Manifesting Through Feng Shui: How to Balance Energy, Health & Abundance at Home with Karen McCormick of Graceful Energy

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#25 Manifesting Through Feng Shui: How to Balance Energy, Health & Abundance at Home with Karen McCormick of Graceful Energy

What if your home was either supporting your energy… or quietly draining it?

That’s what we’re jumping into today.

In this episode, we’re diving into Manifesting Through Feng Shui: how to balance energy, health and abundance at home using intentional, practical, simple shifts in your environment.

I’m thrilled to be joined by Karen McCormick of Graceful Energy, a Feng Shui expert who helps people transform their homes into spaces that truly support their well-being, vitality and growth.  Karen’s interest in Feng Shui started in 2020, she felt like the energy in her home was off. She was initially skepical, but she hired a Feng Shui consultant anyways and the results pleased her so much that she decided to study it and here we are!

We talk about:

• why decluttering is essential for energy flow

• how the Bagua map highlights different areas of your life (wealth & abundance, health, career, love & relationships, etc)

• why the center of your home matters so much for health

• how small daily practices can invite more opportunity and ease into your life & so much more

This episode is jam packed with really easy tips that can be implemented today!

Let’s dive in!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Feng Shui Journey

06:26 Understanding Feng Shui Basics

09:12 The Bagua Map Explained

11:54 Clarity and Intentions in Feng Shui

14:33 Decluttering for Positive Energy

17:37 Common Misconceptions about Feng Shui

20:16 Feng Shui in Different Spaces

23:09 Feng Shui for Children’s Rooms

26:00 Practical Feng Shui Tips for Everyday Life

38:28 Creating Calm Spaces for Children

41:26 Managing Toys and Clutter

43:13 The Impact of Energy on Sleep

43:29 Pets and Their Energy

46:41 Enhancing Financial Abundance

52:40 Health and Vitality in Home Design

54:01 Nourishment and Kitchen Energy

56:12 Fostering Love and Relationships

58:05 Career and Purpose in Feng Shui

01:00:21 Rapid Fire Feng Shui Tips

Mentions

The Calm and Happy Home: How to Bring Good Vibes into Your Home and Life

Simple Shui for Every Day: 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life

