Feng shui finding its place in offices

By Darnell Morris-Compton
Indianapolis Star

Having problems getting that raise? Think you deserve that promotion? Is your girlfriend cramping your style?

It's not your fault. Blame your workspace — that filthy, cluttered office cubicle that's holding you back.

But you can change that; feng shui your office.

With help from a professional consultant, you can bring harmony to your puny space and help all areas of your life. The feng shui experts believe it, and their clients seek help in all areas of life by altering spaces at home and work.

"All of feng shui is about harmonizing with nature, bringing benevolent energy in the space," said Jeanne Olson, owner of Feng Shui by Golden Eye Phoenix in Indianapolis. "You enhance the energy and balance it out."

Feng shui balances energy flow to any chosen space, incorporates the power of positive thinking and converts a space into a comfortable environment, Olson said.

The process includes diving into your personal life, determining priorities, assessing energy flow and utilizing a feng shui expert to manipulate energy to benefit you.

But for the sake of time, energy and fun, we're going to skip all that and give you some feng shui tips from experts:

• Draw a line. Look at the entrance of your cubicle. Find the imaginary line between the domain that is public and what defines your workspace.

That is the entrance, or mouth, of your work environment. All energy from everywhere else will enter through the mouth of your cubicle, said Maureen Marsico, owner of Ancient Arts, Therapy for the Body, Mind and Spirit in Indianapolis.

Step inside your cubicle and face the entryway. Divide your space into nine equal squares, like a tic-tac-toe board with borders. Each square represents an area of your life.

• Play some hopscotch. The front three squares closest to the entrance (from left to right) represent knowledge, career and helpful people. You will want to put items that correspond to those areas here.

Books that keep you abreast in your field would go in the knowledge area. Degrees earned, awards and honors in your field or your business cards should be kept in the career square. Consider putting the telephone in the helpful people square, Olson said.

The middle three represent family, health and creativity.

Photographs of family can go in the first space. Leave health open and remove the clutter from that area. Put something you've created that you are proud of in the center right area.

The back three areas farthest from the entrance represent abundance, reputation and relationships. Abundance is best represented by water.

A fountain, fishbowl or a picture representing running water symbolizes prosperity, Marsico said. In the back middle, photographs of you receiving awards or an object representing something you want to be known for should go here. And photos of friends and people you work with can go in the back right corner area, Olson said.

Both experts agree that your workplace, no matter how stressful your job is, should be a comfortable place for you.