We as westerners LOVE rules. We live by rules, create rules, and slather ourselves with rules at every opportunity. If rules were tangible objects, we would roll in piles of them at every opportunity. We like information to be packaged neatly, delivered in measurable doses (whether it's good for us or not).

But unfortunately feng shui is the opposite of this. Feng shui has no rules. And that can drive most western minds a bit batty. "But wait!" you might say. "What about the bagua? What about elements? What about all that I read in the books? What about the tips you send us in your newsletter?" And to this I would say, these all are lovely things, helpful things, guidelines if you will... but by themselves they are NOT feng shui. Rules only create fear, the sense of right and wrong, and a human sort of rigidity that is limited and dull.

If you're scratching your head right now trying to follow these sentences, you're not alone. But try this on for size:

How might it be possible for a rule, a book, or a rigid solution be available for the unique, magical, once-in-a-lifetime-experience that is Y-O-U? That's right. You. You and all your amazingly perfect, unique, never-before-seen mixture of beliefs, experiences, DNA and circumstances. All of these things make up cute, lil' ol' you. Someone the earth has never witnessed before, and never will witness again. No one ever has been, or ever will be like you. The same goes for your home. Of all the millions and billions on the planet, your home is unlike any other. It's unique, and will never exist again. When you combine your uniqueness, and that of your homes, you get one whammy of specialness! And this unique mixture requires a unique healing approach.

Learning about feng shui is wonderful. Understanding elements is important. Using the bagua can be amazing. But after learning it all, the true key to understanding feng shui is to throw it all away. To wipe the mind clean of all that it's learned so that it can see your space fresh — this unique home that has never existed before. Like a truly brilliant painter, they may start by learning techniques, color combinations, design, theory, composition and form. But in order to create artwork that can bring a man to tears, those images must flow from the brush as if they were channeling the divine.

If anyone approaches true energetic feng shui solely from their mind, or approaches a feng shui transformation with "a plan", their results will be limited and blossoming out of fear & limitation. I recently read an article stating that peach was "dangerous" - yes, dangerous! Yet blanket statements like this can never be true. True knowing comes from the unknown. It comes from asking God, intuition, or the mysterious, expansive Universe for the true answers...and learning how to stay out of your own way to hear its thoughts. If rules worked, then we would all eat the same food, live in the same sort of houses, all love the same color, have the same job, and wear the same clothes. There would be no variety, because we would live by "the rules". We would all paint our wealth corners pretty purple, and that would be that.

If this makes no sense, no worries. But I will assure you, your goal on this planet is not to obtain more information or gain more rules. We are here to undo and un-know and un-learn EVERYTHING. Our true test, and the hardest one, is to merge back to the place where we started — like a child, when everything was alive, new, connected, and loving. Put down the feng shui books, the rules you've learned and all that you know. Walk into your home today as if you'd never seen it before. Open your eyes. Open your heart. Empty your mind. Then tell me what you see... And even more importantly, tell me what you FEEL.

HOMEWORK: from this clear, empty, neutral stance, feel how your body and emotions react to your home. Stand in every doorway, sit in every single chair, walk through every room, touch every object. Do you light up or do you contract? And what actions will you take from this new wisdom about your space? ... no rules, no regulations, no guidelines...only fun, fun, FUN!

Copyright (c) 2009 Stephanie McWilliams