Moon & Stone Smudge Spray

From Molly with Love White Smudge Spray

For anyone looking for sage, this is one of my favorite brands- Catherine Rising

Read Transcript ↓

Transcript

Marguerite Buer (03:38) Karen, thank you so much for being on the show today. Karen McCormick (03:41) Thank you so much. really excited to be here. Marguerite Buer (03:44) So can you tell us how you got interested in Feng Shui and just how you got started into it? Karen McCormick (03:49) Yeah, So it was really kind of during COVID. We live kind of halfway between New York and Boston. So my husband, up until COVID, was working in New York City and my daughter was in high school. And then all of a sudden we were all in the house together. And I know COVID was really challenging, but it was nice to kind of have that family time together. But as kind of life returned back to normal, my house just really fell off. and I gave everything like a bit clean and I had a bit of a declutter but it just felt kind of off and sticky and heavy and every time I tried to do something I'd do like hit obstacles or you know things wouldn't work and then the washing machine would leak and then the dishwasher wouldn't start working properly and I was talking to a friend and just moaning about it and she said to me you need to speak to my Feng Shui consultant and my view of Feng Shui at this point, it was very stereotypical, it was kind of everything very clinical, very white, and I really didn't understand what Feng Shui was and I sort of turned to it, I really think that's for me. I said, no, no, you really should talk to her. So I did, and she explained that kind of it's really about working with the energy in your home and creating balance and harmony within your home so that you feel supported. And I kind of thought, you know what, I've tried everything else I can think of, I'll give it a go. I was still really skeptical. and we had the analysis done and I took probably about three or four months to get everything that she told me I needed to put into place in the house. And then it didn't happen like overnight, but it just was almost like our house had had this massive inhale and exhale and kind of released all this sort of sticky stuff. And things just began to work more easily. And the things I've been trying to kind of make progress with, you know, something would appear and someone would call me back. Marguerite Buer (05:27) Yeah. Karen McCormick (05:36) and everything just began to flow again and about six months later I thought you know the house just feels really nice again and things just began to work for my daughter for my husband and it just it really was that sort of magic of Feng Shui. We'd kind of reset the energy, I'd got everything aligned with what we were trying to do so things just began to work I was you know I was really surprised. how different moving things around and putting Feng Shui remedies in place, the difference that made. So that's kind of how I sort of discovered Feng Shui. So then I was like, need to know more. So I did lots of reading, I watched lots of YouTube and listened to podcasts and decided that I would train and become a certified Feng Shui consultant. That's how it started. Marguerite Buer (06:28) that is so cool because usually when people and same with me think about Feng Shui, you just think that it's kind of rearranging and not realizing that it actually can improve your life circumstances if it's done properly. Karen McCormick (06:41) Yeah, and it's, you know, I think it's, I always say to people, you Feng Shui is not going to fix everything in your life. You know, it's not like a fix all, but I think by creating an energetic environment that supports you, just means things are more, even when things go wrong, can, you've got more support. You can sort of come to them with more ease. It's not, you know, it doesn't stop those things happening, but you just feel more supported. Marguerite Buer (07:03) If you want to have like a peaceful, calm inner world, you've got to have that in the environment that you're in the most. So it makes perfect sense when you think about it. Karen McCormick (07:12) I found working with clients. mean, I sort of started with clients. I mean, really it was, I did a couple of friends homes as part of my course. And then, you know, someone would say, know, would you mind doing my friend? So that's kind of how it grew. was like doing friends and it was friends and friends and friends and friends and friends. And then sort of people that, you know, I just were referrals. And I mean, it really started more really to fix our home. I didn't really at that point envisage actually doing it for other people. But I think having helped us ⁓ and then helped other friends, you can really see the patterns and the more you actually can focus on what... It's getting really intentional about what you really want for your life and how you want that area of your life to grow and then supporting that. And it's amazing how many people have then said, you know, I did this and then that happened and then that happened. and then something else happened. It's just, it sort of sets off this sort of train of, you know, opportunities and things that come your way. it's, yeah, it's really interesting how even people who are very skeptical, like I was, I was really skeptical, you know, how it has made a difference and, things that I never thought I would do or have or be able to sort of experience, I have. Marguerite Buer (08:26) Yeah, definitely. know I feel like it kind of falls a little bit under that category of like, I'm doing quotes here, woo woo. And it actually, if you look into it, it really makes sense. let's start at the beginning, like for people, for anyone who's listening who may not know what Feng Shui is, can you kind of explain that in simple everyday terms? Karen McCormick (08:45) Yeah, totally. So Feng Shui really is, it's as simple as balancing the energy in your environment to support you. Feng is wind and Shui is water. So it is about balancing those two elements to basically bring prosperity and abundance. So if you think about origin of Feng Shui, was in China, it's agricultural, it's about having the right environment to grow the crops to be abundant. So it's really about looking at your house. And when I do an analysis of people, I look at the exterior of their house to see whether support energetically is on the exterior. And then also looking at the inside of your house. And every house is unique. So based on where the house is situated, it has its own energetic imprint, just like we So by using the Feng Shui principles, I can assess what's going on energetically in your house. and then we can balance that energy with Feng Shui remedies and those are just based off the five elements. So wood, water, metal, fire and earth. And they're not big things, you it's like changing your whole house. It's about putting in place those small things that represent those remedies and that helps balance the energy. Marguerite Buer (09:58) wow, that's so cool. Okay, so I'm probably not pronouncing this right. How would you explain what the bagua map is? Karen McCormick (10:03) Yes. Bagua, the bagua, the bagua map. That's basically that energetic map. So what you have is we divide your home up into nine areas. So you have the center area and that central area is kind of like the energetic hub of your home. So that's where all the energy radiates out into those other areas. And then you have the eight surrounding areas. And I use a method of Feng Shui called Flying Stars Feng Shui. It's a traditional method. And what that does is it takes the cardinal and intercardinal points of the compass. So north, south, east and west, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest. And each of those areas in your home represents one life area. So for that central area, that would be your health. That's physical and mental health and also like your well-being, self-acceptance. And then the South East, everyone always knows the South East. The South East is wealth, prosperity and abundance. And then you would have like the East is family, community. So what we do is we look at those areas. So let's say a client comes to me and they want to really work on their physical health, we'd really focus on that central area. Marguerite Buer (11:17) Okay, so is it kind of like I know that there is like a wealth corner is that kind of the health corner? Karen McCormick (11:23) Yeah, the centre is like the health corner and then the southeast is the wealth corner. if you were looking, let's say you were starting a new business, we'd probably look at the wealth area and then probably the north area as well, because that's career and business and your life's journey. And then probably also tie in the south, which is fame, reputation and recognition. So you can kind of work with the different areas for your goals and put those remedies in place. to help balance the energy and then that supports your goals and your intentions. Marguerite Buer (11:54) Wow, It's just like something that is so possible for anybody to do. So it's just awesome. what usually surprises people once they start looking at their home through the baguio lens? Karen McCormick (12:00) Thank you. It's quite often, think the nice thing about the Baguio, and what I like about using that is that it gives you an opportunity to really get clear on what you're actually trying to achieve. I think quite often we say, you we want to be happy or we want to be healthier or, but you know, actually what are you trying to really achieve and get really intentional about what you want energetically from your space? I had a client the other day and she's going back to college to retrain. So we were looking at like her North East area, which is like the study and knowledge area. And then she's kind of like, but you know, I'm really worried about kind of, you know, if I do this, what's going to happen to my, you know, kind of the reputation I've built up in my current business. Cause she kind of wants to add onto it. And it's kind of like, you know, it's about getting really clear about kind of what are you trying to do and how does that cross over? Cause I think quite often we have an idea of one thing we want to do. But actually then that falls into other categories as well. And I think that's the thing I find with clients quite often, know, start with one thing and then halfway through that kind of like, yeah, but what about that? And that quite often is something quite different. So she really wanted to kind of grow this side of her business because that's where she felt there was growth in her business. But actually it was so that she could spend more time with family. So you kind of need to tie that family piece in as well. And she hadn't really thought about that because that was really her real. Marguerite Buer (13:09) Mm-hmm. Right. Karen McCormick (13:35) kind of goal for doing the change to her business to allow her more family time. Marguerite Buer (13:40) Yep, that makes perfect sense. And that's so great that you bring up that point too, especially as we enter into the new year. Clarity, there's so many times when I'm trying to think about how am going to set up my new year? What do I want? And it's so easy to be like, I want this, but like you kind of have to have a clear mind so you can really think like picture yourself in that. Is that really what I want? So it's really cool that this is another way to kind of help you gain some of that clarity, not to use the word so much. Karen McCormick (14:09) Yeah, and I think also as you go along with things, things change, don't they? And you achieve things. I hate news resolutions. I hate that