** I have just been told that the hosting server that holds my emails is corrupt and probably has been for a while, so if you sent me (in the past few months I'd guess) an email that should have received a response and you're wondering why I have not done so, I simply may have not received it. Please bear with us as we transfer to another hosting service...

Now that the kids are back in school, moms must have a bit more time to send me questions. This month I've pulled together some helpful tips for a few different problematic situations that mom's especially care about. Some are traditional feng shui, and some might surprise you. So, if you have a kids or know someone who does, I hope this newsletter is helpful!

And on another note, a big THANK YOU goes out to all the people who volunteered their homes (and life situations) for educational purposes with my certification class. There were way more than we needed. Perhaps I'll eventually have enough classes here in Orange County to visit all of you!

And speaking of Orange County, I wanted to thank all of you who were concerned enough to email me or place a call to see how I was during the Orange County fire. I'm fine, but some others weren't as lucky as me. If you would like to help out, I'd recommend making a donation to the Red Cross. American Red Cross is their link.

And if you, or someone you know, actually needs to re-build, I would recommend picking up the following books that can give you fresh ideas as to how to rebuild with your optimal health and safety in mind. The books are: Natural Remodeling for the Not-So-Green House, by Carol Veniola and Kelly Lerner, and Prescriptions for a Healthy House, A Practical Guide for Architects, Builders, and Homeowners, by Paula Baker Laporte, Erica Elliott, M.D. and John Banta. (This book in particular actually gives you specification wording for your plans that ensure safe building materials and practices are followed.) Paula is giving a workshop in Irvine, CA on February 23 and 24th, 2008 on "Building the Natural, Healthy Way." If you are interested, please call 727-461-4371or go to Building Biology for more information. And sure, if you want to toss my book into the mix for good measure, that would make a nice addition as well.

One last suggestion, after the site is cleared and you are preparing to rebuild, it would be great to clear the erratic fire chi, sadness, loss, or other negative energy that the land may hold from this event. I would suggest an exterior chi adjustment ritual. This ritual was given to me by a teacher who strictly abides by the tradition of the red envelope, and I promised to abide by it was well if I shared it with anyone, which is why I charge a nominal fee for it on my site. But I have established a fund that will pay for the ritual for the next three months if you are a recent fire victim and need it. Go to Exterior Chi Adjustment and "purchase it," making sure you place the words CAFIRES behind your name when ordering, and we'll send it to you via e-mail (or snail mail if necessary.)

Question #1: I'm desperate for any feng shui ideas regarding kids with autism. Can you help? My son has his own room, and I am willing to do anything to it to make all our lives better... as his autism affects the whole family greatly as he is very aggressive.

Answer #1: Aggression is being over stimulated in this, or I would guess, ANY child's world. And, among the many theories out there these days about the cause of autism, both genes and environment are on the tops of many scientists' lists. For example, a July study released by The California Department of Public Health suggested a connection between autism and exposure to pesticides while in the womb. Since environments, not genes, are my forte, I'll give you some ideas from that point of view. For both aggression and "over-stimulated" symptoms, try to tone down the stimulation in the room, and then you can work your way out into other parts of the house as needed.

Here's a quick list of ideas starting out with Healthy Bedroom Tips for Anyone, but especially for those with autism:

A. Remove Wi-fi, or any other wireless technology such as cordless phones, and baby monitors (get them away from the beds and crib please!) Although I suggest and sell the BioPro mitigation devices, I would suggest removing these items from a home that has such pronounced issue such as aggressive behaviors and autism if at all possible. At least try it first before taking a fallback position with mitigation devices.

B. Remove electro-pollution as much as possible. That means getting everything that plugs in, out of the bedroom. Heating blankets, waterbed heaters, lights built into the headboard or ANYTHING else plugged in near you while sleeping is a no-no for optimal health. If you can't hire a bau-biologist or building biologist or a feng shui consultant who practices building biology practices, I would suggest shutting down the entire home's circuit board while the family sleeps, or at least the circuits that run electricity in the walls of the bedrooms. Yes, you've got to get wind-up alarms, and yes, your food will stay cold in the fridge if it has to unplug for the experiment, but you may learn something about you son's behavior in relation to "dirty electricity environments," AND sleep better than ever before. I might suggest testing this first, before you make any other changes to anyone's room or environments, to give it the X-factor test so you'll know whether this is a factor or not. (If you do this for 30 days and see no improvement whatsoever, then go ahead and turn it all back on and work the other things.)

