Bed of Roses

A Red, Red Rose

O my Luve's like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I:

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun:

I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee well, my only Luve

And fare thee well, a while!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

Robert Burns

The End

Feng Shui Kitchen

Feng Shui Kitchen

A kitchen is a place where our daily food is prepared and shared. It is a cosy gathering place for the family members and fulfills that intrinsic need for nourishment.

Here are some helpful Feng Shui hints to consider:

• When remodeling a kitchen, add more cooking appliances to increase prosperity. 
• Clean the stove top and burners in your kitchen frequently. During normal usage avoid getting your stove dirty or encrusted with spill-over food from the cooking. A clean and properly working stove invites an abundance of food and prosperity into your household.
• If your stove is on an island or peninsula and lacks a wall behind it, place a glazed ceramic vase or a pitcher on the counter behind it.
• It is important to keep the kitchen garbage can out of sight.
• Make sure you store all the cleaning supplies out of sight as well, so that they don’t “clean out” your beneficial energy of prosperity and abundance.
• Don’t place a dragon figurine in your kitchen.  Traditionally, Dragon figures at the base of the plate represented due restraint. It’s supposed to warn you against over indulgence of food.
• Don’t place a fish tank in the kitchen, as the pumping water symbolizes the departure of wealth from the family.
• Don’t store kitchen knives in plain sight, in a holder or a wall-mount magnetic strip, however convenient;   to do so it cuts prosperity and severs the harmony of the family unit. It would be better, when they are not in use, to place them in a kitchen drawer or a cabinet.
• Finally, tuck a red envelope with three Chinese coins under the bottom of the rice, flour or pasta container and potato bin. This brings abundance and wealth.

Bon Appetit!

Nature's Abstract Art- 8

“Chaos is the score upon which reality is written.”  HENRY MILLER

The End.

Feng Shui Bathroom

Feng Shui Bathroom

One of the Feng  Shui  guidelines  is that if you can’t see it, it is not metaphysically there. This means you can block, cover, bury, hide, deflect, reflect or use any other means to correct bad Feng Shui in your home or bathroom.

Here are some helpful hints:

• Don’t redesign your home, townhouse or condo to add a bath or powder room that sticks out past your front door since the yin of the bathroom clashes with the yang entering the house.   The front door is the main access for beneficial ch’i into your home and this flow could be interrupted by the bad energy from the bathroom.  Remember also to always keep the bathroom door closed, especially when the front door is open.
• If you are remodelling your house don’t have the stairs leading directly towards the bathroom door or the main entrance door of your home.  
• To minimize the loss of ch’i energy in the bathroom and to prevent losing money you must keep the lavatory lid down every time you flush. 
• Avoid placing a mirror opposite the bathroom door since the incoming ch’i will be reflected right back.
• The bathroom door should not open directly onto the lavatory or bath, as this robs you of your need for privacy and protection.  If you have ample room position a screen or panel in the space between the door and the toilet.
• Adequate ventilation is important to prevent the build-up of negative (sha) energy.  Dampness or mildew contributes to stagnant, negative ch’i.  One way to avoid this, especially if you don’t have a window, is to keep a few plants in your bathroom to absorb the excess moisture.
• You can also lose wealth if you have leaky taps or leave the water running so, if the plumbing in your house is faulty, fix it as soon as possible.
• Make sure there is no waste blocking the sink and that the waste basket is emptied frequently.
• It is not good to have the kitchen directly facing a bathroom.  Nor is it good to have a bathroom or shower located in the corner of your main bedroom, as this will siphon your health, luck and prosperity. The remedy is to have a divider or door that is kept closed at all times.
• Do not choose a house with a bathroom located in the center.  The most important room such as a living room, family room or a dining room should be in this spot.  If the bathroom is at the centre of the home, there is possibility that sha ch’i will easily travel to all the surrounding rooms.  You may somewhat remedy this bad circumstance by using  accessories made of earth materials, such as clay, terra cotta, and porcelain to anchor your wealth.
• Rice is a symbol of abundance, wealth, and fertility. Never flush this revered food down the sink or toilet. 

Canadian Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving Day is mainly celebrated in Canada and United States.  In Canada where the temperature become colder sooner and the harvest comes before that of the United States the celebrations are held on the second Monday of October, whereas in the United States Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

Historically this holiday had its roots in religious cultural traditions as prayers of thanks and their corresponding ceremonies are the norm among many religions after the harvest.  Today, however, it is primarily celebrated as a secular holiday. It is considered a statutory holiday in all provinces except for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Despite their businesses being open, many Maritime citizens join in on the celebrations regardless.

Here’s an account of brief History of Thanksgiving from Wikipedia:

“The origin of the first Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to the explorer Martin Frobisher who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving celebration was not for harvest but was in thanks for surviving the long journey from England through the perils of storms and icebergs. In 1578, on his third and final voyage to these regions, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Frobisher Bay in Baffin Island (present-day Nunavut) to give thanks to God and in a service ministered by the preacher Robert Wolfall they celebrated Communion — the first-ever service in these regions. Years later, the tradition of a feast would continue as more settlers began to arrive in the Canadian colonies.