whole sort of concept of, know, new year, new new you. And I will say to clients, the Feng Shui calendar works slightly differently. The Feng Shui New Year, it follows the Chinese solar calendar. So the Feng Shui New Year is going to be the 4th of February in 2026. Marguerite Buer (14:14) Yeah. Okay. Karen McCormick (14:33) So I've been saying to my clients now, you need to think about what do you want to release from 2025 and what is it you want to build in 2026? And these things can shift. mean, you can say you want to do something and achieve it by June. So then what in June do you then want to build onto? And that's the nice thing I think about coming back to those nine life areas. You can focus on one thing. If you achieve that, then what's the next thing you want to add on? And you can switch and focus onto another part of. your house or your home for that then thing that you know that next goal that you've got. It doesn't have to be static for a whole you know for a whole Marguerite Buer (15:07) Right. Yeah, right. I agree with that too. It's like we're on a totally different calendar, I think it's Gregorian calendar or something So I love that. But okay, so I'm working on decluttering my house. I'm sure you've seen like, cause I don't think it's recent, but there's been studies like about how clutter. Karen McCormick (15:23) Mm-hmm. Marguerite Buer (15:27) affects your mental health, especially women. And I have two little kids and we have things that really build up in this house, like toys and all kinds of stuff. So I'm working on decluttering what should I prioritize getting rid of to optimize the energy for a successful February 4th, new year? Karen McCormick (15:49) I ⁓ will say to people, know, it's really not a very attractive part of Feng Shui, but the two things that make the big difference in Feng Shui is cleaning, physical cleaning, energetic cleaning, and then it decluttering. everything in our house holds energy, everything we're surrounded by holds energy. ⁓ So really getting very focused on what surrounds you. It's hard for small kids because you've got all the toys and everything. But I really try and say to people, if you can kind of create just small spaces for yourself, pick a space that you have autonomy over, that you can create space and, you know, start with that. And then really looking at what you've got around you, is it kind of helping you achieve what you're trying to achieve? So, for example, if you've, you know, I'm sitting at my desk, if my desk is covered in unpaid bills, and invoices and things that I haven't dealt with then that isn't really going to help me receive wealth and So how you treat like your paperwork, photographs. I had a client recently and we'd done a lot of work on her family area. She's got small children, she was struggling to juggle everything and she's really what we're focused on. And then we were talking about the centre of her house and she said I've got all these old photographs and I said Marguerite Buer (16:48) Right. Karen McCormick (17:09) She their family photographs from previous holidays. And she said, actually, there's lots of them from when I was a child. And we were talking about it and it turned out that she used to go on these family trips when she was young with all her cousins to her grandparents. And it was very competitive. They used to have like these sort of events, like some sort of games kind of event things. And she found that really stressful. And she's got all these photographs in the middle of her house. And I said to him, know, they make you happy when you look at it. which one I used to hate going on those sort of, you know, very competitive trips with my cousins. So we made the photographs and she said, you know, just it felt like in a week, should it just feels different and it feels calm, it should look for a nice photograph of my family on a holiday we had last year where it was really fun and we really enjoyed it. Everything just feels better. So it's being really actually observant about what surrounds you and is that matching you're trying to bring in? Marguerite Buer (18:02) Absolutely. It all boils down to awareness. Totally. Karen McCormick (18:07) And I think when you've got small children, it's really hard to kind of control all that because they have a lot of and they put their stuff wherever they put their stuff. But I do think if you can just create small pockets of space and, you know, at the end of the day, you know, clear things so that you feel the house is calm and peaceful, I think that just all helps support you. Marguerite Buer (18:30) Yeah, I mean, that's a good tip. And I know, too, one thing that I kind of struggle with, with my three-year-old still, she's kind of little, but my four-year-old, know, he, I want him to make a mess, like a creative mess when he's coloring and building with his blocks and stuff. But then I'm also want him to respect his space and his things and his sanctuary, if you will. And so it's like, sometimes hard for me because I don't want to confuse them. like, yes, you can make a mess, but then you have to clean it up. And he's like, well, I don't want to play in my room then if I'm going to have to clean it up. And I'm just like, my gosh, how do I navigate this? Karen McCormick (19:06) very hard also for children because if you think about it, we have very defined spaces in the house where we do things. I've got a very small office, but I work from my office. The kitchen is where I cook and we eat. The living room is where we relax. But actually for children, everything is all in their one room. They play, they sleep, when they're older they do schoolwork. It's all in one space. And I've read a lot. about sort of during COVID, if you know that sort of work life balance where you shouldn't be working in your bedroom and that's a big Feng Shui no no to kind of do anything in your bedroom rather than sleep and rest. I know we all do it, but you know that that energetically you're bringing that energy then into your bedroom, but if you think for children, you know everything is in their bedroom. So kind of trying to create that calm space and kind of keep things soft and gently, you know allowing them the space to play and be creative in the things they want. Marguerite Buer (19:40) I'm so guilty. Karen McCormick (19:58) but also allowing them that kind of that space that is restful and peaceful for them to relax and restore. Marguerite Buer (20:06) Right, yeah, that makes total sense. Or I guess you could probably, like sometimes I put on their little Tony's classical music or something just to be calm for them. Karen McCormick (20:16) Yeah, it's nice at the end of the day, think we all need that wind down, we? That time to kind of prepare for bed. I mean, it's like electronics in the bedroom. I mean, that's the other big no-no that I'm really guilty of. Marguerite Buer (20:27) Yeah, TV or phone. I guess it's kind of like common sense. Like you probably shouldn't be working in your bedroom, but I do all the time. And now I'm like, you know what? I'm done. I'm not going to do that. Karen McCormick (20:38) Yeah, I think it's I mean, I always say to people if you if you can kind of create a boundary around it, I if you do work, mean, sometimes, you know, I sit in the armchair in that bedroom and that's where I'm, you my laptop that's what I'm doing. But I think if you can kind of close that down and create that boundary so that it doesn't carry over to when you go to bed, that is best. Marguerite Buer (20:56) Yes, I agree. So do you have any tips for anyone who is trying to let go of things, but they're kind of attached but they don't actually need it? Karen McCormick (21:05) It's really hard and I know I think I always say to people start, know, decluttering, start with the easy things, start with things that you, you know, I mean, good, good way of starting is like in the kitchen. You know, how many whisks and wooden spoons and measuring cup sets do you actually need? I had four measuring cups sets the other day and I use one. So it's about kind of that duplicates is quite a good way to start in the kitchen. ⁓ Anything that's broken is a good thing to get out of a house that's creating stagnant and negative energy. Marguerite Buer (21:25) Right. Karen McCormick (21:34) So things that are broken that you either want to get them fixed or you want to pass them on. I think I will say to people, if you start kind of with the easy things, but when you get sort of mementos and things that are hard, and I think quite often clothes are quite hard things to get rid of. If you've spent a lot of money on something or you've bought it for an occasion, it's quite hard to part with. I will say to people, it's a good way of creating some space between letting go of the thing is a good way to box it up. Marguerite Buer (22:03) Mm-hmm. Karen McCormick (22:03) So I will say to people, know, box something up, write a date on it, like two months, three months, four months down the line, put a note in your diary and then store it somewhere. You can store it in the attic, you can store it in the basement. If you've got a dry shed, could store it in the shed. And then when you get to that point in your diary, do you really want to keep it? And there are some things where I put them away and I think I really miss seeing that. I really want that. And I'll find it a new home somewhere where I'm actually going to enjoy it. But quite often, I can't even remember what is in the box. Marguerite Buer (22:34) Right, yeah. Yeah, I know sometimes people do like, okay, if I don't wear this in the next year, I'm getting rid of it. For me, what I started to do in my closet is I, if like I think about like the outfit, like if it's a dress or something like, where was I when I wore that? What was I doing? What part of my life was I in? And if it was in something that I'm just like, doesn't serve me anymore, then okay, I guess I'm gonna let this go. Karen McCormick (23:00) it's nice to let things, I think to let things go from your history particularly if you're trying to create you know something new you know does that really align with what you're trying to create? I mean I had old suits in my closet and I haven't worked in banking for like 25 years I'm not gonna wear them again and you know it's just holding energy and I think once you create a little bit of space ⁓ it was really interesting because my daughter was very resistant to clearing out her wardrobe. Marguerite Buer (23:09) Yeah. Right. Karen McCormick (23:29) when she came back from college one year, she suddenly said, you know, I just want to, kind of, it just feels like there's loads of stuff in there that I don't want. and I think sometimes you do have to have that separation of space between actually getting rid of something. So I think, you know, I like the boxing things up or moving things. Also rotating coat hangers. I know it's an old trick, but if you actually rotate the coat hangers, so when you put something back you've worn and then you can see like in a month's time what you've not worn. That's quite a good way of working out what you're actually wearing. But I will say to people, you've still got a tag in it and you've had it two years, you're really not going to wear Marguerite Buer (23:55) okay. ⁓ Yeah. Right. Yeah. good. So I saw on your Instagram that I was like immediately like, no, because this is in my house. I saw on your Instagram, which by the way, for you guys listening, Karen McCormick (24:11) You Marguerite Buer (24:16) graceful.energy on Instagram, you have great tips on there. I love your account. So follow you guys. ⁓ So I saw that one thing you said could disrupt energy flow in the house is when you have a