Anna Lin

Observing things from the perspective of Feng Shui, you would realize that everything around you has either a negative energy or a positive energy. Under such circumstances, it is just better to channelize all the energy towards the positive so that you benefit. You might not be aware but Feng Shui also has an extremely scientific basis to it. It works on the principles of opposites – Yin (female) and Yang (male)

Every little decorative item that you have in your house or even the color you decide to paint your wall in can affect the way energies around you may work. Since your environment manipulates you and your luck, it would be intelligent to learn the art of Feng Shui to bring about a certain sense of balance and harmony in your life.

Feng Shui Is An Intricate Art
Feng Shui expects you to give importance to everything that in your house and each element that makes your home. Be it the furniture, the doors, the upholstery, electronic gadgets, every object in your surrounding plays an important role in the way your life is turning out. Nothing in your physical environment ought to be considered as insignificant. Everything around you is important and is bound to affect you in some way or the other and this is exactly what the art of Feng Shui latches on to.

Take One Step At A Time
If you want to make your home Feng Shui sensitive then you must give yourself some time to understand the art of Feng Shui. This ancient Chinese art hinges on to extremely intricate laws and principles. Trying to make all the possible changes according to Feng Shui rules all in one go might not be such a great idea. You ought to make the changes step by step. Without having expert knowledge of Feng Shui, making all the changes at the same time can in fact prove to be extremely disastrous. You may not know the intricacies of the art and make changes, which are actually contradictory to each other! That way you will be attracting negative energy instead of the ideal positive energy (chi) into your house.

If you want to start making certain basic changes to your house, pick up some resource material from the nearest bookshop or even search online. You will get plenty of help from these. However, be careful about what you are consulting because a number of times the information given may not be accurate. Playing around with Feng Shui is not a great idea. You must always be very sure about the changes that you make.

Feng Shui works on the basic principle of creating a balance between the natural environment and the man-made environment around us. If you want to  get cracking on what Feng Shui is all about and learn how to manipulate the art to your advantage, then you must begin with a basic knowledge of the various schools that Feng Shui comprises of. Before you begin to inform yourself about the various schools of Feng Shui you ought to know something about the five elements based on which the Feng Shui principles work. No matter which school of Feng Shui best suits your requirements it is imperative to know about the elements of Feng Shui.

The Five Elements of Feng Shui

The principles, rules, and laws of Feng Shui are based on five elements. Each of these elements is associated with a direction. Manipulating the knowledge about these elements and the directions associated with these elements can bring you assured peace and prosperity. The elements and the directions associated with these elements are as follows:
•    Wood: East
•    Water: North
•    Earth: Southwest
•    Fire: South
•    Metal: West

The proper balance of all these elements in each room that needs to be affected by the art of Feng Shui will create the required harmony. The matter in the room made of these elements ought to be placed in the direction associated with it. The more accurate is your balance, the more effective role the art of Feng Shui will play.

The Various Schools of Feng Shui
A list of the various Feng Shui Schools along with a brief description of each is given as follows:
There are seven schools of Feng Shui in all.
•    The Compass School
This school is based on the science of directions. Each direction is associated with a particular kind of Chi, or energy.
•    The Form School
This one is based on shapes just like the previous one mentioned is dependent on directions. It is based on four basic shapes.
•    The Black Hat Sect
This school includes theories on psychology and Buddhism.
•    Eight Mansion School
Each individual can be associated with a particular set of numbers and unlucky numbers. The Eight Mansion School works on the knowledge of these numbers.
•    The Nine Star Key School
A numbers of complicated mathematical formulae are used in this school. It is a lot like astrology.
•    Flying Star Philosophy
This school relies upon numerology and astrology. The future can be predicted using this branch of Feng Shui.
•    Four Pillar
This school has faith on the time of a person’s birth. This school of Feng Shui is not commonly practiced today.

Feng Shui is actually all around you. It might have already affected your life without your getting to know of it. You may have felt comfortable in a particular environment as soon as you step into that place. The reason is probably the positive Chi due to the use of the right Feng Shui principles. If you look at the world through the perception of Feng Shui then there are actually only two types of spaces; those that are making use of Feng Shui principles to generate positive energy, and those that are not making use of Feng Shui thus giving rise to negative energy.

