continue to accomplish going forward in your new work environment.
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7 Signs It's Time to Get Rid of Clothes
Now that we are returning to the world after the isolation of the pandemic, it's the perfect time to do a major closet purge. If you are already thinking it's going to be hard to return to wearing pants with a waistband, approaching a major closet clearing can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, Elizabeth Larkin, writing for TheSpruce.com, gives us 7 reasons to get rid of some clothes. If you're not sure when you should recycle, donate, or sell a piece of clothing, a pair of shoes, an accessory, or even a handbag, she writes, there are several factors that can alert you it's time. Some of these reasons are obvious, but some require a bit more thought because our behavior patterns have changed so much over the last 18 months.
Here are her seven signs to consider when getting rid of clothes, with some Feng Shui updates from me:
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It has stains, holes, or a bad smell. This might seem obvious, but sometimes we have an emotional attachment to items that makes us overlook things. If the cleaning pros say it's a lost cause, it's time to get rid of the item.
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You no longer love it. If you don’t love a piece of clothing, there’s really no reason to give up space to it in your closet. It's good Feng Shui practice to only wear pieces in colors and textures that boost your confidence.
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It’s from an outdated trend. This one is tough right now because there haven't been obvious trends to follow. Certain trends come back in style, but if you can't imagine wearing a piece for several years, there's no value in it taking up valuable closet space.
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It hasn't fit in a year. Sometimes the size of the clothing itself changes from wear and tear, and over the past year our size may have changed because our activity level changed (yes, it's OK to admit this one). If it's a piece you want to keep, have it altered. If not, out it goes.
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You haven't worn it in a year. Normally, the Feng Shui suggestion is that if you haven't worn a piece of clothing in a year, it's time to move it out of your closet. The post-pandemic version of this advice is to ask yourself if you "would" have worn it if things were "normal" last year, and "will" you wear it as your life returns to something close to normal.
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It no longer fits your style. Our styles change as we get older, and that process may have accelerated for you during isolation. There's no need to hold on to items that don't mesh with where you are in life right now. Holding on to clothes to wear "someday" is negative Feng Shui.
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It's uncomfortable. We all got used to feeling comfortable while we worked from home. The bottom line is that everything in your closet should fit well, be worn regularly, and suit your lifestyle. Get rid of items that don't fall into one of these categories.
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Q: I read your newsletter and wonder about doors. We don’t use the front door at all. In winter, we don’t even keep the concrete stairs leading up shoveled, and there can be as much as a foot of snow on them. In winter the entrance is through the garage, and in summer and fall it is the back deck, which is an oasis. My question is, what rules apply to a front door I don't ever use?
A: The front door is called the “mouth of chi” in Feng Shui because that’s where the positive chi and abundance enters your home. If you don’t use the door, that energy doesn’t reach you. And, if you don’t shovel the snow, it symbolizes further blocking the flow of energy into your home through the front door. The Feng Shui recommendation is to use your front door in order to activate this positive energy. If you enter the house through that garage or back deck, it’s still important to at least open the front door daily to symbolically greet the day and welcome positive energy.
Q: I read the “let your books go” piece in a past newsletter. I needed something to motivate me out of my inertia on my book removal project (uh oh, I originally typed book removal PROBLEM). I guess the message is clear.
A: That’s so funny you originally typed “problem.” Nothing happens by accident! You can imagine this is a big issue for so many of my clients. Sometimes, they are literally offended by the thought. For example, I would ask questions like, when were they ever going to reread The Catcher in the Rye, and even if they said "never," they would refuse to let it go. I have to admit that going totally book free isn’t good Feng Shui either. The problem occurs when your bookshelves are so stuffed that there's symbolically no space for good things to flow into your intellectual life. So go easy on yourself and get rid of those books you’re never going to need again. It's certainly OK to keep and display some favorites, but be choosy and leave space for new things to find you.
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Attracting Home Buyers
My client needed Feng Shui help because despite the hot real estate market in the neighborhood, her home wasn't attracting offers. No one seemed interested in even coming to look at her beautiful home in a prestigious neighborhood. We did the consultation via Zoom, and as we did the virtual walk-through, two things were immediately obvious. First, while she said she was ready to move forward after her divorce, there were reminders of her marriage throughout the home and it felt like she wasn't ready to let go of the house. Next, the third bedroom had been custom designed with built-in bunk beds that could be unappealing to some buyers, and the room needed to be re-purposed.
Here's what she wrote:
I wanted you to hear the positive response the house received after following your suggestions to remove everything personal. I went shopping for a foyer rug and made the other changes you suggested, especially getting rid of things from my marriage. You won't believe how much I took down from the walls. I asked my agent to remove the photo of the bunk bed room from the property listing while I worked on ideas to re-stage that room for a new purpose. As you suggested, my son and I packed five of our favorite things in a moving box as a sign that we were ready to move out - and the next day we had a showing! My agent said that the home felt very different this time, and that it seemed to shine in a different way. He said the buyers repeatedly commented positively on the feeling of the home, especially that it felt light and welcoming. And yes, I did get an offer from these buyers! Plus, I never realized I was holding on to so may things from my marriage, and "unloading" those was a weight off my shoulders as you suggested it would be. And unexpectedly, all of a sudden my love life is amazing. Wow, you are the best!