front door that's facing the back door. ⁓ Karen McCormick (24:18) Yes. Okay. Yes. Marguerite Buer (24:33) And I'm like, no, because that's how my house is. But I can't move my doors. So how do I? Karen McCormick (24:37) So what, no you can't. So what happens is in Feng Shui, the energy comes in through the front door. And I always say to people, it's the true front door. doesn't matter which door you use to come in and out of your house. It's the architecturally designed front door. So we never use our front door. ⁓ Our parking space is at the back of our house and we come in and out through the back door. But every morning I come down the stairs and I open the front door. So. just letting that energy in in the morning for like five minutes, two minutes doesn't matter, but just letting the energy in. So if your back door is then facing your front door, what happens is the energy comes in through the front and it goes straight out the back. So what we have to do is slow down and distract the energy. So simple ways of doing that is putting a plant by the front door. Plants in Feng Shui represent the wood elements, that's growth and opportunities and abundance. So having a plant near the front door. ⁓ I haven't actually got room for a plant near the front door, but you can also put a rug. I mean, you want something like round or oval that will just help slow the energy down. A crystal, you can put use a crystal. I've got a big tourmaline crystal by our front door that just helps ground the energy. ⁓ Also, can use a small, you can buy them on Amazon, like a little tiny small multifaceted crystal, which you can hang down from like a light fixture or something. And that will just help. attract the energy and send the energy around the house. Marguerite Buer (26:00) Okay, wow, those are good tips. Those are doable. Awesome. I'm gonna try that and get back to you. Yeah. So what would you say is the most common misconception you see about Feng Shui in modern homes? Karen McCormick (26:06) Yeah, please do. Let me know how you find it. Yeah. I think most people get very hung up on like where their wealth area is. You know, where's my wealth area and I've got to do something to my wealth area. And I think to be really honest with you, it's really about creating rather than putting things in place, it's really about creating that flow of energy around your house to support all the areas. So I will say to people that most, know, the simplest things you can do and this doesn't take very long and it doesn't cost you anything is opening the front door every morning. letting that energy in. It doesn't matter if it's a cold day, a hot day, ⁓ a rainy day, a sunny day, you just want to welcome that energy into your home, even just for a few moments. And then it's about allowing the energy to circulate through. So it's opening blinds and curtains, letting the daylight in, opening internal doors so the energy can go all the way around the house, particularly rooms that you maybe don't use or quieter rooms. So like we've got a living room, we don't sit in there all the time. So that's a quieter room. So I make sure I always open that door to allow the energy into that space as well. Turning on lights will also attract the energy. So if you've got like a room you don't use very often, you just turn the light on for half an hour just to kind of help that energy circulate around. And what we're doing with letting the energy circulate around is we're moving anything stagnant or stuck and we're picking up anything negative. So then at the end of the day, I just open my back door. like five minutes and then the energy goes out so it comes in the front and out the back. Marguerite Buer (27:40) okay. Cause I was going to ask you too. We have our back door open all the time. Like there's a screen just to kind of let fresh air in. I open the windows all the time too. Karen McCormick (27:49) perfect. Yeah, I mean, getting fresh air and light into the house is the easiest way to refresh the energy. And anywhere that feels kind of a bit sticky or a bit stuck, you can always, I mean, I quite like burning incense or a candle. People don't, you can buy really good sage sprays, which you can walk around and spray, especially if someone's like asthmatic or doesn't like smoke. Music, music's a great way of shifting the energy. Marguerite Buer (27:55) Okay. Karen McCormick (28:15) So, ⁓ playing something up a beat. ⁓ Clapping your hands. I'm sorry to people who have got a dark corner, just go and clap your hands. That's a really good way of stirring. You just want to the energy up so it's circulating. The only exception is bathrooms. Bathrooms in Feng Shui are draining of energy and opportunity and wealth. If you think about what we use a bathroom for, it's disposal of waste. So, you ideally want to keep bathroom doors closed. I know that's not always possible, but as much as possible you can keep bathroom doors closed. Marguerite Buer (28:26) Right. Right. Karen McCormick (28:43) toilet lids down. I spend my whole life closing toilet lids. And if you've got plugs that can be, you know, it's seal sinks, that's great. But it's really any dripping water, dripping taps, leaking pipes, those things are draining. So you want to really get on those and get those fixed. But bathroom doors close every other door. ⁓ My teenage daughter doesn't really like having a door open, but I just open it just for a few minutes each day. It's just to get that sort of feel of energy moving around the Marguerite Buer (29:10) Yes, you know, that's interesting that you mentioned that about water because, so my husband, Carl, he kept having these weird things happen with water around the house. Like there were leaks or like we have like a water delivery system and my son knocked over a five gallon glass bottle of water in our foyer and now our floor, like he had to dry it out. he was like, all these water things happening to me? Karen McCormick (29:33) Yeah, water symbolises like the flow, flow of wealth. So if you've got leaks, like that, mean, it can be draining. But yeah, that's a lot of water to clear up. Marguerite Buer (29:36) Hello, okay. Yes. mean, thankfully it hasn't happened in a while, but if we were getting weirded out for a minute, was like five big things. We're like, what is happening? Or he was like filling up the dog thing and forgot about it and it overflowed in our kitchen. Like weird stuff like that. But anyways, so luckily it hasn't happened in a while. So when you first walk into somebody's house, Karen McCormick (30:00) I love that when that happens. Marguerite Buer (30:09) What is the first thing that you typically notice energetically? you go to the center of their house first or? Oh, right. Karen McCormick (30:15) I start with the outside. don't always, I do do like in-person consultations, but I do a lot actually remote. I started doing a lot of, a lot of the first ones I did were in-person and now a lot of them are remote, but I always look at the outside of the house first. Marguerite Buer (30:24) Okay. Karen McCormick (30:32) So with the outside of the house, the energy is obviously coming towards your house. So I look at things like if there's a road, so you have a busy road, if you're on a quiet road, are you living in a city, are you living in a small town? So what energetically is going on on the outside? Because that obviously impacts the energy coming into your home. So we start with the outside and then also what's surrounding your house. So like at the back of your house, have you got like a fence, trees, all these things offer support for the energy. So that's kind of where I start. And then really it is that entryway. I always say to people, if you want a really simple fix of how to get good energy into your home, give the outside area of your house. a good look. Have you got trash bins or what are you storing just outside your front door? If you've got planters, are the plants healthy and growing? If you've got dead plants and leaves and debris, the energy is coming through all of that as it comes to your home. So it's about really getting focused on what's going on on the outside and what are the energies coming into your house, what it's having to go through to get to you. So that's kind of where we start and then yeah it would definitely be looking at the centre, layout of the house. The Feng Shui, the flying star method of Feng Shui, it looks really, it's like an annual energy, it's like a cycle over a year period. So I would look at when the house was built, when you moved into the house, who's living in the house. ⁓ When we bought our house, our house would be known by two older gentlemen. who used it really as a holiday home. They weren't here very often. So then when my husband, my daughter and I and the dog moved in, that energetically is quite different. So who's living in the house? And then what I do is I take the analysis of the stars and that is what gives me that energetic map of what's going on in your house. And then it's about consultation with the client as to what their goals and intentions are. And then we work out which areas we want to focus on. or do we want to do all the areas within the house? So that's kind of how it comes together. Marguerite Buer (32:38) Wow, that is so interesting. What about for somebody who is a renter or in a dorm or an apartment? Maybe that feels limited. Karen McCormick (32:47) Yeah, absolutely. mean, in terms of an apartment, apartments work slightly differently to houses. with ⁓ the house, obviously the energy is coming in through your front door. With the apartment, it's not coming in through the entryway. That sort of entryway, if you've got like a corridor, you've got elevators or stairs, that is kind of an effect your back door. So the energy in an apartment would actually be coming in. If you've got a balcony door or if you've got windows, it would be kind of the way the building is facing the world. So it would be the windows or the balcony door. ⁓ And really with an apartment, it's interesting because obviously you're normally got other apartments surrounding you. So energetically that can be impacting you. So if you are living like a really noisy neighbor and you feel that's impacting you, then that's something that we can work with to kind of create that stronger boundary to feel sort of the energy contained in your But if you like doing like a room share. you can kind of divide the whole house up into those nine areas or you can actually take like your like living space like your maybe your bedroom and you can divide it into the nine areas or you can just kind of focus on ⁓ so i had someone yesterday who's got i think there was like four roommates and we decided that we kind of like focus on her goals and kind of create like a sort of an area on her desk for like her intentions and her goals And we put some tourmaline, which is really good for like grounding. said, I've got mine by the front door, but we've put that like by the entryway to her bedroom to kind of create that grounding and also that sort of protection from the other sort of occupants of her sort of shared Marguerite Buer (34:29) Right. Okay, wow. And so for, you know, what about other areas of your life? Like, does Feng Shui work in a car or even like a purse or a Karen McCormick (34:41) Absolutely. mean, decluttering, decluttering your electronics is really I did a post about some while ago. I really do try and actually declutter my ⁓ laptop and my phone. ⁓ If you've got old things that are aligned with, you know, I've I found a load of old documents. mean, we all have to keep documents. And I think it's important. You know, you can't just go and delete everything you've ever received. But I