Ask the Experts

Natural Health, April, 1999 by Andrew Weil, Joseph E. Jr. Pizzorno, Judith Lasater, David Kennedy

Don't use cold showers if you are already chilled, if you are seriously sick, or if you are chronically ill. In these cases, treatment requires a professional hydropathist.

Job-Hunting Blues

I want to find a new job. My company has been laying off people, and those of us who've stayed have taken pay cuts. The problem is that I can't muster the energy to look for a job. My girlfriend says the feng shui of my apartment might be sapping my energy. Is that possible?

(I've attached a diagram of my apartment.)

DAVID KENNEDY: The proper feng shui can definitely generate more qi (energy) and jump-start your career. According to feng shui Master Professor Lin Yun, the first and most important step is to determine the placement of the Ba-Gua--an eight-sided energy map--on the floor plan of your apartment. By placing the Ba-Gua correctly, we can find out what's happening in the career sector of your apartment.

As you can see in the diagram (please refer to the red octagon), your apartment has the unfortunate aspect of a missing career sector. This can negatively influence both your career and your motivation to find a new job. The dotted line shows the complete extent of the missing area, which can also affect the knowledge/self-development and family sectors of your life. To "replace" the missing areas, hang a spherical leaded-glass crystal ball (50 mm--about two inches--in diameter or larger) at the location marked A and place a mirror along the wall at location B. The expansive power of the crystal ball and the mirror will serve to energetically restore the missing sectors of your home and create more qi. For greater effectiveness, use a red ribbon cut to nine inches (or a multiple of nine, like 18 or 27) to hang your crystal ball; both color and dimension are powerful aspects of feng shui, and following these directions will add their powers to your cure.

I also applied the Ba-Gua map to your bedroom (the blue octagon), an area that has a powerful influence on your life. It would be helpful to place a new, lively plant in the career sector of the bedroom at location C (possibly on the bureau) to add fresh, growing energy to your career. Another key factor is your bed position. According to your drawing, your bed is partly in line with the bedroom door, which can drain your energy. Moving your bed doesn't seem practical because your bedroom is small. To protect you from the negative influence of the door and activate positive energy, you can hang a metal (preferably brass or copper) wind chime between the bedroom door and the bed at location D on the diagram. The chime will help to disperse any negative energy that may hit your bed and will also activate positive energy in the entrance. To hang your chime, use a red ribbon cut to a multiple of nine inches (as with the crystal).

The most powerful component of your cures is visualization. As you make each of the adjustments I've suggested, visualize your career turning around and a new job coming quickly and easily to you. The more clearly and powerfully you visualize your desired success, the more powerful your cures will be.