Feng Shui Friday

I teach courses on Feng Shui and I also incorporate it in my coaching practice and in my own home. It is a wonderful tool in creating a more tranquil and enjoyable life. I am dedicating Friday's blog to all things Feng Shui.

This is the third week of the nine week Bagua Map course. The Bagua map shows where the nine areas (guas) are located in your home.Each week I will give you tips on how to enhance one of the guas in your life in each area of your home. This week I will cover Abundant Blessings.

The abundance blessings area, often referred to as the money corner, isn't all about money. It is located in the far left area of your home and it is about being grateful for all of your blessings. I like to refer to this gua as the gratitude area. What we are grateful for expands.

Ways to enhance this area;
*Always start with cleaning and decluttering.
*Pictures and objects that symbolize abundance to you.
*A fountain or picture of raging water.
*The color purple or gold.

My gratitude area is outside due to a screened porch and deck that juts out of the back middle of my house. I marked the corner with a bird feeder. I   love watching the birds from my kitchen window. Right now there is an abundance of snow.

I have a garden overflowing with tiger lilies under all of that snow.

When you have an area outside, it is important to enhance the adjacent room's area.  Right now my fruit art is in the far left in my kitchen. Now that is some yummy grateful abundance !

Have fun! Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Enjoy making your home a mirror of your wonderful life.

Blessings,

Virginia

Feng Shui Friday: Clearing Out Is All About the Baby Steps.

As you know (or don't know) one of my New Year's Resolutions was to spend 25 minutes each day clearing out.

I gave my self wiggle room. If I couldn't do 25 minutes that was okay.

The purpose of the goal was to spend some time each and every day clearing out. The each and every day mattered more than the time spent doing it. I simply cleared out each  and every day.

If we do something each and every day it becames a habit.

The doing it matters more than the time spent doing it.

So here I am 48 days of clearing something out.

It feels great.

Yes! Due to snowstorms, free hours spent shoveling and life, there are bags and boxes in my garage to be taken to various places. I am just blessing my garage as a holding place.

I love my empty spaces. I love the letting go.

Yet what I am learning most is what I already knew.

Everything happens a lttle bit at a time.

Do that little bit today!

It is all about baby steps.

Many blessings,
Virginia.


Sign up on the top right to receive the best Feng Shui info. ever!

Feng Shui Friday: The Five Elements and the Bagua Map

Last week, I wrote about the five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal and water. You can read it here.

If you have been following my Feng Shui thread, you know about the bagua map.

The bagua map shows us which parts of our homes represent life themes.

By placing the map at the front entrance to your home you can figure out how each area of your home matches each gua (life theme).

Each gua also has an earth element.  By adding an earth element you can enhance the gua.

Abundant Blessings:  Wood

Fame and Reputation: Fire

Love and Marriage: Earth

Elders: Wood

Health Center: Earth

Creativity and Children Metal

Knowledge and Self Cultivation: Earth

Journey and Career: Water

Helpful People Heaven: Metal

As you add these elements remember to get rid of anything you don't love, don't need or don't use.

And as always, remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making your home a mirror of your beautiful life.

Want more? Sign up on the top right for your free Feng Shui E book.

Blessings,

Virginia

Feng Shui Friday; The Five Elements

There are five elements in the natural world. The perfect environment consists of these five elements being in balance.

The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

When we bring these elements into our homes in an equal balance, life flows easily.

Wood:

  The wood element is about growth and expansion. Regardless your age, you are still growing and        expanding.

   Add wood to your home by:

          * Have actual wood, like wooden floors, wooden doors, wooden trim work. (Fake wood doesn't count unless some of it came from a tree)
          *Have plants and flowers.
           * Add the color of green leaves.
           *Add the shape of a rectangle.

Fire:

The fire element is is about passion and rising the energy.

    Add fire to your home by:

       *Have a fire with a fireplace, a woodstove, a pellet stove, or a burning candle.

        *Add the color red, orange or bright pink.

        * Add the shape of a triangle.

Earth:

The earth element grounds you and makes you feel connected.

    Add earth to your home by:

        *Have earth elements like clay pots, granite counters, and favorite stone collections.

