The subject of Feng Shui fascinates many people. We may think of it as a design science that arranges your furniture in a way that creates balance and symmetry. What many people don’t realize is that beyond the physical environment, Feng Shui addresses your internal environment that includes your emotions, feelings and ultimately your actions.

Feng Shui wisdom began in China over 3000 years ago with practitioners who were motivated to develop greater inner wisdom by living their highest values such as modesty, sincerity, compassion, and forgiveness. By letting go of their ego, they followed their path toward greater spiritual harmony with patience and passive perseverance.

Having greater inner wisdom ultimately led these practitioners to the opportunity to help other people. One way to serve others was to provide them with insights about their ideal living environment; an integral part of a person’s health and vitality. A key principle used by the early practitioners of Feng Shui was the concept of Yin and Yang, defined as the balance between extremes. Yin and Yang are opposite, but complementary forces that work together to achieve balance and harmony.

Feng Shui literally means Wind and Water. With the external environment, the goal was to find a physical location for the home somewhere between the strong forces of the Wind (such as the top of the mountain) and the strong flow of the Water (such as an ocean). This centered location is where the home would ideally be built, half way between the Wind and Water extremes. This philosophy also applied to the person’s inner guidance system in the sense that it involved the individual’s ability to be flexible during natural cycles of change and opposing forces.

If, for an example, we applied typical Feng Shui cures to enhance our home environment that were intended to draw in more tangible wealth, we may receive it abundantly, or we may still face some challenges. If you desire wealth in the form of more money or a better paying job in order to make your day-to-day life easier and it still eludes you, it’s time to look within for the answers. In other words, Feng Shui is not just about the placement of the furniture or adding the color purple to the wealth area of your home!

Wealth comes in many different packages, not only in greenbacks. A person already has an abundance of wealth if they are able to appreciate all of the blessings in their life. In order to draw in wealth, both material and spiritual, follow these principles:

Pay it forward: Some people feel that if that do something nice for someone or they give money to a charity, they should receive a reciprocal gesture immediately. When you give freely, without conditions, you will receive prosperity in return, often unexpectedly. Want to make more money? Give generously with your time, support and money. If you always give, you will always have.

Attitude of gratitude: Be very aware of all the things that occur during the day that you can be grateful for, such as your health, a sunny day, a compliment made to you, a smooth and easy ride to work, etc. Write them down daily in a journal, or recite them to yourself before you go to bed. To talk about things that are not going well is to not be grateful for what is going right for you. To focus on the negative aspects is to reinforce the thought that somehow you are lacking. The Laws of Attraction also work with negative thought patterns. If you find yourself immersed in negative conversation and worry all day about you life, ask yourself, who would you be without this sad story?

Random Acts of Kindness: Donate whatever you can spare, both monetarily and with things you may have you no longer need or want. When you see someone struggling with a heavy box, help him or her out. You are creating positive change for yourself and others. By viewing the world and everyone you meet as interconnected, you will benefit from your unselfish act.

Cheryl Grace is a professional Feng Shui consultant and nationally certified Interior Refiner. For more information on how a Feng Shui consultation can improve your life, contact Cheryl at (941) 400-3816  or E-MailggRedecorating@yahoo.com by clicking here. Cheryl is also available speaking engagements and seminars.