by Liv Kellgren

Each year is full of new choices, opportunities and possibilities! Now is the time to create a 2009 Vision Board: a collection of images and objects that represent the goals, dreams and visions of all the goodness that 2009 has in store. No matter what the collective experience has been these last few months, we as individuals still have needs and priorities; And, when we focus on those specific things we want, they can manifest quickly and delightfully.

Most often, a Vision Board is created on a 20” x 30”-ish foam core or cardboard. There have also been some precious Vision Boards created on the inside cover of the year’s journal or day planner. I’ve also seen a collection of images kept sacred in a unique box, reviewed occasionally, removing or notating which images have already “come true.” On a board, the images are glued down (glue sticks are my favorite) with either lots of space around each image, the images overlap each other, or every distance in between. I call this negative space Breathing Room. If the images are too close together for you, your day-to-day experience might start feeling chaotic or you might literally find yourself “out of breath.” If the images are too far away from each other, then your goals may not manifest quickly enough, finding yourself “waiting with baited breath” for action to occur. Pay attention to your own design, and honor the balance that feels right for you. If necessary, changes can always be made later in the year.

Some start a new board each year and store them year after year. Others archive a photo of each year’s board for their album. Others add new layers each year to the same board, being careful to keep exposed those images and items with which they still resonate.

There are many ways to gather images for your Board. My friend Dave created specific folders, each with its own theme, and he loves filling them up year round. When he finds a great image he puts it into its respective folder – Abundance/Prosperity, Love, Joy, Career, etc. Then, at the start of the year, he chooses the ones he still feels drawn to. My sister, on the other hand, knows exactly what she wants each year, and has gone to great lengths for a specific image that conveys just the right feeling and goal. I choose images that pull me, inspire me, elicit a feeling so powerful that I hear myself say, “I want that!” And although I don’t always know how it’s going to manifest during the year, I always enjoy the divine unfolding.

The Bagua is a great tool to use as the foundation of a Vision Board, as it includes the primary aspects of life. (The Bagua is born out of the 8 trigrams of the I Ching, the Book of Transformations.) Current research says that the Bagua may mimic a thought pattern, or even the way that information is processed through our brains. For this exercise, it’s basically a treasure map that reminds us about the treasures in our everyday life. You can download and print a copy from www.WesternSchoolofFengShui.com/materials.php

Each aspect or treasure does not have specific boundaries; instead, they overlap like a pile of puppies, allowing for plenty of amorphous layering of energies. Each area has meaning and emotional associations that can help us create a holistic Vision of our New Year.

Career is not the “9-5 job” but instead reminds us of our professional path. For example, why do we choose the jobs that we do? What is it about what we do that is fulfilling? What do we find when reach into our own depths? What do we offer from within ourselves that is unique? There is mystery here, under the still waters that run deep.

Knowledge & Self-Cultivation says that we are always learning while at the same time, we have the ability to sit still in our wisdom. Images of meditation, quietude, scholarly endeavors, and educational milestones are all associated with this area, but it’s not limited to such tradition at all. “I’m learning about self-love this year,” says Heather, and on her Board is a beautiful woman dancing, laughing, spinning, all by herself.

Health & Family is associated with new ideas, fresh starts and action. If you wish to include images of family and friends, make sure that they’re captured with an emotion you’d like to share with them throughout the year, instead of using just any-old image. Who is your family of choice? What does health mean to you? How can you live healthier this year?

Wealth & Prosperity includes all types of abundance, not just the cash in hand. We can also have a bounty of opportunities and too many resources to count. It’s the slow, steady accumulation of wealth, like an easy breeze blowing in the branches all day long instead of an occasional, and unpredictable, gust. “I don’t need more money,” says Tim. He wins trips, receives unexpected gifts and generous bonuses, grows most of his food, and buys things that “just happen to be on sale.” What is abundance to you? What are you most grateful for? What makes you feel powerfully prosperous?

