In Feng Shui our goal is to realign the home back to its core purpose: to take care of you and your family. Your home is to keep you safe and warm, help you heal and re-energize, and to help you attract the opportunities for love and money that you want.

Feng shui is not a cure all. Even with the perfect home there are still dangers outside and within. You will still be challenged but the challenges will make you stronger and you will be better able to handle them because your home will be a healing, supportive place to live.

In Feng Shui you can concentrate a realignment of the home on certain life areas that are out of whack and then later you can improve other areas. The life areas are health, finances, career, relationships with partners, relationships with family, relationships with the world, inner knowledge, and your spiritual connection. There are steps to this home alignment and you can take big steps or baby steps. And any step will make a difference.

Today let's look at health. Good health requires a clean environment (but not sterile), a peaceful retreat and supportive health energy surrounding you.

Let's start with the clean environment. Clutter can cause a lot of stress. Negative feelings get triggered by clutter; guilt (I should clean this up, finish this project, etc.), remorse (I should not have bought this), overwhelm (my house is too small, I have no time), fear (I need to keep this just in case, if I put it away I will not remember I have it when I need it), uncertainty (I don't know how to file this, should I keep this or can I throw it away). With so many complex emotions connected to clutter it's no wonder it's hard to get rid of.

Begin with a baby step. Even a small amount of clearing will help in the realignment your home. Take one little pile and go through it. Discard whatever you can. Clear out the old so new energy can come in. One clean counter or table can make a big difference in how you feel.

The second thing you need to support your health is a peaceful retreat. It doesn't have to be large, it may be a chair by a window or your own bed. Ideally it is a place where you have something pretty to look at (a garden view, a piece of art), there should be table where you can light a candle or where a spiritual symbol can be placed, there should be a way to play some pleasant music and there should be a soft place to sit. Try once a day to sit in this place for a few minutes. Here you can pray or meditate or visualize. Start with a few things you are grateful for and then ask for what you want in your life.

And the third thing I recommend is to have supportive health energy around you. We do this by placing cures to activate good health chi. Health cures are lush green plants, pictures of nature and symbols like the lucky gourd, the health buddha, and crystals. Place these in the center of your home which is the health area of a home. Items can be hung on a wall, placed on a table or in a niche or sitting on the floor, whatever is appropriate to that item. And as you pass the item remind yourself that you care about this home and in turn the home will take care of you.

2009 promises to be a year of great change. You can start by making some small changes at home. By honoring and taking care of your home it will bring the energy and opportunities you want in your life.

Call Donna Stellhorn at 480-247-2446, or e-mail at donna@fengshuiform.com