Very recently, a friend of mine moved to a beautiful apartment, with a wonderful view and lots of space. She always does a great job decorating her homes, and this one was no exception. Her bedroom looked like a magazine. She's got elegant lamps, oriental nightstands, expensive Persian rugs, and her bed is covered with a sheer and romantic canopy.

However, since she finished decorating after her move, and was finally settled, she fell into a very deep depression. She couldn't get to sleep till the very late hours of the night, and the next morning, she would wake up with a terrible headache that would last all day.
This is how she described her feelings to me: "It's like there's a dark cloud hanging over my head, and I can't get out from under it".

The first thing I thought to do, was to check the feng shui of the new home, but everything seemed to be in place. No clutter, everything clean, plenty of light, clear spaces for the Chi to flow. Her bedroom was calm, she had a good headboard, nothing under the bed. We just couldn't figure out what was wrong. I decided to search for an answer and took out all my feng shui books. Could her bed be causing her depression? It was in a good position, in the right direction,I searched the Internet, and the first term that came to my mind to start the search was "canopy". I figured that was the only thing really "hanging over her head".

After going over at least 15 different books from all schools of feng shui, and looking at page after page of feng shui

My friend's actual bed

websites, I found that canopies are actually recommended by feng shui practitioners to have the person feel protected, to avoid the harm of having a beam above the bed, or to cure slanted ceilings. This is what I always thought and it's still very true. But this goes to show you that one never stops learning. Buried in a blog written by a Chinese practitioner, I found it. On a list of "problem beds", I found beds with mirrors, waterbeds, round beds, heart shaped beds… canopy beds… There it was. It said: "A canopy over the bed will cause insomnia, depression and illness."

I had not finished telling her about this, when she had already pulled that canopy from the ceiling. Needless to say, and this is what really inspires me about feng shui, the results were immediate. She woke up in a better mood and with no headache. The depression hasn't come back and she's finally enjoying her new place.

What I took away from this, is that not all feng shui cures and practices work for everyone. You have to test different things, read about different ideas, different schools of thought. Not all people with canopy beds are depressed, but I bet many are. So hopefully this story will at least help them to get from under that "dark cloud".

I'm sure you've heard of it, unless you've been out of touch for the past couple of decades, but I'd like to give you my own description of Feng Shui.

Feng Shui is the ancient practice utilized by the Chinese to assist in harmonizing everything that surrounds you. The idea is that as long as everything around you is harmonious, your own energy and the cosmic energy, or Ch'i will help you increase your happiness, your health, your wealth, your family life, your relationships etc. Feng Shui teaches us how to place our furniture, our decorations, and how to use our colors and textures to achieve the greatest benefits possible in each area of your life.

Many people see Feng Shui as a superstition, and I tell them they couldn't be more wrong. Although Feng Shui gives you "cures" for the problematic areas of your house, office, apartment, etc., their purpose is mostly to add an element that a certain area might be missing. Feng Shui teaches us the best way to achieve harmony.

Feng Shui uses a lot of common sense. If you walk into your house or apartment and you see clothes lying around, dirty dishes in the kitchen, a burnt out bulb in the entrance, a TV that doesn't work in your den... what do you feel? I'd bet you start feeling stressed thinking how you haven't had time to clean the place, how you have to find the time to change the bulb, how you have to wash the dishes or fix the TV. That's energy that just drained from you. But, if you come in and you are welcomed by a clean and organized place, and you see harmonious colors, and smell nice aromas, your stress level will drop considerably. Don't you feel just great when you've finally get that faucet fixed? Doesn't it take a weight off your shoulders when you finally organize your drawers?

Sometimes all it takes is adding a light to a dark corner, or a splash of color in the room or a plant in front of the window to make the place come alive.

Have you ever been in someone's home and you just feel so comfortable you don't want to leave?
On the flip side, there's places that you just can't wait to get out of!

Well, pets are particularly sensitive to the energies around our home and surrounding environment. Animals have the ability to sense things that humans don't. Observe your pet, they can give you an idea of how Ch'i is working in your home.
Almost all cats and dogs know what room and what area of the room they do best in. Their health and their character reflect the energy of the house and the people living in it. When pets are ill, lethargic, or maybe even overweight, chances are that people in your household have the same symptoms. If your animals are happy, well adjusted and lively, that will be the general feeling in your life.

Pets are good Feng Shui

Simply getting a pet if you don't already have one is a good way to enhance your Ch'i. Animals represent fire energy. Adding fire energy to your life will make you more passionate and will give you motivation to do the things you like. They can help with depression, loneliness or bring a welcome change if you're in a rut. They just make life better.
Now, you also have to think about giving them a harmonious life as well. Get down to their height. Look around. What would you see if you were a small animal. Make sure that there's no mess under the bed, which, by the way, would be bad Feng Shui for you as well. Look at the corners of the floor. Do you see dust bunnies or accumulated dirt? Look under the sofas. Under the coffee table. Notice that whatever you do for them, will also be good for you.

Give them a place of their own. A bed, their water bowl, their toys.... make it nice.

When you don't feed, bathe and nurture your pet properly, your Feng Shui will suffer. Even if you don't realize it, the way you treat people, pets and plants is very important for your own self-image and well being.

Animals are the best way to experience good Feng Shui. Find out the pros and cons of getting a new pet and adopt a friend from your animal shelter. You won't regret it and your life will definitely be better.