Many of us were able to attend his funeral where we supported one another, cried together, and told endless stories about him.  Everyone had a story about Professor Lin.  The best one I heard was from a man I met the morning of the funeral.  He was an Asian gentleman and obviously came to the funeral by himself.  He caught my eye so we struck up a conversation.  “How long have you known Professor Lin?” I asked.  “About 28 years, but I haven’t seen Professor for nearly 20 years,” he replied.  I assured him that if Professor were here today, he would remember him despite such a long passage of time.  I had been witness to this gift of Professor’s once when traveling with him in India.  A woman he had met once in New York many years prior approached him to say hello for she, too, was traveling in India.  Without missing a beat and before she could refresh his memory, he asked about her husband who had been sick when they had originally met.  I had no doubt  Professor would recall this refined gentleman.

As it turns out, my Asian friend told me that Professor had actually invited him to his funeral.  He explained that on Tuesday of the prior week, he had a dream about Professor who told him he wanted to see him.  Although the man hadn’t thought about Professor for many years, he decided he’d make arrangements to pay a visit.  Two days later he read Professor’s obituary in the paper—-he knew then Professor had come to him with an invitation to his funeral.

Professor was leader to thousands and recognized all over the world.  It wasn’t unusual to be attending a workshop in Boston and be seated next to a whole contingency from Caracao, or people from Hong Kong or South America.  He not only had an important message but he delivered it with his characteristic charm.  He loved to teach and he loved his students.  This past weekend I taught a group of students and, at times, simultaneously felt his loss and his presence.  “Do one good deed a day” was always his advice, for he   felt it could not only cure a lot of bad Feng Shui but also create a lot of good will.

I am grateful and honored to have been counted among his disciples.  A year ago he blessed what was then the beginning of my new book “Conversations with Your Home.”  I’m sorry he didn’t get to see the finished product, but his blessing of this material will be eternal.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

It’s also a very charged topic, meaning people get angry and defensive about their finances; they rant and rave about not having enough; they feel like a victim unjustifiably punished.  Some don’t want to talk much about it, yet spend time and energy fuming over their struggle; others can’t stop talking about it, endlessly worrying and fretting over their money.  It can take on a life-or-death magnitude regardless whether this is reality or not.

Feng Shui can offer a new perspective that removes the focus from the problem itself and instead turns it toward ways of changing how you feel about yourself.  When changes are made to enhance your own well-being, problems look differently.  These changes don’t work directly on the individual but on their space.  The principle here is that by making changes in your space you will see changes in yourself and therefore changes in the problem.

What follows are three tips for making changes in your space that can jump-start an improvement in your money situation.  By implementing all three, you will assure yourself of greater success.

Tip #1:  Declutter.  I know this seems to be the mantra of most Feng Shui consultants, but that should underscore how important it is.  Clutter implies that there is a pattern of careless disarray—you have lost track of things, can’t find things when you want to, may even get angry about the condition of things that you do have.  Since how you do one thing is how you do everything, go back to the italicized sentence above and substitute your money every time the word things shows up.  Taking care of your things will translate into taking care of your money.

Tip #2:  Use your proper entry.  Your proper entry is your front door.  It holds the symbolic importance of representing opportunities that may be knocking.  If you don’t use it, it means you come into your space sideways or from the back.  You want to open wide to the possibilities coming through the door and meet them head-on.  Use the front door as often as you can to make sure money can find its way in.  If you already use your door (thumbs up) then enhance it in some way—-a beautiful welcome mat, a wreath on the door, a lock that works, etc.

Tip #3:  Officiate in your office.  In the majority of cases, the way you make your money comes from a place of business.  Even if your job doesn’t require you to sit at a desk much, the office is probably your base camp for career-related stuff.  If you’re not feeling as though you’re at your best when seated at your desk, get a high-back chair to lend support and authority.  Keep those tall bookshelves from overwhelming you by keeping them in order and interspersing the books and folders with eye candy.  Make sure you have enough storage so you aren’t having to use the top of your desk as a permanent storage place. 

Making these small changes in your space can give you the energy and the clarity to find ways to bring in the abundance you want and deserve.  If you feel rich, you will become so.  To offer even further clarity around this topic, sign up for a free teleseminar being given on Tuesday August 24th.  Lisa Zimmerman, Intuitive Astrologer and I will be offering lots of in-depth advice on the money situation.  Go to Money Miracles:  Create Unlimited Abundance by Aligning the Cosmic Force of Feng Shui and Astrology.

I listened to their experiences and clarified their intentions.  It wasn’t until I worked with a couple named Jeanette and Will that I started to realize there was more to the story than making an adjustment in the Wealth area.  According to Black Sect Feng Shui, their Wealth area was located in the garage, which was filled to the brim.  They both parked their cars in the driveway because the garage was so full.  It goes without saying that their finances were in a critical state.  They took my words to heart; they cleared and cleaned the garage with very positive results.

However, Will found reasons to haul things little-by-little from the basement and the attic—and he put them in the garage.  Soon they were parking in the driveway again; it wasn’t long before he lost his joib.  They cleaned out the garage;  Will got a job.  He filled up the garage; he lost his job.  Jeanette saw this sabotaging behavior as something that needed professional help.  Long story short, Will discoverd that he was struggling with guilt every time he started to make a decent salary, exhibiting doubts about his self-worth.  By keeping the garage cluttered, he coiuld alleviate his guilt and return to the familiar financial struggle.  This was the beginning of my investigation around why Feng Shui adjustments didn’t always “hold” and that outer Feng Shui had to be combined with an inner approach in order to get to the bottom of the issue.