think it's important to be really mindful. of all the electronic noise you've got coming into your inbox. So going through that regularly, deleting old photographs, like duplicates, things like that. I think that's really important. In terms of, yeah, I do Feng Shui in my car. My car, I've got crystals in my car. I sage spray the inside of my car. ⁓ And also your purse, your money, your wallet. I think cleaning out your wallet or your school bag. work bag every week is really important to get those things out. We've all got those sort of things we carry around like coupons or receipts. Being really mindful of how you're treating where you're carrying your money around, that's what's coming to you. So if you, you know, I always carry cash and I always line my cash up. I've got a small citrine crystal in my wallet, but I always empty out receipts, bills, credit cards. I was talking to someone the other day. who's got a couple of credit cards that were up to their limits. So that is not creating flow, that's creating a block. So moving those credit cards out of her wallet, you can put things that you have to keep that are like sort of receipts, maybe your tax bills. I keep those in a blue colored folder. Blue, in Feng Shui, symbolizes the water element. So that's more calming and will help. dilute that energy. Whereas things like our bank statements, I keep in a green folder for the wood element to create growth. So for like, if I'm doing a new work project, that will go into a green folder. I want it to grow. I want it to be successful. Whereas something maybe that hasn't gone as well, but I need to hold onto it. I'll put that in a blue. Marguerite Buer (36:51) Wow, those are great tips. That's amazing. something just occurred to me too. I save all of my things on an external hard drive and I constantly back up just so I don't lose anything. And I'm thinking I have things on there for like over 10 years. Maybe I'll just like get a new external hard drive and put that in like a safe or Karen McCormick (37:08) not, not, never, I would never say to anyone, you have to clear everything out. I I think when I first found Feng Shui and I thought everything was how to be white and clinical, you know, and I mean, you can see behind me, I've got books, photos. I mean, I like my belongings, but I really think it's important that the belongings you have and the things that you surround yourself with are in line with what you're trying to grow and build and the person you want to be. And I mean, I found I had a pile of old Marguerite Buer (37:12) Yeah. Karen McCormick (37:34) pay slips from when I worked like 25 years ago the other day. mean, why am I keeping them? It's not relevant to what I'm trying to do now. And I think it's hard to get rid of things. I think it's very important to have family photos and things that mean something to you. And people who've passed, people you have fond memories, that's fine. But if something is really making you feel uncomfortable or is not giving you that, Marguerite Buer (37:39) Yeah. Karen McCormick (38:01) feeling of, you know, that nice memory when you have it, when you look at it, I think it's really important to move it. You don't have to get rid of it, but move it and see how that then feels. Marguerite Buer (38:10) Yeah, that's a great, that's a great idea. So back to kids for the parents out there. How does Feng Chui apply to children's rooms and nurseries, for common things that children are challenged with sometimes like sleep or emotional regulation? Karen McCormick (38:17) Mm-hmm. Yeah, think, like I said earlier, I think the problem is they have everything in their Their whole life is in that one room. They don't have that those divisions of space and boundaries like Ouija. So it's really important to create that as much as we can. Feng Shui for like bedrooms, mean, bedrooms really are for rest and So creating a space for them that is calm. I know Marguerite Buer (38:33) Yeah. Karen McCormick (38:53) kids like sort of bright coloured bedding and things, but that can be disturbing their rest and their sleep. So maybe having sort of a calmer, quieter colour that you can put over the bed at night when they're going to bed if they really want the red comforter. Also sort of nice thing to put in children's bedrooms is like family photos and to really acknowledge their achievements. So I think a notice board with certificates and things they've had from school, sports things, so they can really see what they've achieved. The really big no-no is storing things under the bed if at all possible. I know space is often really tight, especially in children's bedrooms, but if you can just store soft, gentle things under the bed, not hard toys, not shoes, and really creating a space for them so they can put... things from their busy day away when they go to sleep. they're not kind of got that, like with, example, like if they're doing maths homework and they're really struggling with it, if that is kind of out overnight on the desk, that energy is then impacting their sleep. So creating a space where they can maybe put their school books, their school bag, their clothes for tomorrow, just clearing as much as possible to give them that space so that when they do go to bed, you know, it's a calm. relaxed environment. Marguerite Buer (40:12) Excellent. That's an excellent idea. You actually answered the other question I was going to ask you What about, would you say like, I know you just kind of talked about this with comforters, we just Christmas, like there's probably so many more toys in houses right now. do you think like parents can balance the toys with the color and the personality without overwhelming the space? Maybe like rotating or something. Karen McCormick (40:34) Yeah, think it's about, I mean, I know it's really sort of difficult to sometimes get kids to actually clear their stuff out. And my daughter, I've got a basement with a lot of boxes in that has her stuff. So I'm not perfect and I've not got it all worked out. But I do think not kind of letting them just have this sort of pile of stuff and actually rotating is a good way of doing that and creating spaces. So maybe. If you're going to do like arts and crafts, maybe you do that like in the kitchen So that kind of they've got that space to arts and crafts in the kitchen. So that's not kind of then carrying over And also I think with toys I try With I know with our daughter I used to try and kind of like pre Christmas have some sort of mini clear out a little bit of what the things she'd got and the things she'd outgrown I'm finding somewhere and being really responsible about actually when we do recycle things. I found some toys like some Christmasy toys the other day and we're really fortunate we have a free store in our village so I took the things down to the free store and I know quite a lot of the charity shops will take some toys but really finding somewhere and passing things on and I think that's good for kids to kind of get into that you know we're passing this on I'm gonna have something you know have something different as I as you get older but I you know it's hard and you don't want they have a lot I mean I think compared to what we have when we were growing up, they have a lot of things. But I think the more you can do to kind of create that separation, so maybe their bedroom, you know, they don't have the really activating noisy toys kind of, you know, in the evening. Maybe they play with those in the morning and then that gets put away and then maybe in the evening, you know, it's more kind of, it's quieter, it's maybe more creative and just calm and sort of leading up to bedtime. Marguerite Buer (42:21) That makes sense. Kind of like Montessori toys in the evening are best. Leap frog toys in the morning. Karen McCormick (42:26) Yeah, just something that isn't, yeah, it's just something that's not so, I think it's the activating. I mean, I think if you think about, you know, the energy of things, and I mean, electronics is really hard and my daughter's now 22, so I didn't have to go through, she didn't have like electronics until she was probably more coming into her teens. But I think, you know, electronics, are really, they are really activating. I know in the evening, if I leave my phone. in my office and I read a book before I go to bed, I sleep much better than if I sit and scroll my phone before I go to bed. I know that. I don't always choose to do it, but I know that. And I think with children, you know, just creating a nice space for them where they do feel calm and protected and safe when they're going to sleep. And I, you know, I think photographs, family photographs by the bed are nice. think Marguerite Buer (42:55) Absolutely. Karen McCormick (43:13) if they've been to like sports things, you know, they've got like, wear sports clothes and things on the floor. All that energy that they've brought in, that's still in their space at night when they're going to sleep. Marguerite Buer (43:22) Right, right. And what about pets? are there things that we can do to kind of enhance their health by Feng Shui? Karen McCormick (43:29) That is a fantastic I just think, we all have energy, they feel energy. I have a really, inherited a rescue dog and she's particularly neurotic and particularly itchy, I would say. And she picks up on the energy in the house. mean, we sometimes... will laugh because you know I'll be having a conversation with my daughter and I think we're having a quite calm conversation and she'll say you know it's getting a bit itchy and the dog you know she's reacting so yeah I think I think they're very much all picking up on the energy Marguerite Buer (46:22) I would like to talk about these four popular categories and just get a couple of general Feng Shui tips for these manifestations. So the most popular one, of course, is going to be financial abundance. So tell us about the wealth corner and how to enhance it for prosperity. Karen McCormick (46:41) Okay. Yeah. So the wealth corner is the Southeast of your home. It's very easy to find the Southeast area of your home. It sounds much more complicated than it is. The best thing to do is to use a compass or the compass app on your phone. And he really wants to start in the center. So the center of your home really is the center of your home. So go to kind of where you think the center is, put your arms out, spin around, and that's kind of your center. So you want to start there and you want to put the compass flat on your hand and you want to turn till you hit the Southeast. then if you walk in that direction ⁓ that will give you the southeast area. I'm always happy to help people if people like have got a rough floor plan of their home and they kind of you know half way there with the compass I'm more than happy to mark things up for people and help them find the but the southeast area it's wealth prosperity and abundance and the first thing we need to do is to give that area a clean a physical clean and then energetically clean either with some incense or soot smoke candle, music, whatever you like, fresh air. Fresh air is a great way just to stir up the energy. And then good things to place in that southeast area. Southeast area is connected with the wood elements, so that is growth. So you can put a plant in that area. If the light doesn't really work for a plant, you can put something green. It can be a green vase, it could be a green sort of pot, it's something ornamental. It could be a jade crystal. Jade's really good for luck and opportunities. And then what I will say to people is it's really about getting intentional. What in terms of wealth are you trying to bring in? So you can write an intention and when we