Did you receive that “Feng Shui money bags” hoax e-mail? The one that says “July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays, and this happens only once every 823 years and that this is Chinese Feng Shui.” The message urges that if you forward the e-mail to your friends in order for money to arrive on your doorstep within four days. The Facebook version asks you to copy the post to your status in order for the money to arrive, and that those who don’t read and don’t copy will be without money. Sorry, but it’s not Feng Shui, it isn’t even that unusual, and forwarding the e-mail won’t make you wealthy. Try not to feel intimated by this e-mail hoax, and don’t feel you need to forward the e-mail to anyone. Instead, you can create your own luck and make Feng Shui changes to attract wealth.

You can’t believe the number of people who have forwarded that e-mail to me asking if it is legit. I tell everyone who asks that this is not Feng Shui, just another e-mail hoax, if for no other reason than the ancient Feng Shui masters never used chain letters to bring luck. Here’s the explanation of why it’s not true.

First, the premise of this e-mail is untrue because the occurrence of July having 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays occurs much more often than once every 823 years. In fact, it happened in 2005, 1994, 1988, 1983, and will happen again in 2016, 2022, and in years beyond.

Second, while there is a “money bag” symbol in ancient Chinese Feng Shui, it certainly doesn’t involve forwarding e-mail. In the Chinese culture, the Happiness Buddha carries the “money bag” sack over his shoulder and goes around handing out gifts. That’s why you often see the statues or images of the Happiness Buddha in Asian restaurants and businesses.

Third, you can create wealth by paying attention to the Wealth Area in your home, which is the area in the upper left hand corner. That means instead of forwarding the money bags e-mail, try removing the clutter from this area of your home, then placing objects in this area that make you feel wealthy, abundance, and prosperous. That’s the Feng Shui way to attract wealth. Check out my top ten list of quick Feng Shui changes you can make to attract wealth.

10. Clean Your Windows. Windows are the eyes of your home and when they are dirty your vision is cloudy: clean them and you will clearly see opportunities.

9. Replace Burned Out Light Bulbs. If your rooms are dark, your financial future will be equally dim: install bright bulbs for a bright outlook.

8. Tighten Knobs and Door Handles. If your handles are loose, you can’t get a grip on your money: tighten them and wealth will be within your grasp.

7. Replace Dead Plants. Dead plants represent dead energy: replace them with healthy living plants to symbolize expanding and growing wealth and prosperity.

6. Keep Toilet Lids Down. Water represents abundance: keep toilet lids down or your will symbolically flush away your wealth.

5. Clear Out Under Your Bed. Under-bed clutter means lost sleep: remove storage from under your bed and you will wake up to new possibilities.

4. Clean Your Mirrors. If your mirrors are dirty you can’t see yourself clearly: clean them so they reflect positively on your ability to attract wealth.

3. Clean Your Front Door. Positive energy enters through the front door, and an unattractive door repels abundance: clean your door to invite prosperity to visit.

2. Remove Objects from Behind Doors. Blocked doors represent blocked opportunities; remove anything that keeps doors from opening completely and you will expand your options.

1. Fix Drips and Leaks. Leaking water represents leaking wealth; fix your leaks and you will keep money from draining out of your life.

In Feng Shui terms, being surrounded by clutter holds you back and keeps you from making progress. One of the basic beliefs of Feng Shui is that nothing new flows into your life until you make room for it. Therefore, clearing clutter is the key to using Feng Shui to transform your space and improve your life. We all have to deal with some amount of clutter, and we all lead busy lives and sometimes you only have a few minutes for clutter clearing. Clutter in Feng Shui is defined as anything unfinished, unused, unresolved, or hopelessly disorganized. It keeps you in the past, encourages procrastination, contributes to a lack of harmony in your home and makes you feel tired, overwhelmed, confused, angry, stuck, and depressed.

Here are a dozen things you can do, in 10 minutes at a time, to reduce clutter.

1. Test all of your pens and markers and get rid of the “dead” ones, then sharpen all of your pencils.
2. Arrange the hangers in your closet so they all face the same way, and if possible replace all the wire hangers with more substantial ones.
3. Wipe the dust from the leaves of your plants, both natural plants and silk, and get rid of dried flowers since they represent dead energy.
4. Download the pictures from your digital camera and store them on your computer or on a disk.
5. Remove the outdated photos and notes from the refrigerator door and kitchen bulletin board.
6. Get rid of three things from your refrigerator that are old, expired, crystallized, or “fuzzy.”
7. Remove the ATM slips, receipts, candy wrappers, expired coupons, and other junk from your purse or briefcase.
8. Arrange the bills in your wallet so they all face the same way, in order of value, because disregard for your money represents disregard for your wealth.
9. Go through your bathroom medicine cabinet and throw away all expired prescriptions, sunscreen, vitamins, and supplements.
10. Place that bag of clothes to be donated right near the door so you will take it with you the next time you leave the house.
11. Open the filing cabinet or file draw in your home office and pull out five files you no longer need, then shred the contents.
12. Go through your stack of magazines, rip out the articles you really want to read, then recycle what’s left of the magazine.