Fame & Reputation is associated with the light we shine outward. How do we want to be known and what do we want to be known for? We’re going to be known for something, now we get to emphasize the what and how. What are the unique gifts that you share? Which aspects of you have not yet been noticed? What makes you radiate and glow?

Love & Marriage, in addition to romantic love and intimacy, includes all types of relationships and unions like the ones we have with our clients, business partners and friends. Here, we are reminded that relationships are a two-way street so that giving and receiving come hand in hand. What types of relationships are you open to this year? How would you like love – in all its forms – to be a part of your life?

Creativity & Children is all about joy, unconditional happiness, unbridled laughter and child-like curiosity and wonder. In this culture at this time, we are not encouraged to be happy – we are encouraged to stay busy and be productive! When you have free time, what do you do? What do you want to do? What makes you happy? What fills you with joy? Is it time to reconnect with past joyful activities, or create new ones?

Helpful People & Travel connects us with all the helpful people in our lives: our support system, mentors, guides, teachers, clients, guests, and of course, that most profound Helpful Person, our Divine Source. Therefore, travel includes both our earthly and spiritual journeys. Here, we align with synchronicity, being in the right place at the right time. What is your Spiritual Source? How do you connect to It?

The Center is the “Hub of the Wheel,” the Heart, wherefrom all aspects originate and broadcast outward into our lives. What is at your center? What is the essence of you? Do you have a theme for your year? An emotion that is the foundation for all your thoughts and actions? One vision that is the impetus for all the others?

Focus on What you Want
We’re tapping into the Law of Attraction to align our conscious and unconscious, so be mindful of what you’re choosing and why. There’s no right or wrong, as long as you know the reason why and it feels good. With that in mind, please watch the words you choose to put on your Board. On her 2007 Vision Board, a dear friend Sally glued the phrases “A little bit of Romance” and “Am I on Track?” So guess what she got? That’s right – just a little bit of romance and she spent most of the year wondering if she was on track. Avoid questions by simply rearranging the words to form the answer, for example: “I Am on Track.” Gary posted the words “fighting arrogance” and he attracted several new arrogant people into his experience. He eventually removed the phrase altogether and these arrogant people, much to his relief, suddenly took their business elsewhere. This year, he’s choosing the phrase “Everyone is Peace.”

“I want to get out of debt” is a commonly heard goal. Although we know that we don’t want to be in debt any longer, with this phrase we’re actually still focusing on the debt. Instead, consider 1. How to get out of debt: Do you need an image that represents a gifted financial planner? Or, that money management class schedule finds itself on your Board? Perhaps a book that will help you restructure your finances? 2. You may also want to visualize what you’ll do once you’re out of debt: Take a trip? Reward yourself in someway? Throw a party with your best friends? Dance on the beach at sunset? Bring THAT feeling or that specific image into your Vision Board. 3. Once you’ve decided on a payment plan, include those numbers and your final payment date, even if it’s a few years, or Boards, away. 4. Choose words and phrases along the lines of “freedom,” “there’s more than enough $$,” or “always paid on time.”

Find a Way to Say Yes
The dreams generated by a Vision Board can be big, so make sure that you can say a Big, Beautiful, Confident Yes to everything on your Board. If every dream and goal that we had came true this year, then next year would be pretty boring. In other words, you may need to plant the seeds for the future.

Let’s say you have a dream to be the CEO, but deep inside yourself you’re really thinking, “That will never happen, I’m just a secretary.” So, what can you say Yes to? Can you say Yes to Shift Supervisor? Yes to Personal Assistant to the CEO? Then next year’s Vision Board includes the next Big Yes and in a few years, you are the CEO!

The same process might apply to “My Vision is to get married/find my soul mate/live happily ever after.” Although I have met a few people who, within a year, really did meet and marry their soul mate, this is not the typical life experience. Instead, you may choose to start with images that represent your ideal partners’ values and characteristics, images of how and where you meet, what happens on your first date, passions that you share, and more of those juicy, falling-in-love details. What is it about marrying your soul mate that you can say Yes to today? Vision Boards are as much about the Journey as they are about the end of the year review.

