Monica Hess

Feng Shui This - Stressful Holiday Gatherings

Ok, here we go. Holidays are fast approaching and here comes the family drama that goes with them. Ever wonder what happens to some families during the holidays? Why do people get cranky, irritable, stupid and rude? Not your family? HA! HA!

What if they go home thinking, "Thank God, we got through that alive."? We may try to be cheerful during family gatherings, but sometimes those happy faces can't make it through the evening. Children are especially sensitive to irritable energy.

So why? One reason could be that there are a few jackasses in your family, just like in everyone elses. But one other very likely cause of family discord is the disturbance of an energy known in Flying Star Feng Shui as 5 Emperor. Consider it this way. Imagine that all year there's the energy of a cranky old man living in your house. You don't see him but he's there all the same. He sits quietly as long as he's not disturbed. But, when furniture gets moved around and people start coming in, making noise and brushing up against "his" area, he gets pissed. When that happens that irritation spills over to the visitors and you have a bunch of people snapping at each other for no real reason other than they're feeling the prevailing energy of the room at that time. Kind of like walking into a room after a fight. You feel it, you're uncomfortable, but you're not quite sure what's been going on.

So, what do we do? If discord is a holiday tradition in your family you can consult a Feng Shui Practitioner to advise you on how to avoid upsetting your "Emperor", or you can just be very, very gentle with all the areas in your home...especially when it comes to moving furniture, slamming doors, and generally causing a disturbance. And, play holiday piano music. The sound of metal is calming even to cranky Emperor energy.

Feng Shui This - Stressful Holiday Gatherings

Feng Shui This - Ethics

First, let me make clear that this post is about an IMAGINARY house. No homes have been hurt in the building of this story...and no clients past or current have been represented.

What does Feng Shui have to do with ethics? In my Feng Shui business I come across houses with Feng Shui charts that would send me into a panic if my family had to live there. It has nothing to do with the size or cost of the home, the unfortunate charts are non-discriminatory.

So lets say there's a house and the Feng Shui chart is so bad the owners cannot live there anymore. There's been bankruptsy, sickness, divorce and death...nasty, nasty Feng Shui. We'll even run over the imaginary dog and have the imaginary cat coughing up hairballs the size of pumpkins on a daily basis...in the master bedroom...on the bed. Add a spook or two and SHAZAM...bonified disaster chart.

By now they're figuring out there's a crisis and drastic measures are called for, so they call the nearest Feng Shui Master...so now what? Well, it's not always hopeless. Sometimes people can be taught to use the house differently, ghosts can be shooed along, demons banished...and the house becomes much, much better.

But, lets imagine this family decides they want out. Well, they're not stupid after all. By now they know that they live in a house that is working against them. And, if they're not able to make it much, much better, they want out.

So as their Feng Shui expert, I've given them information that has helped convince them to leave the house. Should I also list this house? And, if I do list it, do I tell people I did a Feng Shui consult on it and the results?

Ok, here's what I think.

1. Yes, I can and should list it if they ask. After all, I can help them sell it faster by using Feng Shui.

2. Since a Feng Shui Consult is a private consultation, I do not have the right to give out the information the owners have paid for.

3. Since I do not want to (and should not) sell a house without disclosing something I consider a problem, I should advise any prospective buyer (who is interested in the fact that I am a Feng Shui Professional) that a Feng Shui consultation would be a good investment before they buy ANY house, since each family has their own needs. But, that consultant can't be me.

4. I must never, ever give so much as the impression of giving a "bad" feng shui report in order to list a house. I have to work as hard as possible to "fix" the house for them to live in happily, if that is what they want.

When all is said and done, the house that is horrible for one family may be good for another. Much of Feng Shui is about matching the people to the house, and using the house in the best way. After all, a boss of 100 will be able to make good use of energy that could destroy some families. So, it's not up to me to advise a buyer whether to buy a house...unless that buyer is my Feng Shui client.

My lovely daughter did some spelunking yesterday with her college geology class and after she returned home with her stories of "unending pits of death dropping into a black void" I realized I don't ever want to go into a cave. And, I don't want her in one again, either! But, alas...children grow up and mom doesn't always get what mom wants. I know she'll probably be doing lots of things that would make me nervous. But, it got me thinking about caves...

I've been asked, "Can you Feng Shui a CAVE?" And the answer is, "YES".

Feng Shui Masters say that the best place is one open on one side and closed on three. Doesn't that exactly fit the cave perspective?

