The Hammer by Balinnor

When the Hammer fell

The Old World felt its spell

By Innocent's decree

The Hunters were set free

It was the darkest of times

The Hunters weren't punished for their crimes

They killed and raped with impunity

Protected by the Church's decree

They swore to uphold the faith

To save the world from Sin

For those that were accused

It was trial they could not win

When the Hammer fell

The Old World felt its spell

It called Witchcraft Heresy

And the Hunters were set free

Across the land the darkness spread

In its wake the condemned and dead

The Church grew fat on what it stole

From innocent hands young and old

Exposed to tortures without end

Even the strongest confessed to sin

Forced to admit to Satanic pacts

And name others involved in the acts

When the Hammer fell

The Old World felt its spell

If accused you were guilty

When the Hunters were set free

For over six hundred years

The Countryside was awash in fear

The Hunters traveled far and wide

There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide

Not one person was safe

As the Inquisition sought to protect the faith

And when trials came to an end at last

The Church believed we would forget the past

When the Hammer fell

The Old World felt its spell

Death and torture the legacy

When the Hunters were set free.

Our Course is set, our path is clear

Never again will we live in fear

We must each do all we can

To spread tolerance across the land

When everyone can worship as they please

Only then will humanity be free

And the Burning Times of long ago

Will be something our children will never know

When the Hammer fell

The Old World felt its spell

Now we vow in unity,

Never again will the Hunters be set free.

Is the Economic Recession Getting You Down?

Discover the Secret to Weathering a Recession and Walking Away with Your Bank Account, Your Retirement Fund, Your Investments and Your Pride!

Exclusive Offer!

Never Before Revealed Information!

When you’re unprepared for the impact of recession on your life and your business, the consequences can take you completely by surprise.

The economic recession brought on by over eager lenders, under-prepared borrowers, and overzealous government and an economy that cares more about its bottom line than its citizens has been pummeling Americans from coast to coast, and it doesn’t show any signs of going away any time soon.

Are you sick and tired of counting your pennies? Looking for a way to be free of the constant fear that one day you’re going to walk into your office and find a pink slip sitting there waiting for you? Would you like, just once to be the once sitting back and making a profit instead of the one worrying about whether this will be the week your business is going to have to close its doors?

Let Me Show You How...

Did you know that economic recessions aren’t anything new? The lifecycle of the business world very closely resembles the lifecycle of the average insect-it circles around, and around, and around, and…well, you get the picture. There are many stages inside that circle that keep business flowing smoothly and the wheels of progress turning the way they’re meant to.

An economic recession is only one of these stages.

Economic recessions are a vital part of the well being and health of our economy, and a study into our history will show that they actually happen on a fairly regular basis-and they usually don’t leave much damage behind. Why, then, do we panic so badly at the thought that this time might be our turn to weather an economic recession?

Because we don’t know what to do about it!

Business magnates understand that economic recession, a time when consumer spending is going to decrease for one reason or another and have a negative impact on the life and health of their company, is a necessary stage of life. From the moment they step into their corner office they’re carefully grooming and preparing the company for the moment when recession is going to rear its unattractive head and take a bite out of their profits.

Those of us who haven’t finished our MBA usually aren’t that well informed.

Without being aware of the necessity and the inevitability of an economic recession, most of us don’t realize that sooner or later recession is going to happen, and it’s going to impact all of our lives. We’ve been lulled into complacency by the constant boom and growth of the American economy, and we’re so focused on finding instant gratification for our desires that we don’t see when recession starts to creep up until it is far too late.

• Strings of layoffs
• Dramatic dips in the profits of your company
• An increase in outsourced labor
• The disappearance of expendable cash
• A crashing housing market
• Rapidly falling stock prices
• Decreasing values of 401Ks and other retirement accounts
• Companies going bankrupt

Everyone knows about the negative impacts of an Economic Recession. But what about the positive ones?

When you’ve walked into an unemployment office and seen hundreds of people filling out paperwork in the hope that somehow, someway, someone in that office will be able to help them find a job, it can be hard to believe that there are actually benefits to an economic recession. They are there, however, and if you’re a savvy business person you’ll be able to figure out how to take advantage of them. How do you think so many companies manage to stay in business when recessions happen at least once a decade?

Major corporations around the globe has learned how to weather an economic recession and keep making a profit, and now you can do it too! Regardless of whether you’re an entry level janitor or the CEO of a major corporation, the recession is going to have an impact on your life personally. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to let the recession bowl you over and leave you struggling for a way to keep your job and pay your bills? Or are you going to look at it as an opportunity to expand your horizons, stretch your wings and show the world what you can really do?

That was a choice I had to make for myself not too long ago

Two years ago I was sitting pretty. I had a good government job working as a contractor for the military, a good retirement plan, a salary that more than met our needs and an insurance program that kept my kids in antibiotics and vaccines.

All in all, life was looking pretty good. Then the recession hit.

I don’t know if any of you out there were unfortunate enough to be a part of this, but over the last two years military contractors have been steadily laying off hundreds of employees in an attempt to trim the fat from their bottom line and help them stay afloat as government contracts began to be canceled left, right and sideways. Because I had just accepted a new position within the company I was considered to be the new kid on the block, even though I had been working for them for years, and my job was among the first to go.

I was devastated.

Suddenly there I was, with a family to support and no income other than what I had coming in from our investments. I’m not ashamed to say I panicked at first. I couldn’t see how, at my age, I could possibly pick up and start all over again in another job. I’d invested too much time and effort to get where I had been, and the thought of having to climb that ladder all over again was enough to make me want to lock my door and hide for a year or two.

My general fondness for eating on a semi-regular basis got me out the door soon enough, however, and it wasn’t long before I was roaming the streets looking for another job. I was fortunate. I had remained in touch with many of my old college buddies, and one of them happened to work for a firm that had just lost one of its key employees and was looking for someone qualified who would be able to fill his place-quickly.

My friend’s recommendation and my own experience had me inside a new job within a month, but over the course of that month I saw hundreds of other contractors I had worked with who weren’t as lucky. They were out of work for months, many of them taking jobs that were far below their skills, their education and their experience just to have a paycheck.

And then there were a few of them that decided to start their own companies and offer their services to the private sector. A few of them started new careers in real estate. When I first heard what they were planning I thought they were out of their minds, but it wasn’t long before they started turning a profit-a big one.

I was astonished. If the U.S. government was losing money hand over fist and having to shut down its operations, how on earth were these little start-up companies managing to not only survive, but to thrive?

They were able to do it because they figured out how to take advantage of the recession!

I would never have believed that there would have been anything about an economic recession that would allow a company or a private entrepreneur to thrive, but as I talked with my old friends I realized that there was a side of the recession that we never saw-and that side could make the difference between surviving and thriving in the middle of an economic recession.

This is the ultimate guide to showing you how to thrive when everything else seems to be falling apart!

It’s really not fair that only a small percentage of the population has the knowledge they need to hang on to their jobs, increase their net worth and help their company thrive-especially when all they really need to do is change their mindset!! That’s why I decided to write Recession Suvival - How To Proft From An Economic Recession. I figured it was high time the rest of the world had the chance to learn what the major players already knew-the secrets for surviving an economic recession without going into debt!

