Category Archives: At the Apartment

Designing the Office: Part I

Now that all the furniture is in place (including the file cabinet that our Feng Shui consultant told us to move out of the bedroom), Gavin and I have been evolving the office into what we really want it to be.

I put together sort of an idea board of what Gavin and I discussed:

We need to make a trip to Home Depot, Ikea and then maybe scout out a few other items from other stores and flea markets. Hopefully we’ll have some time over the next week or two to get this room into shape.

Feng Shui Consultation + Blessing

As a wedding present, from a group of my bridesmaids, Gavin and I received a Feng Shui Consultation and Blessing Ceremony. Four months after our wedding, we decided to have Ann (our Feng Shui Expert) come to visit.

Ann had emailed us beforehand with instructions and to find out a thing or two about ourselves and our goals. For preparation, we had to get nine oranges and have two sharp knives for the blessing. Also, we needed to have two to three bouquets of fresh flowers to bring vitality into the space.

20121109-170121.jpg

Ann set up the altar:
– bowl of nine oranges and two knives
– red rice, blessed by Tibetan monks
– two bouquets of fresh flowers (wood element)
– holy water (water element)
– three candles (purifying fire element)
– Ting Sha bells (metal element) & Tibetan bell
– three stones (earth element)
– incense
– nine envelopes (filled with money)
– nine red envelopes (to be filled with our intentions)

20121109-170135.jpg

Then we went around the apartment and talked about each room. We started in the entry way of the apartment, then moved to the bedroom and ended up in the kitchen. Each section of the house was in a different part of the Bagua. The entrance to our apartment happens to be through the Knowledge and Self-Cultivation section.

Ann gave us so much advice and tips on what to do with the space- things to move, add or take out entirely. I started taking notes so that I wouldn’t forget anything she said. After this part of it, we went back to the altar for the Blessing.

20121109-170152.jpg

Ann lead us in a meditation, then we each sliced nine pieces from each of the nine oranges and put them into a bowl. (Nine is a super powerful number in Feng Shui.) We then brought the bowl of rice and orange peels, along with our intentions, and walked to each part of the apartment (according to the Bagua.)

20121109-170200.jpg

Gavin and I took turns saying our intentions out loud before putting them into envelopes and throwing orange peels and rice on top of the envelope. It felt a little weird to do this but probably because neither one of us has ever done this type of thing before. When it was all complete, we went back to the altar for a closing prayer.

20121109-170144.jpg

About two and a half hours later, we were done and Ann said goodbye, saying that we could follow-up by email and send photos and ask further questions as we continued evolving our space (which, of course, I totally will do.)

Gavin and I were actually really into the whole thing (despite my cold, I had energy to make it through.) I moved some things around right after she left. The apartment smelled nice with the citrus and incense. There were also nine brightly colored envelopes with orange peels on them all over the house. (We were instructed to leave them atleast overnight.) It was hard not to want to pick them up off the floor, though. We decided to keep them until Sunday night. After that, we need to put our envelopes into a box (a metal one is supposed to be the best because Gavin- Libra – is the earth element and I am – Aquarius – water.)

Overall, it was an interesting experience. I think we put a lot of good energy into out home and I’m looking forward to all the good things coming our way.