         *Add colors of the earth like brown soil, yellow sun, teracotta clay.

         *Add the shape of a square.

Metal:

The metal element gives you strength and clear thinking.

     Add metal to your home by:

       *Knowing all electronics are metal, even your iphone.

        *Add colors of silver, gold and gray.

        * Add the shape of a coin.

     

  Water:

 The water element is free flowing. You flow with life.

    Add water to your home by:

      *Have water flowing in a fishtank, a waterfall,  a bowl of water with a candle or a picture of moving water.

       *Add the colors of deep blue or black.

        *Add a color that has a swirling shape.

Blessings,
Virginia

Sign up on the top right to join the community. I would be blesssed to have you.
Have questions? Share them in  the comments.

Be the Light

Friends I cannot come up with many appropriate words on this inauguration day.

My Friday Feng Shui seemed too trite.

I did, however,  spend much of my free time clearing out stuff.

Cleaning brings me a sense of peace. Getting rid of stuff unclutters the clogged parts of my brain. Clean closets, clean counters, a clean refrigerator, a clean anything makes me fell more in control.

Today I needed to feel more in control.

Eight years ago I cried while watching President Obama being sworn in as our 44th President.

Today I cried when I listened to President Trumps's inauguration speech.

( I chose not to watch the inauguration.  I chose to only listen to the inaugural speech on Maine Public Radio.)

My tears were as different as the two men.

The first came from love. The second comes from fear.

I had hoped for kinder words in the inaugural speech.  Yesterday I shared this on my facebook page. I had hopes of more kindness.

I will still have hope.

I will honor my tears.

I promise to be light in every way I can.

Please join me.

Be the light!

Many Blessings,
Virginia

Sign up on the top left to be in our community.

Feng Shui Friday: Loving Life is How you Look At it.

In my home, the Christmas tree means rearranging the entire house. My living room becomes the Christmas tree room. My office becomes the living room.  The back corner of my dining room becomes my office.

I welcome these changes in late November. I slow way down. I envelop the darkness and the coming of light.

I love my Christmas tree. I leave it up until it stops taking water. It is still up. I love it until..

 I know it is time.

I know it is time because the not so clean house I embraced back in December starts to bug the sh** out of me. 

I want the house back in order NOW! I want my office back NOW! I don't just want clean counters. I want the entire house to be in order NOW!

As you know I have been doing a 2017 clear out. I am also taking a course through Daily Om titled A Year to Clear What is Holding You Back.

Here is what I am learning through my clear out and the course:

To embrace the slow down that so naturally came when I put my Christmas tree up.  

Life isn't a marathon. I can do slow and still get things done. One college kid is tucked back in college. One is still home for a few more days. I am allowed to enjoy him. 

To see excess stuff in a positive note and not as a way to beat myself up.

Having six pairs of snowpants that fit nobody in my family means someone else has snowpants for their kids this snow season. It doesn't mean I failed in anyway.

To Know and understand we are never done!

 We don't clean a house and never do it again . We don't have a dream fullfilled and never dream again. Life keeps giving to us. I have so many more dreams that go beyond the clearing out and the empty nest.

To see the mess as a blessing.

It is all a blessing. Dishes in the sink mean we had food to eat. Laundry means we have clothes to wear. Backpacks mean my children got an education. Laptops mean we have wifi. Boots by the door mean we have footwear. Jackets on chairs mean we get to be warm. A Christmas tree still up means I enjoy the light a bit longer.

Loving life is  how you look at it.

Blessings,

Virginia

I would love to have you in my email community! Sign up on the top right.

Feel free to email me here

Feng Shui Friday: Letting Go Of A Clean House For The Holidays

I posted a video a few weeks back about making room for the Holiday rush. You can see it here.

In that video I admitted to letting go of a clean house at Christmas time. I also admitted to using paper plates to make life simpler.

I got quite a few emails.

I love your emails! Keep them coming. I promise to keep responding.

The most asked question was, "What does letting go of a clean house mean?"

One lovely reader who shares my obsession with clean kitchen counters emailed, "There is no way I could give up my clean counters."

My response was, " I hear you sister"

So what does easing up on a clean house mean for me?