Be Specific
I was looking at Victoria’s Board from last year, she was disappointed that it “didn’t work.” It was a gorgeous Board, framed edges, much thought and attention to detail. What caught my eye were the images of several couples in their early 20’s, all in various provocative positions with long brunette hair tangled and glistening bodies entwined. Victoria, however, is a very blond 57. “To find a picture of a man my age, I’d have to look in the AARP Magazine!” And to that, I responded with a Big Beautiful Yes.

If you’re including yourself in your Board, you may choose actual photos of yourself, images of people who look like you, or you can literally replace their face with yours.
More examples: If your Vision includes “health,” be sure to select images that signify either physical health, mental health, heart health, endurance, strength, nutrition, etc. If you’re looking for an abundance of clients, then represent your ideal client, or add photos of those perfect clients you already have. If you’re envisioning travel, where are you going, when are you going and how are you getting there?

Be as specific as you can, focusing on that which you precisely want.

Activate your Vision Board
Please choose mindfully where you place your Vision Board. They are living things, full of your dreams, thoughts and associations. Keep it active by displaying it where you’ll see it everyday. You may consider framing it at the foot of your bed, so that it wakes you up and tucks you in every day. Perhaps it’s next to the front door, so that you and all your guests can enjoy it, share it, talk about it.

You may choose to locate it in the Bagua area that you most wish to activate. To determine your Bagua areas, draw a tick-tack-toe grid over a blueprint or bird’s eye view of your floor plan. The main, front door entrance will be in either Knowledge, Career or Helpful People. You can also locate the Bagua areas of any room by holding the Map in front of you while standing in the doorway.

Keep your Vision Board active on a daily basis by embellishing a nearby tabletop or shelf with flowers, fruit and plants, or add to it with the movie ticket stubs, fortune cookie fortunes, receipts and thank you cards accumulated during your year. At the very least, take a good look at it a couple times a year, allowing yourself to discover what’s already come true and which powerful Visions continue to unfold. What’s most important is that it remain active in your conscious and unconscious experiences, however that’s most appropriate for you and your lifestyle.

At the end of the year, review, circle or check off the images that manifested, so that over time, you have an ongoing record of your dreams fulfilled!

For upcoming Vision Board Workshops, or to schedule a private or small group VB experience, please call me directly at 760-579-9519.
 

by Liv Kellgren

Our New Year’s resolution is to get healthy! We change what we eat, we go to the gym, we psych ourselves up, but our kitchen can psych us back down. To maintain long-term, healthy habits, it’s just as important that we make changes at home, too… Changes that support our new lifestyle! Here are a few action steps to maintain our inevitable success:

Get in those kitchen cupboards and cabinets.
Instead of looking through and picking OUT the stuff you don’t want anymore, pull EVERYTHING out and only replace those items you want, those items that will support your new healthy choices. Be prepared to wipe down the shelves and get the crumbs out of the corners, let go of broken or chipped dishes, throw out processed foods.

Put the rarely used items in places where you rarely reach, the more commonly used items in easy reach.

If this project feels overwhelming, do just one cupboard a day. Keep in mind that getting back into shape is a process (it’s not an event), so naturally, getting our homes into shape will also be a process.

Oh! And if you’ve been "waiting" to use the good china, now’s the time. You are the special occasion you’ve been waiting for.

Same with the fridge: everything out and replace what is good for you.
Be prepared to wipe down the shelves, check expiration dates, and throw A LOT out. It’s hard to fill it up with the new, good stuff when it’s full of the old, bad stuff. When I open my fridge after a good purge, I can always breathe deeper. Tip: Clean out the fridge the night before the trash gets picked up. Otherwise it’s not pleasant, trust me.

