What Do Avatar and Feng Shui Have in Common?
First off, if you have not seen this movie, go see it… if not for the stunning 3D effects, then for the beautiful message it conveys.
Briefly, here is a plot recap…The scenario is set in the year 2154. Most of the natural resources on Earth have been depleted through excessive and ruthless exploitation. A mission is set to use military force to conquer Pandora to acquire a unique mineral that is desperately needed on Earth. Pandora is inhabited by a wise, peaceful, and nature-loving blue skinned beings who call themselves the Na’vi. They are warriors and ready to protect their habitat. They understand and respect their connection with nature and worship a pantheistic deity they call Eywa.
The Na’vi are an indigenous species who not only understand but embody the meaning of the interconnectedness of everything. Their habitat on Pandora is simply breathtaking with the Hometree being their primary residence. The Na’vi truly live in harmony with all the energies of Nature… from the ‘deadly’ animals to the beautiful fauna. They understand that everything contains the Whole and is, at the same time, an inherent part of it. The Na’vi have the ability to transcend their individuality and see themselves as inherent elements of a bigger structure- the all encompassing global Consciousness.
Living in harmony with the earth’s energy is the cornerstone and entire purpose of Feng Shui. And, yes, we can all have our own Hometree. And, yes, we can (and many people already do and are) experience and live by the interconnectedness of all energy. Although we don’t live outdoors in a jungle, our home can be just as interconnected as the Na’vi’s Hometree. There is energy running through every piece of furniture and component of your home, not to mention your pets, the birds and squirrels outside, and, yes, your neighbors.
Pandora is not a fantasy but a reality that is present right now. We need only to stop, be still, and feel. In the movie, they used their tails as their feeling source. Although we don’t have tails, we do have the ability to tune in and feel the energy of everything around us. This movie just gave us the visual of how energy works. My favorite part of the movie was when Jake went to pray to their god(dess) Eywa to stop the invasion, Neytiri said to him,
“She protects the balance of ALL life.”
In other words, she takes no sides but instead protects the balance of life. And so is true with Mother Earth. We live on a Planet and in a Universe that is constantly making adjustments, sometimes minor and other times major, to maintain an energetic balance. This balance of energy trickles down to each one of us as we seek to balance our own personal energy. And like the Hometree, we need to protect and maintain the balance of energy within our part of the Earth that we inhabit… our home. This is Feng Shui.
What was your favorite part?
Being Happy: How Not to Love Stuff
The following is a repost from the blog of Life Optimizer…Thank you! I couldn’t agree more and I couldn’t have said it better… especially around the holidays!
Do you want to live a happy life? I’ve written before about being happy, but here I want to take a different angle and look at one important cause of unhappiness: loving stuff. Many people try to fill the void within them by buying more and more things they don’t need. When new gadgets come out, they buy them. When their friend has a new car, they want it too.
But why does it happen? Why do people love stuff? The reason is they believe it will make them happy. They believe the more stuff they have, the happier they will be. Is that true?
The answer is no. Perhaps they think they are happy, but they can actually be much happier if they do it differently. This isn’t just my opinion; scientific research supports it. I will discuss it more thoroughly below, but first let’s see some disadvantages of loving stuff:
- It makes your life cluttered. Each thing you have consumes not only your physical space but also your mental space. Acquiring one more thing means having one more thing to worry about.
- It creates wasteful spending. Buying stuff you don’t need means spending your money unnecessarily. Wouldn’t it be better if you spend it on something that’s truly useful and meaningful?
- It promotes materialistic point of view. The more you love stuff, the more you send the wrong message to the world. The message you’re sending is that stuff can give you happiness. As a result, more and more people around you will fall into it.
- It isn’t a good way to make you happy. There are better ways for that. More about it below.
So what should we do? Here are some tips on how not to love stuff:
1. Realize the negative side of stuff
When you realize the negative side of stuff (as discussed above), you will think twice before introducing more clutter into your life.
2. Realize that experiences – not stuff – contribute more to happiness
Instead of buying stuff, use your money to buy experiences. Research shows that experiences contribute more to happiness:
Another theme that has emerged in similar research is that money spent on experiences – vacations or theater tickets or meals out – makes you happier than money spent on material goods… “We generally found very consistent evidence that experiences made people happier than material possessions they had invested in,” says Van Boven.
