• May 6, 2000, An Introduction to Feng Shui: The Art of Placement and Design, by Mary Boudreau

• March 28, 1998, The Daily Progress, "Some say it's a cure for dis-ease. Others see it as simply: Feng Shui," by David A. Maurer

• January 31, 1997, The Fauquier Citizen,"Ancient art of Feng Shui puts everything in its place," by Connie Sprague

May 6, 2000
Mary Boudreau

"There is a touch of magic light--amid confusion, peace. Upon entering, one's eyes are opened; if one sits or reclines, one's heart is joyful. Here, ch'i gathers, and essence collects. Light shines in the middle, and magic goes out on all sides."

Thus someone in 17th century China described a pleasant and auspicious place where a fine balance of earth energies was achieved through careful attention to Feng Shui---the Chinese Art of Placement and Design.

Feng Shui, pronounced "fung schway", literally means "wind and water", and serves as shorthand for natural surroundings. Its name implies the study of things that flow, and understanding the flow of ch'i (life energy) is the essence of the art. Feng Shui practitioners can be thought of as doctors of environmental disease, diagnosing ch'i circulation and prescribing remedies to resolve imbalances and to enhance positive qualities.

A mystical blend of art and science with roots in ecology,aesthetics and philosophy, Feng Shui is a practical technique for improving quality of life, drawing as it does upon the wisdom gleaned from thousands of years of observation of natural law. Its objective is to bring people into balance with their surroundings; to create harmonic,protective and supportive environments for human activity.

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Feng Shui is thought to have been in existence for 5 thousand years, although the first written reference to it appears in the Han Dynasty, around 200 BC. It was initially developed as a means of finding the most fortunate burial spot for emperors. Today, of course, Feng Shui is applied mostly to the dwellings of the living, and is enjoying a substantial revival abroad. It is also enjoying a surge of popularity in this country: last year there were over 100 books on Feng Shui published.

Feng Shui honors the Earth and Her inhabitants, our deep inter-connectedness and the sacredness of all dwellings. Aligning our environments with the flow of ch'i can enhance personal health and happiness and increase the likelihood that our lives will be forever improved.

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Mary Boudreau is a Practitioner Member of the Feng Shui Guild and has a diploma in Feng Shui Studies from the Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design in New York. She can be reached at Sacred Space Feng Shui (303-527-3300).

The Daily Progress

"Some say it's a cure for disease. Others see it as simply: Feng Shui"

March 28, 1998

By David A. Maurer
Daily Progress staff writer

Many people have been in houses or rooms that made them feel so ill at ease all they could thing about was leaving.
Then there are places that seem to have a calming effect and makes on feel relaxed and comfortable.

Why the difference?

Mary Boudreau thinks it has a lot to do with balance and being in tune with the harmonies of the natural world. She believes nature's balance wheel and tuning fork can be found in an ancient Chinese art of placement and design - feng shui.

Devotees hold that feng shui, pronounced fung schway, can not only bring harmony to one's home, but can also help to attract wealth, success, health, happiness and good fortune. It's all a matter of repelling negative energy called sha, and attracting positive energy called chi.

"What feng shui means is wind and water, a kind of shorthand for natural surroundings," said Boudreau, a feng shui consultant and owner of Sacred Space Feng Shui.

"The three basic principles of feng shui are everything is composed of energy, everything is connected and everything is always changing in cycles. The energy of life, the cosmic breath, is called chi.

"We're in a sea of chi all the time. Once we understand the underlying principles that govern how this energy moves in a particular space, it's much easier for us to align ourselves with that energy so we can magnify the positive aspects and reduce any negative aspects of that energy."

This evening from 7:30 to 8:30, Boudreau will present a seminar at Barnes and Noble focusing on feng shui and the energy of spring. During the free program she will cover the history of the system, how and why it works, and why spring is an ideal time to start apply[ing] the principles of feng shui.

"Spring has to do with rebirth, renewal, growth and new energy," said Boudreau, who lives near Sperryville with her husband, painter and illustrator Ned Bittinger.

"In order to make way for the blessings of the new season, we engage in the ritual of spring cleaning. The fact that we do this shows that we are connected to this cycle of rebirth.

"In feng shui we are trying to bring balance to ourselves within the environment. It's an intuitive art, a healing art that combines good design, scientific principles and thousands of years of observation of natural law."

For millennia, the Chinese have studied and arranged man-made and natural objects in ways that would maximize their harmony with nature. Much like artists have learned that odd-numbered rather than even-numbered objects in painting are often more pleasing to the eye, feng shui masters have discovered certain patterns and arrangements in homes and buildings are more pleasant to the senses.

