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Feng shui in my way is a very active form of organizing space, creating ways to shape time, living artfully and doing more of what you love as a result.  The reason that it works so well is that it activates your senses.  You light up your space in ways that are meaningful and purposeful. You take that “intention” you have and put it into action in the physical universe.

Action is the key word.

I am a huge advocate of meditation and visualization, having clarity on what you are creating with your life and your time, how you want to feel and what the creative possibilities look like (endless, and exciting!) in the process of becoming more present in your every day.

This stuff is simple. If it is complicated, it probably won’t work for you.

If you read this blog, you’ll likely find ideas that spark something in you.  I hope you try them out, that which appeals to you, actively.

Theory and dreaming don’t matter unless they are put into practice.

 

(glitter guide) 

Here are some fascinating experiments with pure visualization. While they are not “complete” I am sharing them because they may mirror what you (and I ) have done in many ways…. Leaning on what you envision and “trusting” that it is enough!

There was an article in Psychology Today that peaked my interest.  I don’t think that they grasped the full picture by entitling it “Throw Away Your Vision Board” (!) but it is an excellent article as it moves from theory into action. The author, Neil Farber, shares many experiments that were made in pursuit of proving or disproving “The Law of Attraction” and “The Secret” and the like.

These are really interesting experiments that were shared:

“Experiment #1. (from Pham and Taylor at the Univ of Ca): Three groups of students: Group 1 (Secret group – my label not from the study): students were asked to spend a few moments each day visualizing with a clear image how great it would feel to make a high grade on an important mid-term exam that would take place in a few days time. Group 2: students were asked to spend a few minutes each day visualizing when, where, and how they intended to study. Group 3: control group of students not asked to visualize doing especially well on the exams. Students visualizing being A students (Group 1), studied less and made lower grades on the exam. They felt better about themselves but achieved less. Students visualizing studying, prepared better, studied more, scored higher grades, and were less stressed.

Experiment #2. (Pham and Taylor). A similar studied showed similar results for golfers and tennis players. They were more successful if they imagined themselves training rather than winning.

Experiment #3. (from Oettingen and Wadden at the Univ Penn): A group of obese women in a weight reduction program were asked to imagine how they might behave in various food-related scenarios, such as being tempted with pizza. Their responses were categorized on a scale from highly positive (eg. I would stay away from cake and ice cream) to highly negative (eg. I would be eating both my own and other people’s portions). The women were tracked for a year. Those with more positive fantasies had lost, on average, 26 lbs less than those with negative fantasies.

Experiment #4. (Oettingen): A group of students with a serious crush on a classmate were asked to imagine what would happen in various scenarios, such as arriving early to class and seeing the door open and the object of their desire enter. The degree of their fantasizing was rated as positive (eg Our eyes meet and we both know that this is the type of love that happens once in a lifetime) to negative (we are both free and single, he turns to me, smiles and asks how I am. For reasons that I still do not fully understand, I explain that I already have a boyfriend.) Five months later, those with positive fantasies were less likely to have been forthcoming about their crush or made other overtures toward having a relationship with them.

Experiment #5. (Oettingen). Senior students were asked to note how often they fantasized about getting their dream job after college graduation. Two-year follow-up — the students who had frequently fantasized about success had submitted fewer job applications, received fewer job offers, and had smaller salaries.” (you can read the whole article HERE) 

If you hook yourself up with a plan of action that supports all that you see when you meditate, visualize and otherwise set your intentions, the results are REAL and those clear visions you have will help move your forward.  In feng shui, you are actively creating a real world that functions as a “vision board” for your life… except you are living in it.  Fantasy is very different from actual action. ( For more, you can read all about this HERE. )

I was shocked to see how much I was relying upon divine intervention of the cosmos to create solutions to very real problems in my life, places where life stalled out!  This is not an OK way to live.  Delusional is not fun. Delusional only happens when fantasy takes over. And wow, have I been delusional in the past!

Have you?

Miracles and wonderful synchronicity are amazing, clear vision is such a gift and a necessity, but none are a business plan or a life plan.

Use your dreams, visions and insight to shape your actual plans.

Step into those plans.

Design them into your space.

Keep going, moving as the energy moves.

Refine, tweak your design, and actually live your visions in action… You know if you are on the right track if you are excited not just thinking about the end but also being immersed in the process of getting there.  If not, refine, redesign and keep going!  xoxo Dana

 

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And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!