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Natural Awakenings Naples and Fort Myers

Letter from Publisher

When I first met with feng shui consultant Linda Mundt for an introductory session at my home, I wondered what her personal questions about every area of my life had to do with painting walls. As we walked through my house looking at beige everywhere, I observed that it felt a bit boring but “comfortable.”   

Linda concluded that I needed to reintroduce more passion into my daily life. With thoughtful and intuitive responses to my answers, this color magician worked up a score of new colors for my life that I’d never considered.

A core principle of feng shui holds that our home mirrors what’s happening within us. Its purpose is to align our environment with who we are and where we want to go next. Linda’s questions helped me realize how a heavy workload had taken over my life. I was also grieving personal losses and needed extra nurturing. I welcomed the help in getting out of own way; from being boxed in by the past and feeling unbalanced.

As I explored this Chinese art of placement and use of the elements wood, fire, earth, metal and water to facilitate the flow of qi, or energy, I became excited by the idea of better harmonizing my personal energy with my home’s energy and experiencing the results. Yet, once the painters started, I felt unsettled and even agitated as beige living room walls yielded to vibrant oranges. Something unknown stirred within, and for a while I felt twinges of regret, wondering, “What have I done?”

I’d allowed myself to color outside the lines of my old life. Gradually, I began shifting my perspective and embracing the unexpected colors spread throughout my house, opening myself to see how they might nurture and support me going forward.

Then life started changing. The following year yielded hoorays for more playtime, new relationships, better balance and fresh passion. Linda has since guided me in coloring three other homes and two Natural Awakenings offices. Each new space and cycle in my life has called for its own combination of colors, its distinctive energy seeking expression. What fun!

Linda shared more feng shui tips for positioning furniture, using plants and clearing clutter. I’m now more careful about what I bring into my home and how I maintain it. I’ve discovered that everything has energy and we can help guide its movement to flow more freely. Visitors often comment how good they feel in my home.

After a couple of my friends painted their houses white recently, I asked Linda about this trend and it’s long-term effect. Read her response on page 42 of the magazine.

What’s your dream for getting unstuck in the new year? I encourage you to color outside the lines in new ways. You’ll find great resources in this issue for taking small and bold steps for recreating yourself in 2017.

Whether you start by painting an accent wall, taking a new class or losing weight and running a marathon, we’re here to support you in living your passion and inspiring others to live theirs.

Happy New Year,

Sharon Signature

Sharon Bruckman, Publisher