But don’t take my word for it…

I don’t expect you to take my word for it. Hey, a recession can be scary stuff! That’s why I’m offering Recession Suvival - How To Proft From An Economic Recession complete with a 90 day money back guarantee. Buy the book. Read it. Put the strategies I’m going to show you into play in your own life!

• Give investing a try
• Grow your stock portfolio exponentially
• Make yourself so indispensable your boss will never fire you!
• Give your company the momentum it needs to get through the recession and go into the future with a bang

The secrets I’m going to show you in this book are the same business tricks and strategies that major corporations like Macy’s and J.C. Penney have been using to survive economic recessions for decades. Don’t you wonder sometimes why these companies have been in business for years? Wouldn’t you love to know what secrets are keeping their managers in the driver’s seats when hundreds of other companies are closing their doors? Let me show you!

There’s nothing in this book that requires you to throw thousands of dollars into some strange investment opportunity that’s “guaranteed to secure your future”.

Just plain, simple, easy to use tricks and strategies to help you ride out the recession and come out on top on the other side.

All this for only $17!!
What are you waiting for? ORDER NOW!!!

Collateral Damage: Suicide and Economic Recession

Economic recession and depressions are well known to bring about depression and suicidal risks. There are stories of businessmen jumping out of windows following the stock-market crash of 1929.

Unknown to many, people who commits suicide in the wake of economic recessions and financial crises are not individuals with pre-existing mental illnesses. They are commonly middle-aged men in the verge of debt and bankruptcy.

About sixty percent of suicides in 2006 (worldwide) happen in the Asia Pacific region. In Japan, Sri Lanka, and some parts of China report that more than 20 out of 100,000 citizens kill themselves each year. More than twice as many in Australia and New Zealand.

It is also relatively higher in places where it is culturally accepted like in Japan and India. When several countries in Asia- Pacific were hit by an economic crisis in mid- 1990s, there was a relative increase in the number of suicides among middle-aged men. This group were said to be the most affected group by the economic recession.

Aside from economic factors being a reason for suicide, it also has to do something with the Asian values in terms of shame and humiliation not being able to provide for the family.

In Asian culture, loss of face or shame is take more seriously than it is in Western culture. In Japan, there are samurais that took their own lives to avoid disgrace after a defeat. They call this tradition hara-kiri. There are some corporate executives who have done the hara-kiri tradition in the eve of an economic decline. A stretch of forest in Mount Fuji is called “the suicide forest” due to dozens of bodies retrieved from it every year.

Economic recession has great effects on the youth and children, poverty and financial difficulties have pushed them towards suicide. In Israel in 2003, a 15 year old killed himself when their electricity has been cut. In the suicide note, the teen-ager mentioned that he does not want to be a burden for his mother who raised him as a single parent.

In the Philippines back in 2007, an 11 year old girl ended her life because of poverty. In her suicide note, she wished that her parents will have a stable job and that her siblings would be able to go to school regularly. This incident drew attention towards the poverty programs the government has in the country.

Governments and concerned institutions globally are taking steps to address this issue.

An example would be the steps being undertaken by the Japanese government. Some new measures are changing work patterns to allow more flexibility and funding early detection and treatment programs.

The Japanese government are also providing better mental health counselling at the workplace, networks of community psychiatrists and public campaigns to raise the awareness of the problem. Telephone hot line services are also readily available. There is a new software being developed to filter out websites that promote group suicides.
Australia, in Asia-Pacific, is the first country to initiate the prevention of web based suicide groups.

Aside from government efforts, there are personal ways you can do to help a suicidal person:

1. A suicidal person is carrying a burden that they can’t handle anymore. Listening is important.

2. Be sympathetic, non- judgemental, patient, calm and understanding.

3. Avoid trying to offer quick solutions by belittling the person’s feelings.

4. Dealing with a suicide threat is stressful. Seek assistance o decompress afterwards.

5. If personal efforts fails, don’t blame yourself. It is the person’s choice. It is wise to ask for grief counselling and suicide survivor support groups.

Using Feng Shui For Weight Loss

Feng Shui significantly deals with people, places, time, environment, and interaction between the potential factors. The system of Feng Shui is based on several elements of astronomy, astrology, mathematics, physics, intuition, geology, psychology, and philosophy. The effects of Feng Shui on personal and professional life are truly wonderful. It is supposed to help people in getting married, improving health, getting pregnant and preventing miscarriages, protecting a couple from divorce, and creating more harmonious family relationships. Living a Feng Shui life can help you in many ways and you will be surprised to know that it can be helpful for losing weight.

While using Feng Shui for weight loss, you may start with your kitchen. You need to clean your kitchen thoroughly to experience Feng Shui sense of lightness and freshness. You should use pleasant colors like blue or green for your kitchen that can control or reduce your appetite. You should display the water bottles and fresh herbs and greenery in kitchen. Freshness and lightness are meaningful words for a Feng Shui kitchen that helps you for weight loss.

Using Feng Shui for weight loss simply requires few adjustments and changes in your surroundings. You can easily achieve your weight loss goals with some simple efforts. Addition of red color to your surroundings may be helpful as red is a high-energy color which can help to burn calories and keep your body active. Feng Shui always emphasizes on use of appropriate colors. It suggests eating food in dark blue or black plate that can subconsciously reduce your appetite. According to Feng Shui, dinner should be taken on dark plates while breakfast and lunch on bright colored plates. You should place a dark tablecloth on dining table in the evening. Use fresh flowers for table decoration and use the best chinawares for meals.

When you are using Feng Shui for weight loss, you should follow some rules. You should not see kitchen from the front door. You can avoid a view of your kitchen from the main room by several ways. You can do it by placing hanging beads or Chinese screen in the doorway between your living room and kitchen. Pray before you start eating and thank God, for great food that is available. While selecting the food, keep in mind that bright colors should dominate your plate and neutral colors should be less. You should select the food having positive chi value. Food that blocks chi in body can cause difficulty in physical activities.

In addition to these dining rules, you should also follow some other rules such as placing a mirror on fridge and keeping the kitchen clutter-free. Place a mirror on refrigerator that can prevent you from entering the kitchen after certain hours. You should avoid eating 4 hours before going to bed. Add plenty of mirrors to your surroundings that can remind and encourage you for your goal of weight loss.

Keeping the kitchen clutter-free is an important factor in using Feng Shui for weight loss as clutter can cause disrupting Chi. Cupboards in kitchen should not be kept open with kitchen and food accessories. Keep a bowl of fresh fruits on a table or counter to represent healthy choices and vitality. You should use bright colored jogging suits instead of traditional black or gray suits for the exercises. Thus, Feng Shui can help you to succeed in your goal of weight loss.

Science of Feng Shui

Feng Shui is a science that revolves around the activities and nature of Wind and Water. The origin of this science dates back to about 3000 years in China and it is associated with law and order of the universe and power of nature. Science of Feng Shui helps people disclose the methods to balance the environmental energies to assure good fortune, wealth, and health for the people inhabiting it.