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Announcing: Feng Shui Fixers
Feng Shui Cures to Attract Wealth, Harmony, Love...and More!
My Feng Shui Fixer collection of one-of-a-kind art creations and Feng Shui cures is here!
The Feng Shui Fixer series includes one-of-a-kind creations that are designed as simple and beautiful Feng Shui "cures" and adjustments. These art pieces can be placed in a specific bagua area of a home or workplace to fix a Feng Shui issue, or to attract wealth, harmony, love, and so much more.
Each unique Feng Shui Fixer starts with an imported vintage silk kimono textile. Then, it is embellished with embroidery floss, silk ribbon, vintage or new glass beads, natural stones, or specially-selected charms. There are florals, geometrics, abstracts, and freestyle! Every Feng Shui Fixer comes ready to hang in a natural wood, hand-stained, or flexible frame. Or, you can display one or a collection of them on a table-top easel. Each design includes a small mirror on the back that symbolically pushes away any negative issues and helps attract positive energy.
The collection will also feature a series of Feng Shui "Spirals" that are especially useful to cure or correct for the missing Career/Self/Work bagua area.
Use one Feng Shui Fixer to solve a Feng Shui problem, or group them to enhance the energy in a specific bagua area. The chose is yours.
Check out the collection in my Feng Shui Online Store, or click on the "Feng Shui Fixers" link below. New pieces are added regularly! |
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Feng Shui to the Rescue: Rearrange Your Space, Shift Your Energy, Transform Your Life!
My newest book! I have included more than 400 answers to the questions that you - my clients, students, and readers - have been asking for the past 20 years. These are new questions, in addition to those I answered in my first book. I've also included 30 Success Stories (also new!) and 24 sets of topic-specific tips I call Fast 5 to help you avoid problems in the first place.
The book covers the most-asked topics, like these and more:
* Love (finding it, losing it, finding it again)
* Wealth (making it, keeping it)
* Harmony (maintaining it, especially during the holidays)
* Clutter (tidying up)
* Careers & Business (finding jobs and clients)
* Mirrors (placing or removing them)
* Bedrooms & Beds (encouraging sleep)
* Real Estate (buying or selling a home)
Your book is such a treasure trove for me. I love how it's structured --well that makes sense!-- and I feel like I'm imbibing yummy vitamins when I learn new principles on every page, and am further rewarded by the quotations at the end of the sections. I just cannot imagine all the work that went into it as you teach readers, from scratch, these ancient and newly respected concepts and philosophies. What an accomplishment!
Publisher's Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $12.95
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Feng Shui Quick Guide for Home and Office: Secrets for Attracting Wealth, Harmony, and Love
Still going strong after 10+ years! This is my award-winning book that includes easy-to-follow basics, plus secrets to make the practical magic of Feng Shui work for you. This practical and easy-to-understand volume includes success stories from real people who followed these tips with big results. I've also included a tip-a-day calendar with 366 tips (there's one for leap year) to help you attract wealth, achieve harmony, improve relationships, advance your career, and clear clutter every day of the year. As a bonus, there's a month-by-month guide to clutter clearing.
The Feng Shui Quick Guide for Home and Office is the perfect gift for everyone on your list: clients, colleagues, family, friends, and you. Plus, it's a great way for real estate agents to say "thank you" to sellers and to welcome buyers into their new home.
I used to be a Feng Shui consultant; I'm now retired. I read about this new book and thought it would be a good one to brush up my Feng Shui with. (I already have about 50 books on Feng Shui.) I was very pleased to find that this was not just a re-hash of all the other books. It is a really good synopsis of the important points in Feng Shui, in a style that is easy to understand and apply. The author has done us all a real service in writing this one.
--T.M.
Publisher's Price: $15.95
Sale Price: $11.95
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365 Feng Shui Secrets: Daily Tips to Attract Wealth, Harmony, and Love
I've revised my ebook! Want to earn more money? Yearning to rev-up your love life? Looking to create family harmony? Need to control clutter before it controls you? Or do you just need a good night's sleep? The simple Feng Shui advice in 365 Feng Shui Secrets can bring all this and more. For example, you will learn how to do the “Feng Shui Fling” at the beginning of the year (January 1), discover why you shouldn’t keep shoes near your front door (March 16), find out how to get a good night’s sleep (August 20), and read what gifts to give and avoid giving for the holidays (December 6). The tips cover all the seasons, holidays, and celebrations of your life. The calendar of tips in this e-book cover people and pets; love, marriage, parenting, divorce, remarriage, and blended families; your home, your office, and your car; your bedrooms, bathrooms, and every room in your house; your clothes and your closets. This ebook includes tips to help strengthen your relationships with your spouse and your children, your friends and your family, and even some advice if your loved ones are deployed overseas.