If you complete any of these Feng Shui clutter-clearing tasks in less than 10 minutes, here’s one more thing you can do: go into any room, pick up three things that don’t belong in there, then put them back where they belong.

Try to clear clutter with a prosperity consciousness (that is, reassure yourself that you can afford to replace the item in the future if you need it) rather than a poverty mentality (the idea that you might never have enough money to replace the object in the future). Avoid clutter clearing when you are sad, depressed, or angry and instead wait until you are feeling more like yourself. You may make bad decisions and get rid of things for the wrong reasons.

You can’t have everything. Where would you put it? — Steven Wright

If you are undecided about getting rid of an object, ask yourself: “What is the worst thing that can happen to me if I let go of this object?” Unless you would suffer extreme negative consequences, let the object go. Instead of holding on to all of your family mementos, keep small, representative keepsakes of special family holidays and special moments, such as a swatch of fabric from a party or prom dress, and let go of the rest.  If you receive a gift or inheritance from someone you love but you do not love the gift, donate it to your favorite charity, or pass it on to someone who will appreciate it more.

Remember, if you have accumulated items that you are going to sell, donate, or throw out some day in the future — that day is here! Start today and avoid any more procrastination.

If you have more clutter-clearing than you can accomplish in 10 minutes, read all about the Feng Shui For Real Life “5 Step Clutter Clearing Process.”

When does your book collection become a library, and when does it become so overwhelming it verges on hording? In Feng Shui we believe that “nothing new comes into your life until you make room for it,” and this is especially true for your book collection, where holding on to too many books symbolizes preventing new ideas from reaching you. To help with your book de-cluttering, I’m sharing this Feng Shui-friendly plan suggested by my colleague, author C. M. Mayo, who knows quite a bit about accumulating books. Start your clutter-clearing plan by emptying all your book shelves. Then, pick up each book and ask yourself these ten questions –

1. Am I reading it now?
If your answer is yes, place the book on a “Reading Now” shelf. If no, go on to the next question.

2. Am I planning to read it in the next week, month, etc.
If yes, place it on a “Reading Soon” shelf. If no, move on to the next question.

3. Is it part of a collection?
If yes, arrange all of these books in your collection together on a shelf. If no, move on to the next question.

4. Does it have serious sentimental value? Make sure that you are really feeling sentimental about the book rather than keeping it because you “should,” and that the book is actually in good enough condition to keep. If yes, you get to keep the book and place it on a shelf. If no, move on to the next question.

5. Is it necessary for reference?
Consider whether you actually use the book for reference, or if you now check for this kind of information on-line. Books that fall into this category can include a thesaurus, dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedia sets. If your answer is still yes, place on a “Reference” shelf. If no, move on to the next question.

6. Would someone else be happy to have it?
If you don’t need the book anymore and know someone who would like to have it, place it in a box or shopping bag to take with you the next time you go out the door.  If no, move on to the next question.

7. Can I sell it?
Some of your older books might have value. If yes, goes onto the “To Sell” shelf, and answer question 8. If no, skip directly to question 9.

8. Am I really going to get around to selling it? If the answer is still yes, go online and sell the book or put it in another box or bag marked “to sell” and take it to your local used bookstore. If no, move on to the next question.

9. Can it be donated? Remember that some books are in such bad shape that no one wants them. If your answer is yes, place in a “Donation” box or bag. Keep this in your car trunk so whenever you are driving near your favorite donation site you can drop it off. If no, on to the last question.

10. Can it be recycled into anything artistic? If yes, move the book to your craft area or room.

If the answer has been “no” to all ten questions, take a deep breath, thank the book for sharing its wisdom, and put it in the recycling bin.

After deciding which books should go, there are many resources available to donate, sell, or recycle them, such as neighborhood used bookstores, the public library, and nonprofit book sales. I frequently sell books on www.Powells.com, especially since they cover the cost of shipping your books to them. Or, try online sites like www.Amazon.com, www.half.com, or www.paperbackswap.com.