In Chinese culture, clear water and gentle wind have always been related to a sign of good health and good harvest. Feng Shui is based on understanding of nature and the Taoist vision, specifically on an idea that the land is filled with energy and is very much alive. The science of Feng Shui is based on the elements of physics, astrology, mathematics, astronomy, geology, philosophy, psychology, and intuition. It deals with people, places, time, environment, and interaction between potential factors.

The science of Feng Shui is based on principle regarding five basic elements such as Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, and Metal that are represented by a particular color. For example, Wood is represented by green and brown colors, while Black and blue colors represent the Water. Use of these five elements through colors can bring harmony in your life. They can help you improve your health, balance the family life, and effective for prosperous career plans. Use of positive energy in our surroundings for prosperity is the basic principle of Feng Shui.

Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese science, can easily be adapted in your modern living environment to harmonize your environment of home or workplace by just opting specific colors and changes. Today, more and more people in the corporate world are applying the science of Feng Shui in order to get wonderful benefits from it. It is concerned with reducing aggravations, enriching lives, and bringing happiness into relationships. It is about feeling prosperous, happy, and contented.

When you understand the science of Feng Shui, you will come to know about various benefits of Feng Shui. It makes a positive impact on your personal and professional life. Feng Shui can help people in improving health, getting married, getting pregnant and preventing miscarriages, losing weight, protecting a couple from divorce and creating more harmonious family relationships. In addition to personal life, Feng Shui is believed to be effective in professional life for getting a job or promotion, improving business status, preventing accidents, and feeling more secure.

You can apply the science of Feng Shui in your home and office by orienting your doors, arranging furniture, organizing the layout of rooms, placing the decorative items and by creative use of colors, materials, and shapes to discover positive energy and zest for life. You will find a tremendous improvement in your surroundings. With use of Feng Shui, your home will become calm and happy and feel like a real haven. Your home can be transformed into a place of flowing positive energy after and your work place will offer you more productivity if you apply the principles of Feng Shui.

Principles of Feng Shui

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art of placement based on philosophy of movement of natural energy through the environment. It is a concept of bringing energy and alignment in your living and work places. Feng Shui is a process of channelizing and harvesting energy. Positive energy aligned by Feng Shui in the universe helps to create balance in human life. According to Feng Shui, positive energy attracts positive energy. You may not be aware, but you are applying various principles of Feng Shui in your daily life.

According to Chinese culture, clear water and gentle wind have always been related to good health. Feng Shui means good livelihood and fortune. The principles of Feng Shui are based on several elements of astrology, physics, astronomy, mathematics, geology, psychology, philosophy, and intuition. Feng Shui is nowadays helping the people in improving health, getting married, getting pregnant and preventing miscarriages, protecting a couple from divorce, and creating more harmonious family relationships. It is also helpful in your professional life for improving business status.

One of the basic principles of Feng Shui is a principle of five key elements Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal. Each of the elements is represented by a particular color. Use of these five elements through colors can bring harmony in your life. Wood is represented by green and brown colors. Black and blue colors represent the Water. Fire is represented by the colors like strong yellow, red, purple, and orange. Grey and white colors are representative of the Metal. Sandy/Earthy, light yellow and light brown colors signify earth.

Green is beneficial for improving and healing health as well as for balancing family life when used in the East. Pure white used in the West can help to support you in the creative activities. Blue in the North area is excellent to help and support you for your career plans. When it is used in the East, it is good for health as well as family life. In the southeast, blue is effective for prosperity, nourish the Wood element and abundance to water. Yellows used in the South can support good times and happy gatherings.

The principles of Feng Shui utilize positive energy to support people and their beliefs. It makes your home and work place clear and revitalizes your soul. Feng Shui makes the positive energy to enter into the surrounding. Triangular formations and Pyramids are two powerful sources of positive energy. Multi-triangular formations such as Star of David are popular for ushering in a great amount of wealth, abundance, and affluence. Your home can be transformed into the place of flowing positive energy after applying some principles of Feng Shui. Your work place will offer you more productivity due to application of Feng Shui principles.

In Feng Shui, it is very essential to harness the positive energy allowing it to flow freely. It enables good flow of energy and removes all obstacles. It can create more space that is open. Ensure that there should be no obstacle particularly when you enter a room. It can prevent a smooth flow of positive energy throughout the room.

History of Feng Shui

History of Feng Shui seems to be very complicated, and to understand it you may requires a lot of research. Feng Shui, if translated in English is equivalent to wind and water that represent balance and harmony. It is often called as Mother of Natural Sciences. It is an idea that gives importance to living in harmony with the environment. Feng Shui is not a magical or superstitious belief system; it is based on a set of principles.

History of Feng Shui is more than 3000 years old. It is an ancient art developed by Chinese culture to promote health and harmony. In this science, people are in search of places that have lot of Chi where they can have longevity and contentment. Swift waters and strong winds carry Chi away, hence such places should not be considered. History of Feng Shui confirms that ancient people were aware of the fact that environment or the surrounding area plays an important role in transforming their lives. They had a clear understanding of this science and knew effects of placement of objects, hence designed their homes accordingly

On the Internet, you will find plenty of information about history of Feng Shui. This wonderful science has been passed from one generation to another for the welfare of people. Feng Shui believes that everything in this world is made up of energy, which they call it as Chi and which has the potential to influence people's daily lives. When the energy (Chi) in the premises of your house or business, is not flowing in a proper manner, it causes disharmony. Feng Shui helps stabilize this energy so that you achieve greater productivity, health, and happiness. Thus, in Ancient scholars named the life force or universal abstract energy as Chi

According to Feng Shui practitioners, social and cultural aspects of human life are influenced by metaphysical, natural, and cosmological factors. Feng Shui experts take help of a map to decide proper places of things in your office or home.

According to Feng Shui, every space in your house has areas that coincide with relationships, success, wealth, children, learning, and health. The objects in these areas should be positioned in a way to bring prosperity in your life; otherwise, problem may rise and will make your life unhappy.

Feng Shui emphasizes that redesigning your surroundings can help you improve your life. It tells how and where to place objects to minimize the negative energies and heighten the positive ones. Certain colors, pants, chimes, and mirrors are used to improve the situation. Thus, even today, Feng Shui is as beneficial and relevant to humankind as it was 3000 years ago.

Feng Shui tries to optimize environment so that people get peace of mind. It recognizes that all living as well as non-living things are connected. If something is out of place in your home, it can possibly affect your life. The main aim of Feng Shui is to balance the energy so that you attain greater happiness.

Feng Shui Products

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese science used to correct the energy (chi) of any building. In short, when you are purchasing Feng Shui products, you are indirectly buying happiness. Are you facing problem in your life? Then these products will help you to eliminate your problem.

Feng Shui products are extremely useful as they promote overall health of your body. You can take the help of Internet in order to buy Feng Shui products. You will come across a number of online stores that sell Feng Shui products when you browse the Internet.