3. Avoid impulse buying
Impulse buying is one of the main causes of acquiring too much stuff. This is something I learn firsthand. Since I love reading, I used to buy a lot of books. And guess what? Many of them end up unread. Realizing this, in recent years I become more careful when it comes to buying books. I only buy books that I’m sure I will read.
The way I avoid impulse buying is by first putting the item I want to buy into a wish list. I then wait for at least one month and see if I still want to buy it. In many cases, an item could stay in my wish list for months before I buy it.
4. Think ROI
ROI (return on investment) is a useful concept to help you minimize the number of stuff in your life. When you buy something, think of it as an investment. The question is: can you get good return on your investment? The return here isn’t financial. It’s the overall value you get from the stuff. Will it make your life considerably better? Will it give you long-term happiness? Invest your money only on things that give you good ROI.
5. Give
Giving is the ultimate way to both avoid loving stuff and make you happier. Research clearly shows the power of giving:
First, they surveyed 632 Americans on their general happiness, along with what they spent their money on, and found that higher “prosocial spending” – gifts for others and donations to charity – was indeed correlated with higher self-reported happiness. They followed this up with a more detailed look at 16 workers before and after they received a profit-sharing bonus from their company. They found that the only factor that reliably predicted which workers would be happy six to eight weeks after the bonus was their prosocial spending – the more money people spent on charity and gifts for others, the happier they were.
The conclusion of the research is clear:
Money makes you most happy if you don’t spend it on yourself.
25 Ways to Reuse Your “Old” Yoga Mat
This Post is from Jade Yoga Website…..
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Use as a seat liner for the back seat in the car while taking your dog to the vet or groomer.
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Place under an area rug for no-slip gripping.
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Drop off your old mat at an animal rescue group. Most of these places need soft, durable mats, rugs, towels, & blankets to line crates.
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Use an old mat in the garage or shop to keep from slipping on the workbench while using power tools on them.
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Line kitchen shelves to prevent glasses from slipping and scratching.
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Cut the mat into squares and use them as “bases” while playing baseball with the kids. Easy to carry and easy to clean!
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Use to kneel on in the garden to protect your knees!
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Use as kitchen drawer liners.
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Cut it up to make a mouse pad.
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Use it on the beach instead of a towel.
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Use as grip pads to open jars.
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Cut to size and use as foot pads for the bottom of furniture that is on a wood or ceramic floor. Glue on pieces with a non-toxic adhesive.
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Place it under your sleeping bag as a sleeping pad while camping.
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Make covers for sharp corners like in a parking garage or school.
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No more messy packing peanuts! Old yoga mats get a new life as a protector of valuables while moving or shipping.
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Make children’s toys: cut holes and create masks, hats, costumes and props; cut into shapes and letters for tub and pool toys.
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Cut and put down in front of the kitty litter box to stop the litter.
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Plug up drafty places, windows, doors, & under window air conditioners, and save energy!
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Great for those hard bleachers when watching sporting events.
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Makes a great liner under house plants, you can even cut it to fit each plant!
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Donate to nursing homes so that residents do not slip while getting in and out of bed.
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Place between your surfboard & car to protect both from abrasion.
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Lay it over the dashboard and steering wheel to keep the sun out!
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Keep in the car for those spur of the moment picnics, keeping groceries from sliding around in the trunk, or for a myriad of other uses limited only to your imagination!
Why You May Be Having a Sudden Urge to Declutter Your Home
If you’ve found yourself voraciously cleaning stuff out of your home lately, you’re not alone. Over the last few months, I have heard this repeatedly from friends and clients. There is an insatiable urge to clear things out of closets, basements, drawers, and in some cases, entire rooms. For many people, this urge is so pronounced and unlike anything ever experienced before. For those of you who are historically packrats, this feeling is very new and perhaps even confusing.
So what is going on? Afterall, it’s not even Spring!
