High School is very different than when you were that age. The pressures are stronger and the stakes seem much higher. You want to help your teenagers do their best, but how?

Here’s Master Peter Reiss’ Feng Shui Guide to a Learning Friendly Kid’s Room, Part 3: 9th-12th Grade.

Your Feng Shui Master - 17 and oh, so serious

Feng Shui will help your teenager in school and in life, but here’s a surprise for you. You’re probably not going to be able to do much in his or her room. By this age you’re dealing with an (almost) adult and changing their room will be more like negotiating with a foreign country. You’ll win some discussions and lose most arguments.

Basic Facts:

• You’re not the boss. (Sorry.)
• Your teenager is the boss, but he or she stills help and guidance.
• Feng Shui changes won’t work in their room if they’re not “on board” or at least open. Forced Feng Shui changes won’t create positive results.

Don’t despair, though. There’s a lot you can do to help, even if you can’t “help” their room.

Where to start:

First, despite what I just said, try for changes in their room. Just remember the Rule of Yin and Yang: You can’t tell them what to do (Yang), but you certainly can make suggestions (Yin).

Talk with them about some important spots to open the ch’i or energy flow:

• Clear under bed
• Clear door way with nothing behind the door
• Good task lighting for their work area

OK, I’ve tried all that. Now what?

Worry not. No matter how the negotiations went about changing your teen’s room, you still have a secret Feng Shui weapon! It’s time to bring your love and Feng Shui power to the Knowledge area of your house (and that grumpy teenager never even has to know you’re helping their ch’i grow).

To find the Knowledge gua or area we use the Bagua or energy map. Stand in the door way of your house and look in. The corner to the far left of you is the Knowledge gua (if your front door is to the far left of the house, you’re already in the Knowledge area).

I found it! What do I do?

What do you do? Why, take action, of course.

• Look around. What’s in that area of the house? Is it confused with clutter? Cleaning out the clutter with the intention of opening the flow of knowledge energy for the house will definitely benefit your kids!
• Try adding the color blue (the stronger, the better) to that area. You can use art or pillows or even paint the entire space blue (here I’d go pastel).
• Bring light into the space or, as my father used to say to the teenage me, “Let’s shed a little more light on the subject.” Torchere or standing floor lamps are great tools to bring lifting “up-light” energy.

Next: What you see is what you get.

Want your student to read books? Look around. Are there books in the house? The energy from books is powerful. Keeping a library or just a shelf of favorites sends a message that learning is important.

Best place for books in the house? Of course, in the knowledge area. (Just beware of clutter – choose books that are favorites and will be re-read.)

Finally: Be patient, change is on the way.

In my years of practice I’ve observed that there are three types of change you can look for when making Feng Shui power improvements.

• Sudden and immediate shifts
• Clear changes over a brief period of time (three weeks, three months, etc.)
• Gradual change so slow and subtle that it only shows in hindsight.

Kids and pre-teens show changes much more clearly than your average teen. Teenagers are slow to show change but, if you are putting your love energy and your powerful intentions into the adjustments you are putting into place, change is happening.

In ancient Chinese tradition there are 5 factors that impact your life: Fate, Luck, Feng Shui (of course), Charity, and the most powerful, Education. I would add one more, not as a substitute but just as powerful: Love.

Always remember, the evil alien possession of your teenager isn’t permanent. Be patient. Keep giving them love and support and they will come back to human form. Keep working on their Knowledge Feng Shui and they’ll come back to human form with a good education!

Coming Next: Part 4: Feng Shui from College to the Empty Nest.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessings as long as you include the following complete statement with it (including links). Please also write ©2009 Feng Shui by Peter Reiss.

Liked this article?—Then check out acclaimed Feng Shui Master Peter Reiss’ blog at http://FengShuiConsults.com. Want more tips? Sign up for Master Reiss’ Feng Shui Newsletter at http://FengShuiConsults.com and start out with Nine Tips in Nine Days: Simple Power Tips to Change Your Life.

Real Estate Expert Rosie West will be interview Master Reiss on her lunch hour show “Things You Should Know!”. Tune in live for an information packed 30 minutes Thursday September 10, 12:00-12:30 PM or listen on the web at www.wthe1520am.com.

