Powerful You! Women's Network

"Is it true that I should always sleep with my head in the North?"
"I heard you should always keep the bathroom door closed and the toilet lid down.  Is that correct?"   

    These are frequently asked questions when people learn that I'm a feng shui practitioner.  My name is Eileen kelz and I am a professional feng shui consultant, educator and trainer.
     In upcoming posts I will answer some of those frequently asked questions and help to bring contemporary understanding of the ancient wisdom of feng shui.
    Feng shui, pronounced "fung schway", is the art of placement.  Translated it means "wind and water."  Althought the name is Chinese, feng shui has come to include similar traditions from  almost every culture around the world.  The intent is to create environments that support and enrich your life by balancing the energy in your space.
    Your home or workplace is a mirror of who you are. Your values, beliefs, health, passions, and challenges will be reflected there. The exciting news is that your space can also be a template for change.  You can create an environment  that supports your desire for better health, a new career, more business opportunities or any other value that you hold. 
   I came to understand the power of feng shui in a very practical way.  In 1997, my life-long dream of owning a beach house was about to come true. My husband and I flew from our home in  Wisconsin to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to look for property to purchase.  Our realtor patiently led us through 7 houses in one day but we fell in love with the first house we saw. We made an offer and that is when fear set in.  It can be scary when a life-long dream becomes reality.  
   Our offer was accepted and a month later we returned for closing and to prepare the house for upcoming rental season.  We walked into our dream and were so dissappointed!  I was in tears.  Being by the ocean has always been a heart-lifting experience for me, but we were feeling none of that joy.  The house felt dark and heavy.  We are not wealthy people so we feared we had squandered our life savings on this dream.
   Back in Wisconsin a friend gave me a book on feng shui and space clearing written by Denise Linn.  Linn combines the ancient practices of feng shui and space clearing in a system call Interior Alignment.  I learned how the energy in a space can become stagnant or take on the emotions of previous occupants and events.  It made sense to me!  Many renters had left their imprint and the house had been closed up for the Winter.
   The next trip to the Outer Banks I had the book in hand and brought some friends for a wild women's beach week.  As Linn suggested, we did a energy space clearing with drums and sage to cleanse and uplift the energy. It was a complicated ceremony but  
the results were immediate.  Colors seemed more vibrant.  The air felt lighter and infused with positive energy.  Best of all, that heart-lifting feeling returned.  I then went on to implement some feng shui changes.  Furniture was moved to encourage better "chi" flow,  We changed artwork, introduced different colors and boosted the "wealth" area, a section of the home designated in feng shui as a place of abuncance.  It was magic!  Following the clearing we did a house dedication and named our home, Aquinna....beautiful light by the sea.  The house was now truely ours.
   Not only did Aquinna feel better for us, our summer rentals improved dramatically.  Buildings have a consciousness and respond to the respect and love that we give to them. This is true whether that space is your home, a rental investment or your place of work. My hunband and I make sure that our renters know that Aquinna is a home and not just a rental machine.  They respond accordingly and care for it as their home.
   Since my initial exprerience I decided that I wanted to help others in the same way.  I went through extensive training with Linn throughout the last decade and am now an Advanced Practitioner and Master Teacher of Interior Alignment.  I now have the honor of training students from around the world to do what I do.  Those classes take place at Aquinna, the very place that gave me my start.
   Feng shui is not merely about how a place appears.  It is about the experience you have in that space and how it leads you forward through your life.  It is not a decorating trend  but a practical life-long tool to help you align your space to support your spirit and intentions.

   Eileen Kelz is a feng shui and space clearing consultant, educator and trainer. Through her business Dynamic Environments, she provides professional Interior Alignment certification training on the Outer Banks and in Wisconsin. Eileen is a passionate and fun-loving teacher.  She can be reached at 715-305-5359 or eileenkelz@gmail.com    To learn more, go to:  www.dynamic-environments.com