Friday, March 13, 2009

Follower Friday — Featuring Amy!


amyskf has been following the convertible for a while now, so today we decided to slow down and let her ride shotgun for a while. She's kinda fengie, and I mean that in the nicest way. ;-)

What The Feng?
So here I am, tra-la-la, thinking, some day I should write a blog, oh puh-shaw, I say to my brain, what would I have to write about?
Fast forward to an e-mail:
"Hey, would you like to be our Follower Friday for the 13th?"
Why, yes I would.
Ooh, I could write about alternate universes and string theory, or how you need to keep spending during a recession, or over the top martial arts films and why I adore them…then it hit me. My brain needed de-cluttering. I needed to feng shui my brain. And maybe I did have something to write about every day—or at least this day. Feng Shui.



I love these fine women at RWTTD—and I’m lucky to know most of them through the local RWA chapter. I’m amyskf to you guys, but I’m other things too, I’m mom, wife, grandma, friend, daughter, sister, volunteer, employee, and writer. Sometimes writer is the last thing on the list, sometimes the first thing on the list. I’d actually like it to be on its own list, a separate list…an alternate universe list. But before I go off on a string theory tangent— maybe I’ll do that on my non-existent blog—I’ll get back to my point ( I do have one) the venerable Chinese tradition of Feng Shui, meaning, wind and water.
Say it with me: fung shway—it’s way fun, or shway fun.
Since I am much more left brained than right brained, I found a book that didn’t need a compass (seriously) for me to navigate: Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life, by Karen Rauch Carter. She has a great website as well: www.fengshuipalace.com.
The first thing you need to know is invisible energy surrounds us—you know you’ve felt it, you’ve walked in somewhere and immediately felt good, that’s happy chi, or bad, that’s sad chi— it wants to be happy and let me tell you, if chi ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Chi likes to flows and it flows best when you get rid of clutter and dust. I know. I feel your pain. I love things and, apparently, dust. But once I realized it would make the invisible energy happy I got rid of both. Well, it’s an ongoing battle. Sometimes the dust comes back…alright, the clutter too.


Chi likes things in certain places and you can figure this part out by using a map, everyone likes maps, right? Like a map of Paris, only this is a map of different areas of your house and your life—the bagua. So you need more money? Hah! Strengthen your fortune/wealth sector by adding something green—each sector correlate to certain colors and elements, see? Isn’t this fun? Yes…Amy, it is.







The last thing is to do everything with intention. Know that you are doing these things for a purpose.
I’m wicked simplifying it, but it is fun and I believe in it so much, I’m going to give one commenter a copy of Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life.

So, tell me, would you try feng shui? Have you used anything like feng shui? Tell me some cool results of using something like this.

20 comments:

amy kennedy said...

Hey everyone, thrilled to be here today. I have to work today, I work at the public library--a perfect place to find out about things you never knew you wanted to know--but I'll still be around.

I try not to let work keep me from having fun.

Cindy Gerard said...

Hey Amy. Great to 'see' you again!! Thanks so much for riding with us today.
I dabble in feng shui. I've done a little reading and when we added my new office onto the house, I decorated and arranged furniture with feng shui in mind. Love the whole concept.

my question to you is: where do the Chippendale's fit into the whole FS theme? And was it FS you were practicing that night at the casino as you rearranged one of the dancer's ... um ... well ... you remember :o)

Oh - and you can't even holler at me because I'm gone for the rest of the day :o0

Michele Hauf said...

Hey, Amy, good to have you here!

I shui'ed my house a few years back. My bedroom just isn't big enough though to put the head of the bed against a solid wall. Windows everywhere! So all the energy goes out the window. And let's not even analyze that one. ;-)

KylieBrant said...

Hi Amy! Great post. Hmmm someone needs to feng shui my house. Or give me any decorating advice at all because my big thing right now is hauling out crap. Oh wait, I mean de-cluttering, LOL.

When you used to have 7 people living in the house and now have 2 there's a whole lot of crapola that needs gone! So my resolution this year is to de-crap the house--my little take on feng shui. All assistance welcomed. All you need is a truck.

We are moving my oldest son for the 6th time next week. He just bought a 4 bedroom house and his junk is going down there in the trailer. As a matter of fact we may deliver son 2s junk too. I may end up with a completely empty house, but hey, if I do--buy all new junk.

Feng shui AND stimulating the economy. I'm all about the multi-tasking....!

Helen Brenna said...

Hi, Amy!!! So much fun to have you here today!!

I love the concept of feng shui, but haven't yet had the time to do this, but you've convinced me. I just wrapped up my last book and when I get back from vaca, I'm doing my office! Yes.

And you are soooo not a grandma. It simply doesn't compute.

Playground Monitor said...