1. Sometimes I go to bed with dishes in the sink.

2. I have two college kids coming home for winter break. I will create room for their stuff to be dribbled throughout our home as they readjust.

3. When I had little ones I created room for their Christmas crafts. i.e. glitter dribbled throughout the house.

4. My kitchen counters remain clear. For me that is just smart mental health.

5. I might not sweep or vacume or dust or do any of the regular weekly chores. My kids' chores are limited as well. It can all wait.

6. I might not get to all of the laundry. Again, I have 2 college kids coming home. They will be monopolizing the washer and dryer.

7. Other than my pictures (you can read that here) I will not take on any big clearing out project.

So for me that is letting go of a clean house. I keep my kitchen counters clear. The rest can just wait.

Everything can wait while you enjoy Christmas with the ones you love most!

With so many blessings,
Virginia

I would love to have you in our community! Please sign up. Goodies everyday in December! 

Feng Shui Friday: Letting Go of Sentimental Items

One of my New Year's resolutions is to spend 25 minutes each day clearing out. You can read it here.

I donated skates, cross country boots, snow boots and cleats that don't fit any of us. I recycled a ton of paper. I filled a trash bag.

Then I came across the bin named MOM.  I have been stuffing things into the MOM bin for 14 years! Never have I actually gone through it. I so wanted to just move it back to the place  that I had just vacumed.

              But I rememered my why and kept to my New Years goal.

That box took three 25 minute sessions. And I am not quite finished.

Here is what I have learned so far.

                      I don't have to be afraid of losing what we had.

The MOM box reminded me that I gave my children one heck of a fun childhood.
I don't have to keep it all. Getting rid of it doesn't negate what is true. I will always have memories in my heart and my children will too. Keeping a few is fine.
                 
                        I could have let go of the guilt way earlier  
 
 I actually saved a wedding album.  I remember stuffing it in the MOM box when I was preparing to move from the marital home to here. That was over 11 years ago. I thought my kids would want it. I remember the guilt I felt for divorcing their dad and the guilt of moving them to another state.
It has been a very long time since I felt guilt over the divorce (read that here) or the move.  Yet I vivdily remember the guilt I felt the day I tossed those albums in the MOM box. I saved a few pictures and tossed the album.

                     Having fewer sentimental items make them more special. 

After my Dad died, I received ten years of  letters I had written him.  Knowing he saved those letters was an amazing gift to me. It helped heal the pain of both losing him to death and my unresolved feelings of those ten years when I only saw my parents twice. I read them all and just saved the two most meaningful letters I sent him in those ten years. That is all I need.
           
                               Feelings have a shelf life if we feel them.

Going through the MOM box brought up so many feelings and some tears. I didn't fight any of it or judge any of it. I just let it be. I felt each feeling as it came, paid attention and each let each feeling float away.

Blessings,
Virginia

Want some help getting through all your stuff? Email me here to set up a free consult.



       

Feng Shui Friday ;Soji

In many Zen Temples, after morning meditation, the monks participate in an activity called Soji. During Soji each member of the community is given a chore that they do for about 20 minutes.  When the twenty minutes is up, everyone stops doing their chore.

The monks clean for the sake of cleaning. They don't clean to achieve a goal or to even complete the chore. They clean as a way to bring their meditation to action. The monks also can't choose their chores. It doesn't matter if they like the chore or hate the chore. They just do it.

Imagine if we tackled some of our own projects in the Soji manner.

We could be so much more creative if we kept our focus on the action instead of the outcome.

We could let go of the angst of procrastination.

We could get so much more done. Every 20 minutes adds up.

Tomorrow is the date to start filling out the FAFSA.
I am going to do it Soji style.
I will not complain. I will set a timer. And I will just do it one small step at a time.

Meet Virginia

Hi there I'm Virginia McCormack, a single mom of three, a life coach, a writer and a teacher.

I started this blog to inspire women to live life on their terms. I believe we all have unique gifts to offer the world.

I write four or five times a week on spirituality,Feng Shui and thriving as a single mom. My goal is that you find something here that resonates with your soul and leads you to knowing your absolute perfection.

Here is a sample of my most read posts:

Stop Searching and Start Discovering

What Should I Do?

Single Mom Thriving.