write an intention we always write it in the present tense. So what we're actually trying to get is manifesting is what we've already got. So wealth and abundance flow to me with ease is a really simple easy one. And then you want to put that intention Marguerite Buer (48:23) Right. Karen McCormick (48:30) in that area with your plant or your green object and you can put something that represents wealth to you. I've actually got some money but I've also got a postcard from Rome because we are saving for a holiday to go to Rome at the moment so I've put my postcard of Rome. So and it could be anything, it be a picture of a house, it could be picture of a car, you know if you kind of want you know two weeks off work and that feels like abundance to you, you know put the two weeks you want off on your calendar and say vacation and put that whatever, whatever, you know, it doesn't have to be money. But putting that there. And I also like a crystal. Yellow Citrine is really good. That's a kind of a good crystal for wealth, but also Pyrite. Pyrite's a really nice crystal. It's very bright and shiny, very can do, and that's good for that energy. But it really is about getting the area clean and then getting the energy clean and then putting in place what represents wealth to Marguerite Buer (49:24) I love that. And you know what that reminds me of is you might have heard this because I think it's kind of circulating around social media, but Jim Carrey, how in the beginning of his career, he had put a $10 million check. He wrote it to himself and put it in his wallet to kind of manifest that. whenever he, you know, this was before he was big. So it's immediately reminded me of that. It's really cool. I did have a question too. was wondering. Karen McCormick (49:47) Yeah. Marguerite Buer (49:50) When you're looking for the corners of your house, is it the same up and downstairs? If you have story. Karen McCormick (49:55) Yes it is and actually if you've got so like in our house we've got a basement so like when I put I mean ideally with the Feng Shui remedies if you do an analysis you'd put the remedies on all floors so I've got remedies on all three floors yeah it's the same yeah. Marguerite Buer (50:07) Okay. Okay. and I was wondering this because I have I actually think I saw this on your Instagram too about dried flowers So when we talk about plants because I know sometimes with my plants I'm like, my gosh, some of them will die and like, got to get that out like immediately But I never thought about dried flowers because those are so pretty so it's good to know that that's probably not a good idea Karen McCormick (50:18) Yeah. They're beautiful, but they are dead energy. They don't hold energy and they also do tend to collect dust. So then that's stagnant. That's creating negative energy. I mean, I think it's really about intention. And I had someone the other day who had got a dried flower arrangement from their daughter's wedding. And she said, know, every time she sees it, she remembers that lovely day and her daughter and her husband's relationship. And that is really important to her. And that's very different. to a bunch of dry flowers that you kind of, you know, ornamental and you're just kind of walking past them every day. So I think, you know, again, I'm never going to say to you, you have to get these things out of your house. I'm going to recommend what from a Feng Shui perspective works best, but it really is important to hang on to things if it's something really important to you. But yeah, dried flowers, cactuses, anything really sharp and spiky, that's not creating good energy. You want upward growing plants with nice... Marguerite Buer (51:24) ⁓ Karen McCormick (51:28) green leaves really that's that's the ideal thing you want sorry sorry spiky and there's like sharp and it's cutting the energy Marguerite Buer (51:33) I love cacti. It's okay. ⁓ Yeah. Okay, and so I also read to along with things that can stop abundance or anything, probably is anything that's like broken or just damaged in any kind of way. Karen McCormick (51:53) Broken and damaged items are creating stagnant negative energy and it really is best to move them out. It's difficult, I know people have got their favourite mug or something but it's got chip in it, it's creating negative and stagnant energy so really it's got to go. Marguerite Buer (52:14) Right. kind of like what you just mentioned, even if there was like a chip on the mug, it's like, well, it's kind of like with the dried flowers. If it brings you so much joy and that overpowers it, okay. But if you're just like, whatever, then it's probably best to get rid of it. Yeah, that makes sense. So how about health and vitality? So how does our home impact our nervous system, our stress levels, any sense of safety in the body? Karen McCormick (52:40) Yeah, so that would really come under the center. I think that the center of the home, that's really the hub of the energy. That's really where the energy like spreads out into the rest of the space. So, you know, if you've got the center of your home, the center of our home is our coat closet. And if our coat closet is stuffed full of coats and shoes and it's all kind of just thrown in there, energetically, that's creating a big block. So, you know, clearing things out, keeping space in the centre. The other thing I say about the centre of your home is you don't want to burn candles in the centre of your home on a regular basis. If you're using a candle to clear energy, that's fine. But if you are burning a candle in the centre of your home regularly, then that in fact you are burning through your health, your health energy. Marguerite Buer (53:27) Oof, don't want to do that, that's for sure. ⁓ Karen McCormick (53:29) No, so burning candles in the centre is a bit of a no-no, but it's really about creating space in the centre and being really mindful of what is in the centre of your home. I mean, it's our staircase and our coat closet and the hallway, so it's nothing very exciting in centre of our home, but it's about keeping that area really clear so that the energy can radiate out to the other spaces. Marguerite Buer (53:52) Right, that's similar to our layout too, so that's good. what about in the kitchen? know, does Feng Shui apply to kitchens in our relationship with nourishment? Karen McCormick (54:01) Absolutely. So in Feng Shui the kitchen is kind of where and the stove in particular is where the nourishment and the abundance comes into the house. So I always say to people a really quick easy way to bring in more abundance is to wipe down the top of the oven. I spoke to someone the other day who said they didn't really believe me but they've done it and they've had the two best days in their business ever having done it for two days. But yeah, the stove represents abundance. If you think about the kitchen, so that stove is kind of like fiery energy. And then you've got the sink, which is kind of water energy. And then you've got the fridge, is obviously just like generally they're metal and they've obviously got water from like the cooling system. So you've got all those kind of conflicting energies. So you've got the fire and the water. So balancing that depending on where your stove and your sink are. So if your stove is then facing your sink. then that kind of energy that's going to be imbalanced. So we can balance that by using the wood element because then the water feeds the wood and the wood feeds the fire. Kitchens tend to be quite a, as more a yang, a stronger energy. So it's where we tend to gather. The other thing I'd say about kitchens is knives. Knives, like back to your cactuses and the spikes, knives obviously can cut energy. So if you've got like your knives out on one of those like strips above the ⁓ oven, that will be cutting the energy. So I always say to people it's best to keep knives in a drawer or a knife block so they're not actually out on display. And keeping counters as clear as possible. We all have our coffee machine and I've got a toaster on my counter but trying to keep counters clear, keeping that space so the energy can circulate around. Marguerite Buer (55:39) Yeah, and I always noticed too, our counter space, gets cluttered very quickly because of everything that we have, like artwork and everything like that. And every time I just like take everything off immediately, like my whole being feels better. I Karen McCormick (55:55) Yeah. yeah, I think kitchens, it is just, mean, our kitchen is kind of where we have like, I think every house has like a clutter zone. It's that one space where everything just ends up and our kitchen is like that. Yeah. Marguerite Buer (56:04) Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's easy for it to get like that. Okay, so love and relationships. Karen McCormick (56:12) Love and relationship, so it's kind of two things. One, it's the southwest area of your home. That is love, relationships and marriage. So yeah, it's the same thing. It's giving that a clean, giving that an energetic clean. If you want to write an intention, maybe an intention, if you're looking for a new relationship wanting to strengthen an existing relationship, you can put an intention here. I like... Rose quartz crystals are nice here if you like crystals. I love crystals, I've got them everywhere, but rose quartz is nice. But if you are going to put a crystal in Sarah, you definitely want to have two. One to represent each person in the relationship. And the other thing with love ⁓ is definitely the bedroom. So it's things we've talked about. It's not having things under the bed. If you have to store things under the bed, know, spare sheets, towels, soft things, it's fine. But you really want the energy to able to circulate around the bed. Ideally, the bed would be against a wall with a firm headboard. And also you want to create space. So you really want the bed to have, if you're going to have bedside tables, you want to have one each side and you want space. I was talking someone the other day who was wanting a new relationship and her bed was actually pushed up against the wall. So she could get in and out, but there wasn't actually space for anyone else to get in and out. So energetically, you want to create that space. Maybe a little bit of space in the closet if you're wanting a new relationship as well. Creating space for someone else to actually be in your space. So it's bedrooms as well. Keeping bedrooms really calm and you want that more yin, quieter energy. So dim lights, nice soft colors. You don't want anything too strong on the bed. No reds and purples. You don't want those fiery colors. You want those nice soft colors just to help create that calm, inviting environment. Marguerite Buer (57:57) Those are great, great tips. Yes. And then last but not least, career and purpose. What do you think about that? Karen McCormick (57:59) Yay. and purpose. So that would come under the North. The North is career, business and life's journey. But I like to kind of include other things in within that as well. So I mean that you can, in terms of like your career, for like my business, for growing my business this year, I will put an intention in the North. But I'll also incorporate the South because that's like your reputation. recognition and fame and I will say it's not like Taylor Swift fame, it's kind of fame within what you're doing. It can be Taylor Swift fame, but it's more the fame and recognition in what you're trying to do. So yeah, it's really about getting intentional about what you want. So in terms of my business, I would probably write down, know, that sort of, you know, what my goals are for like clients and, you know, consultations and like growth