Basically, we (in conjunction with Planet Earth) are going through a major purging. Looking at it in terms of the economic climate, we have all realized that we not only can live with less, but feel better with less. All of the stuff that we accumulated over the last couple of decades just doesn’t feel good anymore. Stuff feels like a big weight. Instead, space makes us feel good. We can breathe again (notice how your breath changes after you clear something out). This is all part of a return of living close and in harmony with the Earth, not in opposition like we as a collective have been doing. In fact, you may have noticed that when you are now drawn to purchase something, it is artisan-made, natural fibers, and/or organic products.
From a spiritual perspective, we have been and will continue to be (perhaps until 2012) on an accelerated course of evolution with this Summer (‘09) being in full force. As we evolve, we become less and less dense as different vibrations cannot co-exist. Matter is the highest form of density. Whereas, energy before it manifests into a physical form is a lighter density, but still some level of density. For example, a kidney stone would be emotional energy like anger that has manifested into a physical form. As we evolve, we purge this density (which could be the subject of numerous blog articles) on the physical, emotional, and mental levels. And, our home, which is an extension and reflection of ourself, needs to as well.
As you clean stuff out of your home, you are assisting in an important and necessary part of your spiritual growth, which is paramount to your physical and emotional well-being. You may even notice some resistance well up along the way. Be conscious and notice what the resistance is.
As you clean out your basement, you are cleaning out your subconscious mind. In other words, you are bringing things from the subconscious to the conscious mind in order to effectively deal with it and, if necessary, get rid of it. Prior to that, things were stuffed down there to avoid dealing with it or even having to see it.
What about closets? This is where we stuff things we don’t want others to see, perhaps including ourselves. As we clean out our closet, we are all “coming out of the closet” in some aspect. In your own unique way, it is allowing you to live more authentically. This again is a letting go or purging of anything dense, such as lies, fronts, and fakes. Even with regards to your clothing closet, perhaps there are clothes that no longer seem to fit who you are anymore.
We are all evolving to our highest vibration and most authentic selves, which is love. So, when you get the urge to purge your home, go with it.
Raising Your Energy Vibration Through Your Home
Referring to energy as “high” or “low” is actually a description of the rate of vibration or frequency. High energy is synonymous with a high (or fast) vibration or frequency. And simply put, the higher our personal vibration is, the better we feel… physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It is the dense, or slow, energies that make us feel bad emotionally and physically. Dense energy can show up in our body in the form of disease or in our emotional system in the form of depression, anxiety, etc. Negative thoughts, repressed emotions, and stagnation are all examples of dense, heavy, or slow energies.
We each walk around with our own personal vibration, or rate of frequency. Our personal vibration can vary depending on the people we are around, foods or anything else we take in, current thoughts and feelings, and environment. By now, we are all very aware of the difference in how we feel being around people that don’t feel good to be around. This may be noisy neighbors, people at a public event, certain friends, or could even be your significant other. When you are around them, your mood quickly changes and you simply don’t feel as good as you did before you were around them. In essence, your personal vibration has dropped!
The same is true depending on the foods that we eat and the thoughts we think.
But the one major factor that tends to get overlooked that dramatically impacts our personal vibration is our home….the place we eat, sleep, make love, rejuvenate. Our home is the place we should find the most comfort from the rest of the world. It should be your high energy refuge – the place to recharge your batteries. Unfortunately though, it is not for many people to the point of being an energy drainer.
According to Dr. Wayne Dyer in The Power of Intention,
“the purpose of moving up the frequency ladder is to change your vibratory level of energy so that you’re at the higher and faster frequencies where your energy level matches up with the highest frequencies of all: the energy of the all-creating Spirit.” Everything is a movement of energy with higher and faster energy dissolving slower and lower energies. Dyer says, “if you’re experiencing scarcity, anguish, depression, absence of love, or any inability to attract what you desire, seriously look at how you’ve been attracting circumstances into your life. Low energy is an attractor pattern.”
He says that we can all “deliberately raise our energy level” by “being cognizant of your immediate environment,” which includes becoming “aware of the energy levels in your home environment.”
