Feng Shui at Work: Watch Your Back

By Jessica Hoelzel

I’ve written before, in an earlier post, about the importance of your desk being in the “command” position of your office. You want to make sure you:

Have a view of the door

Are not too close to the door

Are not in direct line with the door

Are towards the back of the room (ideally diagonal from the door)

If you don’t work in an office, but rather a “cube”, you are usually at a disadvantage because they are designed so that you face into the cube, not out. You back is, most often, to the entrance. This is troublesome because, energetically, anytime you have your back to the entrance, it sets you up to be vulnerable, at risk for being “stabbed in the back”, “blindsided” or “taken by surprise”.


Feng shui is all about metaphors. It’s based upon the well-founded, scientific idea that everything in our universe is energy. So even though it may seem preposterous to move your desk away from the lovely view out the window, turning it so it faces out (What? It doesn’t have to be up against the wall?) and then diligently organizing your computer cords so they are not unsightly, and no one breaks his or her neck tripping over them…it is not. (Preposterous, that is.)

When you rearrange your desk to be in the command position, you change the flow of energy. Instead of blasting you in the back, you are there to meet it. Hello world. Whatever you present me with today, I am fully prepared to meet, head on.

If you’re in a cube, situate yourself the best you can, and put a mirror in front of you. Either hang one or put one on your computer, so you can see what (and who) is coming. Here are some convex mirrors from fengshuishopper.com that will work nicely.

By enhancing and directing chi flow, we are able to direct our fate in a positive way.

- Kirsten M. Lagatree

Good "office luck" to you! Please comment if you have a workplace challenge you'd like me to address.

Feng Shui at Work: The Dangers of Too Much Yang Energy

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my earlier posts, I’ve been writing about balance, and how the basic feng shui guiding principle “use nature as your model” can help you achieve it. The Yin/Yang symbol represents balance, according to the I Ching (an ancient Chinese text used for divination and explaining the order of the universe).

The aim of the I Ching practice is to bring about balance in which celestial consciousness guides earthly awareness to follow the rhythm of nature.

- Roger Green

Its design symbolizes how chi (life force energy) fluctuates between Yin and Yang, which are opposites. When balanced, there are equal amounts of both Yin and Yang energy. Things get challenging if there’s too much of one or the other. (Off-balance.)

In the workplace, balance is often difficult to come by – for many reasons. One reason being that there is often too much Yang energy. Yang energy is masculine, aggressive, willful and active. Too much Yang can overpower. Yin energy is the opposite: feminine, passive, flexible and still. Too much Yin can underpower, but adding some Yin can balance out the occasions of too much Yang.

Too much Yang, according to Kirsten M. Lagatree,
in Feng Shui at Work, can:

Impede decision-making
Cause lost opportunities
Cause bad financial outcomes
Hurt morale
Encourage high turnover

How do you assess what’s going on and fix it?

Common Workplace Issues
Too much Yang................Add some Yin

Florescent lights..................Turn some off, use desk lamps/task lighting

Smelly................................Use diffusers* or fans, empty and clean trash regularly

Noisy.................................Designate quiet areas, wear headphones

Hectic................................Put systems in place to create order, create opportunities for breaks

Too warm..........................Add window shades, use a fan, fix heating

Crowded...........................Reorganize/eliminate furniture, encourage off-site work

Male-dominated.................Bring in art/accessories with feminine feel, hire more women

Cluttered............................Purge, organize, streamline things

I'd love to hear from you. What's going on in your workplace? Do you think there's a solution? Click below to leave a comment.

*Curious about diffusers? Check out these options from Young Living. The Travel Diffuser would work perfectly in an office or cube. Contact me by email for more information.

Boundary Waters Balance Part 2

By Jessica Hoelzel

In my last post, I wrote about how adhering to one of the basic principles of feng shui, “use nature as your model”, can help you find balance in your space and in your life…my reflections after traveling into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). But I also alluded to the fact, at the end of the post, that our trip wasn’t all balanced bliss. Yes, feng shui practitioners are human too, and it’s not all perfect feng shui and organization in their worlds, all the time.

What happened was a good learning experience for me, as most episodes of being “off-balance” are. So here’s the story…

My mistake was to turn over all packing responsibilities to my husband. He has more experience than I, in going into the back country. Since we didn’t have to portage this trip (carry our canoe and gear) he went a little overboard. Not that I’m blaming him, but his thought process was that since we didn’t have to go very far into the BWCAW, didn’t have to carry our stuff, and since this was the little ones’ first trip in, that he’d pack all the stuff they needed (plus a lot more –just in case they needed it). His goal was to make it easy and comfortable for them.

When we got to our site and started to set up camp was when I first felt overwhelm creeping in. Then over the course of the short time we were there, I kept getting distracted and bugged by all the stuff. We probably only really needed about a third of what we brought. The stuff, getting in our way at the site – in our way of both movement around the site, to perform “camp tasks”, and in our way of viewing the beauty of nature – hindered my experience of balance.