Since you know now that Feng Shui will affect you whether or not you are trying to follow it, it would be a good idea to understand the rules and laws of Feng Shui so that you can actually use it to divert the positive energies to work in your favor. A few common ways in which you can make Feng Shui work in your favor are discussed below. By following these simple rules, you will be able to feel a major difference in your everyday life. So read them, follow them, and make a difference to your life. It actually works!

A Few Basic Feng Shui Laws

Feng Shui, to be pronounced as Fung Shway brings positive energy to make your life better. The following simple rules can make a major difference to your life:
•    Shoes must be taken off before you enter your house. According to Feng Shui principles, taking your shoes in with you is equivalent to taking your problems within the house with you. This must be avoided.
•    Eating outside might be extremely appealing to you. However, Feng Shui would advice you to cook at least one meal at home and eat it with the entire family.
•    Sleeping with you feet towards the door of your bedroom is a complete no-no according to Feng Shui.
•    Sleeping under a white blanket or sheet can also attract negative energies.
•    You must make sure that none of the walls beside your bed have any meter boxes on them.
•    Whenever you are sitting or standing try to make sure that you are doing that while facing either the door or at least its reflection.
•    Feng Shui advices you against keeping knives as decoration pieces, or presenting knives to other people.

These are a few absolutely basic Feng Shui laws, which can bring you a lot of prosperity. See the change in your lives for yourself by following these principles.

It is common knowledge that Feng Shui works a lot through colors. Feng Shui as you might have realized, is based a lot on the effect that the most usual practices have on our lives, such that we do not give a second thought to them in our day-to-day lives too. All of us are aware of the fact that the combination of colors around us can make a lot of difference to the way we feel. It can affect the efficiency of our work and soothe our minds when required. Feng Shui works at the depth of all kinds of effect that colors have on people and their environment. This ancient Chinese art uses colors to create balance and harmony thus affecting a certain amount of positivity.

Colors and the Powers of Yin and Yang

Feng Shui believes that Yin and Yang are the two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. If the two are balanced then the presence of harmony is inevitable. Yin is associated with matter while Yang is associated with energy. All colors can be seen as falling into either of these two categories. They are either grounding colors or colors that induce spirit and energy. Educating yourself about these colors and using them for your benefit can be greatly advantageous for you. To get a start you ought to begin by knowing which color falls under which category. The following list could prove to be of some help:

•    Colors That Fall Under The Yin Category
According to Feng Shui, the colors that come under Yin category have an extremely soothing effect. If you are choosing the colors for a room where you want to forget about everything that is going wrong with your life, a suitable combination of the following colors will certainly help:
?    Blue
?    Black
?    Purple
?    White

•    Colors That Fall Under The Yang Category
The colors that fall under the Yang category, according to Feng Shui are auspicious and induce a lot of energy and warmth. These colors must be used in abundance in your workplace and your study. These colors are sure to help you focus better.
?    Yellow
?    Orange
?    Red
?    Brown
?    Tan
?    Beige
?    Mauve
?    Maroon
?    Lavender
?    Gold

So now that you have some sort of an idea about how Feng Shui manipulates colors to channelize energy you must get set to find out more about Feng Shui and colors. Improve you life by changing the colors around you according to Feng Shui principles and experience the difference.

Feng Shui, which literally means ‘wind-water’, has moved way beyond being considered as a mere superstition. Today, it has become one of the supporting pillars of Interior Decoration industry. Typing the keywords online or trying to find out more about it at your local bookstore or library will give you a fair idea of the amount of popularity that Feng Shui has gained. Though Feng Shui as an art has become extremely real and acceptable, its effects still seem magical and ethereal. Even the greatest believers in Feng Shui at some time or the other would have questioned the viability of changing the order of furniture and a few colors here and there to bring about such a tremendous change in a person’s life.