Can’t make it at lunch? That’s OK – the show will rebroadcast later the same day at 10:00 PM.

Sometimes you’re Mom. Then, without warning, it’s “Muth-e-e-e-r-r!”

I bet their room reflects that split personality, doesn’t it? Toys of childhood mixed with whatever’s the latest tween fad.

Don’t worry. That’s what it’s supposed to be. But, you ask, won’t all that stuff interfere with their school work and hurt their grades? Possibly, sometimes even probably, if the mess is overwhelming.

What can you do? Well, a little Feng Shui never hurts.

Here’s Master Peter Reiss’ Feng Shui Guide to a Learning Friendly Kid’s Room, Part 2: 5th-8th Grade.

Your Mission: Reduce the level of Jangly, Jumpy, Gyrating Ch’i, creating a better environment for study and play.

Ground Rules:

1. You are no longer the boss. (Of course you are, but work with me here.)
2. Your child is not the boss, either, but he or she does need to feel some control.
3. Feng Shui will be most effective if your child gives you permission to make changes or, better yet, works with you to make decisions and changes.
4. Be prepared to be silly. *

Getting Started: It’s inventory time!

Time to sit down on the floor together and create three piles. One is for the really, really baby things that are now just there because they’ve always been there. This is automatic give-away. Work out together who you’re going to give these things to. It’s a great time for a lesson in giving to others.

(But don’t be too, too strict. We all have something special from those long ago days. Mine is a stuffed blue dog; nose and eyes gone but still precious to that little boy inside me.)

The next pile is for stuff that has seen better days (like games missing pieces or broken toys). This is an automatic out pile. Don’t hold on to something because the piece may show up some day or Dad will be able to fix it sometime (sorry, dads).

The last pile, hopefully the smallest, is for all the things from shelf, floor, closet and drawer that are still in good condition, still work, still fit, and still have a real reason to stay – meaning they’ll be used.

Inventory complete, now return the keepers to shelf, drawer, or closet. Not the floor and especially not under the bed!

Next: The Four Walls

Look around you. What message is being sent by the pictures on the walls. Positive energy supports positive work. Negative, angry images ooze angry ch’i.
This is an important step. If you wait until they’re teens, you’ll wind up with very little say.

Try to keep things in balance. Don’t cover every inch of the wall.
The walls are also a good place to add bright color energy. While the overall color should be soft blue or green, you can add bursts of red, pink, purple, blue. Stay away from black – that’s for adult career work.

Finally: Stuff

This is an amazing age for learning. Kids are like the proverbial sponge. Since you’ve removed the overwhelm of stuff, you now have room to add. Try maps, a fish tank (but only if your child can take care of it!), and always books, books and books.

Reading with your child is one of the greatest gifts you can give. And it’s amazing Feng Shui, raising the energy of all life areas. Help them choose from their favorites which ones are keepers to be read again and which ones will other kids like to have.

Remember, if you show your children nothing other than how to be generous and giving; how to do good deeds and help others; you’ll be teaching them the Feng Shui way to a good life.

*Oh, and about rule #4 – Take every chance you can get to be playful and act silly with your kids. It’ll help get the job done and they’ll always remember how much they laughed.

Coming Next: Part 3: Feng Shui For Your High School Teen

Coming Soon: Part 4: Feng Shui from College to the Empty Nest.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessings as long as you include the following complete statement with it (including links). Please also write ©2009 Feng Shui by Peter Reiss.

Liked this article?—Then check out acclaimed Feng Shui Master Peter Reiss’ blog at http://FengShuiConsults.com. Want more tips? Sign up for Master Reiss’ Feng Shui Newsletter at http://FengShuiConsults.com and start out with Nine Tips in Nine Days: Simple Power Tips to Change Your Life.

Join us at the First Annual Long Island GLBT Life Expo.

You’ll meet more than 75 GLBT friendly businesses, see great entertainment, take mini-seminars in powerful topics (like Feng Shui, of course). Feng Shui by Peter Reiss will be featuring special offers and consultation packages exclusively for attendees. Wait till you see our Back-to-School packages! Plus we’ll be raffling off Power Hour Sessions with Master Reiss and many more prizes.

For more info on attending go to Expo Info.

