You might be wondering why a feng shui and clutter clearing expert is sponsoring a workshop about the Enneagram. The Enneagram is a system of personality that describes nine fundamentally different patterns of thinking, feeling and being in the world. Feng shui teaches that everything is connected. Your understanding of yourself and others affects the quality of your relationships. The quality of your relationships in turn affects your energy. Your energy affects how well you tend to the condition of your space. So, there really is a connection!

I was first exposed to the Enneagram by Fred Boykin and Jack Killen, friends who were looking for volunteers to work with when they were completing an Enneagram certification program. It was unsettling to learn that in Enneagram language I am a 1, a Perfectionist. However, when I read about the typical feelings, themes and approach to life of a Perfectionist, and compared it to descriptions of other types, it was clear that I am a 1. With that information I was able to come to a new level of self-acceptance. I also became more conscious about what I do and expect of myself and others and was able to slowly make changes in behavior that improved both the quality of my relationships and my life.

I tell people that the Enneagram helped save my marriage. My husband, Bob, and I are very different types. Learning about his type helped me better understand him and accept him as he is. It also helped me become more conscious of his gifts and learn to appreciate the unique person that he is.

One of the best things I learned from the Enneagram training is that the best thing that Perfectionists can do for themselves is to play hooky. If you are a 1, a Perfectionist, you know that playing hooky is rarely if ever an option. There is always something that must be done, fixed, tended to. Stopping is a major challenge for a 1. I was given permission to stop and allow things in my life to be less than perfect. I have a hunch that that one piece of information may help me extend my life by a few years!

If you are curious about your Enneagram type, I urge you to join us on November 12 for a day-long Introduction to the Enneagram. Fred and Jack are enthusiastic, experienced Enneagram trainers. You will leave the day with information that can open doors to self-understanding, self-acceptance and self-love. From that foundation it is possible to improve all your relationships.

For more information and to register for the Enneagram workshop, go to http://web.me.com/debbierocks/Site/Enneagram_Training.html or www.RockScissorsPaperInstitute.com. If you register by October 30, you will save $20!

Yesterday I had the honor of helping a lovely twelve year old girl, “Anna”, clear clutter from her bedroom. You may be thinking, “What’s the big deal? Why is that an honor?” It’s an honor because she welcomed me into her personal space and gave me permission to guide her in her decision-making. When I help people clear clutter, the energies in their lives shift and change for the better. It was an honor to be on that journey with her.

As we began working, Anna was reserved and somewhat aloof with me. That behavior is very common when I first begin clutter clearing with new clients. It was especially reasonable for a child working with an adult she hardly knew.

The way I work is to ask questions about the items in the room, starting with the biggest and moving on to the smallest. As we moved through that process it was fascinating to observe Anna morph from a self-contained soul sitting curled up in a little ball on her bed, answering my questions in a perfunctory manner, into an excited young colt bounding around the room gathering up items to evaluate and discard. Her shift from no energy to boundless energy was impressive.

I can’t remember the specific moment when Anna’s energy shifted. I have a hunch that it happened when we moved a small dresser from her closet to make more room for her to work in her closet. The dresser was a significant block to her being able to easily access her clothes and put them away. Moving it seemed to move Anna energetically from an overwhelmed, discouraged child into an enthusiastic young woman. From then on she worked with me with gusto, speed and focus. It was such a pleasure to be in that process with her. My challenge at that point was to contain her enthusiasm so we didn’t get ahead of ourselves in the clearing process.

In three hours Anna’s clearing transformed her room from that of a little girl to that of an adolescent. With her mother’s blessing I gave her permission to decide which items would stay and which would be donated, trashed or moved to another location. While having the right to choose was no doubt empowering and motivating for Anna, releasing huge quantities of books, toys, clothing and several large pieces of furniture was what shifted her mood and her energy. She was so relieved and excited to have the burden of too much stuff removed from her space. Anna now had room for her evolving adolescent self to grow and thrive. I predict she’ll have a great school year!

What things in your space are blocking your energy? If you have clutter, you are blocked in some way. Clear that clutter and watch your energy re-emerge. It’s worth the effort!

Is life feeling ho-hum? Perhaps you need an energy pick-me-up in your home or office! When you see the same thing every day you tend to stop really seeing it. It’s as if the details of your space become invisible. What that means from a feng shui perspective is that you no longer benefit from the energies of those items that have become invisible.