C. Remove synthetic wall-to-wall carpet as it releases toxins into your breathing air. Use natural, hard-surface flooring with removable natural (like organic wool, cotton, sea grass, coir, sisal) rugs instead. If you meet this tip with resistance, read this article: Building Green

D. Remove synthetic wallpaper with natural material and non-toxic paint and avoid as many plastic products as possible.

E. Avoid ionization-type smoke detectors (that have radioactive material in them if you can believe it) that can ruin sleep patterns and make anyone cranky or "aggressive!"

F. Remove any toxic cleaning or pest-controlling chemicals from the home and yard. There are many organic and natural substitutes out there these days if you just look.

G. If you're going all out I'd suggest getting a natural latex "no springs" bed mattress and natural pillows and natural, untreated bedding fabrics. Also, do not use a water bed or a metal bed frame. The best bed is a full wooden frame, preferably with untreated, unsealed wood. Are you starting to get the connection between the chemicals and synthetics in the home and a not-so-healthy environment yet?

H. Here are some Traditional Feng Shui Tips That are Good for Anyone - especially those with challenges in life:

A. This one could be in the above category as well. Avoid an arrangement of having the bedroom connected to the garage (above it or next to it, etc.) Use a mirror in the bedroom facing the garage if you need to cure it if unavoidable (ie: a mirror face down under a bed if the garage is below the bedroom.)

B. Placing the bed in a good position - a solid wall at the head of the bed, being able to see who's coming in the door but not be in line with it, and not having ANY electrical fields or electromagnetic fields on the bed (or play space for that matter.) Be mindful of what is on the other side of the wall from the headboard. Avoid locations where there is a toilet (or wet wall with water pipes in it,) stove, electronic device or circuit panel on the other side of the wall. Also consider what is above and below the bed and bedroom. If the air conditioner unit or a toilet is directly above the bed on the floor above, try a different location. If unavoidable, hang a crystal above the center of the bed with intentions of diffusing the harsh energy above.

C. No mirrors in the room unless your son's room is above the garage where I would place a mirror under his bed, face down with the intention of deflecting the fast energy and toxicity of the garage away from the bedroom.D. Hiding the bagua color pattern under the mattress (the bottom of the bed is the "door" side with blue, black and gray along that side and purple, red and pink towards the top of the bed.)

E. Avoid clutter at all costs. Every surface should have at least 50% of its space open and available (ie; half of the night stand top, half of the floor space, half the wall space, etc.)

F. Check out the creativity and children gua of every room in the house and the whole house's creativity gua. If there is any element imbalance (like too much fire) or any literal imbalance (like a bookshelf that is leaning) balance it out.

G. Employ the helpful people box. Place your son's name in it, so that he is helpful to you and your family. You can also place a request (written like a thank you note of course!) for help in building biology testing (below) or for proper teachers and helpers specifically for your son.

3. COLORS: Use warm muted colors - like a sage green. Don't use bright colors - like reds and bright yellows especially. I'd suggest having the floor the darkest color in the room, (for more grounding - which is usually needed in these situations) the walls the middle color, and the ceiling the lightest color. Avoid painting the ceiling the same color as the walls, and avoid having white, extremely light, or blue flooring.

4. LIGHTING: Use incandescent lighting in a way that creates low light stimulus. Avoid big overhead lights. As far as natural light goes, avoid sky lights in the bedroom. Do not have the child's bed in a location where sunlight hits his/her bed directly. Avoid fluorescent lighting.

5. SOUNDS: Classical string music works great (it exercises the 8th cranial nerve.) Extraneous noises (a humming computer CPU, fish tank, shocking neighboring noises) should be mitigated as best you can.

6. FURNISHINGS: Soft pillows and unstructured furnishings like bean bag chairs and hammocks and hammock-type swings work best. (Try to get natural fabrics as opposed to all synthetic.) Applying deep pressure (squeezing) 45 minutes to 2 hours a day in furnishings such as a hammock can help with his aggression. Those yoga balls that people use for office chairs are helpful in this room, too. As far as the bed goes, avoid bunk or trundle beds on wheels.