For free tickets go to Free Expo Tickets. Don’t wait the free offer is time limited!

See you all there.

Here’s Master Peter Reiss’ Feng Shui Guide to Creating a Good Ch’i Child’s Room.

COLOR

In Feng Shui colors have multiple uses. Each color has its life area meaning and its own energy.

Intensity: Ch’i (energy) intensity varies as the color intensity changes.

A baby’s eyes need contrast, vivid colors and light to develop. Strong primary colors are important to have in baby’s environment. Toys and pictures are a great way to bring them in. What you don’t want is a primary color room.  Way too jangly ch’i!

Try a light off-white early on – good for contrast. Later go to soft blues or soft greens to create a calming environment.

WHAT? NO PRETTY PRINCESS PINK?!?!

Color Choice: In Feng Shui different colors have different energy “meanings.” Some are very appropriate for kids’ rooms, some very much not.

Good choices:

• Blue – Knowledge
• Green – New growth
• Yellow – Health

Not so good choices

• Red – Fire (very high intensity)
• Pink – Love & Marriage (more about this later)

You can always add accents of red, pink or any other colors. Use your artistic and design sensibilities. Just avoid doing the whole room that way.

SPACE, SIZE & PLACEMENT

Space Size:

In Feng Shui we look not only at the physical balance of the space and its contents, but also at the balance of the space to the person living there.

Rule of thumb:

Grown-ups big: big space

Kids small: smaller space

Try to create a protected environment. Cozy is a good goal.

Bed Size:

Remember as your child grows bigger in size, he or she is still a child. Bed sizes should progress from crib to youth to twin. (More about larger beds later)

Bed Placement:

So, where should you put that single bed in that small room? In a corner with head and side against a wall. The primal urge for safety is to retreat to the cave. Create that safe cave or den for your child. (More later about this too.)

STUFF

I know you were waiting for this one.

Many of today’s kids live in a permanent state of overwhelm. Help them maintain a personal space (their room) that is supporting balanced focus instead of adding to the chaos. (Be realistic, though. It’s a matter of degree. Some chaos is a normal state for most pre-teens and teens. Think back.)

Start the conversation early. Help your kids learn the difference about what they want and what they really need and will really use.

Try the Feng Shui In-Out Yin-Yang Clutter Preventer.

Of course, accumulating “stuff” is inevitable.  This creates the perfect opportunity to teach your little one how to make deposits in their Good Karma Bank Account.

Charity is one of the two most powerful ways to bring good things into your life (The other is education.)

When your son or daughter gets a new toy, help them pick out an older one that isn’t used anymore and bring it to a thrift shop. Show them how good giving can make you feel. (Hint – this works for adults, too. A good example is always the best teacher.)

Okay – here’s the “more later” I promised you.

A pink bedroom with a double or queen bed set-up to allow access from either side – this is an adult bedroom. It’s the wrong ch’i environment for your little girl. (Size and placement also applies to boys.)  Our job as parents is to encourage our kids to be kids.

Finally –

No matter how you set-up your baby’s room, the most powerful Feng Shui tool you have is…you. Give them your time and your attention, your support and encouragement, and, most importantly, your unconditional love. Now that’s good ch’i!

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site?

You have my blessings as long as you include the following complete statement with it (including links). Please also write ©2009 Feng Shui by Peter Reiss.

Liked this article?—Then check out acclaimed Feng Shui Master Peter Reiss’ blog at http://FengShuiConsults.com. Want more tips? Sign up for Master Reiss’ Feng Shui Newsletter at http://FengShuiConsults.com and start out with Nine Tips in Nine Days: Simple Power Tips to Change Your Life.

You’re not alone. It’s the common plight of the modern couple. I see it all the time with my clients. It’s a scary place to be. That “loving feeling” feels gone, gone, gone and you’re afraid you’ll never get it back.

Don’t give up. You don’t have to settle for a dismal desert of love if you’re willing to make time for PLAY TIME the Feng Shui Way.

First, are you ready to PLAY?

Ask yourself the following questions:

Past: Was there a time when you couldn’t keep your hands off each other?
Lust: Do you both really, really want that old passion feeling back?
Action: Are you both ready to make changes to get it back?
Yes: Are your answers Yes, Yes, and Hell, Yes? Then, YES, you can have it back!