How Feng Shui Works Its Magic

Feng Shui, as you must be aware by now, mainly works its magic through the manipulation of energies; by getting rid of all negative energies and diverting the positive energies (or Chi as it is called in Feng Shui) for the welfare of the people concerned. By striking a balance between the five elements of water, earth, fire, metal, and wood, in accordance with the directions associated with these elements you can attracted positive Chi to your household or workspace. This balance brings in harmony for all those living, working, or even visiting these places affected with Feng Shui frequently.

The Principles Of Feng Shui

To begin manipulating the art of Feng Shui for prosperity in your personal life, your public relations, and your career, you ought to start teaching yourself a little by little about the rudiments of this three thousand year old Chinese art.

There are seven Feng Shui schools. You need to have some sort of an idea about each of them to know which one would best suit your need and purpose. There are Feng Shui schools dealing with directions, color, symbols, astrology, numerology, and mathematical calculations among others. You need to figure out which school you are most comfortable with and then accordingly study in great depth about that school.

Casual Knowledge of Feng Shui Can be Harmful

Finding out stray pieces of information about Feng Shui from undependable sources and then applying them to your home and workspace could backfire. As the popularity of this art has grown so has the number of people who are trying to make a living off it without actually having much expert knowledge about it. This can be extremely dangerous. A Feng Shui rule not known or used properly could begin attracting negative energy instead of the positive Chi and prove to be quite disastrous.

When you are looking to be able to buy silver boy and girl pendants sometimes it’s difficult to get the best price when paying retail. Many of us look to finding a wholesale source in hopes of being able to save a little bit of money.  It seems though, that when you are trying to find a supplier of wholesale silver boy and girl pendants that every site on the Internet claims to be a wholesaler. Then you come to find out that the prices are not truly wholesale and the term seems to be a common catch phrase.

There really are true wholesale suppliers out there but there are a few things you may want to check into first before placing your order for wholesale silver boy and girl pendants. Often people are unclear of what a wholesaler really is, or how buying in wholesale works.

Wholesale by definition is someone who has access to a large quantity of goods, generally from the manufacturer, and is able to provide items to those are planning the reselling of them, such as a retail store.   Wholesalers often have a minimum purchase order requirement usually a minimum amount you will have to spend or a set amount of units you’ll have to buy and may require that you provide a tax identification number proving that you are intending to resell your silver boy and girl pendants. If you are looking for a large quantity of the same type item, this may be the way to go, if you’re planning to resell the wholesale silver boy and girl pendants, as the majority of wholesalers work in bulk.  .

There are wholesale suppliers that will allow you to choose your wholesale silver boy and girl pendants individually and by design sometimes for a slightly higher rate, but usually will still have a minimum order requirement. Shopping around for your wholesale silver boy and girl pendants are a good idea, checking into other suppliers could reveal a cheaper minimum order requirement.

Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find a wholesale supplier and depending on the nature of your business, talking to other retailers could be your most valuable tool in locating a quality supplier for your wholesale silver boy and girl pendants. It is hard to judge from a catalog or web site the quality of any product, this can be even more difficult when one is trying to buy fine jewelry. In the world of retail who has the quality products and who does not, spreads like wildfire and by talking to other retailers you could avoid losing a lot of potential money.  Try not to rush into buying wholesale silver boy and girl pendants from just any wholesale supplier because if they’re legitimate and sell a quality product they will be around for a very long time.

Buying your silver boy and girl pendants wholesale, can really save you quite a bit of money in the long run, even if you’re not planning on running out and selling your wares. In the world of retail, a good wholesale supplier could make the difference of being able to continue to keep the doors open or having to close them.

With all of the different styles and varieties of silver gemstone pendants, you could basically have a different jewelry look every day for a year and never have to wear the same silver gemstone pendant twice.

Knowing what to look for can be more of a challenge, especially when you are trying to get the most for your money when shopping for a silver gemstone pendant. The quality of gemstones can vary greatly, but the taking the time to research characteristics and look of the gemstone, will helped to make sure that you know what to look out for, while shopping for a silver gemstone pendant.

In choosing a silver gemstone pendant, one of the first things you need to look at is the color. Sometimes gemstones are enhanced, usually with a dye, to darken the color of the stone. This is fine especially if you’re looking for a certain hue, and are made aware that it is enhanced and you made a conscious choice to purchase it. It is not however acceptable to be told it’s color is natural and then the next day you’re blouse becomes streaked with red stripes.