After you complete your book de-cluttering project, try practicing the Feng Shui For Real Life Read and Release Principle — After you read a book, instead of sticking it on a shelf, release it by giving it to a friend, donating it to charity, forgetting it at your local coffee bar. Releasing your books makes room in your home for new things to flow into your life, while simultaneously enriching the universe by sharing the pleasure of reading with others.

Thanks again to C. M. Mayo for this book de-cluttering process. Follow her informative Madam Mayo Blog.

What’s your favorite flower, and how does it speak to you in Feng Shui terms? Feng Shui is a design system for arranging your interior surroundings in balance and harmony with the natural world around you, so there is a basic connection between flowers and Feng Shui. And the stronger your connection to a specific flower — because of its shape, color, texture, aroma, or meaning — the more powerful it can be as a personal Feng Shui symbol.

You can also choose to surround yourself with flowers based on the Feng Shui meaning of their colors. For example, red flowers represent passion and emotion; orange, warmth and conversation; yellow, truth and friendship; green, growth and renewal; blue, clarity and relaxation; purple, spirituality and faith; white, innocence and strength.

Whenever you bring flowers and flower symbols into your home to activate their Feng Shui meaning, first try to surround yourself with actual living flowers. Or, display artwork that shows flowers, decorate with floral fabrics and decorations, or choose high quality silk flowers. Try to avoid dried flowers because they are considered  dead energy in Feng Shui. I’m often asked about displaying dried bridal bouquets, and I recommend  keeping one flower from your bouquet in a scrapbook instead of keeping the whole bouquet.

Fable of the Magic Red Geranium

In my book, I included the Fable of the Magic Red Geranium to point out how flowers can speak to us on a personal level –

Have you heard the fable of the Magic Red Geranium? A woman living in a shabby, cluttered house was given an enchanted red geranium by a wise person who told her to take it home, where it would transform her life. She took the geranium home and set it on her wobbly kitchen table covered by a stained tablecloth. Immediately, she saw how the beautiful form and color of the geranium made the wobbly table seem in disrepair and the table linen look shabby. So, she fixed the table leg and washed the tablecloth. Then she noticed how her newly washed tablecloth made her floor seem dull, so she scrubbed it. This made her kitchen walls look drab, so she repainted the room in a fresh color and replaced missing cabinet knobs. Eventually her entire home was sparkling, and she had indeed transformed her life.

Flower Symbols in Feng Shui

Here are a few of my favorite Feng Shui flower symbols, and the best Feng Shui bagua area to locate them.

1. Peony. Symbolizes attracting love or restoring a relationship. Display a pair of pink peonies in your bedroom or Love Area.
2. Orchid. Symbolizes the search for spiritual growth and purity in life, and also a fertility symbol. Place an orchid in the Helpful People area.
3. Narcissus. Symbolizes the flowering of talents and abilities, and career success. Display a white narcissus in the Career Area to get rewarded for hard work.
4. Chrysanthemum. Symbolizes a balanced and easy life. Display mums in the Balance Area at the center of your home to attract good luck.
5. Cherry, Dogwood, Peach Blossom. Symbolizes freshness and new beginnings. Display flowering blooms in the Health Area to assure well-being.
6. Lotus. Symbolizes perfection and healing. Display a lotus flower image in the Knowledge Area to assure a healthy and harmonious home.
7. Hydrangea. Symbolizes gratitude and enlightenment. Display in the Creativity Area, and give as a gift to an unsung hero.
8. Rose. Symbolism varies according to color: red for love, yellow for friendship, white for purity, pink for admiration. Display red roses in the Love Area to strengthen relationships and in the Wealth Area for prosperity.

If you are planning a romantic dinner for two this Valentine’s Day, or even if you just want to add some romance to any otherwise ordinary meal, don’t leave the Feng Shui to chance. A few practical Feng Shui tips for setting the mood can help you create the perfect romantic evening. According to Feng Shui principles, when we make a person feel good about his or her surroundings, we also make that person feel good about being with us. And that’s what a Valentine’s Day dinner is all about.

Choose the Right Table. The ideal table for two is square or round, with no more than two extra chairs. When you surround two people with too many extra chairs, it could make you feel like you’re throwing a party and the guests didn’t show, instead of making you feel romantic. But if all you have is a typical rectangular dining room table, remove most of the chairs and set two places at one end of the table. Then, place a flower arrangement or candles at the other end of the table to fill up the space. A long table feels empty and can put a strain on intimacy and conversation.

