Published Articles
Feng Shui: Borrowing From the East When You Decide to Go West
“Go west young man and grow with the country.” Since time began, humanity has had a fascination with the West. Moving west is still associated with folks yearning to mold a lifestyle of autonomy, connection to the land, and success on one’s own terms. Whether you’re speaking of the Gold Rush or the migration to the rolling hills and vistas west of Austin, the allure is still there! “West Bound” – just saying it causes a twinge of adventure and excitement. Having just moved to Wimberley, I know what that’s like. If you’ve made the decision to “do it,” you’ve made a decision to take conscious control of your life, creating one that’s just right for you, your family and perhaps your business.
Odd as it may seem, an ancient Eastern philosophy can help you do just that. Feng Shui, around for more than 5000 years, literally translated means “wind” and “water” – referring both literally and figuratively to the elements around us and the science of integrating and managing them to create our best life. This concept – rediscovered in Aristotle’s time, again by the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung and more recently, architect Clair Marcus (House as a Mirror of Self) – has enjoyed a revival because we hunger for ways to reduce stress, make our homes a cocoon of comfort and restoration and create successful and authentic lives. Thousands of years of experience affirm “that home is a reflection of everything we are and all we hope to become.”
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Making the Best Use of Your Space
Reprinted from The Oak Hill Gazette Volume 12, # 8 May 26, 2006
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
Whether you’re in an apartment, combining households or have just moved into your dream home with a family room the size of a bowling alley, home serves as a refuge from the woes and stresses of the day, stores our loot, reflects who we are and can define who we become. For thousands of years different cultures from Asia to Rome have recognized the link between our physical space and our psyches. Feng Shui is the study of that relationship and offers practical tools for creating an environment that embraces you in comfort, functionality and psychological fit.
While living in the ‘burbs can offer larger spaces and privacy, most of us are still concerned with storage and with arranging spaces that accommodate the conflicting needs of toddlers, teenagers, parents and sometimes – grandparents! Having more room engenders the belief that we can keep everything and before ya’ know it, we’re out-of-room! It might be time to divest of a few thneeds (things nobody needs for those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Seuss’s, The Lorax); look at more efficient storage; design multiple use rooms and get organized.
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Making the Best of a Small Space
Downtown living can combine the best of several worlds: community coupled with the fun of being able to walk out your front door to dining, entertainment or Town Lake and an electricity one can only get from city living. It can also come with challenges – most notably packing what may have been a life in the burbs into a much smaller square-footage. That can be a good thing – divesting of thneeds (things nobody needs for those of you who managed to grow up without the Dr. Suess book, The Lorax) and being conscious about keeping what’s most important.
So now that you’ve decided – what do you do with all the stuff that you really do need, and how do you make a loft or 750 square feet without a garage to use as a dumping ground feel and function like twice the size?
As a Feng Shui consultant and Professional Organizer, I work all the time with folks who are shifting gears or down sizing, and most have a lot of under-utilized space waiting in the wings. I’ve been intrigued by how to trick small spaces into functioning like larger ones since I read The Provident Planner twenty-plus years ago. I loved the idea of using a Murphy Bed to turn a room into a study by day, a media room in the evenings and a cozy bedroom at night. For the uninitiated, a Murphy Bed is a gizmo that functions as a bed (twin to king) complete with bed-side tables, lighting, book case and room for art work in the down position, and folds against the wall to look like a sleek wall unit when not in use. You can even get a matching one for Fido! (Google Murphy Beds to find options ranging from a $250.00 to $1500.)
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The Holidays: They’re Coming, Ready or Not!
Reprinted from The Homesteader, December, 2003
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
They’re coming! Ready or not! In fact they all seem to be here at once – if you believe what you see in the department stores. Well before Halloween, I was seeing Christmas paraphernalia. There’s something unsettling and off-putting about seeing Santa and Menorahs snuggled in there between the skeletons, cobwebs and spiders. I’ve heard talk about the fall and winter holidays being combined into one major holiday. Lousy concept, but the constant selling of Hanukah, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas leads one to wonder if it’s not already happening. Will it be called HanukHalThaMas? Sounds like a dinosaur… However we define it, the premature hawking of these and other holidays in an effort to jump start consumer spending also jump-starts the assorted stresses that go with the season and can sap energy.
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Sidewalks and Walkways: Following the Path of Least Resistance
Have you ever noticed your reaction to houses with curved or winding pathways leading to the front door is different from those with straight-on sidewalks or none at all? Never really thought about it? Well – maybe not, but I’ll just bet it influences you in subliminal ways that may not have percolated up to consciousness.
To be honest, when I first began studying Feng Shui and heard that the path to the front door influences the life of its occupants, I thought that was a little nuts. So bear with me if you’re having a similar reaction. Think of houses that “call” to you or give you that “coming home” feeling – even if your childhood home didn’t look anything like that.
