Feng Shui News September 2009 :: JBA Network

On hot days when you don't want to heat up your kitchen, nothing is more perfect than a cooling soup with avocados and cucumber. All you need is a blender, the ingredients, and your appetite. You can vary the ingredients to suit your tastes- many people find that adding another avocado can substitute for the yogurt, while others still throw in some buttermilk for a different flavor.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced and peeled cucumber
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 ts lemon zest
1 scallion, roughly chopped
1 cup cold water or broth
1/2-1 cup plain yogurt (if using whole yogurt, use less)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or herb of choice)
Optional: one hot pepper, roughly chopped

Reserve 1/4 cup cucumber and 1/4 cup avocado for garnish. Blend all remaining ingredients until smooth. Garnish and serve chilled.

If you are looking to enhance, grow, or change your career path, you can use feng shui to assist you in doing so. In feng shui, the doorway to your home is often viewed as being representative of your career area. Not only should your front door be a space that is well cared for, but you can also use it to your advantage. Take a business card and place it by the front door so that each time you enter or leave your space, you are reminded of your goals. If you are hoping to change careers, place an item by the front door that will evoke the change you are making. The power of intention is important in making these changes as in order to truly be effective in your goals, you must be able to act as if they are already coming true.

There are also ways that you can make your current workspace more conducive to success. This is especially important to those who are working towards advancement in their given field. Tricks such as never having your desk face a door, having plants in your office, having pictures with mountains or long range (not water) views, and avoiding clutter and broken electronics can do a great deal towards increasing efficiency, focus, and productivity in the workspace. Natural light and at least a splash of vibrant color is also helpful in keeping office vitality at its optimum. If you do not have an office, make whatever changes you can in your designated workspace that will support you in your goals.

Many people find that one of their favorite parts of the winter season is how festively everything is decorated. In the dark cold of winter, there are lights everywhere, plant life,

rich reds, festive garlands and bows all about. Now, these traditions developed at least partially out of the need for something to brighten the dark, to get people through the cold winter months. It enables people to thrive, not just survive, during the dark, cold winter months.

Instead of relegating warm decor to the winter months, why not try to bring touches of it to your home year-round? Red is best used in the living room, dining room, or kitchen, keeping in mind that it should be balanced in rooms devoted to eating as it stimulates hunger. In various cultures red is said to be representative of passion, love, courage, and marriage. It is the color of fire in feng shui and has a warming effect.

When you begin bringing red into your space, start with accessories and work your way up. Too much red can be overstimulating and contribute to restlessness and anger. Just as with any other color, it should be in balance in your home. For some, a red wall is perfect, while others prefer to have a few red pieces in the southern corner of their home. Find what works for you and your home and keep the holiday cheer all year-round.

Create a specific space for homework to be done that is not the same as place where playing, sleeping, or eating is done.

Make sure there is plenty of natural light were schoolwork is to be done- this will keep students awake and engaged. A dark room can make children sleepy, and harsh lighting can cause them to become unfocused.

Get rid of clutter, especially around desks or other places where schoolwork will be done. Doing so will help to make room for new ideas and let creativity flow. A lack of clutter will also help hone focus and concentration.

Have a plant on the desk or in nearby areas. Not only will it promote higher levels of oxygen to stimulate the brain, but it will have a positive effect on the energy of the space as well.

Jane Smith

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Website

In This Issue:

Chilled Avocado Cucumber Soup

Enhancing your Career with Feng Shui

Using the Fire Element Throughout the Year

Back to School Feng Shui

Jane Smith

888-888-8888

Website

Harmony in the Home

Keep a clean and healthy home.

Display happy pictures of your family, individual and group shots.

Place a fountain in the east, making sure the water stays clean.

Use calming colors, such as light blues in the family space.

Make sure the personal spaces of family members are well-kept.

Keep the elemental signs of each family member in consideration when balancing the five elements.

Feng Shui, Step One

Before rearranging your furniture or strategically placing mirrors, candles, or fountains in your home, you need to do some deep cleaning. Reducing clutter should be the first thing you do. Feng shui is about the movement of energy through your home, and until you make space for energy to flow, nothing you add will be beneficial. Commonly cluttered spaces include closets, desks, the kitchen, and anywhere else you accumulate junk. That drawer full of random junk and the jacket you no longer wear are both candidates for removal.

Keeping a clean home is the way to begin your feng shui journey- dirt detracts from a home just as much as clutter. Maintain a regular cleaning schedule that includes occasional deep cleaning. Don't let dirt build up and collect over time as it holds stagnant energy. Once you've gotten a good start on your clean, clutter-free home, it'll be time to move on to the next step.

Control Your Destiny: Live Your Dreams

In order to live your dreams, YOU must be in control of your destiny. Waiting for your talents to be recognized, or for someone to sweep in and rescue you is the same thing as giving up. Rather than adopt a position of helplessness and dependence on an unknown outside force, create your own road to success.

How is this done? By creating a list of your skills and a list of your deepest desires and dreams. The places where skills and desire meet are the starting points for your journey. The more skills that can be used on the path, the more likely it is that you will succeed.