One way to perk things up is to deliberately move small items around. Rearrange your books. Take a piece of art off the wall and hang it in another room. Move plants to new locations. Add or remove decorative items.

Every time you move an item, you are shifting energies. Because everything is connected, the energy shifts that you cause when making small changes in your space result in energy shifts in your life. Also, when you move things around, you are creating new views. You see your space differently. Seeing your space differently can translate into seeing life differently. Moving things also signals the Universe that you are open to change, open to new, wonderful opportunities coming into your life.

Go for it! Give your space an energy pick-me-up! Then pay attention to how you feel and how your life starts moving again. It only takes moments to do, but the payoff can be powerful!

Paint your garage floor!

Feng shui teaches that safety and comfort are most important. It’s difficult to make garages feel comfortable. Garages are typically storage areas, purely utilitarian areas. Since everything in a garage has an energy that talks to you, it is a pretty noisy area.

There are, however some steps you can take to quiet down a noisy garage. These include:

1. Reduce the quantity of things that talk to you by organizing it and clearing out anything that no longer serves you.
2. Install cabinets and drawers to store small items instead of relying completely on open shelving.
3. Paint the floor. Believe it or not, a gray concrete floor has a noisy somewhat negative energy. And, it always feels dirty.

Just last week I walked into a client’s garage to put something away. As soon as I crossed the threshold I came to a complete stop. A month or two earlier I had helped my client organize that garage. I knew that garage, and the space I’d just entered felt completely different. It was so much more pleasant and peaceful. What made the difference? As I looked around I noticed she and her handyman had done two things that made a world of difference:

1. She’d had the floor painted with a special cream colored paint with little dark specks in it.
2. Originally she’d had two heavily loaded sets of shelves on the driver’s side of the car and one set of shelves on the passenger side of the car. Now all the shelves were on the passenger side of the car leaving the driver’s side completely clear. What a difference it made not to be greeted by loaded shelves when getting out of the car! And, it was really nice to have all the noisy energies on the shelving confined to just one side of the garage.

What can you do to up the positive energy in your garage? What can you get rid of? What can you move around to create a quieter, more peaceful space? After all, if you park in your garage, it’s the daily greeting upon returning home. What greets you affects your energy and mood. Why not make it a calm, welcoming greeting? Make it good Feng Shui!

Choose contractors to work in your house very carefully. Because the projects they work on will be forever associated with them, their behavior and energy, it’s important that you choose people who will leave you with good results and good memories. Those good results and good memories contribute to the overall energy of your home. Good results and good memories equal good feng shui.

I learned this lesson the hard way. The plumber who installed my new kitchen sink was running his own business for the first time, overwhelmed, exhausted and really struggling to get the sink in. He spewed negative energy all over the kitchen with curses and anger. Unfortunately he left his negative energy behind. Because his behavior was so unpleasant and the sink was associated with him, forever after when I looked at the sink I thought of him. I still think of him when I think of that remodeling situation.

The best way to find contractors who will be good feng shui is to ask discerning trusted friends who they use. Avoid using unknown contractors. You could end up with a feng shui nightmare!

Have you ever noticed that it’s harder to think clearly on rainy days? As I am writing this post we are getting some much needed rain. I have been wrestling with thoughts about some significant relationships in my life. And, I have really been struggling to get clarity. My brain feels as cloudy as the gray sky that greets me whenever I go outside. It’s as if the negative energy of a rainy day, caused by the discomfort of the wetness, the lack of light that dulls the color of the landscape, and absence of the optimistic blue sky, makes it impossible for me to think clearly. I thought to myself, “When it’s muddy outside, I feel muddy in my brain!”

And then I reflected on how I feel and function when the sun is shining and the sky is clear. On those days there is a predominance of positive energy in the landscape and my brain works at warp speed. Making decisions is easier. I have more clarity about my priorities, my choices and what really matters.

Given what I understand about energy from my study of feng shui, it makes perfect sense that I’d have a fuzzy brain on a cloudy, rainy day. All that negative energy is just too distracting. Recognizing that reality, I think that on rainy days my best course of action is to slow down, weigh decisions a little more carefully, and not expect the mental sharpness I enjoy feeling on clear days.