If you pick up a silver gemstone pendant and the color of the stone is a little bit too perfect and only $6.00, it is best to put it back down. Most natural gemstones have variations, color fluctuations, natural veining within its formation, such as with turquoise. This adds to the unique beauty of the gemstone, but extremely cheap but seemingly perfect gem stones are usually either fakes or enhanced to the point of perfection with the use of plastic resins. By you knowing what a stone is supposed to look like, it’s going to be one of your best defenses in making sure that the gemstone in your silver gemstone necklace is genuine.

Checking on the setting is the next thing you need to do, making sure that the gemstone is not loose within the setting.  Sometimes it takes a bit more than just wiggling the stone in the setting, so by giving it a little shake, you should be able to hear if it’s rattling around in the setting. The last thing you want to do is lose a stone from your beautiful silver gemstone pendant. In most cases the silver will be stamped with the mark somewhere on the back of the pendant, normally with a .925 and is a good indication that your silver gemstone pendant is one of quality.

Higher end quality silver gemstone pendants, with an excellent quality gemstone, can also vary in price, depending on the size, cut, and the weight of the silver or the rarity of the gemstone.  Generally this ensures you that have a silver gemstone pendant of genuine quality and will provide you with many years of enjoyment.

Purchasing a high quality silver gemstone pendant with confidence is easy and relatively pain free. Taking the time to be aware of the market, and by being an informed shopper will make sure that you were happy and satisfied with your purchase.

Since the beginning of time man has chosen his own path to follow when it comes to religion, and he has chosen his way of displaying his religious preferences. In some countries men shave their heads and women cover their faces before they go out into public. Catholic nuns cover themselves from head to toe in order to show their resistance to temptation. In Islam the men are willing to die for the cause of spreading their religion around the world and removing those who would challenge Allah. In Tibet there are men who have devoted their lives to the study and meditation of their religion, cloistering themselves off from the outside world.

For many individuals these methods of expressing their faith are a bit extreme. After all, every day around the world men and women of faith are going through their daily lives just like everyone else. The go to work and school, dress and talk like everyone else, marry, raise a family and eventually die of natural causes, passing on their legacy to their children. This does not mean that these individuals do not believe in the greatness of their god, nor does it mean that they do not walk in the path that he has established. They just do not choose to express their faith in such a dramatic manner.

One way that almost every woman and many men of Christian faith choose to show their beliefs is through their jewelry. Years ago the WWJD bracelet craze swept the nation. Men, women and children with no idea of the intricacies of the Christian religion proudly sported bracelets shouting “What Would Jesus Do?” Prior to that, however, jewelry played a very important part in the expression of belief in Christ. There are many who have faithfully worn their cross or their Christ on the cross pendants every day for years. Many others have laughed at them, asking them why they wear such a thing and why they would want to go around with a dead man hanging around their neck.

The answer is simple. This is their way of expressing their faith. For those unfamiliar with the history of the Christian faith it is said that a babe was born in Bethlehem who was immaculately conceived by the Lord upon the Virgin Mary. This baby was destined to die for the sins of all man on a cross at Calvary so that all man had to do was go before God and ask for forgiveness of their sins in order to be forgiven of their trespasses against God’s law. After their death, the souls of these individuals would go to heaven, a paradise where they will reside for eternity. The wearing of a cross or a Christ on the cross pendant serves to remind those who believe in the Christian faith of the sacrifice that was made for them should they ever decide to stray from the course set for them.

Throughout history men and women have had to find ways to hide various objects on their bodies in order to escape detection.  This could encompass anything from a secret messages during wartime to secret potions guaranteed to make a man or a woman fall in love.  Within these files could be hidden crystals for protection or the ingredients for a card.  The vial has lost neither its appeal nor its mystery in today’s society, and is now making a comeback as a sober accessory item.

Vials today are worn more for aesthetic purposes than practicality. Vials come in all shapes and sizes, from crystals to empty containers, and there is a vial to suit every taste. A vial worn at the throat will immediately garner interest and curiosity, as in the grand spirit of not being able to mind their own business everyone will want to know what is hidden within the vial. This is an excellent way to get a date!