on Instagram, know, those things getting really kind of what is it you want to bring in? Marguerite Buer (58:31) Right, right. Karen McCormick (58:52) and then writing those intentions and placing those in those areas. But you can use nice visuals and things for that too. So my daughter at the moment is applying for internships this summer. So she's taken some photographs of the places that she'd like to go and work, know, and written about that sort of the internship, what she'd like to achieve and putting that in that area as well. And can involve your children. It doesn't have to be just one person in the house. So like my husband, I'll ask him what his goals are for work. My daughter, what her goals are for next year. And you can include everybody, even little kids, what do they kind of want? If they're doing a studying for an exam or something, you can incorporate that as well. Marguerite Buer (59:29) Right. Okay. So like my little boy wants to learn reading. that's good thing to implement too. I love that. Karen McCormick (59:36) That's so exciting. love reading. Actually, I'm not a good I'm not I say I love reading. I do like books, but it was never my thing. I was never really into books, but my daughter is hugely into books and she reads a lot. Yeah. Marguerite Buer (59:48) Yeah, that's how me and my husband are too. Carl's like doesn't really he'd rather listen and then I'd rather read. So okay, let's do a rapid fire. Five to 10 seconds to answer these. One thing listeners can do today that would instantly improve energy in their homes. Karen McCormick (59:57) Okay. Open the front door. Marguerite Buer (1:00:07) One Feng Shui shift people can make today without buying anything. Karen McCormick (1:00:12) wiping down your oven that's stafetop Marguerite Buer (1:00:16) If someone can only Feng Shui one room, what would it be and why? Karen McCormick (1:00:21) bedroom because I think rest and restoration and that piece, that is the most important thing we can give ourselves. Marguerite Buer (1:00:29) What is the most common household item that people don't realize drains energy? Karen McCormick (1:00:33) Clutter. Marguerite Buer (1:00:35) Okay. Last one. One daily habit to keep energy flowing and support manifestation goals. Karen McCormick (1:00:42) Opening the internal doors of your house and letting the light in. Sorry, that's G. Marguerite Buer (1:00:47) Yeah. And do you have any beloved books resources that you want to share? Karen McCormick (1:00:52) have two. I actually dug them out. I have this one here which is the Calm and Happy Home by Kimberly Gallagher. I did one of her workshops about a year ago and she's really, she really is a great Feng Shui teacher and she just has a really good approach. It's very modern day, it's not, it's not too woo-woo, it's but she's just really and it's very achievable. Marguerite Buer (1:01:00) wow. Karen McCormick (1:01:17) There's good tips in the book, it's very straightforward and it's great if you just want to get a really good understanding and work with your home. And then the other book I have which I love is called Simple Shwave Everyday and it's by Amanda Gibby Peters and this is just like a little thing you can do every day and they're great again. It's little tips, she has a load of content, she has an amazing blog. I did a workshop with her back in the summer. She's just really interesting and just very approachable. And I think the thing about Feng Shui is sounds, because it is so old. And if you buy some of the really sort of more traditional books, is very complicated and it just feels very unachievable. And that's the thing I think that I really have enjoyed learning about is how you can actually apply it to modern day living. And in a way where, you you're not having to throw out everything you own and start again. It's working with what you've got, the space you've got. Most people don't have a square or rectangular house, there's bits missing or our front door opens onto the stairs, which in Feng Shui is a no-no because the energy goes straight up the staircase. But it's about working with what you've got. We can't all flip our houses so they face a different direction. It's about being realistic. Marguerite Buer (1:02:26) Right. Right. you know, I I didn't know like a whole lot of Feng Shui until I was like, I need to declutter this house. And so I started looking for tips and that's how I came across you. And I thought that your posts that you do make it so much easier to understand. And speaking to you on this podcast too has helped me understand it even more also. And it's just kind of like, whoa, I can't believe I'm just learning this. I wish I had been doing this. Karen McCormick (1:02:50) Yeah, I think that I mean, that's really why I started the Instagram. Instagram is not something that I'm particularly I don't find it very easy. I don't think the post that it's complicated. But I think it's a really good way to connect with people. And I always try and answer questions. mean, people send me a question. I do try and answer it. And I'm like happy, know, someone sends me a floor plan. And then you don't need to to the expense of having someone, you know, draw up a floor plan. It can be, you know, you can write, you can draw out a piece of paper. It doesn't have to be to scale, but just to give you the idea of where the areas are. You know, I'm always more than happy to sort of share my knowledge and what I know and help people. you know, I know an analysis is a big expense and it's a big time commitment. You know, you're not just I mean, it's not just giving you a to do list and you've been put everything in place and it's done. It's about, you know, cleaning things. It's about clearing the energy. It's about getting really working out intentions and decluttering. There's a lot to do with it. And that's not, you know, not everyone wants to five months, six months kind of do going through a whole process. But I think there are little things that we can all do that make things better and, you know, that can help and support us and just shift the energy in a good way. Even moving the furniture. I'll say to someone the other day, know, if you're walking to your living room, just move everything an inch. That will stir the energy up. change it. Marguerite Buer (1:04:08) that makes perfect sense. So how can people work with you and where can everyone find you? I know we talked about your Karen McCormick (1:04:15) So Marguerite Buer (1:04:16) a little bit. Karen McCormick (1:04:16) I'm on Instagram and that is graceful.energy. I have a website, thegracefulenergy.com. You can email me, it's Karen at thegracefulenergy.com. I offer packages in terms of analysis, but I also offer calls for anyone that's got questions. I can do a half hour or an hour and you can just ask me questions. I always send a follow-up email with what we've discussed. and I'm happy people just want to reach out on Instagram with a question. I try and answer questions I try and be very sort of available as much as possible. But you know, the analysis is I offer sort of two levels. One is if you've got like a particular life area you want to work on. So for my client who wanted to, you know, I've got a client last week. who is looking to get a promotion at work. So we were looking at how we could, know, energetically support that. And then the other option on the analysis, rather than just focusing on one area is to do the whole house. And that's good if you're kind of, you if you've moved to a new house or you're in a house and it feels a bit stuck, well, things have changed. mean, energetically for us, obviously, everyone being in the house in COVID, the house was just full of energy. And that's just why it felt stuck and sticky and heavy. But then obviously when my daughter went off to college, my husband went back to working in the city. You know, it's just back to being the dog and I, it felt weird. And, you know, by rebalancing the whole house, I've got it back to feeling energetically good. Marguerite Buer (1:05:38) Yeah, and you know, that just kind of brings up, I just was wondering this really quick. I used to live in New York City and it's like insane there. Does your husband kind of like, when he comes back, does that energy come with him in the house? What do you do to... Karen McCormick (1:05:50) Absolutely. Yeah. And actually I've got a really good, little tip actually. And especially after the holidays and we've all had people in and out of our house. If you had that kind of sort of everyone in the house and I do this, my husband knows I do this, you can, you can, I say too much a lot, especially when he leaves, especially when he comes and especially he's working from home this week. So at the end of this week, he'll go back to working in the city and my daughter will go back to college. So I will say as much of the house. Marguerite Buer (1:06:07) Yeah. Karen McCormick (1:06:15) But a really simple, easy thing to do, and I think I've done a post-process, is a salt cure. And you can just take a bowl, and it doesn't have to be a fancy bowl, just be a regular bowl, and put salt, just like regular salt. You don't want to use table salt because it's been very refined, but you just kind of want like sea salt, that's like sort of crispy, chunky salt. Or you can use Himalayan salt, you can use Epsom salt, you can even use rock salt, but you just want a bowl of salt. Marguerite Buer (1:06:31) Yeah. Karen McCormick (1:06:40) you can leave it out in the middle of your house or on the kitchen table overnight and that will absorb negative energy and it just helps clear but you need to then get the salt out of your house and I get into trouble with this because I tip the salt I've got a gravel drip line outside our house and I tip the salt outside but don't tip it in the garden because I know it's not good for the soil Marguerite Buer (1:06:46) ⁓ that's such a good tip. Karen McCormick (1:07:02) So you can either flush it down the toilet, can rinse it down the sink or you can put it into the garbage and then just take the garbage out. But the salt will absorb anything negative so you want to get that then out of your house. Yeah, but the salt cures really good. You can actually, put quite a few, if I've got essential oils, if I kind of feel the house feels in need, like this week I'll use like lemon oil because that's kind of zesty and it kind of makes it smell a bit. Or you can use like lavender if you want a bit of calm. But if it's good, if you've had sickness in the house, Marguerite Buer (1:07:13) Wow, that's such a good idea. Karen McCormick (1:07:30) If you've had a row or an argument, I've just been like friction over the holidays. If you've had a lot of people in the house, if it just kind of feels a bit heavy, know, assault cures a really good way of clearing the energy. Marguerite Buer (1:07:43) well, since Carl's sick, you know I will be doing that when he's better. And I was going to ask you one more thing too. was curious. I actually just got some sage spray not that long ago. I think the brand is from Molly with Love, I think. But do you have any favorite brands of good sage sprays? Karen McCormick (1:07:47) Absolutely. I've got a really good sage spray. It's ⁓ sorry, it's on my desk. It's Meen and Stone. They sell crystals, two lovely ladies and they do a smudge spray and this one smells lovely. I like that one. Yeah. Marguerite Buer (1:08:12) I love it. Awesome. I will post that on the Instagram too. Karen McCormick (1:08:15) Thank you. Marguerite Buer (1:08:17) Well, I just want to thank you so much. It's been so fun talking to you. This is so interesting and you explained everything so well. think the listeners are going to resonate.