Here are some suggestions on raising the energy levels in your home thereby raising your personal vibration:
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Clear Clutter. This is the Numero Uno way to raise the energy in your home. Why? Clutter is stagnation and stagnation is dense, slow energy. Remove any items that you no longer use, want, or love. This will immediately raise your vibration and make you feel better. 100% guaranteed!
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Remove or Add Artwork. The images on your walls are energy. Take an objective look at the pictures on your wall. Make sure that when you look at each picture, it makes you feel good. Does it evoke good or bad memories, positive or negative meanings. This also applies to photographs around your home. Are they energy enhancers or drainers?
- Furniture Arrangement. Is there a natural flow in your home, or do you find yourself bumping into furniture going from one room to another? Energy should be able to meander through your home to avoid stagnation. Oftentimes, we have too many pieces (or too big) of furniture for a space. This can clog up a space and even result in a constriction of our breathing. See if there is a better arrangement of furniture, or if there are any pieces that are unnecessary. If unsure, consult a feng shui practitioner.
- TV and electronic equipment. Having the TV “on” can dramatically reduce the vibration of a space. Be conscious of when and what you watch on TV. Notice how you feel when the TV is on versus when it is off. TVs and electronics can also affect the frequency of a space even when they are “off.” Fortunately, electronics are becoming more efficient in the amount of electromagnetic energy they emit, but nevertheless can negatively impact the frequency of a space.
- Colors. Just as you learned in 9th grade science, colors have a frequency… remember ROYGBIV? Colors in a space dramatically affect how you feel. There are hundreds of color therapy and design books written on this topic to consult. Otherwise, notice in your home if there is a room that doesn’t feel good to you. A new coat of paint can do wonders!
- Create a Sacred Space. While your entire home should feel like a sacred space, it is important to designate a space, whether it is a corner or an entire room, as your sacred space or personal sanctuary. This space can be used for meditation, reading, praying, yoga, or any other activity that inspires you. This is the space that you go to when you really want to recharge your batteries and raise your vibration. Read my article, 4 Steps to Create Your Personal Sanctuary for more information.
- Clean and Clear Your Home. It is important to periodically clean your home. This may sound obvious, but it all too often gets overlooked. Cleaning your home of dirt, dust, and cobwebs will make your home feel so much better thereby raising your personal vibration. Equally important is to energetically clear your home. The energy in your home carries its own rate of vibration which can be lowered or raised depending on the circumstances in your home, such as those listed herein. By energetically clearing your home, you break up the dense, stagnant energies that are lurking around which raises your home’s frequency. And as your home’s energy is raised so will yours! There are a number of ways to clear your home, such as sage smudging, bells and other sounds, and intention. For more information on why your home needs a space clearing, click here.
How to Be Green and Clutter Free
How many times have you cleared clutter only to be appalled by the amount of stuff you are contributing to a landfill. Feelings of guilt arise. Between being dismayed by the amount of stuff you have accumulated and the remorse of contaminating Mother Earth, clearing clutter oftentimes becomes a project of procrastination, or worse, a permanent avoidance.
If this resonates with feelings you’ve had at some point, then help is on the way… there is no longer an excuse to put off clearing clutter. We will use the Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra as our guide for the best ways to clear clutter and be green.
Reduce
The Number One best thing about clearing clutter is that once it’s gone, once you realize just how much you have accumulated, and once you realize how little you really need, then you are so much less likely to consume as much in the future. Clearing clutter reduces future consumption. In fact, after clearing out your clutter, you will feel so much lighter that you will not want to re-clutter your space. And when you do get the itch for something new, you will be oh so much for choosy in what you purchase.
Reuse
The second tier of being green is to Reuse. In my 5 Step Guide to Clearing Clutter, I recommend separating your items into piles: trash, recycling, returns, donation, and ‘for sale’ items. Those items designated as donation and/or ‘for sale’ are actually on their way to being reused. Congratulations! So, take the time to sort these out. For any items that you want to sell for extra cash, then list them on craigslist.com or ebay. If your item(s) doesn’t sell, then your price is too high or it’s ready for either a garage sale or Goodwill.