And speaking of the fridge: Fridge Art.
Confirm that you see the photos and images of friends and family who love and support you. Take a good look at who, and what, is on the fridge now and choose who gets to stay and who gets to move on. That birthday photo of Gramma with the cake, the Gramma who always wants you to have 3rd helpings? You can keep her, just maybe not on your fridge right now. Replace her with a magazine cutout of people hiking, a party shot of your healthy cousins, your friends and fan club who love you for what you do best. Your kid’s artwork is a great choice, too. Any health mentors? Put them up and give them sayings: Refuel with clean foods! I know you can do it! One meal at a time!

Your countertops are the most valuable real estate in your kitchen.
Keep them clear and ready for refueling. Everything not kitchen or food-related can be relocated to a more appropriate destination: incoming mail to a desk, briefcase into the hall, homework into the kids’ room… you get the idea. In some houses, the kitchen is indeed command central and everything congregates there whether we want it to or not. Capture the floating pieces in containers or baskets so that when it’s time to cook and eat, it can all be easily shuffled off site and then returned when you’re finished. Hint: Everyone gets their own basket.

Ideally, on the countertops are only those things you use everyday. Everything else moves into a cupboard or cabinet. Want more shakes and smoothies? Put a blender on the countertop. Want to eat more fresh fruit and veggies? Fill a basket or bowl with a 2-3 day supply (you’ll now have room in the fridge for the rest, yeah?). Trying new recipes? Give the cookbooks a prominent place on the counter, too. Supplements? Protein powder? Refillable water bottle? You know it – on the countertop!

Going to an office each day? Avoid the break room.
Watch out for the cookies, cakes, and – dare I say it – crap. Bring your food in a small cooler or insulated bag and keep it at your desk so that you’re not tempted nor fooled by the break room antics. Co-workers who say, "Just one" do not have your best interest in mind (hence, the aforementioned…). During meetings, bring in your own snacks, water or tea. Keep a secret stash of protein bars in your car, too. You never know when you’re going to get crazy, monster hungry.

Do you share a kitchen with family or roommates?
If possible, designate a particular drawer, cupboard, cabinet or counter space for just your things. When you know where to go for what you need, you’re less likely to wander around grazing on what isn’t a part of your plan. Worried about the health of these family members or roommates? They’ll see how happy and WOW you are and want some of that, too. It may take time, but it happens.

More to Consider.
Broken appliances, burned out lights, missing handles, cracked windows, broken doors… none of these things help or support us moving forward into optimum health. If you’ve got the time and the budget, fix, repair, or replace them as soon as possible. These small reminders can create unconscious feelings of unworthiness, poverty, exhaustion, struggle and missing resources. Overtime, these unconscious feelings become beliefs. Nobody needs that.

Please know that our evolution of health happens on many levels, and all these levels are connected. When we open our Enlightened Eyes, we can see these health connections to our home and workplaces. When we surround ourselves with what we want and what we need, we’re destined to succeed!

And please let me know if you’re interested in some one-on-one guidance to anchor your goals in place. It’s an honor to be in service. Liv@consciousenvironments.com

by Liv Kellgren & Lynn Lee

Feng Shui combines design psychology with Eastern philosophy. The result is interior design with powerful intention. Working – and playing – with the tools and principles of Feng Shui can help you create extraordinary events surrounded by incredible memories.

There are Five Elements, each with its own specific “atmospheric” energy. You may feel like a social chemist, carefully mixing elements to find just the right formula for your guests. Ideally, there are at least two representations of each element: A Big Piece and A Small Piece, something to wonder at and something to touch; something in the background, something up close; something grandiose, something humble. Of course our event designs are meant to be extreme in some way – this isn’t to encourage you to create perfectly “balanced” environments every time. That would be horribly boring. Instead, let this inspire a different, new way to design. Oh, and have fun!