Here are some of Feng Shui products that can assure a stress free life, such as:

* Spatika Bracelet
* Calling Cat
* Wish Granting Cow
* Feng Shui Dragon
* Chinese Face Mask
* Rose Quartz

Spatika Bracelet: If you want to bring harmony, balance, and perfection in your life, then this can easily help you out. Spatika bracelet helps users to transmute negativity and to amplify the positive effect. It also assists in meditation by increasing your concentration. This bracelet is also an ideal gift for students as they can easily sharpen their memories and effectively help in calming them emotionally. Therefore, if you want to alleviate your mentality, then you must wear this bracelet.

Calling Cat is yet another wonderful product that will surely bring fortune and prosperity into your business. Chinese business people consider this product as very auspicious for their business. In China cat symbolizes protection from evil spirits as they can clearly see in dark and scare away spirits who have bad intentions.

Wish Granting Cow: This product is often kept in offices in order to attract good fortune. You can place it on your desk. At home, you can keep it in Southeast sector of your house. This item will definitely fulfill all your wishes.

Feng Shui Dragon: In China, dragon is regarded as a protective force. Chinese believe that dragon brings prosperity and good luck. It symbolizes progeny, yang energy, and fertility and stands for longevity, health, and happiness. You should display it in places where plenty of yang energy is required. These Feng Shui products are available in departmental stores, shops, and restaurants. Thus, you can easily energize your office by keeping these products. Displaying this model of dragon in your office or home can make you more successful as it increases your success luck.

Rose Quartz and Amethyst: Amethyst is a transmitter of all positive energies and is regarded as a spiritual stone that provides protection and repels negativity. Amethyst is a stone of peace that reduces mental stress and works on your head charkas to influence your spiritual insight. Rose Quartz crystal can stimulate love and open your heart charka. It effectively promotes fidelity in relationship and is helpful for bringing happiness, love, and peace. It is also used for healing emotional traumas in your mind warding and stress related illnesses come under control by using Quartz crystal.

Chinese Face Mask: This product is commonly used for warding off any evil spirits. You can place it in your living room or hang it facing the main door of your house. People with evil eyes or bad intentions cannot stay for long at your premises if this Chinese mask is kept in your house.

Feng Shui In Your Office

If you are thinking to improvise the harmony and environment of your office, then the best way to do it is by calling a Feng Shui consultant. Feng Shui for office focuses on emphasizing the positioning of furnishings in your office in order to attract and enhance business, relationships, and wealth. Feng Shui for office tells that you should place telephones, computers, and fax machines in wealth area to make more profits.

Chairs and tables should be arranged in harmonious position. This arrangement will increase the flow of chi (energy). Feng Shui for office gives a lot of importance to chi, which they regard it as the life force within the universe. If you want to lead your industry at the pinnacle of success, then a dragon should be placed on the right side of your table facing towards a door or a window.

Plants that have thorns such as cactus must not be in your office as they have sharp leaves and can cause shar chi in your office. When the chi that travels with the wind, passes these leaves, it causes chi to become sharp and fierce.

If your employees are always falling sick, then take help of a metal wind chime that includes one feet long six metal rods. Sound of metals is considered as a good Feng Shui cure. A metal object or a metal sculpture is not that effective, hence should not be used. In order to disperse negative chi and to attract activate chi, it is essential to hang a crystal sphere. The main door of your office should never open into your cabin as the chi that is coming in from the door will directly hit the face and will cause more obstacles and problems.

If necessary, reorganize your office so that your chi flows smoothly. The manager's cabin should not have two doors because when the chi enters from one door, it goes out from another door. The chi when comes in from main entrance should not collide with a wall that is inside your office. This is because when the chi hits the wall, it slows down due to which, your business will not be vibrant and will remain slow.

Do not place your photocopier machine near the main entrance. Heat near the entrance causes chi to become hot and will be dispersed easily. As a result, chi will not be able to stay in your office for some time. Do not keep an empty vase and a paper cutter machine next to main door.

A cutter machine is used for cutting paper and therefore if located next to main door can lead to a quarrel among the staff members of your office. Empty vase will suck a new chi as it goes inside your office, giving nothing much for the environment.

Feng Shui for the office includes Feng Shui products such as three legged toad God, crystal ball, fu dogs, and ba gua mirrors. These products will protect your office from evil influences and can attract prosperity, good luck, and wealth.

Feng Shui Consultants

Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese art that means balancing your life with the help of natural powers, wind, and water. This traditional Chinese art includes balancing, curing, and improving person’s life by incorporating residences, people, and landscapes to realize harmony with the location. The idea behind Feng Shui is to maximize the flow of basic power of the cosmos. There is a great influence of Feng Shui all over the world, therefore, many people make careers in Feng Shui and start their professions according to their knowledge and experience.

Although Indian, Chinese, and Japanese communities consistently use Feng Shui, its popularity is increasing in the European countries too. Therefore, there is a great scope for Feng Shui consultants in the European countries. A number of Feng Shui schools in America provide various certificate programs in Feng Shui. With the help of Feng Shui, you can simply boost your lifestyle, can be able to live a wealthier and happier life, and attain your main potential.

A Feng Shui consultant can help you:

* realize your well desired dreams
* stay away from misfortunes
* make your mindset positive by reducing negative thoughts from your mind
* bring peace of mind and happiness in your life

If you want to enhance your spiritual life, just go to a spiritual Feng Shui consultant for that. A spiritual Feng Shui consultant can help you enhance your vigor, inspiration, and affluence as well as to bring peace of mind and happiness in your life. Feng Shui involves some age-old techniques that can rejuvenate spiritual, intellectual, and physical realms of your life. If you want to realize your well-desired dreams and hidden wishes, go to a nearest Feng Shui consultant to take his or her help for that. The spiritual Feng Shui consultants can also help you stay away from troubles or misfortunes that come frequently in your life. They will provide you some authentic Feng Shui cures and medicines in order to set your life back on a right path.

Spiritual Feng Shui is a very simple technique it is not too difficult. This technique uses the traditional knowledge of Feng Shui to adjust the negative powers of your surroundings and to bring positive changes into your life. The spiritual Feng Shui consultants can help you cleanse negative thoughts from your mind, so you can rejuvenate your mind with encouraging thoughts. The Association of Feng Shui Consultants, Australia is one of the non-profit organizations in the world and a committee of expert consultants manages it on a voluntary basis. The organization works to promote the reliability and advantages of Feng Shui to people. The organization provides ongoing education to its consultants as well as to public. Apart from that, the organization supports, improves, and supervises competency in practice of Feng Shui.

Many people consider Feng Shui consultant as a dream job and they perform it with great respect after completing a certificate program in Feng Shui. You can start your profession as a Feng Shui consultant after completing a four-day Feng Shui practitioner certificate course. The Feng Shui consultants perform many roles while working as a consultant. A Feng Shui consultant rearranges furnishings, asks important information about the client’s life, and consults traditional charts to correct the conditions.

Feng Shui Books

Feng Shui is derived from ancient Chinese culture and its literal meaning is wind and water. It is quite popular all over the world. According to historians, Feng Shui has been in use for more than two thousand years in China as well as the Far East for the well-being of a person's health, financial status, and emotional balance. Feng Shui is a technique used to make a particular location most suitable and pleasant for a person. These locations can be anything like plan of any room, floor plan of a home or setting of a house. If you are interested in learning about this technique a number of Feng Shui books are available in market.