I was so excited when reading this book, that I started moving items around in my home immediately. I have tried to learn Feng Shui several times before, but it always seemed too complex. This book made it easy and is for any American lifestyle and decor style!
--JT
Amazon Kindle Price: $5.99
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Virtual Consultations Available!
"Feng Shui - Your Way"
When you have Feng Shui questions about your home, office, business, or workspace that go beyond the basics and you need to speak to the Feng Shui Expert, this virtual consulting option is for you! I will customize advice for the way you want to live in your home, or work in your workspace.
We'll schedule a 1-hour Zoom, FaceTime, or phone call to answer your questions and help you rearrange your space, shift your energy, and transform your life. It's your choice—ask about any room, any situation, any clutter-clearing problem, or any issue that needs a little Feng Shui TLC.
The "Feng Shui - Your Way" consultation includes:
- Review of photos or a short video of your space.
- 1-hour consultation by Zoom, phone, or FaceTime.
- Personalized Feng Shui advice and guidance.
- Follow-up coaching check-in so you stay on track.
After you register for the consultation, you'll receive instructions for creating a short video or taking photos of your space, and for scheduling the session. During the consultation, I'll give you practical recommendations to rearrange, reorganize, and reuse what you already have, plus a plan to bring Feng Shui harmony to your space. You can take notes or record the session.
"Feng Shui - Your Way" recommendations typically cover this and more:
- Re-arranging furniture
- Picking the right decorations
- Selecting and hanging artwork
- Choosing the right color
- Finding storage solutions
- Dealing with clutter
- Correcting lighting
- Working at home
- Locating your office power position
- Setting up an at-home classroom
- Re-purposing what you already own
This virtual consulting service is effective and can transform your life!
Click on the link below to schedule your consultation!
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NEW WEBINAR!
"Feng Shui for the New Hybrid Workplace"
The new way of working is here to stay. Employees are continuing to work at home, returning to the workplace, or experiencing a combination of both. This hybrid experience is different for each member of the team. The good news is that a few real-world Feng Shui tips can help them achieve balance between their personal and work lives.
For more than 23 years, I have inspired diverse groups ranging from 5 to 500 with my in-person workshops. Now, I'm offering customized versions of the same presentations via Zoom. I have taught thousands of clients, readers, and students the simple secrets of using Feng Shui to improve their lives and careers, and now I can teach them to you and your group via Zoom. The "Feng Shui for the New Hybrid Workplace" webinar is specially designed to meet the needs of the new hybrid workforce.
This 1-hour session will show each employee how to make Feng Shui “go to work” for them. They will learn how to rearrange their space, shift their energy, and achieve calm in this rapidly-changing world. In this fun and informative session, I share simple and often low-cost tips for using Feng Shui to transform both a home and workplace office. There will be plenty of time for questions.
I will customize the webinar for your group, but a typical session includes:
- Overview
- Group Icebreaker
- Five Power Principles
- Transformation Tools
- Top 10 Tips
- Resources
- Q&A
All my webinars include customized training that I create to meet the specific needs of your organization, office, or group.
I also offer this and other training on a one-to-one basis for individuals. Click here for frequently-requested workshops and webinar topics, and email for details.
People are talking about Carol's Feng Shui Webinars for the New Workplace!
Thank you so much for hosting such a great presentation today. We’ve received really positive feedback from everyone, and I’m so happy to know there are small steps I can take to really feel more comfortable and positive every day.
– EG, Operations Manager, Washington, DC
Thank you again for the webinar yesterday. We got great feedback and tons of excitement around it. We hope to have you back sometime soon.
– AJH, Senior Manager, New York, NY
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NEW!
Feng Shui for Your Office
Take a look at the video I did for the "Interview with the Experts" series for Interior Motions, a custom office design firm in California. I share tips for bringing Feng Shui into any office. I also talk about the Five Power Principles of Feng Shui, how any office can implement these principles to increase productivity, and what you should avoid doing when arranging an office. And of course, I talk about avoiding clutter in the workplace.
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Grow Your Business with Feng Shui
My 90-minute, self-paced video course includes tips for activating the Career/Work bagua area, along with simple changes you make at home to advance your career or business. You'll learn six amazing tips to 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.
People Are Talking About Carol's Classes:
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
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Did You Know?
Carol M. Olmstead, FSIA, is certified by the Feng Shui Institute of America and earned Red Ribbon Professional Status from the International Feng Shui Guild.
Articles in the Feng Shui To The Rescue Newsletter are copyrighted, but can be shared with credit to Carol M. Olmstead as author and link to www.FengShuiForRealLife.com.
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.
©2021, Carol M. Olmstead
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