Set the Scene. Arrange your Valentine’s Day dinner seating in a cozy arrangement to boost love and romance. Avoid sitting across from your dining partner because this is considered a “confrontational” position. Instead, place your chairs at right angles to each other. And be sure to seat your guest facing away from the kitchen rather than into it, so any clutter and dirty dishes won’t break the romantic mood. Light the room with candles, or if you have a dimmer switch, lower the lighting to soften the mood.

Power Up the Love Area. You can  make a few Feng Shui changes to “ignite” the Love Area of the room where you are dining. This is the upper right hand corner as you are looking into the room from its main entrance. You can use a Feng Shui bagua to find this area in your room. Make this area as romantic as possible by adding things like artwork showing a couple kissing, a bouquet of fragrant flowers, or a beautiful lamp to represent a glowing relationship. Make sure you move any unromantic objects out of this part of the room, especially things like the trash can, desk, children’s schoolwork, or the cat’s litter box. And of course you will want to make the room as clutter-free as possible. In Feng Shui we believe that clutter symbolizes “postponed decisions” and “the inability to move forward,” which is something you certainly don’t want to encourage on Valentine’s Day.

Use the Color Red. Decorate the Valentine’s Day Feng Shui table with the color red, the traditional color of love and romance. Red also represents the Fire Element in Feng Shui, and using it to decorate your table brings passion to the occasion. Choose pairs of red objects rather than single items to symbolize a coupled relationship, such as a red ceramic vase with two flowers or a pair of red placements. Be sure to place all of your pairs side-by-side rather then spacing them far apart on the dining table or anywhere else in the room, because this represents a couple that is separated. And another Feng Shui tip for romance is to make sure you wear something red to activate your own personal Valentine’s Day fire energy.

Add Plenty of Flowers. Roses are the traditional flower of romance, and if you choose them for your table be sure to remove the thorns first. Thorns represent hardship, but removing them represents a smooth relationship. Another flower option is a pair of peonies because these are called the “flowers of love” in Chinese Feng Shui, or tulips. Choose the color of your flowers based on what you are seeking in your relationship: red represents marriage, pink and peach symbolize young love, yellow represents deep friendship, white symbolizes purity in your relationship.

Choose the Right Art. We often say in Feng Shui that “you are what you see.” That means you can make your Valentine feel welcome by displaying art that shows happy, loving couples. Be sure to remove any artwork that shows only a single person or images reflecting loneliness. And of course remove any objects you received from a past love.

Let the Chi Flow. Open your windows for a while before your romantic dinner to let out the old, stale air and bring in the new fresh chi. Even if it’s too cold and you can only keep them open for a few minutes, you will symbolically make room for a fresh romance to enter your life.

Balance Yin-Yang Food. Feng Shui principles of balance suggest that you should combine the yin (dark/feminine) and yang (light/masculine food) energies in the food you serve for your Valentine’s Day or any other day. So try combining foods like chocolate and champagne, strawberries and whipped cream, filet mignon and potato soufflé for a special dinner. You can read more about choosing the right yin-yang balance of foods in my article “Feng Shui and Food.”

My Feng Shui practice is contemporary, real-world, and American, so I don’t recommend Chinese Feng Shui symbols or objects when making improvements in my clients’ homes and offices, but it’s hard to avoid noticing the Feng Shui ramifications of Chinese New Year, which this year will make its appearance on February 3. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Rabbit will bring calming and peaceful energy, a nice change from the misadventures and uncertainty that came with 2010′s Year of the Tiger. Whether or not you’re Asian, the Chinese New Year is a good time to make some Feng Shui changes in your home to assure that positive energy, good fortune, and harmony will fill your home during the coming year, especially in light of the uncertainty that is also expected to occur in this Rabbit year.

Chinese New Year last 15 days, and it’s the most significant of all Chinese holidays because it is considered a time of new beginnings and setting new intentions. The days leading up to the Chinese New Year are the time for clearing clutter from the past year out of your home, including mental clutter and financial clutter. Feng Shui is all about making room for new things to enter your life, so this is the perfect time to do a great deal of clearing and preparing for new energy. I divide my Chinese New Year Feng Shui recommendations into five categories –

1. Cleaning and Clearing. In Feng Shui, a clean home symbolizes a fresh start and the opportunity to “clear out” residual negative energy from illness, unpleasant situations, or sorrow from the previous year. Go room by room and make sure you clean in those places that usually get overlooked, like vacuuming under the bed and dusting above the refrigerator. Change your linens, wash your windows, clean your stove, change the furnace filter, and be sure to fix anything that is broken around your home by practicing my “Rule of 3Rs.” That is, replace, repair, or remove anything that isn’t working.