7. TOYS, ETC.: I'm not sure how old your son is, but things like a sit-n-spin, scooter boards, and soft obstacle course-type items work well. Legos, puzzles, and other building sets are good, but make sure that they all have a tucked away place to be stored (especially if they are made of plastic - If the toys smell, they are off-gassing toxic emissions in the room. Do yourself and your child a favor and ditch anything made of PVC plastic - it is an assault on the environment and your health. I'll go one up on you here: Remove PVC plastic shoes from the room. One trip to a cheap shoe store for a quick sniff and you get an idea of what those shoes are doing on a lesser scale in your kid's room. Check your shoe brand's company policy on PVC use in their products.) And since there is so much lead cropping up in toys these days, you might be interested in getting some home lead-testing kits. Here's a link for you: Lead Inspector (This site also has a lot of information about where to look for lead in your home and how to avoid contamination.)

Try to keep the bed area as low stimulating as possible - especially at bedtime. If the "all-in-one" functioning bedroom is necessary, create a "sensory section" of the room where items can be explored such as clay (versus play-doh as it contains wheat) and hand-held massagers (but do your best to keep a distance from the bed zone.) Stuffed animals with different textures also work well (be mindful of allergies and dust mites with these and other soft/plush items - once again, natural fabrics that don't hold an electrostatic charge and create ion imbalance is best!)

8. SYMBOLS: Add nature scenes, objects, materials, and other items that display natural perfection and order. (But avoid electrically-powered "nature" like a water fountain.) Remove any aggressive or on-the-move symbols such as action figures, bats and balls, bulldozers, etc. from fabrics and art. Avoid literally or visually sharp objects (like swords arrows, or baseball pennants) and replace with softer-edged or rounded shapes.

9. FOOD ENERGY TIPS: A gluten free, casein free, additive free diet has been proven helpful in many cases of autism. I could actually go on and on, but I think this is a good list to consider.

Question #2: I've got 4 kids from teen to toddler and they're out of control: from teen disrespectfulness to two-year-old tantrums. Do you have any feng shui discipline tips?

Are "inactive ingredients" activating any unwanted behaviors in you or hyping-up your kids? According to the Feingold Association of the United States, an organization dedicated to eliminating toxic additives from diets, the answer is undoubtedly yes. Click here and read up: Feingold Organization

Here's an article from TIME Magazine that suggests the same thing:

Organic, preservative-free, and additive-free foods may cost a bit more in some instances, but in the long run, it could be the cheapest way to ensure your family's health, and in the case of a family with an ADD/ADHD member, a family's harmony and happiness.

Do you want to help yourself and others move towards greater harmony, health, and happiness?

I invite you to take part in the second professional certification course offering. I am committed to giving you the tools you need to become a confident a practitioner of feng shui, as well as give you additional methods and techniques that can support your career as one who helps others change their life for the better.

We've got an awesome location chosen (Near San Jose, California in the "South Bay,") and we're committed to making this class a unique and memorable experience, just as the Southern California one has been. The event will take place from March 8th through the 14th (ending with an evening celebration event on the 14th.)

The registration fee is $2970.00. Register by December 30th and receive a $250.00 discount. Class size is limited. At this time, there are 9 spots left. I highly recommend signing up as soon as possible because it will give you the most amount of time to work through the pre-requisite assignments.

Here are the links for more information:

Registration Information

To register, go to: Certification Training Information

Register for the Class: Certification Training Registration

For questions, Contact Mary: mary@fengshuipalace.com

Here's what some of the students that just completed the course are saying:

"This class was life-changing! Thank you Karen. I learned so much. I definitely built and enhanced my knowledge and application of feng shui. The on-site consultations were invaluable! I look forward to attending and participating in future classes and retreats, mastery and mentorship programs."