Garage sales can be a fun way to get rid of a large volume of items that would otherwise take too long to sell online. In just 4 – 6 hours you can dramatically unload your inventory and make money doing it. Whatever items are left over, pack them up and donate to Goodwill, Salvation Army, ARC or any local charities that accept donated goods. Just make sure that these items are reusable and not items that should be in the next category: recycle. (For example, your favorite sneakers from 1988 that have holes and worn-out souls should not be reused! )
Freecycle.org is another great way to have your items reused. Just list your item and have someone who needs it come and pick it up for you. No hauling. As they say, one (wo)man’s trash is another (wo)man’s treasure!
Recycle
Now that you have pared down your items to those no longer reusable, it’s time to recycle. So many more items are recyclable than you may think. If you don’t already recycle paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic on a regular basis, then start now. Every major city has recycling centers if they don’t already pick up at your home. Research what services your city already offers. You may be surprised. (I just learned that Nashville.gov sells 80-gallon compost bins for $40!)
What about those items that aren’t readily recycled? Earth 911! That’s right, go to www.earth911.org
Earth911 is your one stop source to finding what you can recycle and where — from mattresses to computer monitors to eyeglasses. Simply search by your zip code. It’s incredibly easy and informative!
Another option is the businesses from which the items originally came from. Here are some examples:
Dry Cleaners. For example, do you have a ton of dry cleaner’s hangers and plastic bags? Chances are they will not only take them back, but reuse them. If they don’t, consider taking your business to a greener dry cleaner.
Computers. The same is true for most computer companies. Computers contain a number of harmful chemicals, so it’s important to make sure they’re properly recycled. Most major computer manufacturers now offer some type of recycling program. Dell will recycle any Dell product for free, and if you buy a new Dell, they’ll recycle any other brand of computer for free. Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, Apple and Toshiba also have recycling programs — check their Web sites for details.
Hand-held Devices. Small electronics are full of big toxins. Instead, drop off your old cell phones, pagers and PDAs at Staples stores around the country. The company has partnered with nonprofit CollectiveGood, which collects and recycles the phones. When possible, CollectiveGood refurbishes them and puts them to use in developing countries. Otherwise, the phones and other items are broken down in an eco-friendly process and the metals are separated out for reuse or proper disposal. If there’s not a Staples store near you, you can mail your phone to the CollectiveGood — and even get a tax credit for the donation. Other office supply stores, such as Office Depot offer recycling options as well.
Athletic Shoes. Nike has a great program that will recycle any brand of athletic shoe through its Reuse-a-Shoe program. You can drop shoes off at any Niketown store or Nike Factory store. The company processes and recycles the footwear to make sports surfaces for basketball courts, tennis courts, running tracks and playgrounds. Right now they’re collecting shoes to make athletic surfaces for New Orleans, to help bring youth sports back to the city as it rebuilds. To date, about 20 million pairs of athletic shoes worldwide have been recycled through the Reuse-A-Shoe program.
So before you throw your stuff in the garbage bin, think about the Reduce Reuse Recycle mantra. With each item consider whether it is reusable and, if not, recyclable. And, before long, you will automatically be reducing. The best thing is that it feels good to be green AND clutter free.
Why Don’t We Have Solar Panels on All Roofs?
It recently struck me as odd as to why we don’t have solar panels on all of our cars and homes. Is anyone else stunned by this? Afterall, solar-powered calculators were invented years ago, specifically 1978. This prompted me to do some research on the history of solar panels.
In fact, the first solar powered water heater was invented and patented in 1891 by Clarence Kemp. Throughout the early 20th Century more research was done by scientist, including Albert Einstein. In the 1940s, passive solar buildings actually became popular in the United States. The book, Your Solar House, was even published and featured 49 of the nation’s finest solar architects. But it was in 1954 when the photovoltaic technology was invented by Bell Labs. This PV technology was the first solar cell capable of running everyday electrical equipment, including the calculator!
Today’s solar panels use this same PV technology that has been around for centuries. The solar panels silently convert light into electricity. There are no moving parts. They require little maintenance and are designed to last for many years. Solar panels can supply a substantial proportion of the electricity needs of a typical household.
How do Solar Panels Work?
They are often mounted on the roof or on the ground and connected to the local electric utility, either supplying all the power directly to the home or pumping the excess back to the utility. Apart from reducing your utility electricity bill homeowners can often sell any surplus electricity directly back to the utility at an attractive rate.