A vial may serve a practical purpose as well, for those who find it necessary.  It may hold epinephrine pills for those who are allergic or special memoirs for those who have had to say goodbye. (Remember the infamous lock of hair given by women of the court to their champions (and vice versa) throughout history? A vial hung at the throat is an infamous location for hiding the lock of hair of a loved one.) Aside from a lock of hair a vial will hold a scroll, a small piece of jewelry, a photo or any other small piece of memorabilia. Since they can be purchased or created in almost any size it is simply a matter of matching the vial with the object you wish for it to hold.

Vials may be worn for metaphysical purposes as well. Vials were particular favorites of witches and powerful sorcerers in the fairy tales for hiding powerful poisons and other ingredients for their charms and spells. A cailleach may give a woman who was having difficultly conceiving a child a vial containing a potion to wear around her neck to ward off the evil spirits of infertility. A man going off to war may carry a crystal vial containing turquoise or obsidian for courage and protection made by his wife. Those who were more superstitious would often wear vials filled with holy water or garlic to ward off the vampires that lurked in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims.
Modern day witches will use vials for these same purposes; to keep within them charms for protection for the wearer, or a spell to help them achieve their heart’s desire.

Doubtless the more skeptical would laugh at the possibility of a vail containing magical spells, calling it the nonsense of an old woman (regardless of the age of the giver.) Whether it is believed that the vial special powers or not it is still highly in vogue in the fashion world. They can be gothic or classic, crystal or metal. Whatever the case their appeal is as widespread now as it was in the days of King Arthur.

The use of silver to make jewelry has been around for centuries, and although the silversmith techniques have changed somewhat throughout the years, the attention to quality and detail has not. Sterling silver, at one time was reserved only for those who were wealthy, and few could afford it.

Thankfully, in the modern world Sterling silver has become much more affordable and one does not need to be wealthy in order to have a Sterling silver pendant within their jewelry wardrobe. In today’s market it is relatively easy to choose a quality Sterling silver pendant, if you keep your eyes open to the little details.

Sterling silver is made from silver ore, which is then combined with other metal alloys in order to give silver strength. 100% pure silver ore is very pliable and tends not to remain as it is formed and quickly loses its shape. The most common alloy used is copper and this is added to the silver, as this does not alter the color, but does provide it with the necessary strength to hold its shape, ensuring that your Sterling silver pendant will maintain its designed under normal use.

However, all jewelry that is claiming to be Sterling silver is required to be stamped or have some sort of recognized hallmark. Often it is simply marked. .925 or with a 9.25 and that refers to the minimum amount of pure silver needed in its composition in order to be called Sterling silver.   If the Sterling silver pendant that you are considering, is from another country it may be stamped with a symbol or a company mark and any jeweler can identify it for you if needed.

When you are shopping for a Sterling silver pendant, you will notice that the prices can fluctuate from day to day or from even store-to-store, as silver is considered a precious metal and tends to fluctuate as the market does. Keeping an eye on the average rate of silver in the market, can give you a general idea as for price. However if the price is too low, it usually indicates that either the piece is not genuine or that it may be Silver-plated. Usually if you turn it over and the Sterling silver pendant has a .925 you can be assured that it is genuine.

Keeping your Sterling silver pendant beautiful for many years to come requires very little effort. There are a few precautions that you should take in caring for your Sterling silver
Pendant, the most damaging is exposing it to certain chemicals such as bleach, ammonia, and acetone which can damage it beyond repair.

Using commercial jewelry cleaners should be fine if nothing mentioned above is listed in the ingredients.  Natural oxidation or tarnish often occurs on all silver, which can make your Sterling silver pendant look dull, using a jewelers cloth, sometimes also called a silver cloth, will often removed the tarnish by simply using a gentle rubbing motion. Storing your Sterling silver pendant in a tarnish proof cloth when you will not be wearing it will help protect it from scratching against other pieces and reduce oxidation. Sterling silver pendants are timeless additions to your jewelry collection and are meant to last a lifetime and they will with proper care and storage.