The easiest cure I can think of to get your finances growing is to put a plant in the Money area of your home or office (or even desk!)
Remember, the Money gua (purple) is the back left corner of the space when you are standing at the entrance facing in.
Plants are generally just awesome because they are alive and therefore will generate beneficial chi (which loosely translates to "life force"). But plants also clean the air, emit oxygen, and reduce the effects of EMFs. Plus they are pretty, and they bring healing nature indoors, into your space.
Feng Shui 101: There are two plants that are known to be great for the Money gua.
The Money Tree (duh) & Lucky Bamboo.
This is the Money Tree. It's scientific name is Pachira aquatica. It can come small (say 8 inches high and be able to sit on an end table, like you see here), or they can get quite large, up to three feet or more! The trunks are usually braided, and the leaves are a lovely, shiny green that sprout very easily and, well, abundantly.
This is the Lucky Bamboo. It's scientific name is Dracaena braunii. These babies also can come quite small, as short as 3-4 inches, but they can be quite big, as tall as five feet!
Both these plants grow easily with very little effort on your part. The Money Tree only needs little watering once every other week or so. It thrives in all sort of light conditions as well, including dim. The Lucky Bamboo can simply sit in water, so all you have to do is change the water or just add some every few weeks. It too is sturdy and survives for quite a while even in zero light!
Wood is the element for the Money gua, and these plants are perfect symbols for how you would like your Money to be: growing with little effort, providing pleasure and breathing room, and easy to tend to.
There are so many ways to facilitate money flow in feng shui.
And there are also so many ways to block it.
My friend and client, Dave Romanelli -- yoga & meditation teacher, Momenteer, and author of Happy is the New Healthy -- texted me for a session the other day:
our text conversation
The last time we had spoke, we assessed the Money area of his home and his office, which is usually the back left corner of the space.
If you line the brown/black/gray areas to the front door of your floor plan, you will see that the Prosperity/Money area falls in the back left of your space.
Originally, on a prior session, he had a huge metal bookshelf in his office that he did not like. This was a problem for many reasons.
1. It irritated him, as it was darn ugly, and it overwhelmed the space.
2. It was a place for collecting bits of clutter, which is a no-no anyway BUT especially in the Money area, where this shelf happened to be, and...
3. It was big and metal, and the element for the Money area is Wood. In the destructive cycle, Metal "chops" Wood, so Metal is the least favorable element for that section of the bagua map!
I suggested getting rid of the shelving unit and replacing it with a small table with perhaps a fountain, which would symbolize a flow of money. Also because Water "nurtures" Wood in the constructive cycle of the elements, a fountain would be nice, and it would add a lovely natural sound to the office.
We had not followed up until he sent me that text. In our Skype session, he showed me the great little black table he had found and the new fountain he had purchased.
Harmless enough, right? In fact, it's quite nice in the photo...
However, in our session, I noticed it was not on. The fountain that was supposed to promote flow was not flowing!
"Dave, what's up with the fountain? Why isn't it on?"
"Oh, it is just so noisy honestly. I didn't want it to interrupt our call."
I raised my eyebrows.
"How often do you have to turn it off and on?"
"Well, I forget to turn it on a lot. Really I have to unplug it. Even then, it really doesn't work that well, to make sure it's working, I have to...etc. etc."
So now, readers, you see what is going on here. He had the best of intentions, but this fountain that he chose was symbolizing his subconscious notions about money: that it takes a lot of effort to even get a trickle out of it!
Not all feng shui cures are created equal, indeed!
I'm happy to say that Dave was actually relieved to hear this and he said, "This makes total sense!" I suggested he get rid of that fountain altogether and use some lucky bamboo (8 stalks) and a red silk cloth (red is a power color) and perhaps a deity of some sort, such as Lakshmi or Ganesha (which coincides with his yogic traditions) or a happy Buddha.
I must say, I've seen this with fountains and water features a lot with clients. Basically, if maintaining the feature is a huge pain and takes more effort (cleaning, fixing, etc.) than it is worth and causes you more stress than tranquility, then that fountain is NOT the way to go for you. Think of the symbolism, always! You would be better off with a picture of money flow or a nice, sturdy plant or any of the suggestions I gave Dave.
So...get flowing!
If you'd like to take Feng Shui to the next level, (and learn all you can about Money and Feng Shui), considering Katie's 9-week Feng Shui Journey, a tele-course beginning July 20th, 2015!
Money is good, right? Money brings us opportunities, stability, and all sorts of lovely things if managed, spent, given, and saved wisely.
In feng shui, water is one of the symbols of money. When I'm at a client's house, and they talk about leaks or clogs, then I am sure to tell them to do whatever it takes to fix these...as in turn, it will "fix" their money woes.
But to narrow all of this down, today, we will talk about the toilet. Here's a video going around now:
It's Matt Damon. He says that the toilet is the number one lifesaver in the world... Hmmmmm... So, hail the toilet???
Regardless of Damon's take on potties, it is known in feng shui that toilets have a downward energy, and if not given some attention, could represent money being flushed away. In other words -- unexpected, possibly large expenses or the feeling that money always seems to be draining out! Toilets are especially important to cure if bathrooms are situated in the Money section of the bagua.
So how do you "cure" a toilet?
1. Keep it clean.
2. The Red Ribbon cure: Cut a red ribbon. Make sure it's in increments of 9 (9, 18, 27 cm or inches) as 9 is the lucky number in feng shui. Tie this red ribbon around a pipe behind the toilet, especially the outgoing pipe if possible. You can also put a red ribbon or a red piece of tape around the bottom of the toilet bowl if you feel like REALLY doing it up. (If it's too garish for you to use red, then do the other cures.)
3. Use "upward-motion" plants or art work to counteract the downward motion of the toilet.
4. If necessary, put a mirror on the floor behind the toilet or underneath the lid of the toilet, or on top of the back of the toilet bowl, FACING UP, to counteract the downward motion.
5. Hang a medium to large round-faceted crystal from the ceiling above the toilet from a red cord (increments of 9, please!).
5. Keep the toilet lid closed!
Feel free to do all or only some of these. Remember, intention is the key! State: "My finances are protected, and I enjoy great abundance," while implementing the cures for that extra special something.
bamboo for upward motion & abundance. red tape and ribbon for protection. even the shower curtain's pattern helps with the downward flow. and of course, the lid is shut!
P.S. You can also use the red ribbon cure for other drains (sinks, etc.) around the house.
Have fun (smartly so) with the extra money you're going to find in your bank account as a result!