2. Resolving Conflicts and Settling Accounts. The Chinese prefer not to carry their problems from the past into the New Year, and in Feng Shui this translates into using the days leading up to the New Year to resolve conflicts with colleagues, friends, or family, to pay off debts, and to collect on your outstanding invoices and debts. It’s best to enter the new year as debt-free as you can, so try to pay off credit card balances before Chinese New Year starts. And this is also a good time to get your tax documents in order so you can file early in the year, hopefully a symbol that you will get a larger tax refund this year.

3. Lightening your load. In Feng Shui, “nothing new flows into your life until you make room for it,” so this is a good Feng Shui practice at Chinese New Year to get rid of any possessions you don’t like, don’t want, and don’t need. It’s a kind of Feng Shui karma, because as soon as you get rid of those unnecessary objects that are cluttering up your home,  new and better things appear out of the blue to take their place. Donate those items that are still in good condition, recycle or freecycle what you can, and then take the rest out to the trash so they are not cluttering your surroundings.

4. Taking Care of Your Health. Chinese New Year is the best time to take care of small health issues to ensure they don’t turn into big issues during the coming year. Make an appointment for your annual physical, dental, and eye exam early in the year, try to get more exercise and fresh air, and add new healthy options to your diet. Go through your medicine cabinet and get rid of all those expired prescriptions and stale vitamins and supplements as a Feng Shui symbol that you aren’t going to need as many in the coming year.

5. Enjoying Great Food. Chinese New Year involves eating traditional foods in the colors red and orange, especially tangerines to represent wealth and oranges to symbolize good luck, so display a bowl of these fruits in your kitchen. Steamed dumplings are another Chinese New Year tradition, so whether you make them yourself or order takeout from your favorite Chinese restaurant, be sure to add some pot stickers to your celebration as a tasty way to usher in the New Year. Many other traditional dishes Chinese New Year dishes combine Feng Shui Yin and Yang energy, and therefore help bring balance. For example, since “fish” in Cantonese sounds like “abundance”, there is always a fish dish at a traditional Chinese New Year celebration. You can also create your own Chinese New Year feast of favorite dishes in a Feng Shui array of colors, flavors, and textures.

Happy Chinese New Year. Wishing you a year of wealth, harmony, and love.

Feng Shui practitioners know that the color red enhances love and romance and represents power, and now scientists have conducted studies to prove this. Researchers at the University of Rochester, Syracuse University, and other institutions found that women think men who are wearing red are more appealing and have a higher social status than men wearing other colors.

In a multicultural study involving almost 300 women in the United States, Germany, England, and China, researchers asked the participants to look at photos of men wearing different color clothing. In one test, images were digitally altered so a man wore a red or green T-shirt, and in another test, black-and-white photos were placed on red or white backgrounds. In each case, the women reported that they found the men in red more desirable and powerful.

According to lead study author Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, the charm of the color red is its ability to make men appear more powerful. “We found that women view men in red as higher in status, more likely to make money and more likely to climb the social ladder. And it’s this high-status judgment that leads to the attraction,” Elliot says.

Feng Shui practitioners already know this from working with clients who add some red accents to their life – including wearing red clothing – and find new “fire” added to their love lives, and now it’s good to have some scientific verification for this effect.

The researchers also say the reactions to the color red may be rooted in biology and culture. Red is a sign of alpha-male dominance in some nonhuman primates, the color represents prosperity in Japan, China, and some African countries, and ancient Rome’s most powerful citizens were called “the ones who wear red.” Even today, businessmen wear a red tie to indicate confidence and power, and we treat celebrities and dignitaries royally by “rolling out the red carpet.”

In Feng Shui, the color red is the Fire Element that represents passion, emotion, and high energy. The Fire Element is the reason why you never have a long, leisurely meal in a restaurant decorated in shades of red. And why wearing red clothes can bring out the passion.

According to study co-author Richard Gramzow, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Syracuse University, “It’s the color used to signify wealth and power, so it may convey a subconscious signal to women that a man will be a better provider.” The researchers found that the red effect made the man seem more powerful, attractive, and desirable, but did not make the man seem more likable, kind, or sociable. Perhaps that’s why in Feng Shui we recommend that you wear something red to a job interview, audition, or important meeting — like a red tie, scarf, or jewelry — to activate the Fire Element and ignite your personal power.

Across all the studies, the influence of color was totally under the radar. “We typically think of color in terms of beauty and aesthetics,” say Elliot. “But color carries meaning as well and affects our perception and behavior in important ways without our awareness,” he says. In earlier work, Elliot documented that men are more attracted to women in red. But the red effect depends on the context. Elliot and others have also shown that seeing red in competitive situations, such as IQ tests or sporting events, leads to worse performance.