It seems that high-end homes nearly always have luxurious, meandering pathways through the landscaping and trees, allowing you time to slow down and smell the flowers before being graciously delivered to the front door. Somehow you just “know” that behind that front door you’ll be greeted with open arms, the smell of freshly baked goodies and a well loved family dog.
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I wish I may, I wish I might – have the wish I wish tonight…
Reprinted from The Homesteader, June, 2003
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
Interesting, don’t you think, that old expression “Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.” On one hand we are taught as children that wishing is a fantasy. Fairy Tales tell us that “wishes really do come true.” We are told both “You create you own reality” and “Wishing doesn’t make it so.” So what’s true in this mix? Well, if it were one of those trick multiple choice questions our college teachers, the SAT, GRE and all the others love so much – I would have to choose “All of the above.” But with some explanation.
If you’ve read some of my other articles, you’ve been introduced to the idea that we certainly have a hand in creating our present and future reality. Also, that positive thinking alone won’t do it – you have to passionate about the desire. Being passionate in either direction will do it – fear pulls in stuff, just as joy does. So I would modify the “Be careful what you wish for – by saying “Be careful where you spend your emotional time, you might just pull in more of the same.”
What’s Intuition Got To Do With It?
Reprinted from The Homesteader, June, 2003
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
When folks ask what I do and I tell them I’m a Feng Shui Consultant, Intuition Trainer and Professional Organizer, it’s always interesting to watch and hear their responses. They range from barely disguised rolling-of-the-eyes to fascination and are almost always followed by, “You mean you can TEACH INTUITION?” Frequently, the next question is, “What’s it got to do with Feng Shui and Organization?”
Well – nearly everyone has a story about some time in their life that they knew something without knowing why they knew it. Some will even admit it! And sometimes when you enter a house with “bad vibes,” you’re picking up on what has happened there in the past or the emotional climate of it’s current occupants. In short, your intuition is always giving you information – about people, life decisions, spaces – all of which has implications for Feng Shui. Now whether you can receive it, know how to listen to it and use it – that’s another matter.
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Good Feng Shui is about living in harmony with your environment
From flying roaches to cute little deer
Reprinted from The Homesteader, May, 2003
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
We are moving into spring here in Austin, a marvel of breathtakingingly beautiful wildflowers and butterflies. Just to be clear, spring is “defined” as those few days between winter (75 degrees and below) and summer (100 degrees plus.) It’s the time the spirit naturally moves toward planting things, and watching for new critters to emerge. If “critter” is not a word you have added to your vocabulary, go ahead and do that now. You’ll need to because there are lots of them around here, and they’re not shy.
I remember coming to back “home” to Austin from California. Having lived here for twelve years prior to setting out on 9 month sailing adventure and finally settling in the moderate and fertile climate of southern California, I realized I was just a neophyte in terms of gardening upon returning. That’s because during those first twelve years in Austin we had lived a little bungalow in Tarrytown where everything grew - it was near the river, had nice acid soil, and in many ways was like Louisiana where I grew up. Even the roaches reminded me of Louisiana; their presence had little to do with housekeeping, and everything to do with years of ivy growth, moisture, and trees. The difference is these buggers could fly - and read! (You don’t believe it? Go ahead, pull out a can of Raid and watch them attack like a bomber pilot.) I’m not trying to frighten you – just letting you know that the presence of roaches is not necessarily bad Feng Shui, it’s just the Shui t it is near the river. All that time, I never knew that that rich, fertile soil around our bungalow was actually an oasis in a sea of caliche – and until I moved back the terms “caliche pick,” deer repellent, scorpions, etc. had never even been blips on my radar screen.
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What’s a Body To Do?
Reprinted from The Homesteader, April, 2003
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
We are living in some strange times. The universe-is-tilting, there’s Code Orange, Code Pink, Peace Vigils, Anti-War Marches, hormones in the meat and fake corn, Cloning…. What’s a body to do? Makes you want to retreat a nice cave and hibernate ‘till all this passes. But a good cave is hard to find these days, and with the price of utilities and oil – could you afford to heat I?. Alas, we are not bears or bats and hibernation is not an option. So what are we to do to restore peace of mind and find a bit of tranquility in our lives.
I just finished writing some text for a beautiful image entitled Tranquility on my Web Site. It occurred to me that we could all use a dose of that right about now and since Feng Shui offers an approach to guide us there, I’ll share some ideas with you along with a technique to help you relax any time, any where.
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Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime…
Reprinted from The Homesteader, February, 2003
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
Well – we’re coming up on Valentine’s Day and it gives one pause to consider…who d’ya love. Our programming for this day has us immediately turn to romantic interests and so I’ll concentrate on that – for the most part, but not entirely. Let’s assume for the moment that you are in the category of coupled or wanting to be. This is not to say, that everyone has that interest – nor should they. But, as I said – we’re taking that as a starting point. So what can Feng Shui do to help you in this respect? A few things come to mind and they don’t all have to do with Mandarin Ducks. DUCKS you say? What’s that got to do with romance and partnering?