Friday's Feng Shui: Start with the Clutter;Ten Tricks

Ways To Be Brave



I have been working with women and families for over 25 years as a teacher, counselor, home school coordinator, writer, life coach and career counselor.

I earned my Master's Degree in Counseling from The University of Southern Maine.

I earned my Bachelors Degree in Communications from St. Bonaventure University.

I also post daily inspirations on instagram as well as some other fun stuff on Facebook.

Here's my facebook welcome

Hope to hear from you.

Many Blessings,
 Virginia

Feng Shui Friday: Making a Summer House

The summer sun has the power to increase self confidence ,creativity and drive. It is the time of year when we want to get things done.

If there is too much fire energy, summer can make us tired, cranky and unmotivated.

I love to take advantage of summer power. One way I do this is by balancing the outdoor heat with a cooler home.
      Heavy curtains are replaced with sheer ones.
   
      My dining room is moved to the to the screened-in  porch and my dining room stays totally empty.
   
      I take up all the rugs and leave the wood floors bare.
   
      I add cooler colors of blues and pinks and greens.
   
       I spend a weekend purging stuff.

On the bagua map The Fame and Reputation area is associated with fire. I also spend time fixing this area up. You can read about how to that here. 
   
An open airy home feels like the possibilities of summer are endless.

Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway.  Enjoy creating a home that mirrors your wonderful life.

Blessings,
Virginia

Feng Shui Friday: An Outdoor Room

The bagua map teaches that all areas of your home symbolize an area of your life.

Not all houses are built with perfect lines and thus many times areas are extended to the outdoors. As I've mentioned, my home has a screened porch jutting out the back middle. Thus both my love and marriage gua and my abundant blessings gua are out doors. I have enhanced those areas on the adjacent inside walls as well as outdoors.

I decided to up the game and give a face lift to the love and marriage gua, which is where we have a fire pit.

As always I started with an intentions, "Love surrounds me at all times."

Then I raked and cleaned out the debris I never picked up before the winter set in. Yes even Feng Shui experts are human.

A strong teenager, many rocks, a few bags of mulch, a string of Christmas lights and my favorite outdoor furniture resulted in this.

We discovered this rock. Serendipity.

Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making your home a mirror to your wonderful life.
Blessings,
Virginia

I am having so much fun helping clients use the tools of Feng Shui. If you want to join the Fun email me at virginiamccormack05@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Feng Shui Friday: The Bathroom

The bathroom often gets a bad rap in Feng Shui because of all of the drains and the sayings like "There's money flushed down the toilet."

However, I prefer to see the bathroom as a temple to self care. It is in the bathroom that we are most vulnerable and it is a place to bring reverence to your body and soul.

Promise to hold your self care as sacred.

*In your journal answer these questions:
   How do I care for and speak (self talk especially) about my body?
   How do I present myself to the world?
   What beliefs are holding me back?

*Some enhancements for the bathroom to try:

        Start with an intention: My body is my temple.

        Make the room beautiful by adding fresh flowers, candles and plants.
        Invest in fluffy luxurious towels.
         Keep the toilet seat closed.
         Keep it clutter free.
        Bring in reminders of the purity and goodness yourself.

When you take showers or baths imagine all negative energy and old beliefs that are holding you back going right down the drain.
 
   Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making your home a mirror to your wonderful life.

Blessings,
Virginia

Friday's Feng Shui: The Heart of Your Home

The three most important guas in your home are the entry way, the kitchen and the bedroom.

Last week I shared information on the entry way.

This week's room is the kitchen.

Your kitchen is the heart of your home. 

In ancient times, the kitchen was always in the wealth area of the home. Our health is our greatest wealth and it is the kitchen that such health is sustained.

* In your journal answer these questions.

         How healthy and vibrant do I feel?
         How does money flow in my life?
         Am I happy with my current weight?
         How am I nourishing myself?
       
*Make an intention: My health and my wealth are constantly expanding.

* Keep it clean!
      I stay on top of my kitchen by cleaning it morning and night, as well as putting things away right after I use them. I also live with teenagers. Thus my kitchen isn't always pristine. Life happens. I just aim to keep it neat and the counters clear. If you only have time to clean one room, clean the kitchen.