In Feng Shui the color red is considered hot, passionate, rich, and full of celebration. In Chinese culture, wearing red is the color of luck and happiness, in India it’s the color to wear for marriage, and in Western cultures it’s the color to wear as a symbol of love and romance. Red is also the color of protection in Feng Shui, so wear red whenever you feel the need to ward off negative energy, when you need to make a tough decision, or when you have to face down an adversary. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a red dress, red underwear, or a pair of ruby red shoes, the color red will empower and attract. As fashion design Bill Blass said, “When in doubt, wear red.”

On New Year’s Day, I suggested to the readers of my Feng Shui For Real Life E-zine that to get the year off to a clutter-free and prosperous start, they do the “Feng Shui Fling.” Here’s how it works –

Take a large plastic trash bag, move quickly through your home, and fling 27 things into the bag. Include things you don’t need, don’t want, or don’t know why you are keeping. Get rid of those empty holiday gift boxes and wrapping. Open drawers and cabinets. Dig down under the sink. Go through your closets and cabinets. Don’t analyze, don’t hesitate…just fling. Then take the bag right out to the trash before you change your mind.

Why do you need to fling 27 things into the bag? Three is an especially auspicious number in Feng Shui, and because the number 27 includes multiple sets of three, your Feng Shui Fling will be especially prosperous.  Do the Feng Shui Fling on New Year’s Day, and once a week this month, then stand back to enjoy the good things that flow into the open spaces you have created.

Do I practice what I preach? Last year, my big New Year’s Day “flinging” project was my garage. As it is for many of my clients, my garage occupies the Helpful People Area of the bagua which is the chart used to map a home in Feng Shui. The Helpful People Area is located in the lower right hand corner of your home. This is the area that relates to your clients, mentors, and travel plans, and in general is important for attracting people who will support you as you move toward your life goals. Clearly, this is a place to keep clear and clutter-free. But how many of us can say we keep our garages clutter-free on a daily basis? Mine was certainly due for a major clearing.

It took most of the day (which was OK because how many New Year’s Day football games can you realistically watch in one day, anyway), and it also took a lot of trash bags set up for recycling, free-cycling, donations, and just plain trash. But, by the end of the day the garage was clean, open, and beautiful, with ample open and clear space to allow new energy to flow throughout this critically important area. The added benefit was that the garage could comfortably fit both cars.

The Feng Shui result? In the first week of that year, my book, the Feng Shui Quick Guide For Home and Office went international — I received an unexpected large order of books from an international library service in Singapore. That same week, I was contracted to work for two new clients. Was it cause and effect or simply coincidence? I invite you to clean out your garage next weekend — or any other cluttered room or space in your house that you have been avoiding — and see for yourself. And to keep your good chi energy flowing throughout the year, it’s a good Feng Shui practice to schedule a re-arranging and clearing project not only on the first day of the year, but on the first day of every month.

This year, my e-zine readers are already starting to share their “flinging” stories with me.

Laura in Houston wrote that she was spurred on by the fact that she was going out of town before Christmas, and since she had a new cat sitter come to the house, she safety-consciously hid the keys to the file cabinet and the list of her computer passwords. When she came home after her long holiday, she couldn’t remember where she put the keys. In the course of her Feng Shui flinging on New Year’s Day she found the keys but not the list. Laura stopped her flinging after item number 20, and I suggested she keep “flinging” and she would eventually find what she had misplaced.

Melissa in Philadelphia reported that on New Year’s morning she cleared all the stuff she was storing under her bed, then later had coffee with the man she had previously only corresponded with online, and heard back from him the next day. Now they have plans for a movie. She is planning to fling another 27 things out of her house.

Sarah, a reader in Cairo, Egypt, wrote that she “dug out the black bin liners and got busy clearing under children’s beds, throwing away things we’d been keeping for no reason.” She said that her home looks and feels much better, the children are happy, and the experience brought an extra “feel-good feeling” to her whole family.

For New Year’s Day 2011, my clutter-clearing project included the cabinets in the master bathroom, the shelves in the kitchen pantry, the master bedroom closet, and the guest room. What will happen as a result this year? Stay tuned, I’ll post results in a future article.

January is Get Organized Month, and you can read more Feng Shui tips for clutter-clearing at the beginning of the year in my article, “Clutter-Clearing for the New Year.”