Here’s what. Much of Feng Shui – the art of arranging your environment to support you in all of life’s pursuits – has to do with symbolism. The things with which we surround ourselves act as triggers for all manner of things conscious and sub-conscious. Knowing this, it’s wise to create your environment with care. If you want to have a supportive, nurturing relationship, you would not – for instance – put pictures of fighting roosters (nor any other critters that are known to be philanderers or animals of prey) in your bedroom. (more…)
New Year’s Resolutions: Resolve To Evolve
I don’t know about you, but I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions. I feel guilty before I even start. Besides – they have always tended to be the same – and too general to do much good. You know the ones: loose weight, make more money, exercise, have more private time…. These are all noble pursuits, but why not just say “Live a better life?”
Well, the problem with resolutions is one of specificity and the fact that they are usually grounded in something negative that we are trying to “make right.” Face it: you wouldn’t be making a resolution like “Loose 10 pounds” if you hadn’t eaten everything that wasn’t nailed down during the holidays. So that worthy thought is really supported by the frustration that you gained weight in the first place. It’s the same with things like make more money, etc. All are based in something that didn’t happen last year or something that did happen and we would like a magic pill to fix.
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‘Tis the Season
This little piece is a bit of a departure form the “tongue in cheek” fare you received from me in the past, but it is no less authentic. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this season of the year – both in terms of it being Chanukah and Christmas, as well as it simply being that time of the year when the focus turns inward.
As we enter this season, our thoughts turn to loved ones, peace, celebrations, feasting, giving thanks, shopping – decorating – shopping – decorating – more shopping…. You get the idea. With the vast and ever increasing commercialization, which has come to surround virtually every holiday, it’s easy to loose the real meaning of the season. Whatever the real meaning is – is a personal one. For some it is primarily religious, for others a way of connecting with old friends, family spread far and wide and for showing people we care. Somehow it is easier to give a plate of cookies to someone at this time of year, than it is to say – face-to-face our heartfelt “thank you” at the time it is most felt. Christmas and Chanukah give us permission to express joy, gratitude and celebration when our more reserved selves might have a harder time at any other point in the year.
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The Garage
Reprinted from The Homesteader, October, 2002
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
The garage. Just the mention of it brings groans, gasps and the rolling of eyes. Even the most fastidious people have been revealed to be closet messies when it comes to the garage. In private consultations, people have been know to throw their bodies across the door to the garage – “Oh NO – your CAN”T go into the garage!”
“Does the garage really count?” In a word: “YES!” It’s part of the house even if it is sometimes your only private dumping ground. I’ve consulted in many high-dollar, beautifully appointed homes – meticulously neat in the public quarters but total chaos in the garage. In a few, the garage door couldn’t be closed because it was full from top to bottom and front to back. Several hardware stores could have been stocked with the contents. Things were so well packed-in, there was no hope of finding anything without undoing everything. So, whenever someone needed a tool, they would go buy another.
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Feng Shui in the Garden
Reprinted from The Homesteader, April, 2002
By Nancy Wesson, Director; Focus On Space
When folks ask me about Feng Shui and gardening, there seems to be some confusion about them being Zen gardens. The two couldn’t be more different. A Zen garden is very – well Zen! When I think of a Zen garden – it’s sparse with open space and lots of sand or rock with a few larger rocks. It’s a space for Zen-like meditation – clearing the mind of everything extraneous. Visual stimulation is at a minimum. Beautiful and serene with little to stimulate the senses.
Feng Shui gardens, on the other hand meander with winding trails, plants, rocks statuary if you like, benches – always a little gift around every bend. There are little pockets of refuge and privacy mixed with vistas – all brought together in a balanced elemental blend. In five-element terms it means you have water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal represented in ways that strike your fancy and honor the natural habitat.
The Benefit of Feng Shui in Your New Home
I recently overheard a reported laughingly describe a boutique in New York City that hired a Feng Shui Consultant to come in before opening day. He “hung a few crystals and mirrors around the place,” – and on the first day projected sales were exceeded by five hundred percent.
Somehow Feng Shui is viewed by many as some mystical eastern religion embraced by the same people who call Madame Hoochy’s psychic hotline for dating advice. Indeed, I’ve had several “closeted” clients who, after hearing stories such as the one above, had me come to their place of business only after I could assure them that I would not let their colleagues know what I was doing. Representing myself only as a “space designer,” it was still clear that the people working in the business viewed my presence there as silly. Ironically, once the office was rearranged, the very same skeptics who questioned the value of “space design” were suddenly drawn to it like a magnet, along with everyone else. I might mention that this was accomplished by rearranging the furniture – not a crystal or mirror anywhere.
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