*Don't leave knives on the counter. Store them in drawers.

* Decorate the room with bowls of fresh fruit, live plants, fresh flowers, herbs. In whatever way you can, make the room welcoming and close to nature.

*The most important element in the kitchen is the stove.  Make sure you use all of the burners and keep it clean.

Enjoy! As always, remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making your home a mirror to your fabulous life.

Blessings,
Virginia
       
       

Friday's Feng Shui: What Are You Inviting In?

 "I just don't know where to begin."
Clients say this to me all of the time when they first begin incorporating Feng Shui  into their lives.

Clear out and clean out is the place to begin. Get rid of of clutter as your body rids itself of waste. Do it on a daily basis.

 I have been practicing and teaching Feng Shui for over 13 years and I am still cleaning out closets, drawers, cabinets and junk piles.  The energy is always flowing. There is no destination. It is a journey.


That being said, in the upcoming weeks I am going to share the  symbolism of each room in your home as well as ways to enhance the area.

The Front Door: The energy you are allowing into your home and into your life. What are you inviting in?

* In your journal answer these questions:

             What do I want to come into my life?
             What would I like to leave in my life?
              Am I open to new experiences?
             Is there something I have been longing for but it just hasn't shown up yet?
            Are opportunities opening for me?


*Make an intention: Only good enters my life.

* Keep it clutter free and snow free.
         Last year I gave upon shoveling the path to my front door. DO NOT do that.   I had to have the door replaced and opportunities were not opening for me last winter.

*If possible make the path to your door a curve instead of a straight line.

*If it is a door you rarely use. Start using it every few days.

* Make it attractive and welcoming. Use your imagination and have fun.

*Make sure the door opens all the way.

Enjoy! As always remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making your home a mirror to your fabulous life.

Blessings,
Virginia

Friday's Feng Shui

When my children were little I complained to my sister that my house was a wreck.
Her response changed how I look at my home.
"Gin, you have three little kids.  I would be worried and sad for your children ,if your house was neat. "

If we are too attached to 'everything in order'  creativity is stifled. Messes need to be made in order to express ourselves. Our children deserve to have creative free rein in their experimenting.  The goal of Feng Shui isn't to keep absolute order. Rather the goal of Feng Shui is to keep the energy moving. Messes  and order keep the energy balanced.

I recently completed a giant home project involving the front door and the living room.   I started in late August and just this past week all of the furniture was back where it belongs. 

We got the room ready in time for the Christmas tree. 

  After we took the Christmas tree down we set up the ping pong/ pool table in there. ( Fun Shway remember)

My office became a very crowded living room. The dining room table served as my office desk.  Life was a bit messy in the process but I didn't freak out.  I accepted that my house was going to be a chaotic for a few months because I was creating something better.

While the living room was under construction ,I made sure the rest of the house stayed clutter free as best I could.

The living room is in the career section of my house.  I enhanced the career area of every other room in the house. Some ways to enhance the career gua can be found here.

I also paid close attention to the three power areas,the other entry way, the kitchen and the bedroom.

Creative messes are important in Feng Shui . They are a part of the energy of life.

Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making a creative mess!

Blessings,
Virginia

Friday's Feng Shui Is Back

I teach courses on Feng Shui and I also incorporate it in my coaching practice. It is a wonderful tool in creating a more tranquil life.

This is the ninth and final Bagua Map lesson. The bagua map shows you where the nine areas of your life (guas) are located within your home. In each lesson I give you tips on how to enhance one of your guas. This lesson explores the Love and Marriage gua which is located in the farthest right corner of your home.

Love/Marriage is a no brainer as defined by the general population. Yet I invite you to explore it further than Hallmark. Love for yourself sustains you way more than heart shaped boxes and diamonds.

A deep love for yourself means you stop beating yourself up. You celebrate your successes, even the small ones. You honor your voice and your unique way of seeing and being in the world. Most importantly you treat yourself as love itself because,

You Are Love

When enhancing this area try this:

* Always start with an intention. I like this simple prayer, " Dear God show me how to love myself more so I can show up to life as love"

* Keep it clean and get rid of the clutter.