Success Story # 1. I purchased your book several years ago when you were a presenter at the California Central Valley Women's Conference. I loved it! Your down to earth writing was all the encouragement I needed to put it into practice. After purchasing my first home I decided to used the Feng Shui concept in decorating my home. I painted the walls of my hallway to the bedrooms yellow since it falls in the health corner. I did this on a Wednesday. I had a doctor's appointment on a Saturday. My doctor asked if I had done certain lab work before. I said "no" and she then asked that I get it done since she liked to have the information on all her patients. I did all the lab work by next Monday. Two weeks later I had another appointment where my doctor proceeds to scold me for not taking care of myself. My cholesterol was so high that I was in danger of suffering a heart attack at 33! I also found out I had a type of liver disease that has no symptoms until the liver becomes damaged beyond repair. I firmly believe that Feng Shui saved my life. I am now taking medication to lower my cholesterol. I have also decided to change my life style. I'm eating healthier and exercising. I am happy to say that my cholesterol is almost normal. My liver problem was caught in the early stages where I can take a proactive stance to prevent it. I will never be able to thank you enough Karen.

Success Story #2: I have been sick for a few days and a friend said I should clean up my family section, so I cleaned it up and but some power tools there. By the next day I was feeling 90% better. My energy level has increased and I'm really excited about getting the rest of the house done.

Janet

Success Story #3: Hi Karen...well, it's time for another "update" in the feng shui life of Cait & David. And what an incredible year it has been...

With the death of David's father 2 years ago, the estate and their business was to be liquidated this year and the estate settled among all the heirs. This would mean that David will be "retiring" and be able to devote his time to his "passion:" Texas history.

He's achieved a lot, but being the "supportive" and loving wife that I am... I wanted to make sure that he was taken seriously and all the opportunities possible would be coming his way...so I "bumped" up the FAME areas of our lives with the intention that he be able to achieve whatever he wanted in his new endeavor.

On the back fence directly in the center of the yard...a large 4 pointed Lone Star. In the center of our outdoor deck...a large chiminea...yellow with undertones of red...flames around the "mouth" and that was surrounded with more stars!

The entrance to his home office...red 4 pointed stars. The entrance to our house...which is in career and life path...I put the book he wrote (and that is now about to be reprinted). And as before our entrance has a lot of water features...including a 90 gallon aquarium thriving with fish!

And being as enthusiastic about feng shui as I am...he also wrote his "intentions" and put them in his Helpful People area. I also insisted that he clean out all the "old" files of his and his Dad's previous business and put them in storage to make room for his new endeavors. Out with the old and in with the new.

We had a beautiful pond and waterfall, complete with koi, installed in our backyard (abundance corner). And in the process of landscaping I taught a lot of feng shui to our landscaper since I insisted that we use proper colors, textures, no thorns, etc. in all the plants and materials!

Just to make sure that our "personal" life was also balanced with all this "fame" I was hoping to send David's way..we had a gorgeous rose garden put into the love and relationship corner...red, white and pink roses, a "rounded" pathway, and all the roses in "pairs." My landscaper by this time, doesn't ask questions, he just does it!

Well, Karen, I should have remembered that there are TWO people that live in this household and what affects one...affects the other!

Because of my weight loss, kayak racing (just completed my second 100 mile race and am training for a 300 mile one) and breast cancer survival...I will be featured in a national television ad campaign, in a book, posters and newspapers and a national magazine. And I've been asked to help promote breast cancer awareness month in 2008 with an international company. I've been videoed, photographed and interviewed...all this will break in early 2008. It was VERY unexpected and I'm extremely humbled by all the attention...and hope that somehow it will inspire others, especially "older" others to get healthy and active.

I have no idea where all of this will lead...except that I'm really going to work on the Wisdom area next to make sure that I do handle this as wisely as possible.

And David's fame and recognition??? He's working on so many projects right now...local level, county level, state level! And neither of us could be happier...life is a bed of roses! And this is "retirement!" So again, as always...thanks for introducing us to feng shui!!!! Hope all is well in your world...I'm still holding out to get you back to Texas!!!!