• ABOUT THIS GUEST

  Karen McCormick has always been curious about energy, but her true passion for Feng Shui began over five years ago after a profound shift in her own home. What once felt like a peaceful family haven suddenly felt off and challenging during lockdown.

  Initially skeptical, she worked with a Feng Shui consultant and was amazed at how simple adjustments transformed her space, creating a sense of balance and calm. That experience inspired her to become a certified Feng Shui consultant, helping others create environments that nurture clarity, harmony and well-being.

  As her exploration of energy continued, she was drawn to Reiki, where she experienced it’s healing effects firsthand, and became a certified Reiki practitioner. Today, she supports clients in the U.S. and worldwide in creating balance in their homes, workspaces, and within themselves- so they can enjoy spaces that feel aligned, peaceful, and truly supportive.

  👀 you can find Karen:
  
  + on the web thegracefulenergy.com
  + on instagram @graceful.energy
  

👀 you can find us:

🎥 watch → youtube
👂 listen → spotify, apple podcasts, amazon music & iheartradio
💌 read → substack (weekly emails & all the extras!)

🤩 follow along with us on our socials!
instagram → @crunchypod
facebook → crunchypod
tiktok → @crunchypod
youtube → @crunchypod

📝 on the web → crunchypod.com
🛍️ shop merch → unapologeticallycrunchy.com

💫connect with karl → instagram.com/uncommonstandpoint & uncommonstandpoint.substack.com

💜 peace, love + CRUNCH!