Some most popular Feng Shui books are:

* Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui
* Feng Shui for Dummies
* Principles of Feng Shui
* Feng Shui Design
* Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life

You can get some ideas about Feng Shui from Feng Shui books, as they would be helpful to make some changes in your life. Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui is one of the famous Feng Shui books written by Karen Kingston. In this book, the author has tried to explain how Feng Shui ideology is helpful for your house and how its principles are applicable to residence and workplace cleaning chores. The author tells readers how to tackle cluttered cabinets, how to clear unwanted materials from your living spaces and how to keep every part of your life controlled permanently including emotional, spiritual and physical aspects.

Feng Shui for Dummies, written by David Daniel Kennedy is one of the best selling Feng Shui books all over the globe. Author of this book is an advisor and practitioner of Feng Shui. The author has tried to find out the origin of this age-old Chinese art of interior design. There are about 25 chapters in the book in which author has tried to explain everything regarding Feng Shui. If you read this book, you will come to know various advantages and principles of Feng Shui. The book also describes about a link between Feng Shui and healthy and successful life. If you read this book carefully, you can apply various Feng Shui principles and designs in your bedroom, boardroom, kitchen, and garden. You can find several helpful resources for Feng Shui in this book.

Principles of Feng Shui, is a Feng Shui book written by Simon Brown. In this book, the author has explained how this ancient technique is helpful for organizing your residence and offices in a nice way and how it helps you maintain your health, success, and happiness.

If you want to learn about origin of Feng Shui, then read the Feng Shui Design book. This is one of the best selling Feng Shui books all over the world. It is very informative and the author has tried to find out the historical roots of Feng Shui with great research. This book informs you about the basic principles of Feng Shui as well as how they are useful in today’s practical life. Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life is also one of the popular Feng Shui books. This book is known as an oasis in the desert, as it provides vivacious new destinations to those who are disturbed in life.

Careers In Feng Shui

Feng Shui is derived from Chinese and it means a technique based on energy of wind and water. Feng Shui is an age-old Chinese art of residency and it involves curing, harmonizing, and enhancing energies by incorporating people, houses, and scenery to realize agreement with environment. The purpose of Feng Shui is to maximize the flow of fundamental power of the universe. It also provides wealth, superior health, good relationships, happiness, career development, and much more things. If you want to make careers in Feng Shui, you should have several qualities, such as diagnostic skills, practitioners insight, and most important is analytical communication skills.

Feng Shui practitioners can start their profession regarding their knowledge and experience. A Feng Shui practitioner can help his or her clients in designing a healthy location by visiting their existing residences or work places. One who has completed programs of careers in Feng Shui can start his or her career as a Feng Shui teacher or a consultant to a massive level.

Various certification programs are available to make careers in Feng Shui. After completing one of the certification programs, you can become a qualified Feng Shui master or a Feng Shui practitioner. If you browse the Internet for careers in Feng Shui, you will find numerous schools, colleges, and universities that provide certificate programs in Feng Shui.

Feng Shui consultant is one of the dream jobs that you can start after completing a certification program in Feng Shui. Once you complete a course in Feng Shui art and technique, you will become a highly paid professional of this field. Courses in this field are available from a four-day Feng Shui practitioner certificate program to long-term programs. In this program, you will learn how to enhance your own living style and lives of others through this influential technique. Most of Feng Shui schools in the US organize Feng Shui training programs every few months.

Careers in Feng Shui are available for various professions, such as:

* facilities planner
* landscape designer
* Realtor
* architect
* health professional
* contractor
* Professional organizer

Most of these programs are intended to bring out student’s artistic skills and boost their present career. The four-day Feng Shui practitioner certificate program includes the history of Feng Shui and its five elements, Bagua technique, placing the Bagua map onto floor plans, applying Feng Shui theory to trades and landscapes, space clearing, and marketing the Feng Shui business.

Feng Shui professionals who start their career as Feng Shui consultant perform many roles during their jobs. A Feng Shui consultant reorganizes furniture, consults antique charts, and asks meaningful information about his or her client’s life. Moving silently in every room in client's house or office, a consultant tries to expose the basis of economic failure, physical problems, and misery in client's life. While doing this, a consultant sets objects in special positions and tries to modify the color schemes inside the house in order to pull the flow of vigor at that location. In this way, careers in Feng Shui can offer you both the things enough money and mind satisfaction.

Benefits of Feng Shui

Feng Shui has many benefits and therefore today it has become so popular among the people. Feng Shui is a traditional science in which the laws of both heaven and earth are considered to make our life auspicious. The basic principle of Feng Shui simply states that if you strictly follow the laws, you will get a number of benefits. Some of the important benefits of Feng Shui are good luck, health, and happiness.

Feng Shui is a technique in which the natural energy i.e. Qi is generated. This energy originates from various materials around us. However, this energy can be positive and can be beneficial. Use of Feng Shui ensures that we are subject to more of the positive energy and avoid or minimize the negative energy effect. Thus, we benefit more form positive energy and are protected form ill effects of negative energy.

Everything in the universe is made of five elements i.e. earth, water, fire, wind, and Aether. Human body as well is made from these elements. In Feng Shui, each one represents a unique color. These materials and the colors, which they represent, both affect us in several facets of life. Hence, when we build our house the materials and colors we choose plays a life-sustaining role. Thus, one of the important benefits of Feng Shui is that it tells us about how to make a proper use of these materials and colors.

Moreover, shape of your house and various other things that surround you also play an important role. If you correctly build your house and keep all things respectfully, then there will be a very smooth flow of energy in your house. Moreover if you construct your house in accordance with Feng Shui, you can make optimum use of natural energy i.e. Qi.

There are a number of benefits of Feng Shui. The first among them is that it is very instrumental in improving our health. Making and decorating the house according to the principles of Feng Shui, improves mental as well as physical health. Therefore, with Feng Shui, anyone can easily get rid from day to day tensions and stress.

Feng Shui is also helpful for improving our family and social life. Feng Shui techniques affect the emotions and mind of the people. Feng Shui keeps all of them in good spirit keeping healthy relationship between your family members.

Feng Shui also brings good luck. You will find number of simple things that we can use to improve our luck. Many people have experienced that Feng Shui has really improved their luck and thus in turn improved their life as well.

Apart from all these, Feng Shui today has become so popular amongst the people. Feng Shui is a traditional science in which the laws of both heaven and earth are considered for home decoration. The basic principle of Feng Shui is that if you follow these laws you will get a number of benefits. That is why if you want to be a happy human being, then Feng Shui is simple yet effective method to achieve that.

End World Hunger and Improve Life for Free Through Sun Gazing

by: Sheryl Walters

Sun gazing has been made possible by Hira Ratan Manek. He was told by many different Gurus that his life's purpose was to bring the sun's energy down to earth. Eventually he discovered sun gazing, and has since made it increasingly popular.