The Fire energy represents drama, passion and optimism. When we are surrounded by just the right amount, the party glows with happy laughing faces, the conversations are stimulating and engaging. If there’s too much Fire energy, guests can get aggressive or impulsive, and if there’s too little, they can get “chilly” with each other having “cold” conversations. Fire is found in all the red shades – pink, salmon, fire engine red, burgundy, maroon and every color in between, in the shapes of triangles, stars, starbursts and anything that radiates outward. Also lighting is a Fire element, from candles to sunlight. Big Piece: Fire fountain at the main entrance OR a wall lighting display of multicolored radiating stars; Small Piece: hurricane candles at each table OR those same radiating shapes on the cocktail glasses.

The Metal energy is elegant, refined and detail-oriented. When Metal is in balance your guests feel sophisticated and elegant and their attitude follows suit. When there’s an overabundance of Metal, people become aloof or too rigid, they’re unable to change plans easily. If there’s not enough of it, we feel indecisive or confused. Metal is found in all the metal accessories including silver, steel, bronze, gold and aluminum, round shapes like arches, circles and ovals, and in the colors from white to the pastels (pretty pink is a Fire/Metal combo, just like baby blue is a Wood/Metal combo and butter yellow an Earth/Metal combo). It’s also seen in glitter and jewels. Try the Big Piece: chandelier or all white walls; Small Piece: centerpieces with diamonds and jewels or white oval plates.

The Water energy is creative, artistic, sensual. When it’s just right we can dream out loud, guests go with the flow and find it easy to relax. They are calm and completely at ease. Get too carried away with it however, and we get wishy-washy or cynical, too little we get anxious and competitive. Water is found in literal water features like fountains and aquariums, in all the dark shades from black and grey to chocolate, eggplant, midnight blue, forest green and burgundy, in materials that reflect – such as mirrors, and asymmetrical, flowing shapes. Note: be mindful of the sound of running water, as it can inspire additional visits to the loo. Big Piece: A lowered ceiling from a sheer dark canopy or a 100+ gallon aquarium; Little Piece: dark ribbon on pillars or mirrored drink coasters.

Earth is traditional, practical and conservative. With just the right amount, there is peace in the room, guests and staff feel safe and secure, stable and predictable. However too much can be a bad thing and we get stubborn, too serious, literally stuck. Those big fluffy chairs that no one wants to get out of? Too Earthy. If there’s not enough Earth, we feel disorganized or worried. Earth is found in all square or rectangular shapes, horizontal stripes and surfaces, and shades of brown – from chocolate to tan. Naturally, there are many Earth elements already in place: square tables, tiles, the dance floor itself, brown carpets, warm, neutral wall color. Big and Little pieces: try mixing or swapping shapes to introduce the unexpected – a round dance floor, oval nametags and moon gates or square plates, glasses and vases.

Wood energies are active, youthful, non-traditional. Wood in balance means that guests aren’t afraid to tour the room, they feel free to move around the room and talk with a wide variety of people. If there’s not enough Wood energy in the space, we can loose our self-confidence and motivation, and ideas are at a minimum, the pace of the evening might feel too slow. However, too much Wood energy and – heaven forbid – we adults feel like we’re at the wrong party with all the activity and individuation. Found in wood accessories and living plants, Wood is also seen in columnar shapes, vertical stripes and all the shades of blue and green. Big Piece: walkway of columns or larger than life indoor trees; Little Piece: stripes on chairs or a stem of herbs across the plate.

Ultimately these 5 energies can be applied to all things: Personality traits, clothing, cars, you name it. If this feels overwhelming to you right now, simply observe. Notice the behaviors and connect it to the surroundings. Soon you’ll see the patterns and soon after you’ll be dictating the experiences of the entire night.

Liv Kellgren is the founder of Conscious Environments, based in San Diego, CA. She has been practicing Environmental Psychology, Interior ReDesign, Feng Shui and Face Reading for 8 years as practitioner, speaker and Programs Director of the Western School of Feng Shui. Liv consults for businesses, home offices and public spaces.

Lynn Lee is a world traveler and Feng Shui practitioner who enjoys event planning and hosting multi-faceted parties for a myriad of clients. www.livingfs.com