What is Feng Shui thinking? It’s rearranging the way we think about how we see the world so we can live healthier, happier and balanced lives.

How much info do you stuff into your brain everyday? Do you ever give yourself a break from all that information? Is it even possible to get a break from all the the computer generated, technology driven information plus all the input your senses are feeding into your brain at the same time? Could it be that sleeping is the only way to shut down all that information gathering your brain does?

What happens when there’s too much information and not enough time or energy to organize and store all of it? Our minds become clogged like a house filled with old newspapers, restricting our freedom of movement and thought. In my opinion, we start acting like robots and responding to the world in a self-styled, habitual, unconscious way.

Have you ever asked yourself whether or not you like the way you see the world? Does the way you see the world make you happy or sad? Do you see possibilities or impossibilities and does this perception help or hinder you in living and experiencing your life? Do you want to change the way you think? If your thoughts inside your brain were pieces of furniture that could be moved around from one place to another, would you want to make a change or two so the thoughts you have about the perceptions you have are different.

I remember doing a room arrangement for a young professional who had an apartment in the City that was recently built. Everything was new, clean and shiny; lots of glass and chrome. It was a very nice apartment and all of the furniture was new. The reason she hired me was to help her select colors for her living room and kitchen. We went through her choices and made some suggestions. I was about to leave when she told me she had one last dilemma and I followed her into the bedroom. She had a tall, queen size bed and large dresser with a big matching desk against the wall on the right side of the bed. On the left side was a beautiful, round upholstered chair that belonged to her grandmother but something was wrong with it and my client couldn’t figure out what it was. I didn’t know right away either and then I could see what the problem was; the chair was too short for the room, it didn’t fit in anywhere because it wasn’t the right height. Once I pointed out that fact to her, she couldn’t believe she didn’t see that problem herself, she said it was so obvious.

My point is, a house can’t do feng shui by itself. It needs someone to come and read its signs and hear its voice and recognize the dangers and advantages to where it stands. The same is true for starting the path toward feng shui thinking. It beings with you letting other people who you trust and care about, tell you what they think about your perceptions of the world. Ask them to tell you if they think you’re happy or sad or positive or negative all the time. I honestly can’t think of any other way you can orient yourself accurately without having some input from the outside world. So ask someone you know and trust, someone who’s known you for a least a year and promise them and yourself not to react, positively or negatively, about anything they say.

Once you have that information, play with it. Don’t discard it as ridiculous or wrong or silly. You can think all of those things but try to find instances or examples that would back up what was said. Verify your outsiders’ opinions with events or actions you remember happening. You’ve asked people you like and trust, so you know they aren’t lying to you, now be a friend and back them up. Prove their honesty to yourself and then decide if something in the way you think needs to be moved so it faces a different direction.

You can change the way you think about things the same way I move furniture, by turning things around inside your head before you decide how you want to live with them. Try not to leave thoughts, impressions, or feelings in places that make you feel bad or sick. You can push them into those places and leave them there for a while but not forever because the result will be toxic for you.

Feng shui is about many things but it’s core is movement of chi, the life force that surrounds us in nature and in our homes and offices, its about how we move the electricity in our brains to places that give us peace, comfort, safety, energy, and happiness. Feng shui thinking isn’t hard to do; it’s not rigorous or demanding; there aren’t a lot of rules to follow or consequences for messing up (unless you do a compass reading facing the wrong way). It’s just another option to consider and explore if you wish. I honestly never thought about feng shui thinking before tonight, although I have been thinking a lot about feng shui lately. I just happened to write this title which forced me to explore its meaning in this a blog.

That’s what feng shui thinking does when its working; it turn thoughts around so new energy generates new ideas about the world, love, happiness and prosperity are in more auspicious locations for you to explore, enjoy and experience.

Before I say good night, I want to say hello to my friend from Milwaukee; I hope you are enjoying your visit here and have a safe trip home.

Your design detective,
Karen