Hira Ratan Manek is no ordinary man. The sun gazing has helped him have almost no need for any food whatsoever. He actually fasted for an incredible 411 days... living on water and sunlight only. 411 days! That is more than a year. And during his adventure, he looked and felt fabulous! This fast was scientifically documented by "Real Doctors" by the way.

Sun gazing offers a way to store so much energy, that we no longer need food!

How to Sun Gaze

It seems that there are quite a few different ways to sun gaze, but Hira Ratan Manek's suggestion is quite straight forward yet exact.

Go outside during the sunrise or the sunset, when the sun is weakest, and stare at the sun for 10 seconds. The next day, add on another 10 seconds if possible. If you can only do 5, that is fine, just keep adding on up to 10 seconds per day everyday.

Eventually, you are sun gazing for 44 minutes per day. This could take around 9 months if you are adding 10 everyday, or longer if you add less.

By the time you reach 44 minutes per day, your body is fully charged and you never have to sun gaze again (although you can occasionally still sun gaze if you feel like it.)

It is important to do your sun gazing on the earth, in the sand, or in mud. Concrete, stones, and even grass absorb solar energy. And you don't want to give your sun gazing energy away, you want to be selfish and save it for yourself. Therefore, standing barefoot on the earth is best... and I assume that this will give you all sorts of other fabulous benefits as well... such as having the opportunity to stand on the earth each day!

It is important not to squint your eyes. Relax your facial muscles and allow the light in. Apparently, according to Hira, the sunrise holds more energy and nutrients... but if you can't get up that early, the sunset will probably do just fine.

Feel yourself relaxing as you sun gaze. Think of it as a meditation. Let go of all thoughts and open yourself up to receive. Be aware of your body and your surroundings.

Why Sun Gaze?

We all know that the sun is an incredible source of energy. The world's top research is continually showing us that the sun is not this evil horrible monster that we need to constantly protect ourselves from. The sun is actually a source of incredible nutrients, such as vitamin D. More sun generally means less depression, and even less cancer.

But Sun Gazing takes this idea and runs with it. With the aid of sunlight, you can recharge each cell and atom in your body to its full potential. Sun gazing can be done to tap into your full human potential. Apparently, sun gazers who reach that 44 minute mark actually use 50% of their brain rather than the usual 10-12%.

It is said to release physical and emotional blockages that cause disease and unhappiness. Our perceptions increase and the universe becomes more expansive.

Sun Gazers Say That You Can Expect:

After you get to the stage where you are sun gazing for 15-18 minutes (3-4 months) You may notice that you are less irritable, angry, anxious and frustrated. You may feel more blissful, peaceful and joyful. You may even have moments of euphoria. You may begin to desire healthy foods, and junk food and toxic food will seem less appealing. Your overall sensitivity will increase.

When you get to 25-30 minutes (6-7 months), life will become much easier. You will feel clearer and more confident. A feeling that the world is unfolding perfectly, as well as a connectedness to all that is around you may happen. You may also be less hungry and begin to require less food and lighter food.

When you get to around 35 to 40 minutes (9-10 months), you will feel more harmonious and integrated into yourself and your life. You may even begin to feel your energetic body coming alive. Amazingly, many claim that at this stage they are more in touch with their higher selves. Again, you will probably need a considerably lower amount of food.

Once you get to the ultimate 44 minutes. You have reached the ultimate in sun gazing and you may notice that your whole world has changed. The hormonal and glandular system is balanced, in particular the pineal gland, which is also associated with the third eye. The solar energy is able to get into your body via the eyes and charge the body at a cellular level so it can reach its highest potential.

The body becomes purified and awakened. You will require a significantly smaller amount of food, and you may even choose to come off food altogether for a while. Disease and illness may totally disappear and your overall wellbeing will be amazingly enhanced!

I am thinking we need to take this practice to some poor countries around the world. Imagine if we could actually teach people in Africa, for example, how to live on the sun which is blazing above them, and improve their quality of life and overall health.

Do Yoda Proud: Meditation 101

Meditation refers to a state where your body and mind are consciously relaxed and focused. Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook in life.

Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and other spiritual disciplines. However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits. And you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it. You could even try it in your own living room!

Although there are many different approaches to meditation, the fundamental principles remain the same. The most important among these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus. This clears the mind of debris and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.

The negative thoughts you have – those of noisy neighbors, bossy officemates, that parking ticket you got, and unwanted spam– are said to contribute to the ‘polluting’ of the mind, and shutting them out is allows for the ‘cleansing’ of the mind so that it may focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts.

Some practitioners even shut out all sensory input – no sights, no sounds, and nothing to touch – and try to detach themselves from the commotion around them. You may now focus on a deep, profound thought if this is your goal. It may seem deafening at first, since we are all too accustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things, but as you continue this exercise you will find yourself becoming more aware of everything around you.

If you find the meditating positions you see on television threatening – those with impossibly arched backs, and painful-looking contortions – you need not worry. The principle here is to be in a comfortable position conducive to concentration. This may be while sitting cross-legged, standing, lying down, and even walking.

If the position allows you to relax and focus, then that would be a good starting point. While sitting or standing, the back should be straight, but not tense or tight. In other positions, the only no-no is slouching and falling asleep.

Loose, comfortable clothes help a lot in the process since tight fitting clothes have a tendency to choke you up and make you feel tense.

The place you perform meditation should have a soothing atmosphere. It may be in your living room, or bedroom, or any place that you feel comfortable in. You might want an exercise mat if you plan to take on the more challenging positions (if you feel more focused doing so, and if the contortionist in you is screaming for release). You may want to have the place arranged so that it is soothing to your senses.

Silence helps most people relax and meditate, so you may want a quiet, isolated area far from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine. Pleasing scents also help in that regard, so stocking up on aromatic candles isn’t such a bad idea either.

The monks you see on television making those monotonous sounds are actually performing their mantra. This, in simple terms, is a short creed, a simple sound which, for these practitioners, holds a mystic value.

You do not need to perform such; however, it would pay to note that focusing on repeated actions such as breathing, and humming help the practitioner enter a higher state of consciousness.

The principle here is focus. You could also try focusing on a certain object or thought, or even, while keeping your eyes open, focus on a single sight.

One sample routine would be to – while in a meditative state – silently name every part of you body and focusing your consciousness on that part. While doing this you should be aware of any tension on any part of your body. Mentally visualize releasing this tension. It works wonders.

In all, meditation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are well worth the effort (or non-effort – remember we’re relaxing).

Studies have shown that meditation does bring about beneficial physiologic effects to the body. And there has been a growing consensus in the medical community to further study the effects of such. So in the near future, who knows, that mystical, esoteric thing we call meditation might become a science itself!

Spiritual Growth: the Spiritual Challenge of Modern Times

To grow spiritually in a world defined by power, money, and influence is a Herculean task. Modern conveniences such as electronic equipments, gadgets, and tools as well as entertainment through television, magazines, and the web have predisposed us to confine our attention mostly to physical needs and wants. As a result, our concepts of self-worth and self-meaning are muddled. How can we strike a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives?

To grow spiritually is to look inward.

Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.

To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.

Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.

To grow spiritually is to search for meaning.

Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to---a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.

To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections.

Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.

Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.