* Pinks and reds are great colors for this area

* Make sure the decor is  in pairs.

This area is outside of my home. I marked the corner by burying a rose quartz. In that area is our fire pit.

Because it is outside, I enhanced the wall adjacent to the area by painting it pink and hanging this picture.

Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making your home a mirror to your wonderful life.
With Love,
Virginia

Friday's Feng Shui

I teach courses on Feng Shui and I also incorporate it in my coaching practice and in my own life. It is a wonderful tool in creating a more tranquil life.

This is the eighth of the nine lesson Bagua Map Course. The bagua map shows you where the nine areas of our life(guas) are located within your home. Each lesson I give you tips on how to enhance one of the guas. This lesson explores the Creativity/Children gua, which is located in the right center of your home.

Creativity/ Children gua is all about being playful in your life. It is an area that  supports your children, pets and even your inner child.  Being creative is as important to the soul as breathing is to the body. If your life is feeling short on playtime this is a great room to enhance.

Here are some hints:

*Always start with an intention. Just the other day as I was cleaning this room I said,"My life keeps getting more fun as I age."

*Clean and declutter this area.

*Use cheerful colors.

*Pictures of your children and/or pictures of yourself when you were you were a child.

*Fun and whimsical symbols

*Some white and some metal.

This is a busy room in my home. Laundry/bathroom/coat closets/ craft closet and sports equipment storage all happen in here.

I just love all of the colors (As well as the fact that I used up three almost empty paint cans)



I am a picture hoarder. Showcasing photos is one of my favorite activities.

I found this bank at a thrift shop. It makes me smile.

Remember Feng Shuii is pronounced FUN Shway. Have fun making your home a mirror to your wonderful life.
Blessings,
Virginia

Friday's Feng Shui

I teach courses on Feng Shui and I also incorporate it in my coaching practice and in my own life. It is a wonderful tool in creating a more tranquil life.

This is the seventh of the nine lesson Bagua Map Course. The bagua map shows where the nine areas of your life (guas)  are located in your home. Each lesson I give you tips on how to enhance one of the guas. This week I will cover Helpful People Heaven.

The Helpful People and Heaven area refers to the help we receive in times of need. Angels sent  straight from heaven always surround us and show up every time we ask.   Enhance this area when you are feeling overly independent.

* Always start with an intention. I say,"Help always shows up at the right time,"

* Clean and declutter this area.

*Pictures of loved ones who are in heaven.

* Spiritual symbols

* The color silver or gray.


The Helpful People area of my home is my office. This is one of my favorite rooms in my home. I love how the Helpful gua is where I help others.

Fresh flowers on a silver tray and a pair of rosary beads:

 Although in heaven for over 9 years, I feel my mother's grace and love each and every day:

Butterflies symbolize those visiting from heaven. This is what I just saw out my office window:

Have fun. Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN Shway. Enjoy making your home a mirror to your wonderful life.
Blessings,
Virginia

Friday's Feng Shui

I teach courses on Feng Shui and I also incorporate it in my coaching practice and in my own life. It is a wonderful tool in creating a more tranquil and enjoyable life. I am dedicating Friday's blog to all things Feng Shui.

This is the sixth of the nine lesson Bagua Map Course. The bagua map shows where the nine ares of your life(guas) are located in your home. Each lesson I give you tips on how to enhance one of the guas. This week I will cover Fame and Reputation.

The Fame and Reputation area is the rear middle section of your home. This gua has to do with your authenticity and your integrity. How are you portraying yourself to the world? Does that portrayal reflect your true nature?


Ways to enhance this area;
* Always start with an intention. I am in the process of redoing this area of my home. As I work on it I say, "I am ready to show the world who I am."
* Clean and declutter.
*Symbols or a display of your accomplishments.
*Symbols of your goals and aspirations.
*The color red.

My Fame and reputation area juts out the back of my home as a screened porch and a deck. My life is changing and intuitively I knew this area needed to change as well. Right now it is totally empty except for a few of these beauties.

Deciding what to put in here is so much fun and the view is pretty incredible as well.

Have fun. Remember Feng Shui is pronounced FUN shway. Enjoy making your home a mirror of your wonderful life.

Blessings,
Virginia





\