Los Angeles Whole Life Times Magazine – Feng Shui Clinic: Jan 2003
So what is the magic of feng shui? How does it work? Feng shui operates on very clear metaphysical principles – “Energy is thought, and thought is energy” or as some like to say, “Where mind goes, energy flows.”
Whether in the office or the home, the goal of feng shui is the same
to ease the conscious mind’s preoccupation by removing the obstacles, constraints, and distractions in the environment that lead to the emotional mind-body feeling worried, concerned and uptight. Ultimately, the goal of Feng Shui in the office or the home is inner harmony and union. And the first thing to consider is the placement of the desk.
A Solid Desk
A desk is a very powerful tool. If it is sturdy, its user will feel supported. If it is large, its user will feel an inner sense of self assurance and have vision and confidence in expanding the playing field. If the desk was owned by a previously successful individual, this good karma will bring great benefit to each successive owner.
What you don’t want is a desk that is wobbly and lacking support. Nor do you want a desk that is flimsy like a door propped up by two filing cabinets. Nor do you want your desk positioned under a beam or at the side of the room where a ceiling slopes down behind you or any other configuration that makes you feel embattled, overwhelmed or blocked.
Proper Placement of the Desk
The ideal desk position is the Command Position. The Command Position allows you to see the whole room from your vantage point while not being in direct alignment with the door way either directly ahead or directly to either side. In the Command Position you can be most relaxed, most efficient and therefore most productive. The Command Position gives you a moment to assess any unexpected or potentially difficult situation. In the Command Position you can smoothly and effortless handle each situation as it arises.
As everybody knows, a mobster, would never sit in a restaurant with his back to the door. It wouldn’t be comfortable. There would be too much vulnerability. When you have your back to a door, you are always wondering what is going on behind your back. You sense this potential and so do all those who work with you, for you, or under you. And, if any of these people lack scruples, they will assume they can get away with anything and everything behind your back: malingering, possibly pilfering, and even worse, embezzling.
However, if your desk can not be rearranged in the Command Position than at least put a mirror – even a small vanity mirror – positioned in such a way as to enable you to see over your shoulder. A mirror properly placed like a rear view mirror in a car will provide security and a sense of what’s going on behind you. But a desk in the Command Position is best of all.
Arranging the desk and other office furniture should adhere to basic feng shui principles of how ch’i flows through a space. Of course poor ventilation, inadequate lighting and an over crowded office will contribute to hypertension and inefficiency and these should also be taken into consideration. However, proper placement of the desk in relationship to windows and doors and even filing cabinets and book shelves can have an undermining influences if not properly positioned.
A Solid Wall
If possible you want to avoid sitting at your desk with a window behind you. The president of the United States sits in the Oval Room office with a window behind him and as we have seen the president often lacks full support of the people.
Though JFK also sat in front of a window, you will notice that on the window sill behind him, JFK had an elephant statue. No doubt someone knowing feng shui suggested this or gave him a gift and told him where to put it. In feng shui symbolism an elephant represents a “small mountain” and therefore provides support.
What you don’t want is a desk that is wobbly and lacking support. Nor do you want a desk that is flimsy like a door propped up by two filing cabinets. Nor do you want your desk positioned under a beam or at the side of the room where a ceiling slopes down behind you or any other configuration that makes you feel embattled, overwhelmed or blocked.
Other Good Desk Features
A solid desk should have drawers that slide easily in and out without having to struggle to slide them in and out. Stuck drawers lead to short tempers which leads to grumbling over non-related petty irritations. Rub wax on the sliders or have a professional refit the drawers so they work smoothly.
Another good desk feature to have is a skirt in front of the desk so that someone coming into the room can’t see your legs. Women may resonate with this feature with more familiarity as it literally makes them feel vulnerable that someone can see up their skirt (were they to be wearing one). Truth is, men have this feeling of vulnerability as well. Of being revealed, or unprotected. If your desk lacks a skirt, remedy this situation with a wood insert or by tacking a fabric over the opening.
Avoid The Avalanche
If you do have a wall behind you for support, avoid placing a high book shelf against it. I often see this arrangement especially with the heaviest computer manuals on the top most shelf. Though the rational mind may know this bookshelf will never topple over, even in an earthquake, the emotional mind continually worries “what if.” Indeed, visually it does look like an avalanche about to happen with the hapless person at the desk being crushed instantly. Though they may never actually be crushed by the rarely used computer books, chronic neck and shoulder tension is sure to be a sign of the anticipated danger.
Once Again, Clear Your Clutter
It is quite common to see a desk piled high with papers, bills and other unfinished business, or business in process. A cluttered desk is the most unproductive desk imaginable. To approach a desk with no clear space on it is an intimidating situation. Before even sitting down to deal with all on the desk that needs dealing with, can provoke the feeling of being overwhelmed by all that needs doing. Even approaching a desk that is piled high can be a daunting experience. A desk piled high is like a mountain that has to be climbed every day, every day and every day. Exhaustion and despair eventually settles in and failure can be the only outcome.
The cure is simple: keep the desk free of clutter. It is actually as simple as it sounds though seemingly impossible to the person who hasn’t been able to achieve this simple reality. For the person with piles of whatever on their desk, the first step is to clear the area directly in front of where you sit.
Having a desk blotter in front of where you sit will help focus your attention and provide an area where business is taken care of. At the end of the day if there are projects still uncompleted, bills to be paid or correspondence to answer, move them to the side of the blotter. Instead of having to attack a mountain of work each day, you can focus on each priority accordingly. And again at the end of the day, clear the blotter, place papers and projects off to the side, and in a very short time you will see the piles grow smaller and the rest of the desk will also be less cluttered.
What You See Is What You Get
“If What You See Is What You Get”, than choose a picture that is visionary and conducive to inspiring the achievement of your goals and intentions. If you are running an international business, or would like to, than a map of the world would be empowering. If you have an import-export business, a ship laden with cargo on a tranquil sea headed for port might be an appropriate metaphor.
Just as it is best to position your self in your office with a solid wall behind you to provide the feeling of a solid support, you can reinforce this feeling by hanging a picture on the wall behind you of a lofty mountain peak. Needless to say, a tumultuous sea or a moody landscape will not be very uplifting. Understandably, the mountain behind you provides a backing while a mountain picture hanging on the wall directly in front of you will convey an overwhelming feeling of having to climb the mountain every time you look at it.
In a similar manner a dragon picture behind you will be felt as an energizer while a dragon picture hanging on the wall directly in front of you will feel like an adversary to do battle with every day. And it is the dragon who will win in the end. If it is a picture of golfing or something relaxing or recreational like sailing, you may find that you have difficulty focusing on the work at hand due to your true desire to be swinging at golf balls or tugging on sail rigging.
As always choose your images wisely as you truly will manifest that which you see before you and that which you feel is behind you. Following these good feng shui guidelines of uplifting images along with the proper arrangement of office furniture will determine not only your success but the joy and ease of achieving that success.
Indeed, Feng Shui magic is high magic. It is magic based on living wisely, living skillfully and bringing inner harmony into your everyday life.