Energy Healing 101: Pranic, Tantric, and Reiki

You have probably come across exotic-sounding terms such as “chakra”, “prana”, “aura”, and “tantra” in your course of reading books on spirituality, sex, and healing in the New Age literature section of the bookstore. But what’s the real scoop behind these exotic vocabularies?

Are All Energy Healings the Same?

Chakra or energy center is a term used in Pranic healing, an ancient Hindu system of energy healing. “Prana” means life energy. “Aura” is another terminology traced to Pranic healing. Aura is a non-physical body that consists of energy, which exists along with our physical body. The aura that covers our body is said to have seven layers pertaining to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of an individual as manifested by energy. Studying the color and thickness of auras give ideas on the state of health of individuals. Six colors are associated with aura and interpreted into six personalities. These colors are all present in an individual but one or two are more pronounced.
Green – ambitious achiever
Blue – spiritual peacemaker
White – unconventional chameleon
Red – activist
Orange – creative communicator
Violet - psychic

Although Tantra is popularly associated with the peculiar practice of sex and spirituality, it is another method of energy healing. It comes from the word “tan” which means to spread or expand. The concept of connectedness is a recurring theme in Tantric writings on sex and spirituality. As a method of healing, spirituality and sex figure prominently. It is presupposed that the union of man and woman can reach spiritual levels during orgasm, which removes the body and mind off collected impurities. These impurities being negative energies can in turn manifest as physical illnesses.

Unlike Pranic and Tantric healings, which have Hindu origins, Reiki originated from Japan. It is relatively younger than Pranic and Tantric healings having been rediscovered in the early 1900’s. Reiki stands for universal energy, an energy brought forth by higher intelligence. Students of Reiki are taught how to tap this energy to heal physical, emotional, and mental illnesses.

Although Pranic, Tantra, and Reiki are all systems of energy healing, they differ in the type of energy tapped for healing: life energy, sexual energy, and universal energy respectively.

The concepts of the connectedness of mind, body, and spirit; the connection of individuals to all living and nonliving things around them and to the universe; and how energy impacts physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being are some of the salient similarities of these three healing methods.

Why Do People Turn to Energy Healing?

Pranic, Tantric, and Reiki are considered alternative methods of healing. In spite of the availability and relative accessibility of modern medicine, how come more and more people are being drawned to them? Here are some possible reasons:

· Energy healing worked where modern medicine failed.

For several reasons both explainable and unexplainable, modern medical treatment failed to heal ailments and conditions in several if not many persons. Research or data may not be able to support this statement. But for the families of the dying as well as for the dying patient, they would take the risk of using alternative methods ranging from herbals and organics, faith healers, witch doctors, and New Age healing techniques just to be get well.

· People perceive modern medicine to be isolating.

Medical treatments are oftentimes focused on the disease and its causative agent, which can make a patient feel isolated and treated like a mere host of the disease. Although recent developments in hospital practice are gradually promoting the holistic treatment of a patient, the perception still persists. Unlike in energy healing, since energy and spirituality are intimately linked, the patient feels that all aspects of his health are being attended to.


· Energy healing is non-obtrusive and natural thus it is safer.

Repeated surgical procedures are physically and emotionally traumatic for most patients. It is but a logical and attractive option to both patient and families to look for less stressful health interventions. Moreover, with the rising popularity of New Age religions, going natural is the way to go.


· Energy healing is a good way of relieving stress.

Meditation is part and parcel of energy healing methods and this is an added come-on for highly stressed people. Moreover, sophisticated equipment is not required thus it becomes all the more convenient for students and future students of energy healing.

The battle between alternative healing and mainstream medicine continues as both present the benefits of their approach. But in the final analysis, what matters is the restoration of good health.

Feng Shui Home Energy

How Feng Shui Influences Home Energy, Business Life and Office Reply Time
Many people know about the ancient tradition of Feng shui. In a nutshell, Feng Shui is the Chinese tradition of manipulating energy in order to produce harmony within a certain place.
So how does Feng Shui affect home energy, business life and office reply time?
Well, the principle of Feng Shui operates on the basic principle of Yin and Yang: harmony between the dark and the light. In order to have true harmony, practitioners of Feng Shui try to arrange things around them in such a way that they can manipulate the energy to a balance.
The most recognizable symbol of Feng Shui is the octagon. The octagon or Ba Gua represents the eight directions of chi that must be balanced in order for you to have good fortune. Recently, it has been discovered that octagonal houses are actually more energy efficient. Quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you agree?
Feng Shui influences home energy because of the theory that placing the different parts of a house such as the stairs, the furniture and the door can influence the flow of chi energy through your home. This would lead to different effects.
In Feng Shui, it is believed that blockage to the chi can cause pretty big problems concerning business. In this world today, many people are learning how to respect each other’s beliefs on what affects business. We live in a global community. Hence, we all should know how to do business with each other.
Right now, many westerners are researching Feng Shui because of the simple fact that many Asian businessmen would stop a deal if they feel that something is not right with the energy of the environment.
Thus, Feng Shui influences business life by allowing people to relate to each other in the terms of business. When you observe the proper Feng Shui of a place, you show people that you have a respect for every tradition. This would put you in the forefront of your business community.
But how does Feng Shui affect office reply time?
We all know that in order for an office to function properly, communications must always be in order. This means that people should be able to talk to others within the office itself. Thus, office reply time is very crucial to every person working inside the office.
As mentioned before, Feng Shui has a lot to do with the placement of objects within the area. When designing a place, you not only consider the time factor but the Feng Shui as well. In many cases, these two are often conflicted.
Some Feng Shui experts, when noting building plans, often have stairways change places or even have steps added in order to have harmony. This means that your plans for speedy office reply time may be put on hold in favor of Feng Shui.Have you ever walked into a place and right away get a bad feeling? Some practitioners say that it is one manifestation of a place having bad Feng Shui.
Placement of objects is not the only factor that influences Feng Shui. The colors and materials used for certain objects also influences the way chi energy moves around the house. For example, wood furniture can enhance chi in the south, while ceramic or clay calms it.
Chi energy flows everywhere. However, you can actually make certain modifications in order to gather more chi and promote good fortune.
Water promotes chi, that’s why you’ll see that in every Chinese restaurant they always have an aquarium. Certain types of fish, like a koi, actually helps promote good fortune.
The concept of Feng shui affecting home energy, business life and office reply time may seem to be pretty fat-fetched to the westerner. However, you need to understand that some Asians take this stuff pretty seriously, and if you intend to have harmonious business relations with Asians, you may want to brush up on the different concepts of Feng Shui.
Here’s a final word: many things happen without any explanations. Feng Shui is one of those things that have neither been proven nor disproved. Thus, a person must properly respect another’s beliefs in order for them to maintain a harmonious relationship.
After all, you do not want to be judged as you judge other people, do you?

Beware of the nasty bad Kathie Lee Gifford!

Call to action: Public apology from NBC

Wednesday June 25th on the Today Show, host Kathy Lee Gifford was quizzing guests of a wedding on wedding traditions. On a question as to the origin of wearing the wedding ring on your left ring finger, an option for an answer was that "Pagans believed it was bad luck to carry metal on the right side."