The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving can also be traced to the French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century, who also took to celebrating their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing their food with the indigenous peoples of the area. Champlain had also proposed for the creation of the Order of Good Cheer in 1606.


As many more settlers arrived in Canada, more celebrations of good harvest became common. New immigrants into the country, such as the Irish, Scottish and Germans, would also add their own traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the U.S. aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey or what were called Guinea fowls originating from Madagascar), were incorporated when United Empire Loyalist began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.”

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Feng Shui Bedroom

Feng Shui Bedroom

When you are moving into a new home, apartment or condo, position the master bed during the most yang hours of the day- which is 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. 

Sleeping is a yin activity so choose yin designs elements: soft textures, curving shapes, and mellow lighting for your bedroom.  In the evening draw your curtains, blinds, or drapes to create a more yin environment for resting and sleeping. Here are few helpful Feng Shui tips to keep in mind when decorating the bedroom:

• Look up at a room’s ceiling before positioning a bed. Putting a bed under exposed beams can press down on a sleeper’s vital chi energy, causing health problems.  It’s best to cover exposed ceiling beams in a bedroom with draped fabric or dry wall to create a flat ceiling.
• A rafter that runs in the same direction as a couple’s bed below is believed to cause a division between them.
• Best to have a headboard on your bed as it provides support to your crown chakra. 
• Don’t place the bed with its foot facing the door of the room, as this makes for a very bad luck.
• Avoid having any electrical outlet on the wall close behind you or next to your pillow.
• It is not good to face a mirror or T.V. when you are sleeping otherwise your vital life energy (Chi) will be siphoned as you sleep.  If this cannot be avoided, simply cover any mirror or TV screen with a cloth or better still have them located in a large cabinet that can be closed.
• Avoid sleeping in a bed that is located under a skylight, as it will draw healthy chi away from you.  
• The bed should not be positioned against the short wall of the room with a sloping ceiling.
• It’s best to sleep in bedrooms that are above the ground rather than in a basement as healthful yang energy is abundant in the light and air.  If you are sleeping in a bedroom above a garage however, place a red cloth between the mattress and box spring for your protection.
• A Phoenix figure in a bedroom will add sparks to an existing relationship that has stagnated; however, don’t use a phoenix to activate romance in your life if you already have an emotionally happy and physically satisfying relationship with someone special. To do so may cause infidelity.
• Remove all dead or dried flowers and plants from your bedroom (and garden), as they are believed to kill your love and sex life.  
• Don’t keep an aquarium in a bedroom, especially the master bedroom, as it symbolizes money luck being pumped out of the owner’s possession.
• Do place a symbol of wealth in your bedroom so that you see it on waking. This could be a figurine of a carp, an ox sitting on Chinese coins, or a turtle.
• And finally, do open your drapes and curtains first thing in the morning. This allows the light to infuse its yang energy into you for the day’s activities. 

  If we do not have a general air-condition and are using ceiling fans to cool us while we sleep in these hot summer nights, keep in mind to install your ceiling fans beyond the foot of the bed in a bedroom. They will cool the room without harming the health of the occupants.

Good luck and good night to you all.

Feng Shui Rooms- The Dining Room

Feng Shui Dining Room

Without the valleys we cannot appreciate the peaks.  Feng shui parallels life: Light and dark, active and passive, hard and soft, straight and crooked… all are complimentary and interdependent sides of a holistic philosophy that centers and empowers us.

The dining room is a place where ideally the entire family eats relaxes and is entertained but more importantly it is where pertinent family discussions are held.

It is not unusual to see some families utilizing this space as the study or a work place as well. The table allows the books or papers to be spread out onto a large surface.  To facilitate concentration the room should be a relatively quiet place away from traffic noises and bustling activity.  When using the dining areas as a study select a seat with a wall behind it. This will allow you added protection especially when from your seated position you can observe the comings and goings of others.

Here are some other helpful hints:

• If there are doors leading and out of the dining area keep them closed, particularly when eating, in that way there is no disturbance of the peace or feelings of vulnerability.
• If the position of the dining table is close to patio doors or large bay windows with their large glass panels, the person seated at the table may be subjected to too much yin, caused by elements such as cold or damp, light or heat seeping into the room.  Partially closed curtains or blinds can correct these negative effects.
• Decorate your dining room wall with a painting or picture of abundant food, fruit, and wine.
• Maintain a balance of space when you accessorize your walls.
• There should be adequate overall lighting in the room.
• A clear path between the kitchen and the dining room is essential, so as to allow hot plates and bowls to be safely carried in.
• Cleaning supplies should never be left in the dining room.  This symbolizes your income, good health and prosperity being removed or cleaned out like dust and dirt.
• After you entertain in your home cleanse the energy as soon as possible.