I took an online Feng Shui class for writers a few years ago and while my whole office isn't completely in agreement with the bagua map, I did a couple things that REALLY are. I hung red valances on my window which is in the Fame and Reputation area, put a red candle in that same area on my desk and hung some I-Ching coins in the Wealth and Prosperity area of my desk. Not long after I sold my first short story.

When I re-decorated my office, my decorator suggested black and tan valances and I was thinking, "No way Jose cause I ain't messing with my Feng Shui mojo," so I put red and tan ones. My filing cabinet sits in the Wealth and Prosperity area and on top sits a tall ceramic vase with wood sticks in it plus a red and gold cloth basket sort of thing (the bottom folds up and it all folds down flat if that makes sense) I bought in Chinatown. I added a second set of I-Ching coins to my desk.

Anyway, I kept selling stories and yesterday I got a request for a full manuscript from an online pitch at eHarlequin. I think I need to Feng a little more in my office now.

Great blog and what's this about rearranging something on a Chippendale guy?

Marilyn

Keri Ford said...

FS has always appealed to me, but I haven't looked into it yet. I fear my house is un-shui'd and to get it FS will be a whole big project!

When I move again, I hope to have this FS thing in mind so I can set up properly the first time!

And I want to know more about rearranging the Chippendale Guy too!

Unknown said...

Amy my love. You are so much fun. I, however am not FSed. What I am is messy, whiny, grouchy, and panicked. Ask anyone. But I'm THRILLED to have you with us.

Kathleen Eagle said...

Hi, Amy!
I keep looking at this Feng Shui stuff whenever someone brings it up, but I never really try it. I have to get the mess picked up first. So you're saying it works? How do you know?

Anything that gives me some modicum of control appeals to me. If it's true that arranging stuff around me will help me get my way, I'm willing to give it a shot. As soon as I can get organized so I can move stuff...

amy kennedy said...

Cindy, It's all in the art of "placement" enough said. Yes?

Michele, hang a crystal from your window so the energy wants to hang around and not fly the coop.

Kylie, "de-crapping" a much better term--so all encompassing. You've got a lot of energy in that house, I bet it's a fun place to be.

amy kennedy said...

Helen, Hah! Did you see the picture of Barbie at 50? They made her look like a 70 year old with really long gray hair. But yes, I am a grandma, just a reallyreally cool one.

You'll love shu-ing.

Marilyn, I am soooo excited for you, and honestly feng shui can help can the energy in the right place, but you, dearest added the talent and determination.

Keri, that's why I really love this book--it's so simple and even if you just do a few things "with intention" you'll see a difference. Aah yes...the Chippendales, that's a shui that will not be fenged.

I don't even know what that means.

amy kennedy said...

Lois, it all works so brilliantly for you though. And I'm thrilled to be here.

Kathleen, When the time is right, you'll do it, you'll start donating stuff and giving stuff away--so much of this is intuitive. Give yourself a break--it'll happen.

Jeanne said...

I know that windchimes are good. I hung one outside my office window about the same time that I was struck by a creative urge to write stories. My new office was in the Creativity/Children sector (I'd made Teddy bears for years). Maybe that's why I chose to write children's stories first?

And, Duh! My white car sits in my travel sector, according to your map.

The one area I "don't get" is my (back, right) sector, even though I've decorated in burgundy, pink and beige. I've read that sinks and tubs/showers, etc. might "drain away" anything positive as soon as it enters a sector. Right? Could this be why men I've dated haven't "stuck" for long?

Hmmm...

amy kennedy said...

Wow, Jeanne--there are different schools of feng shui, some by compass, this one does place the career side at your front entrance. maybe if you strengthened each room's feng shui--you can place the map over the entrance of each room and strengthen the relationship sector that way...of course, I'm no expert. I'd check out the web-site I mentioned.

Jeanne said...

It appears I need more "depth" in my career sector (which is my front door area). I'm off to read up on this at the website. Thanks, Amy!

Michelle Buonfiglio said...

Hey, Ames! Great post! What does it do for your feng shui when you have scores of books piled and flung across a room and you have to walk on them to get to a piece of furniture? Is that wood?

amy kennedy said...

Oh yeah, that was the one thing I didn't want to bring up. It's probably better than having them on a bookshelf, though--flinging adds energy! See how I can put a positive spin on this.

Feng shui people sort of hate the energy (or lack there of) of books. But, sheesh Michelle, it's your job and books is what I love--so, I'm not giving them up.

And, yeah, I would think book would be wood--unless paper is the detructive form of wood...crap.

amy kennedy said...

Hey, thanks for playing everyone. It was fun.

Dina said...

Hi Amy, nice to meet you.

Manda Collins said...

Hey Amy! Sorry I'm so late to the party! I love the idea of Feng Shui but I've never actually done anything with it. And my bedroom doesn't have a wall with no windows or doors:( Which probably explains a lot. I was thinking of changing rooms anyway so this is just added incentive.