Lessons learned: next time we will 1) do the packing together 2) be more minimalistic in packing and 3) give ourselves more time to plan, set things out, and decide what we REALLY need.

You live and you learn…and every experience is a valuable opportunity to grow, and make things better.

Boundary Waters Balance Part 1

By Jessica Hoelzel

The feng shui of the Boundary Waters? Perfectly balanced and harmonious.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, John Lake

For good feng shui, one of the core principles you must follow is to “use nature as your model”. Heading into nature every now and then is a good way to observe nature’s perfect balance, and achieve a state of balance for yourself.

When you are in nature there is less distraction, pulling your energy this way and that. No TV, no cell phone, no Internet…in our case, no motorized boats or traffic either. When in nature, you are free to be present, to BE. When you can BE, unencumbered by the typical distractions, you have the opportunity to find some balance. With the nurturing solace of nature’s beauty surrounding you, you have the opportunity to:

BE in quiet

BE clear-headed

BE healed

BE refreshed

BE inspired

…and return to a state of physical, mental and spiritual harmony.

So how do you keep that state alive when you return home? By ensuring that your surroundings are also balanced. That you don’t have too many noisy distractions – or at least opportunities for quiet. That you also have a place of beauty which provides you solace.

Stay tuned for more to come on how “stuff” impacted our experience of balance…

Energy Scattered? Make One List

By Jessica Hoelzel

Do you ever feel like you are bouncing all over the place, from one thing to the next, unable to focus?

Not sure what should be your top priority?

Sometimes our energy can get scattered when we have too many things “scattered about”. Whether it’s random sticky notes around your desk, or piles on the kitchen counter, what you need to do is make one list of “to dos”.

Pull all the paper “reminders” that are out in the open into a file folder or tray. Then place a list of what’s to be dealt with on top. For example:

 To Do:

1. Make hair appointment 
2. Renew tabs 
3. Call Mom
4. Buy groceries: eggs, tortillas, salsa, strawberries
5. Bring dress to tailor
6. Schedule dentist appointment

To be even more efficient, you can either 1) create your list with priorities at the top or 2) highlight or star the most urgent tasks. That way they’ll pop out at you. Make sure your file folder or tray and list are in a prominent place.

If you are tech savvy, put your list on your phone. And you can even set up reminders or appointments with yourself to complete different tasks.

This should work better for you, because your priorities will be organized and easy to access, as opposed to scattered or set around. Sometimes when things are out, they don’t actually work as good reminders, because they become “fixtures” in the space, and soon get ignored instead of dealt with.

Happy achieving!

Your Home Needs Fresh Air Too

By Jessica Hoelzel

Open the windows. Let the breezes blow in and refresh your space.
Now that the weather is a bit cooler early and late in the day, give your house a dose of nature’s medicine – fresh air. Houses can be nourished just like people. Clear out all that stale, recycled air and freshen things up.

When you restore the health of your home by letting in vital chi (life force energy), it’ll translate to your own health being revitalized too.

Embrace the quiet.
Listen...no more constant hum. If your air conditioner has been running all summer, give it a break. Not only will it allow your home to get a wee bit quieter, but your efforts will consume less energy, and let nature do what it’s meant to do.

If you’re looking for more ways to refresh your space, read my earlier post on diffusing essential oils.

Keep Bathroom Clutter in Check

By Jessica Hoelzel

Are you seduced by personal care products? The promise to clear, hydrate, firm, shine, volumize, straighten, curl or what have you? We all succumb to the marketing of these products, and sometimes you do have to buy it to try it. But if a product (or products – multiplied) doesn’t work out, where does that leave you? With one more bottle or tube of something you won’t use, cluttering up your bathroom space.

I’ve seen showers that you cannot step into without creating an avalanche of bottles…The clutter is burdensome on us, and the excess consumption is burdensome on the environment. What I recommend is to keep things simple.

Here are three ways to make that happen:

1. Choose products that offer a small trial size. They won’t take up as much space, and if they don’t work for you, you’re not out much money. Their waste has less of an environmental impact too.

2. Use up what you have before you start using another. Make use of every last drop of that shampoo,
before you bring the next bottle into your shower. Simple.

3. Choose products that have multiple uses. Try Dr. Bronners multiple-use soap. Body wash, shampoo,
laundry detergent, and more – all in one (18 uses, in fact).

The bathroom is a place where you spend time at the beginning and end of your day. Make it neat and streamline, and you’ll feel unburdened and productive before you even leave the house. And at ease before you slip into bed at night…Nice for you and nice for our world.

Looking for natural personal care products? I recommend Young Living. Email me with questions or products you’re interested in. I’d be happy to let you know how you can place an order, and help you get the best deal.