Boudreau became interested in feng shui when she happened to come across a book on the subject 10 years ago.

"I was fascinated by the book and very excited because it was a very holistic way of working with the environment that went beyond traditional interior design, color theory or landscaping," said Boudreau, who is a graduate of Penn State University and has studied Oriental philosophy since 1977.

"Because feng shui deals with energy that can't be seen, some people might see it as a 'woo woo' thing of think it's magic or smoke and mirrors. I think healthy skepticism is a good thing.

"Often when I'm working with people in a space, we can do some simple things right off the bat that will let them notice a change in the energy.

"This can be accomplished by simply letting in some light, placing different colors in a room or rearranging the furniture."

For years Boudreau studied every book she could fine on feng shui. At first there were only a few, but as more Westerners discovered and started to practice the ancient art, the number of books have grown.

In 1996 Boudreau attended a two-week certification program for feng-shui in Virginia Beach. Her teachers were James Allyn Moser and Seann Xenja, both followers of Lin Yun, the Chinese feng shui master who is considered by many to be the world's leading authority on the art.

There are several different schools of feng shui. The feng shui approach Boudreau practices is called the Black Hat Tantric Buddhist system.

The black hat system is sometimes called the pyramid approach because what it does is take and use information from all the schools that came before," Boudreau said.

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"It's much more accessible to Western practitioners and audiences because it's more intuitive. It also incorporates our modern gifts of observation and scientific methodology.

"One of the things I will do during the seminar is give people a little test to show them how much they already know about the principles of feng shui. I like to encourage people to honor and trust their own intuitions."

Feng shui consultants like Boudreau use "cures" to correct imbalances and alter, moderate and raise chi in a person's home or office. Included in the nine basic cures are mirrors, sounds such as wind chimes and bells, living objects such as plants in aquariums or fishbowls, and other objects such as fountains and stones.

Mirrors are considered one of the most powerful cures and have been called the aspirin of feng shui. Mirrors are said to be able to counteract or cancel out bad influences while creating a feeling of space.

Multifaceted, spherical crystals are also suspended in rooms to diffuse sha and adjust the direction of chi.

Things, like prayer flags, are thought to activate chi and a bamboo flute when used as a pointer can focus this positive energy.

After receiving her certification, Boudreau first started using her knowledge to help friends and family members. It didn't take long before strangers were getting in touch with her and seeking her advice.

Boudreau now does feng shui consultations for people and businesses.

"The people actually do the installation of the cures, but I show them how to do it. We discuss how to seal the cure with a blessing, a prayer, or some personal affirmation they might want to make."

Boudreau said feng shui practitioners can be though of as doctors of disease They diagnose chi circulation and prescribe remedies to resolve imbalances and enhance positive qualities.

Last year Boudreau served as feng shui consultant to Susan Hoffman and Michael Biniek, owners of Belle Meade bed and breakfast near Sperryville.

"We wanted some energetic help with our place for prosperity and energy flow," Hoffman said, "Mary gave us many suggestions and recommendations on hot do this, and over time we're implementing these changes.

"So far we've changed our entrance to make it more harmonious by adding plants. We've also created a prosperity corner in our family living area.

"The changes we've made seem to have had a nice effect on the energy, and our prosperity and business has improved significantly since Mary was here. We really enjoyed working with her and the experience was both fun and helpful."

Today feng shui is applied mostly to the dwellings of the living. But it's believed to have originated as a way to find ideal burial sites for Chinese royalty.

A blindfolded feng shui master would first run back and forth over the proposed burial site several times to get a feel for its natural features. After the blindfold was removed, he would look around for visual clues that would indicate the site was good or bad.

If a nearby hill would look like a dragon, that would be considered good. But if animals in the area were skinny and scruffy looking, that would be a bad sign.

In modern feng shui, the shape of the driveway leading toward a house and the front door and entrance way is considered one of the most important elements in the home.

The proper placement of a bed and a kitchen stove and the arrangement of furniture are all thought to enhance the flow of chi.

According to Boudreau one thing that can dam up the flow of positive energy in a home is clutter. The expression, "This mess is making me crazy," gives some credence to this notion.

"One of the first things I learned in my feng shui certification course was what we laughingly referred to as the garage sale cure," Boudreau said.

"Many people hang onto everything, and in time we have clutter on our clutter. Give away the clothes you don't wear anymore, get rid of the stuff you no longer use or need to throw away and the old letters from the relationship that didn't work.

"Everything has and holds energy. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to surround ourselves with things that make us unhappy or remind us of a past that perhaps wasn't good."

For consultation information, Boudreau can be reached at (303) 527-3300.