If you are looking for those perfect Christmas gifts or Hanukkah presents for your family and friends, be careful what you choose because your gifts may have hidden meaning in Feng Shui terms. For example, when you give gifts that have sharp edges they symbolize cutting a relationship, when your gifts are empty they represent lack of financial resources, and when your gifts show time they symbolize limited life span. Here are my top six holiday gifts to avoid giving, and options for turning around any hidden messages they might send.

1. Sharp Objects Never give knives, scissors, letter openers, or can openers as gifts since they represent cutting a relationship. If you are the recipient of any of these as a gift, hand over a coin to the giver to symbolize that you bought the object, and restore the bond between you.

2. Empty Wallet. Avoid giving an empty wallet, purse, or briefcase because it represents the lack of prosperity. Instead give a new red wallet filled with coins or a $50 bill to send the message that your gift will always be overflowing with wealth for the recipient.

3. Thorny Flowers and Plants. Never give cactus or other spiky plants, and avoid giving roses with the thorns still on the stems because these can pierce a relationship. If you receive roses be sure to remove the thorns to symbolize a smooth romance or relationship.

4. Stunted Trees. Bonsai trees or other miniature plants make poor choices as gifts since they represent stunted growth. Instead, choose full, healthy plants with rounded leaves to symbolize prosperity and long life. If you have a bonsai and don’t want to give it up, surrounding it with lush, full-size plants with rounded leaves.

5. Clocks and Timepieces. Gifts that show time symbolize a limited life span or stealing time from others. But because watches pop up on so many holiday wish lists, the modern Feng Shui application is to give a gift certificates and a picture of a watch so recipients can choose their own timepieces.

6. Handkerchiefs. It is best to avoid giving handkerchiefs because they symbolize wiping away tears and could suggest that you expect the recipient to be doing a lot of crying in the future. But since collecting antique handkerchiefs has become a trend, if you do give one, wrap it around a bar of fragrant soap or a sweet orange and tie it with a red ribbon to balance any negative symbolism.

Feng Shui for the New Year involves surrounding yourself with colors and objects that represent prosperity and happiness. Here are six Feng Shui suggestions for things to bring with you into the New Year to attract wealth in the days and months to follow. These recommendations focus on the color red, which is the Fire Element in Feng Shui, and a powerful symbol of wealth and prosperity.

1. New Red Wallet. A new wallet symbolizes being ready to accept new wealth, and colors in the red family draw prosperity to you. Enter the New Year with a new red or burgundy leather wallet and it will help attract wealth and prosperity. Be sure to fold up a $50 or $100 bill and “hide” it in your wallet, where it will attract even more wealth.

I gave this suggestion to my client, Trish, who had a difficult year as a real estate agent. Here is her success story: In your recommendations for the New Year, one of your suggestions was to buy a new red wallet. This really made sense to me, especially since my old black wallet was a wreck. Two weeks after I purchased my new red wallet I wrote a contract with some buyers I had been dealing with for almost two years. I was so excited I couldn’t believe I actually closed a deal! Also, out of the blue I received a $50 thank you gift from a neighbor for helping find her dog. I folded that up and will keep it stored in my powerful red wallet so it can attract even more wealth.

2. Red Clothes. Wearing the color red is a symbol that you want to attract good fortune. Wear a new red outfit or accessory on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day to represent the wealth and prosperity what you want to attract this year. If you don’t have a lot of red clothes, you can wear a red scarf, or earrings, or even red underwear.

3. Red Shoes. Treat yourself to a pair of new red shoes as a symbol that you are ready to “step ahead” in the New Year and “stomp out” any frustrations in the upcoming year. Any height heel will work.

4. Gold Jewelry. Gold represents abundance and wealth, so buy yourself a new piece of gold jewelry to signify growth and accumulation of wealth. It’s best to buy a newly-created piece rather than consignment or resale jewelry, because you want to take advantage of its bright, new energy. Sometimes, a vintage piece carries the former owner’s energy with it and you don’t want to risk acquiring anyone’s negative experiences.

5. New Watch. A watch is always moving forward, so buying a new one symbolizes bringing positive, active chi into your life. While it’s not good Feng Shui to receive one as a gift, it’s certainly OK to buy one for yourself at the start of the new year.

6. Large Tote Bag. A big tote symbolizes that you are expecting the year to bring many good things, and that you need a bag big enough to carry them. Buy the largest one you are comfortable carrying, and wear it proudly throughout the year

If you do nothing else, I highly recommend you treat yourself to a new red wallet at the start of the new year, to help attract wealth and prosperity into your life.

