obamaforceSwift reader and Amaz!ng Adventure 2 traveller Chas. Hogue brings this item from Debra Duneier, President of Living Home By Debra to our attention. It seems President Obama has another "energy" crisis on his hands:

New President, New Energy

Feng Shui Recommendations for the White House in 2009

We have entered into a season in our history of much needed change. The year 2009 may be the time to consider changes that are obvious to us and those that are esoteric.  In the Western world our way of life is based on accumulating and qualifying data and then analyzing this information to find trends, norms and averages. These are generally studied as a series of unconnected phenomena. Feng Shui and energy practices, have been main stream (sic) in Eastern cultures for thousands of years. The Eastern philosophy is based on the perception that nature is an unending  and a continuous stream of movements that are connected to one another.

Oh boy, here we go again. Western thinking is bad, Eastern thinking is good, and the older it is the better. I guess we should reinstitute slavery, feudalism, human sacrifice, etc. Where does the idea come from that "ancient" translates to "better"? And yes.. we find "e" word again in "energy practices." Ok, let's try an experiment. For the rest of her article, I'm going to replace "energy" with "the force!," as from the Star Wars bi-trilogy. Let's see if that clarifies things...

My goals as a Feng Shui Practitioner is to bring a balance of (the force!) in working and living environments so that the Qi(the force!) in the body can flow freely to connect with the Qi of the environment and bring wholeness.  San Qi which is the (force!) of Heaven, Earth and Humanity must be balanced to create harmony in your life, good health, happiness and prosperity.

So her "goals" is to help me use the force! to bring wholeness. If I don't have "wholeness" now, what do I have? Halfness? Partialness?

President elect Barak Obama will be moving into the White House this month.  The first cornerstone was laid for the White House in 1792. The first President to live there was John Adams in the year 1800, although it was not completed until 1809. So much history is in the White House and (the forces!) from all of those years both good and bad, inhabit this space.  Most will agree that our new President carries a huge responsibility to change things at home as well as abroad and move us into a better place in history. Why not start at home by balancing (the force!) in the White House to enhance and support our new President?

Uh oh, facts! Though Adams did move into the White House before it was finished, it was actually finished that same year, 1800. The 1809 date she refers to is one of the many expansions the edifice has seen over the years. To answer her question: because it's not real.

Born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu at 7:24PM, Barak Obama was born in the Wood Element.  His Four Pillars Chart shows characteristics that will seem quite obvious to us now that we have had some time to get to know him: self-made man, powerful politician, and the strong Metal in his chart is the element of expression, public speaking and inspiration. Born in a 1961, a year ending in 1,  President elect Barak Obama is an East Life person. As an East Life person the directions that would be most harmonious and supporting for him are the south, southeast, east and north. The more we face the directions that align with our own personal (force!) vibrations the the more smoothly life will flow involving our health, career, personal relationships, finances and the ability to make sound decisions.

Ahh Chinese astrology, back from the time when there were only five planets and five elements. Yes, let's go back to that understanding of the world. It's so much simpler, don't you think? As for the rest... personal vibrations, smoothly flowing life, I'll let you make your own jokes.

Entertaining in the East Room is the most supporting for an East Life person.  The most challenging of guests should be easily entertained by our next President in this room. The Red Room for smaller gatherings will give President Obama the Fire he needs to be on top of his game when he needs it the most.

But what if they're in the East Room and are actually facing West? And don't we want the President to be at the top of his game all the time? Maybe he should just take up permanent residence in the red room.

The following is my Feng Shui recommendations for the Obama Family:

  • Change the doorknobs on the doors in the rooms most frequented by the departing administration. If the doorknobs cannot be changed wash them with warm water and sea salt solution. The minerals in the sea salt will cleanse (the force!) and make room for the new (force!) to flow.

Is she suggesting they need to be decontaminated because Bush used them so often?

  • Fresh paint and clearing out of all personal clutter left by the Bush Family.

Why assume the Bush family is going to leave any "personal clutter"? Personally, I wonder if there will be any "o" keys missing from the keyboards.

  • Smudge the property before moving in. Smudge sticks were used by the American Indians to clear out evil spirits. It is a wonderful tool to clear out remaining (force!) to make room for the new. Light dried sage and lavender herbs and let the smoldering smoke travel in all corners of the room especially where (the force!) enters the home by the doorways, windows, fireplaces and electrical outlets.

She actually used the term "evil spirits." I'm sure the White House has seen its share of spirits such as bourbon, gin, and absinthe (FDR put a drop in other drinks), but Bush claims to have given those up. But by all means, let's have the new President walk around the residence that represents the most powerful nation on Earth with a handful of smoldering weeds.

  • Play your favorite music as you move into your new home. The vibrations of this music will be uplifting and bring good (force!) into your new home.
  • As the new resident of the White House, support for your Wood element can easily be enhanced with water. Fish tanks, photographs or artwork portraying water or fountains will be a great addition for you in the rooms facing Southwest, West, Northwest and Northeast. Or you can create harmony in these directions with plants, fresh flowers or the color red, peach or rose.
  • In any room that feels like (the force!) is stagnant or a room that makes you feel uneasy be sure to smudge. Move your chair so you are facing East, and have a wall behind your chair. This is called a Black Turtle and will give you the support and confidence you need when making important decisions. Your future and the future of this country and the world should be depicted in the artwork that you face. This is called the Red Bird and will bring you the future you desire.
  • The year 2009 will bring change for all of us. Explore the tools of Feng Shui used for thousands of years, to create a more harmonious and happier life as we look optimistically into our future.

And after that tapestry of random animals and colors, we're once again reminded that it's thousands of years old, so it must be good.

So what do you think? Should we continue to replace the New Age term "energy" with "the force!?" Did it make more sense?

One of the comments on Debra's page caught my attention:

I want you to know that on the press release about feng shui, you talked about how the bed shouldn't be in the corner. MINE WAS!!!! OMG!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!! So I rearranged my apartment the other night, and I am sleeping much better!
Bill Cresenzo
Reporter
Brokers Weekly

Turns out Bill Cresenzo is a real estate reporter. I'm amazed he can sleep at all.

If Feng Shui represents a real phenomenon, it should be testable. But how to devise such a test? Penn & Teller's Bullshit! tv series had several different Feng Shui "experts" design a room to create maxiumum qi, and to no one's surprise, all four did something completely different.

Care to take a stab at creating a better test? The folks at our forum are at work on that right now.