There is a catch though! What comes in that one open side must be current, vibrant, and beneficial energy for the inhabitants. Anything else and your cave is a disaster.

How do you know if your cave has good Feng Shui? Well, you can either live there and find out rather quickly, or you can call a Feng Shui Master before buying your dream cave.

I consider a Feng Shui Consult as important as a Home Inspection. Buying a house is too big an investment to ignore all the components of a good home.

Feng Shui This - Mercedes Benz - KY Map - Real Estate Lexington KY

When I set out to become a Real Estate Mogul I decided that the 99 Neon with the cracked windshield and 229,000 miles would have to be replaced. Believe it or not, I loved that little car...and I still think of it fondly. But, times change, so I went shopping. I shopped and shopped and drove my friends crazy, borrowing my husband's truck when I had to show a house and driving the Neon when I didn't have to look like I knew what I was doing.

Finally, on the internet, I found what I was looking for...a gold 2003 Mercedes Benz hatchback at a very affordable price, in Tennessee of all places. It's the perfect car for me. Gold for the Feng Shui of my house, great gas mileage, fold down back seats, good for carrying signs...and turbo charged so when I get "in a tight spot" I can kick it and it will zip me into or out of traffic as fast as I need it to. I love this little car. But, today the hatchback was the coolest thing.

Today that hatchback came in handy.

You can put a lot of stuff in a little car.

Sometimes you might even surprise yourself.

If your cargo is a little large, you might need a bungee cord to hold the hatchback down.

That's easy enough...just hook it to the license plate and the bottom latch.

Now, pop the hatchback and take a look what I put in the back today.

Just what I always wanted for my office! It's an honest to goodness 6'5" x 3'1" map of Kentucky. It looks like it was hanging at one time in a KY Visitor's Center. Next stop though...my home office. First it will need a little cleaning and I'll have to find a few studs to hang it on. But, it's going to be a very useful tool.

I can trace the larger creeks and rivers, locate instantly the boundries of any of the 120 counties in Kentucky. This map gives boundaries of the KY State Parks, National Parks and many KY Historical sites. And, there will be no question where the river flows! This map puts Lexington KY in perspective. Now I know where I am in relation to everywhere else in the state. When there are that many counties, it's easy to get confused about towns, rivers, and other boundaries. This will make things so much easier!

Get confused sometimes? Get a big honkin' map and find the YOU ARE HERE arrow. I'll be putting one on my map as soon as I can get it cleaned and on the wall.

Sometimes an old fashioned map is the best way for me to get my bearings. There's nothing like seeing the whole state of KY stretched out like this. And, I love the fact that it fit in my little Mercedes Benz Hatchback. How cool is that? Way cool.

Feng Shui This - Mercedes Benz Hatchback - KY Map - Real Estate Lexington KY

Feng Shui This Courthouse in Paris KY

Last week I went on a little excursion to Paris without leaving the state. Our Paris is in Bourbon county, KY. You can't get more KY than that! While driving to Paris you can almost feel your blood pressure go down as you gaze over the beautiful green fields with their stately mansions and gorgeous horses. And, yes...there are even a few cattle on the way. Horses may get all the attention, (Secretariat lived here and is buried at Claiborne Farms) but here in Kentucky we also love our cattle. Just ask them, they'll tell you.

But, back to the courthouse. It's a lovely old building, completed in 1905. It's here we go to find the tax records and old deeds that realtors always seem to be flipping though. So, looking at this massive set of steps is part of the job. Funny though...once you get to the top of these steps we find an interesting little "situation".

It appears that someone is messing up the landing. Obviously, bad manners, but still an interesting little "spot".

So, I look up...and SHAZAM...there they were. Ma and Pa Pigeon have built themselves a lovely little nest out of...wait a minute...what is that?

It appears to be some sort of barbed wire.

It seems some of "it" is laying on a nearby window ledge.

There we have it. KY pigeons are the toughest birds ever...

Try to block them and they'll use the wire spikes for nesting material. They would have made great pioneers. Or, maybe it's just this group of Paris KY pigeons? Resourceful, dedicated, talented...and very good at making the best of a bad situation. Apparently they like the feng shui here!

I love a good power struggle. So far the little birdies are winning.

Feng Shui This Courthouse in Paris KY

Copyright Monica Hess

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Lizette Realty, Lizette Fitzpatrick, Principal Broker, 130 Killarney, 40475