Once open to this idea, I observed my clients and students who were struggling with money despite their Feng Shui efforts and I determined there were four patterns that could prevent someone from allowing abundance to take hold in their lives.   One was guilt, as exhibited by Will;one was fear of money and what it would bring; another was being a pleaser with money and letting people take advantage of them; and the last reason someone may not be able to accept money is that they simply did not want the responsibiloity money would bring.  If any of these patterns were strongly in place, a typical Feng Shui adjustment would probably not override their influence until the pattern was unraveled and examined.

Not wanting to abandon my clients yet not being a therapist myself, it seemed as though there was still a way that Feng Shui could help.  Bringing together the basic idea of Feng Shui (making a physical adjustment in the environment to elicit a desired change) along with an awareness of the crux of the problem, mixed with a 5 Element approach, and a vibrational pattern, the Feng Shui adjustment eventually revealed itself.  All of these pieces came together result in the video download, workbook, and transcript called The 4 Faces of Money:  Financial Feng Shui.

With the help of questionnaires, an individual can identify the particular aspect of “face” of money that currently challenges them.  From there the appropriate adjustments are included in a workbook.  These adjustments are intended to be used in the environment as well as personaqlly.  This may not eliminate the need for professional help; however, it maqy be enough of a shift on a psychological level that any further guidance will be minimal.  As I’ve seen, simply being aware of what is holdiing you back from accepting money is often enough to take appropriate action.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with money, the 4 Faces of Money: Financial Feng Shui is available as a download, along with the workbook and the transcript.  To order your copy, click on the link above.

Yet, I am surprised how people argue with me about my suggestions.  They pay me to come to their home or office, yet want to debate my advice.  I may offer several possibilities, going down my mental list of what to do in their particular situation.  Still, I hear “….yeah, but….”—-that won’t work, that’s too hard, that’s too easy, I tried it and it doesn’t work, I didn’t try it because I knew it wouldn’t work, my family will hate it, my parents will hate it, I think my spouse will hate it.  I am very careful about spelling out the positive results they could enjoy by implementing some of these ideas.

I’m not suggesting that every piece of my advice is without discussion.  Of course not.  I just would like people to honestly consider the suggestion for at least five seconds before I hear “yeah, but.”  For those who are in this “yeah, but” category, this is for you:  I realize it may be unhandy to use your front door, but after explaining how important and pivotal the door is to your overall well-being, please consider my idea for just a moment before dismissing it totally.  I realize moving your desk to the other side of the room will require plugging and unplugging lots of electronic gear, but at least think about it before saying no since I just informed you as to why it could drastically change how you do your business.  I know de-cluttering is a pain, but don’t throw out the idea because your energy is low—the clutter is in your health area—de-cluttering will help you.

Rather than give something a try, some people continue to look for an action that won’t require commitment or any kind of inconvenience.  The excuses get long and complicated—-in fact, it may be easier to move the desk or use the front door.  But, I understand change is hard.  I only ask that people give it some honest consideration.  Take a breath and think about it before assuring me that, yeah, it could work, but. . . .  All those “buts” are indeed big.  Remember, “but” stands for “Being Unable to Try.”

Another Feng Shui element is that there should be a surprise in the garden.  The garden should not tell its whole story on first glance, but rather reveal itself little by little.  This means you might tuck a little troll behind a tree, seen only when someone walks up close to the tree.  There might be a small chair or bench located under a lilac bush that isn’t noticed until you get to the lilacs.  A garden ornament could delight someone unexpectedly when they come around some tall irises.

The prime force behind a Feng Shui garden that relies on these elements is the intention of the garden.  Some people want a garden in which their children can play or in which they can entertain.  Others want a garden where people can swim and barbecue.  And others want a garden that provides them food.  We, however, were looking for sanctuary.  Living in the middle of the city and under a flight path from the airport, we wanted to offset the noise and traffic.  Despite what may be going on outside our garden, walking our new path is a remedy for bad days, headaches, and anxiety.  All it takes is one stroll through the flowers and my perspective makes a 180 degrees turn about.

A couple weeks ago we went to a local art fair.  Just as we were leaving, my husband caught sight of a booth that was selling what looked like rocks.  They were indeed rocks but were called Gnome Homes.  A hole had been drilled in the middle of each rock; a teeny little door had been installed on the front of the opening; and, sure enough, any gnome or fairy would be happy to call that home.  Without too much coaxing, my husband bought one.

We took our new treasure up onto our hill-side path.  We found a gentle turn by a lush hydrangea and determined it was a perfect spot for our Gnome Home.  It sits there in an unassuming way, nearly invisible from other parts of the garden.  Only when you walk the path can you get the full experience and charm of what this rock truly is.  We’ve put little treasures in our Gnome Home with special intention—-crystals, rose petals, bread.  It not only meets the requirement of being a surprise but it is completely in tune with helping to create a sanctuary in our backyard.

We are both drawn to walk the path more often now, just to visit our new purchase.  Besides we might come across one of those gnomes peeking inside the little door to see what gifts might have been left for him!

 If you want your own Gnome Home, go to http://www.naturallandscapemn.com/id98.html.