So you do want to PLAY! Now get ready to do the TIME.

Take stock:
• Stand in your bedroom door and look in. The far right corner is your love area. What’s there?
• What pictures do you have on the walls and dressers?

Initiate change
• Make sure the love area is uncluttered. Get rid of any “stuff.”
• If the bathroom is in that corner keep the door closed.
• Add items of love: pairs of love birds, pink roses, mauve sheets.
• Remove pictures that aren’t happy ones of you and yours. Pics of the kids, pets or “grands” out. The bedroom is for loving couples only!

Make the time
Commit to weekly “love time.” Just the two of you. Always include three elements: food, activity and contact. (And no cheating: the activity and the contact are two separate things.) Try a picnic with a walk holding hands or a movie with dinner and a good night kiss. Of course, if the mood is right, you don’t have to stop there.

Enjoy the process:
The most important step. Smiles and laughter, giggles and groans are the real aphrodisiacs.

Loving isn’t about being the world’s greatest lovers; loving is about being truly connected; lovemaking is the glue that helps keep always lovers together. And the loving never has to stop if you make time for Feng Shui PLAY TIME.

Do you know that little place matched the Feng Shui energy patterns of the house she and I bought together almost two years later?! (Of course, both had very strong love areas or guas).

So, the more things change, the more they remain the same, right?

The answer is…yes. Yes things do remain the same. Knowing nothing about Feng Shui, I instinctively created one space after another that showed what was most important in my life – Love. I changed  locations, size, and more, but the Feng Shui emphasis on Love Power remained. Love was the constant.

And the answer is …no. Things don’t have to remain the same. I’ll let you in on a secret – along with the strengths I also created and then re-created blockages,  breakdown spots. Everyone does this.  But you don’t have to leave things that way.

You can use the power of the

S.D.B. Method

1. See the block

2. Do something (like Feng Shui cures) to remove it

3. Believe in the power of positive change

First: See

Where are your blocks? How do you know if that dead tree is in Love or Wealth? Use the Bagua, the Feng Shui energy map. The basics are simple. Use this drawing as a guide. Just remember that you always stand looking in (see the doors).

Since I love LOVE, let’s use your bedroom as a model. Stand in the doorway and look in. The left corner of the far wall is the Wealth area or gua, the right corner is the Love area and the center part of the wall is where we look for Fame issues.

Now that you’ve identified your guas look closely. What’s going on in them is what’s going on in your life. Is there a pile of laundry in your love area? Dying plants in Wealth?

Now use the map and look at what’s going on in your house and on your property. You may see the same conditions repeated on every level. (If you’d like more detailed help using the Bagua take a look at my DVD on the store page.)

Remember, TO SEE is the first step to Feng Shui Power. Open your eyes, be honest, and you’ll be amazed at what you uncover.

Next time, Step 2:
DO – Getting Into Action!

Life is all about Change. Bob Dylan wrote, the times they are a-changin’ and they certainly are. We live in a world where, according to a 17th century French writer, the only thing constant in life is change.

Anyone who disagrees please raise your hand. Anyone? Nope, I didn’t think so. We all know, and most of us accept, that change can’t be stopped. What gives us a problem is the fear that we are powerless, helpless to control our destiny.

Well, fear not! I’m here to tell you that you can change your destiny! You can CHOOSE to. Try out the simple

3 Step S.D.B. Method!

S.D.B.= See – Do – Believe

1. SEE what’s going on.

   Find the physical reflection of the problem. (Trouble with love? Maybe there’s a pile of dirty laundry in your love corner?) You might have to look around the corner because human beings are very creative in hiding their “stuff”, but don’t worry, it’s there. Ask a trusted adviser or guide for help. It’s always easier to see someone else’s stuff.

2. DO something.

   Get into ACTION. Starting is the key. Want to increase the flow of love in your life? Start today to remove the blocks and add the enhancers.

3. Now – BELIEVE!

   Believe that the changes you’re making will create changes in your life. Hold that belief as you build momentum. See yourself creating a new reality for yourself.

Remember – belief without action is wishing, wanting, and wondering. Action with belief is winning, wonderful, and WOW producing.