Even though the holiday catalogs started arriving in September and those annoying commercials hit the airwaves before Halloween, the holiday season officially kicks off with Thanksgiving, and the colors, aromas, and tastes of this holiday are strongly associated with positive Feng Shui. Thanksgiving is everyone’s favorite “foodie holiday.” However, this family and food-filled holiday can also be stressful and demanding. I’d like to share a few of my favorite Thanksgiving Feng Shui tips to help you create a peaceful and harmonious holiday around the dining room table.

Create Harmonious Seating. The dining room is considered to be a place of wealth in Feng Shui, so if you have one, be sure to use it for your Thanksgiving meal. But whether you eat in the dining room or the kitchen, be sure to bring out the good stuff — the china, crystal, silver, and all of the other fancy pieces you have been “saving.” What are you saving them for if not for happy family gatherings like Thanksgiving?

In Feng Shui, round or oval is considered the best table shape for harmonious dining, because these shapes don’t have any sharp corners and hard edges, and this helps energy — and conversation — to flow gently. If you don’t have these shapes, the first thing you can do is use a table cloth to blunt any sharp edges. Next, try to avoid seating your guests near corners, which can cause a feeling of unease during the meal. Or drape live greenery across the corners to soften them, and make the table more festive. To encourage lively, but not heated, conversation, choose a centerpiece of orange flowers, or a display of fresh fruit and vegetables to represent good health and longevity. Entertaining guests is associated with wealth in Thanksgiving Feng Shui, so hang a mirror that reflects your beautifully decorated table and you will symbolically double your wealth.

Encourage Family Harmony. In Feng Shui, we divide energy into yin (the dark, heavy side) and yang (the bright, lighter side). If you have a history of arguments when the family gets together, it’s a good idea to keep the yang energy to a minimum at your Thanksgiving celebration. This includes inviting an even number of guests, keeping the lights low, and decorating with soothing, earthy colors like pumpkin, goldenrod, evergreen, and chocolate. Hmmm, sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

Avoid seating an overbearing guests= at the head of the table where her or she could monopolize the conversation. Knives represent cutting energy in Feng Shui, so after you carve the turkey, stow the carving knife out of sight rather than keep it at the holiday table. You can also avoid displaying plants with sharp or pointed leaves, and if you choose roses for your centerpiece remove the thorns. If all else fails, keep this in mind — whoever is seated nearest to the door will be the first one to leave. So you might want to consider a seating plan if you have any especially annoying relatives. Be sure to remove photos of deceased relatives or animals from the dining room, because these can create health problems if you dine in their presence.

Chose Harmonious Foods. A plentiful atmosphere is good Feng Shui at any family gathering, and especially at Thanksgiving because it makes your guests feel at ease and encourage them to “eat, drink, and be merry.” Set out bowls of nuts, dried fruit, and candy throughout your home to munch on during those football games, and keep pitchers of sparkling cider and mineral water in a central location so guests can help themselves freely.

Since the winter months are considered to be part of the yin side of our energy, we need to balance this darker, lower, colder energy with strong yang energy in the Thanksgiving menu. Cooked foods, spices, and hot foods such as chile peppers, ginger, and garlic are yang energy (yum, sounds like my Thanksgiving menu). A little bit of chocolate always helps us to appreciate the holiday season (definitely on my own Thanksgiving Feng Shui menu).

Lighter foods like raw vegetables, potatoes, and fish are yin and are better used in moderation during this period. But that doesn’t mean you have to totally give up yin foods for the winter. Feng Shui is all about balance, so just be sure to balance lighter foods with a healthy dose of colorful, hot foods, or serve “white” foods in bright colored plates and bowls. That simply means you can serve those mashed potatoes in a dark blue bowl.

Earlier this month I was at a dinner meeting where the speaker gave each of us a unique goodie bag, and I would like to send this virtual copy of that bag to each of you as a Thanksgiving gift –

• Rubber Band — to stretch your ideas and your mind and to be flexible.
• Tissue — to see the tears and needs of others.
• Band Aid — to heal hurt feelings, both yours and others.
• Hershey’s Kiss — to give everyone a kiss, hug, or word of encouragement.
• Life Savers Candy — to show that your family, friends, and you are your own life savers.
• Penny — to share your thoughts, the big ones and the little ones.
• Pencil — to list your blessings each day.
• Eraser — to remind you that we all make mistakes.
• Toothpick — to pick out the good qualities in others and yourself and accept differences.
• Paper Clip — to keep it all together when you can, and ask for help when you cannot.
• Snickers Bar — to make you laugh, since it is the best medicine.
• Starbust Candy — to remind you that you are a shining star.

Happy Thanksgiving!