Reading the question aloud, Gifford chose to say "The Pagans, the nasty, bad, Pagans, believed ....."

For any other religion, she would not have made the comment, and if she had, a public apology would most likely be released very quickly. The pagan community should not stand for it. Her personal belief may be that we are "nasty and bad", but it does not make it alright for her to say so on national television. Please e-mail NBC and/or the Today Show with professional, yet still stern, letters asking for an apology from Gifford. E-mails should be titled something along the lines of "Pagan Community Requesting On-Air Apology from Kathy Lee Gifford"

The video of Gifford's comment can be found at the link following, about 5 minutes in: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25368216#25368216

E-mails can be sent to : today@nbc.com

Edit (6/27/08) : I recently found out that you can call 212-664-4249, press 1, which is for suggested program ideas, and ask to speak with Jim Bell, who is the Producer of the Today Show, and speak directly to him to ask for an apology. Thank you to the person who sent me this information!

Also, a petition has been started, please forward the link to everyone you know. As far as I know this is the only petition and, while it may blow things out of proportion a bit, as all most of us want are an apology, if this becomes the only thing the Today show looks at, it's important to sign.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/quotnasty-bad-pagansquot-protesting-hate-speech-on-nbc

Edit (6/29/08) : So there's been an update in this whole ordeal that I hope will spur on everyone's attempts to be, firstly, professional rather that flying off the handle, but secondly, more determined than ever to gain respect for Pagans everywhere.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25411068#25411068

At about 2:30 Kathy Lee gives a blanket apology to everyone she has offended. This does not count as an apology, especially not in the tone with which she said it, which was resemblant of a snotty, haughty 15 year old being forced by a teacher to apologize to an unpopular girl in their class whom she insulted.

Within the last 30 seconds, it becomes truly insulting. I am angry beyond words at how to describe those last 30 seconds. Please watch to understand.

As pagans, we should demand respect and a formal apology from Kathy Gifford which acknowledges that she offended PAGANS.

Please, in your letters and calls, remain calm and professional. Flying off the handle will only give us an even worse name in her eyes for yelling and screaming. While we don't have to forgive her or force her to learn about a religion that holds no, well, magic for her, we do need to gain respect for how to handle a situation like this.

Website: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25368216#25368216

Telephone: (212) 664-4249

Muslim doctors to open free clinic in Brooksville

By Chandra Broadwater, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, June 11, 2008

BROOKSVILLE — It was about to rain Monday afternoon, and Dr. Husam Zarad had an exam table to move.

With some help from deliverer Don Lambert, the 45-year-old internist unloaded the table from the back of Lambert's pickup as the clouds darkened overhead. Wheeling it on a dolly, they maneuvered the large brown rectangle down a long, narrow hall and into one of the examination rooms at the soon-to-open Crescent Community Clinic of Hernando County.

On the way in, they passed a stack of gray waiting-room chairs and diagrams of the human body — detailed sketches of the nervous system and the brain — yet to be hung on the freshly painted peach-colored walls.

"This is our dream coming true," Zarad said, wiping sweat from his brow after angling the table into the room. "This is how we are going to give back to our community."

In the coming weeks, Zarad and nearly 40 other Muslim doctors in Hernando County will begin working on Saturdays in their new space in the Brook Plaza at Broad Street and Ponce de Leon Boulevard, just outside downtown Brooksville. Their goal is to provide free care to the growing number of underserved and uninsured people in Hernando County.

Today, the doctors and clinic spokesman Ahmed Bedier are expected to announce the opening of the clinic, financed solely by physicians from Hernando's Muslim community.

The local physicians have worked for the past year figuring out how to make their vision happen here in Hernando. Modeled after the Red Crescent Clinic in Tampa, and a similar site in central Los Angeles, it is one of a handful of such facilities in the state and country.

With Zarad and a handful of other doctors at the lead, they're ready to give back the way that their religion asks them — even if it's in a county where religious tensions still run high.

"Charity and doing good make up the Third Pillar of Islam," Zarad said. "And after talking about this for so long, we decided to make it really happen. I'm losing sleep just thinking of the benefits this will bring for the community."

Though far from where most of them have their practices in Spring Hill, the doctors liked the 1,400-square-foot Brook Plaza site, which used to be a doctor's office.

The new clinic is next to a Save-A-Lot grocery store and across from the Brooksville Public Assistance service center. There are also businesses where many people go to find day-labor jobs and several homeless camps in the nearby woods.

The location also makes it easy for people to walk to if they don't have transportation, Zarad said. And with hours on Saturdays, which they hope to expand to several days in the future, those who can't afford to miss work still will be able to see a doctor. So far, the only requirement to make an appointment is that a patient cannot have insurance.

While a schedule has yet to be worked out, the doctors expect to have two or three general physicians staffing the office while specialists, including cardiologists and neurologists, will rotate through the clinic on various days.

Zarad said the move by retailers such as Wal-Mart and Publix to provide cheap prescription drugs solved one problem for those who can't afford proper health care. Now he and his fellow doctors can help to solve another by giving them access to health care and prescriptions for the drugs they need.

"We've all seen the number of indigent patients increase," he said. "And that was a big reason for us to finally get this open."

It's not uncommon for many of those who can't afford health care or insurance to end up in emergency rooms for primary care, and often when their health problems have become worse. According to the 2006 Health Needs Assessment, about 18 percent of Hernando residents do not have medical insurance.

Three years ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the county a $1.95-million grant to expand clinic services when the county's Health Department was identified as catering to medically underserved areas.

Those regions include Brooksville and the northwestern parts of the county. They were designated underserved because of a shortage of primary physicians, higher incidences of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes, and a high percentage of families living below 200 percent of the poverty level, which at the time was $38,700 for a family of four.

About 23 percent of residents in these areas of the county also had no health insurance.

The Crescent Community Clinic will also add a layer to similar services provided by Nature Coast Project Access, a county-funded program that refers uninsured patients through the Health Department to a network of volunteer doctors, said Jean Rags, county director of Health and Human Services.

"The new clinic will be a great contribution to the community, and a welcomed resource to our many residents in need," Rags said.

Those behind the clinic ultimately hope it will work as a catalyst for others to donate their time and talents to such needs in the community.

"For example, many of the same people who can't afford medical care can't go to the dentist," said Bedier, the clinic spokesman. "We hope this sets an example for others to follow, and maybe a way to compete in doing good."

Bedier, no stranger to Hernando as the former executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, added that the physicians aren't worried about some who might not support the Muslim doctors in the county.

In 2006, CAIR spearheaded efforts to get prominent politicians, including then-Gov. Jeb Bush, to denounce the comments of a Hernando County commissioner's wife, who wrote a letter calling Islam a "hateful, frightening religion."

The letter spurred weeks of alternating condemnation and kudos throughout the state.

"People won't be coming to the clinic to attend religious services," Bedier said. "They're going to come because they need health care. While the critics and naysayers will always be there, the majority of people in Hernando County are very loving.

"If there's a need so important like health care, then I think people will put aside their differences and work together."