Cait

Here's the link to report your success story. (It's at the bottom of the web page) Feng Shui Palace Success Stories

I've been thinking about what you all might want as a potential feng shui gift for the holidays so I've come up with the following holiday specials:

1. A great deal on a telephone consultation: Feel free to use it for yourself or give it to someone else. Instead of the usual price of $495.00, we'll send you a certificate that can be redeemed anytime between the purchase date and Dec. 31, 2008 (and if you happen to be a fire victim and need more time with plan review or something, let us know and we'll extend that) for $295.00. And as an added bonus, we'll send along a collection of cures for you to use. You will receive a 30mm crystal, a 4" bagua mirror, a roll of red tape, Karen's Cure Guide and a silver mylar envelope.

Here's the link to go directly to this product: Telephone Consultation

2. My book will be on special for $10.00 (regular price: $14.00.) And if you want any books signed to individuals, please let me know via fax (like I said, email is sketchy at this time) at 714-508-9937.

Here's the link to go directly to this product: Karen's Book

Here's the link to go to the main product specials page: Feng Shui Palace Product Specials

1. I have the wisdom to create healthy and harmonious living spaces.

2. My body is in perfect health.

When I hear the word formaldehyde, I think of the stuff mixed in with a dead frog in science class. But you'd be surprised how much of it you could be exposed to on a daily basis. Why do you care? Because formaldehyde is very toxic and its probably in your house. (If you live in a mobile home, I guarantee you're living in a big bunch of it.)

Formaldehyde (also known as HCHO ) is a chemical gas used in the manufacturing of many products including synthetic carpeting, particleboard, insulation, preservatives, adhesives, clothing, dyes, inks, car interiors, plastics, textiles, pesticides, and cosmetics - yes cosmetics! It is used to soften fabrics, improve paper absorbency, retard fungi growth and as a disinfectant. The newer the material, the higher levels of formaldehyde if it was made with it (it dissipates over time into the air you breathe.)

What kind of health issues are connected with this stuff? Asthma, Headache, Depression, Fatigue, Watering eyes, Stinging nose, Short term memory loss, Central nervous system problems and Upper respiratory irritation. People with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) are usually extremely sensitive to formaldehyde off-gassing products.

What can you do about it?

- Ask the manufacturer of anything you buy for your home if it contains this or other toxic VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds)and perhaps avoid the offending purchase.

- You can remove offending materials (or better yet, have them removed by specialists!) seal the edges of particleboard with low toxic sealers.

- If you're going to keep your carpet you can seal them with low toxic carpet guards.

- You can also increase your level if ventilation, making sure the air exchange in the home is capable of quickly removing/reducing the formaldehyde levels.

- You can have your house tested for it.

- You can avoid buying furniture made from particleboard and foam cushions, or a brand new car (with formaldehyde-filled "new car smell.")

San Francisco, South Bay area of Northern California

I will be available for on-site residential and commercial consultations. Please call Mary at 714-508-9935 for additional information and to reserve your consultation time.

Fountain Valley, CA

January 17, 2008

From 6:30 to 9PM, Karen will be giving an introductory Got Feng Shui? workshop for the City of Fountain Valley, CA. Registration will be available at the offices of the City of Fountain Valley, CA (Parks and Recreation Dept.) after December 10, 2007.

Fountain Valley, CA

Registration will be available at the offices of the City of Fountain Valley, CA (Parks and Recreation Dept.) after December 10, 2007.

Mountain View, CA

From 1:30 to 4:30, Karen will be giving a workshop entitled Creating RE-rooms (RElax, REtreat, REvive) at East West Bookstore, 324 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA 94041. Workshop fee is $39.00 pre-sale and $45 the day of class. Call 800-909-6161 to register.

San Jose Area (near Saratoga, CA) March 8th through 14th, 2008, I will be teaching The Inspired Feng Shui Practitioner Certification Training Course in the South Bay area of Northern California.

Here are the links for more information:

Registration Information: Registration Information

To register, go to: Certification Registration

Mexico!

Karen will be speaking onboard the Norwegian Star as it sails out of Los Angeles and goes to Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas before it heads back to LA. If you'd like to come along, visit Norwegian Cruise Line for registry information.

Southern California

When I'm not traveling or writing, I am available for on-site commercial or residential consultations that are designed to dramatically improve your life! Consultations are $599.00 and take between 2 and 3 hours. Call 714-508-9935 to check availability and to book an appointment time.

With intentions of being of service,

Karen

If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, please go to the newsletter that is printed online at Feng Shui Palace Newsletter