It’s a low energy day. Feng shui teaches that everything is connected. It makes perfect sense that I would be affected by that energy. I may not be as productive as I want to be. Clear thinking may be a struggle. I just need to remember that not only is everything connected, but everything is also changing. And, so too will the weather. For now I’ll be gentle with myself, slow down and remember that soon I’ll again enjoy the positive energy and clarity of a sunny day.

Is the art on your walls attracting good things into your life? Check each piece to see if its energy is life affirming, having a positive subject and message. For example, art showing scenes of loneliness or struggle can attract that type of energy into your life. War scenes can attract conflict. On the other hand peaceful scenes attract peace and encourage peacefulness in the space.

Remove any art that holds negative energies in place. I once saw a piece of fine art in a client’s dining room that showed a body lying on the ground with its head cut off. I was shocked by the subject of the painting. Energetically the content might imply that while dining there one might lose one’s head.

Go one step further and find art that holds energies and reflects circumstances that you want to attract. For example, I have a print of a lovely beach house hanging in my living room because I love the beach and want to spend vacations in a house just like that one.

Art is a powerful energy enhancer. Make sure your art attracts what you really want!

Last week I got the chance to experience first hand what toxins in the body do to mood. My brother, Mark, disabled with two brain injuries, came down with a serious infection in his knee replacement. While he was waiting to have surgery I had the opportunity to experience his infection-induced behavior. My sweet, funny little brother disappeared and was replaced by a snarling ogre. I’m not kidding about that. At the least provocation his face screwed up into a sneer and he shouted at whoever was near him. As I tried to make sense of Mark’s behavior, I realized that he is not good at articulating how he’s feeling physically. Instead he acted out his feelings. What I saw was not a pretty picture.

The change in Mark’s mood following the surgery was remarkable. After he got over the grogginess and confusion caused by the anesthesia, sweet Mark was back! It was clear that clearing out the bulk of the infection, by removing the knee replacement that had harbored the infection, brought Mark immediate relief. With the reduction of negative energy of the toxins, there was an immediate shift in his mood from negative to positive.

I’ve observed the exact same kind of shift in energy when I’ve worked with clients helping them clear their homes and offices of the negative energies of clutter and physical chaos. Broken things, dirty things, disorganized things are all sources of negative energy. When you have quantities of those things, the energy in your space becomes toxic from an over abundance of negative energy. Clear the toxins and the balance of energy shifts back to predominantly positive. When positive energy predominates, people feel immediate relief, optimism and often a return of creative energy.

Can you really afford to live in a space that is cluttered, dirty or filled with many broken things? Not if you want to feel good!

Papers and objects can hold associations with times of loss in our lives. A divorce decree, a gift from a lost love, equipment associated with a former career. They all hold energies of loss and sadness. Those negative energies are VERY powerful even if you’re not conscious of them. They can keep people from venturing into a closet or clearing out a desk for years. You’re not sure why you can’t face the task, but the urge to avoid it is very compelling.

If you’re avoiding a particular organizing challenge, check the content of the stuff to see if the items hold old associations of loss that are connected to grief you have been carrying. If you can’t allow the grief to come up and out, find a gentle loving soul to be with you while you face the loss, someone who can be in the presence of sadness without discomfort or the need to fix your pain. Tell him or her the stories associated with the grief. That will lighten the emotional load your are carrying and will allow you to move forward.

Landscapes are the best choice for art in a bedroom.

The functions of rooms in your home determine the type of art you should place in them. The high energy areas are the public spaces: the kitchen, utility room, bath rooms, living room, dining room, family room and home office. Those are rooms devoted to activities and interaction between people. The low energy spaces are the bedrooms. It is a good idea to match the energy of the art to the energy of the room.

Art that contains scenes of animals, people and people activities usually has a more active energy than landscapes and scenes that are devoid of people and animals. Feng shui teaches that people and animals are fire elements. Every person or animal in a scene is a little flame. Street scenes, scenes of people socializing, and scenes of people or animals in any type of activity are fiery and therefore high energy scenes. It’s best to place that type of art in the active areas of the house, the public rooms where most of the activity in a home occurs.

Landscapes, beach scenes and images of gardens are the best choices for bedrooms, those spaces that are devoted to rest and relaxation. It’s best to avoid having art with images of people or in those spaces. Restful scenes will facilitate restful sleep. I make an exception for images of faithful pets. Though they are a bit fiery, their fire is offset by the comfort they bring as a watchful, guarding presence.

Check out the art in your space. Does its energy match the energy of the spaces in which it resides?