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Christmas shopping with consciousness

By on December 3, 2012
As the holiday season approaches, our thoughts turn to time spent with friends and family – and shopping. Unfortunately, a time when celebration and sharing should be the focus can often be compromised by trying to do too much. Part of this is the pressure of buying the right gifts. Since Feng Shui helps bridge states of being and life circumstances with physical objects, you can make your gift selections more meaningful and impactful if you use some Feng Shui principles. Here are a few suggestions based on the common desires that I’ve observed to be of prime interest to people these days.  

Show me the money!
While giving money is a popular (and easy) way to meet the ‘obligations’ of gift giving, you can do your loved ones a favour by providing a gift that helps activate wealth consciousness more sustainably than a speci ed amount of cash (though four or ve gures and above are doubtless received with thanks). Vases, decorative plates and trays, and purple-coloured objects are wonderful for enhancing wealth. You might buy a new wallet, a gratitude journal (in which they can write what they are grateful for, which helps replicate more fortunate circumstances), or a piggy bank.

One of my favourite and most potent Feng Shui Power Tools for wealth is a lava lamp filled with purple and red uid: the light, movement, liquid, and colours all serve to stimulate and circulate the energy associated with wealth. I turn mine on in the morning and off at night (since it’s in my bedroom) and can attest that it works wonders. It may not be the easiest gift to nd, but well worth it (buy several once you do). Wealth-themed objects work best in the left hand on the opposite side of the room from the door when facing into the room.

Get outta town!
One of the reasons people would like more money is to have a nice holiday. This is one of the easiest themes to give gifts for. While plane tickets are always appreciated, a photo album for trips already taken or artwork depicting a favourite destination can also be a welcome addition to the home. Black & white images and metal frames are very powerful here, as are pictures of planes, trains, and automobiles (I’m not 100% sure about a DVD of the movie of the same name).   

A digital photo frame in which can be filled up pictures of past voyages or desired destinations is a real treasure; if you have an ‘in’ to this person’s photo collection through a relative or Facebook (no hacking, please), you can pre-load the frame with some of their favourite travel pictures. These devices are fantastic in how they provide a lot of bang for the buck: without taking up much space, they can display more photos that you would have room for on any given wall. Travel-themed objects are best placed around the right hand corner nearest the door into that room, when looking into the room.
 
What am I doing with my life?  
Job satisfaction has to be one of the most important goals for people in modern civilization yet sadly also one of the most rarely achieved. A well-themed and -placed object or two can shift one’s perspective quite profoundly. Artwork offers some good possibilities: an image of a pathway symbolizing one’s life path or a framed afrmation relating to living one’s ideal life are both very effective. A turtle – an arty object or image might be lower-maintenance than the real thing – helps one reconnect with the spiritual self that recognizes that ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ Career-themed objects are best placed along the wall that shares the door into any room (including the entrance to the home itself).

Love me tender
It might seem that you can’t help your single loved ones nd a partner short of setting up a blind date, but as far as gifts are concerned there are better options than a paid subscription to an online dating service. Because the common mistake made by singles is to feature artwork of single people, some attractive art showing a loving couple could help to neutralize the others (though I suggest ditching the singles too). If you suspect that the person you are shopping for isn’t into images of couples, other depictions of pairing – two owers, two trees, two animals – can be a great option. A duvet set featuring warm colours can be a fantastic gift, as singles often have darker, bleaker tones in their bed coverings (blue, black, grey, and dark tones are to be avoided). The bedroom, wherever it is located, is a great area for love-themed gifts (especially bed coverings, for obvious reasons), while the right-hand corner on the opposite side of the room from the door is the best place for decorative objects.

May you and your loved ones’ holidays be merry and bright in their alignment with your inner light.

Mark Ainley is a Contemporary Feng Shui Consultant and Emotional Stress Consultant living in Vancouver. A former 5-year resident of Tokyo, Mark consults with clients internationally to help them design living and work spaces in alignment with their goals. He also provides consulting in emotional stress management, as well as in the connection between facial structure and innate behavioural and communication patterns. He can be reached through his website: www.markainley.com

About Mark Ainley

Mark Ainley is a Contemporary Feng Shui Consultant and Emotional Stress Consultant living in Vancouver. A former 5-year resident of Tokyo, Mark consults with clients internationally to help them design living and work spaces in alignment with their goals. He also provides consulting in emotional stress management, as well as in the connection between facial structure and innate behavioural and communication patterns. He can be reached through his website: www.senseofspace.com and www.markainley.com.