Solar panels are also used for commercial applications ranging from large-scale power plants to small family-run businesses. The applications are almost endless, but each has the same idea in mind: harnessing the power of the sun to make clean, affordable electricity.
Are Solar Panels Available Near You?
I then did a search on the availability of solar panels. There are many companies that manufacture solar panels. Finding someone to install them however may be more challenging. I did a local search to see if I could find someone in my area. (Nashville isn’t exactly the green capital, although it is doing much better.) By googling “Solar Panel Installation Nashville” I found at least one reputable company that could install solar panels on my house.
So, again, why don’t we all have solar panels on our roofs?
Cost. Based on the website estimate calculator of the TN contractor, it would cost approximately $85,000 to install enough solar panels to cover all my electricity needs (based on a 2000sf house). That’s a far cry from the free solar-powered calculator. There is however an attractive 30% federal tax credit for the total solar cost. So, that would really be $59,500. Taking my electricity bill of approximately $200/month into account, it would pay for itself in 25 years. However, if it were financed over 30 years along with the house, then it wouldn’t seem as daunting.
Hope for the Future!
Many new homes, particularly in areas such as New Orleans that are rebuilding with green design in mind, are in fact building the homes with solar panels. As demand grows, so will competition. And with increased competition, the prices will inevitably go down. Already demand has increased over the last few years as more people are either seeking to be off the grid or wanting to be less reliant on utility companies. In fact, even Home Depot now sells and installs solar panels! Go to Home Depot for more information.
Ultimately we are all tuning into the fact that there is an unlimited energy source beaming down at us on a daily basis. Why not harness that energy AND without harm to the environment?
For other resources, visit www.evergreensolar.com and www.globalgreen.org.
Being Green With Feng Shui
While the Green Movement gains momentum, Feng Shui enthusiasts and consultants are saying, “It’s about time!” Another phrase borrowed from Barbara Mandrell comes to mind, “We were ‘green’ before ‘green’ was cool.” So what does Feng Shui and being green have in common? Everything actually.
The end goal of Feng Shui and the Green Movement is the same: Living in harmony with Mother Earth. But the means is quite different.
Thousands of years ago the Chinese incorporated Feng Shui into their living spaces as a way of life. By intuitively following the way that the wind (Feng) and water (Shui) shaped the land, the Chinese would locate their homes in a way to optimally harmonize their living environment with the Earth’s energy. By living “in harmony,” our host, Mother Earth, benefited as did her guests.
Fast forward a few thousand years to 2009 A.D. One third of the Earth’s natural resources have been depleted in the last three decades. The United States alone consumes 30% of the world’s resources and 30% of its waste with only 5% of the world’s population. If every country consumed at this rate, we would need 3-5 planets. And then there are the toxins. There are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals used in commerce today with U.S. industries admitting to releasing over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals annually. (See www.storyofstuff.com for more stats.)
Somewhere along the way we have gone from living in harmony with Mother Earth to destroying her. The Green Movement is about undoing this destruction. What caused the disharmony and what will bring us back in harmony is the same thing: the bottom line. Businesses are learning that it can be a win-win situation to work in harmony with the Earth. On top of that, consumers are also demanding earth-friendly products, from cars to shoes to food. What everyone is realizing is that we simply cannot continue to live on this Planet while harming it. As a result, we are coming up with smarter, better, and more cost-effective ways of living. And, in doing so, we are slowly returning to a time of respecting our host, Planet Earth.
While the Green Movement looks at how we can live harmoniously with the Earth on the physical plane, Feng Shui consultants consider the same thing but on the energetic level. Having toxins, energy inefficiencies, or lots of “stuff” is inherently not good Feng Shui and can be spotted a mile away through Feng Shui eyes. Even more so, a Feng Shui consultant can observe, feel, and improve the energy or chi (which is actually electromagnetic waves from the Earth) on the land or in a space to optimize the living environment.
While there is a difference in the means to the end, these two sciences overlap with a singular message that is spreading across the globe. And that is to live consciously. That alone will make Mother Earth smile.
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