Catherine

When summer arrives, beach chairs appear and it feels as if the air is brighter and lighter. As Walter Winchell said, “It’s a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do.” Now we are in full sun and have had some weeks were everyone felt they were frying! This section focuses on the outdoor spaces attached to your apartment or house. These include gardens and balconies. First, they are part of your space even if they feel like an extension. Feng Shui practice 'pulls' these spaces into the overall Bagua map of your area to

Help, My Space isn’t a Square! Now that you have your floor plan matched with the Bagua sectors, it may highlight that they don’t quite fit in the overall space. First of all, there is no perfect plan. There will always be a room or area that presents a challenge. Many friends have modern homes where the garden is in the back left hand or right hand corner. Depending on where this is placed in the Bagua sectors, a tall light and a seating area can be placed to ‘connect’ the garden with the house.    Another friend had

Yin & Yang Energy Feng Shui practice seeks a balance and equality between Yang, the masculine energy and Yin, the feminine twin. The classic black and white symbol shows white with a piece of black and black with white. Each balances the other and with either element missing, neither can exist without imploding. Yin energy is the black part symbolising the cool, calm silence of the moon and stars at night. It is about feeling deeply and being honest and authentic; about listening and like the moon, reflecting. However, too much Yin energy can be isolating, can lead to

It has been an eventful week. We have been to a French funeral for our friend's mother. At the same time, Berlin-based friends have visited and lots of interesting conversations took place about the past, present and future. So, "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." (Robert Breault).

Come On Inside An English philosopher, Stephen Gardiner, wrote, “The interior of the house personifies the private world; the exterior of it is part of the outside world”. That about sums it up. When considering the outside garden, the road and surrounding area, there are more complex Feng Shui points to consider and I recommend checking out Clear Englebert’s books for a range of information on roads and the outside area, particularly if you are buying a house with a garden.  The key focus of this blog is about balancing the interior but what is happening outside is also

"When one door closes another door opens. Usually a refrigerator", says Bonnie Macfarlane, a Canadian comedienne. At the moment as we are still in a very quiet real estate market trying to sell a lovely apartment, it does feel that the doors are closed. We wait and endeavour to enjoy the summer, sand and sea with the support of good friends, food and a cocktail or two. That fridge is working overtime!

Ready, Set, Go! As we get in to the real practice and methods, I realise that my Feng Shui blog started in 2018 and here we are in 2025. It has been a lot of information and learning over the years including changes of countries, cities and apartments along the way and I am still an active student. One of the biggest points to understand is that Feng Shui is about balancing what you can control and then using positive affirmations to attract positive situations. It isn’t about moving the furniture and picking the right cushions and then sitting

Poison Arrows - They Won’t Kill You Having read about these you may be asking what are they? They are the sharp angles that point towards your house or can be found within your living space. They are often seen in city landscapes with modern design jutting out with sharp metal and glass and due to the architect's desire to create a new building style. In my view, they often don't make sense as they look like a waste of interior space with strange internal walls and with lots of glass, the need to regulate internal temperatures must be

As life is still in limbo as we sell the apartment, the beach beckons. Summer is here, the water is warming up and the azur salty sea is a balm to frustration and boredom. Tomorrow is another day!