Hi everyone, 

I'm re-visiting some key points from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I feel like I'm at a crossroads in my life. I'm in a new state, trying to navigate what my life is going to look like from here on.

She suggested doing a daily ritual of asking 3 questions for your inner journey. So I started this yesterday and I'm going to do this for the next several months. If you are feeling like I am, I challenge you to do the same and let's compare notes as we see changes. I follow the questions below followed by a bit of my own feng shui wisdom.

1) Ask yourself every day what is it that you really really really want? It might change from day to day, but what you focus on grows. Only ONE for now. We might want several things but the things you want should improve your life and at the same time help others. It's not about a new coat or a new pair of boots.

2) What was the happiest moment of the day? This is something you will answer at the end of the day. Yesterday mine was that after not having enough sleep due to the time change (my cat doesn't understand the time change of extra hour of sleep), I laid on my sofa in the morning with the fireplace on and took a very nice nap. Rest is not an inactive moment. It's restoring your energy. Wisdom cannot enter your consciousness if you are always doing doing doing or fretting about not doing.

3) Refine your Mantra. Whatever negative thought is going on in your head and repeating it over and over on a daily basis only reinforces whatever it is. Example, "I"m fat." Instead, replace your mantra with something positive. I seem to be always fretting that I'm not doing enough every day, as I have a pretty long checklist of goals and things I aspire to do. So I changed my mantra to whatever needs to get done will get done in its own divine timing, and I vow to just tend to the garden to help it grow.

I hope this helps inspire you. If you like feng shui, I have four on-demand seminars on my website that you can either rent or purchase, depending on your budget. I also have several free feng shui tips for your home, radio shows that I've given interviews about feng shui, and free articles you can read.

Go to www.CherylGrace.com for feng shui inspiration.

My Dear Friends,

As I shift my life purpose from being a full-time feng shui design consultant and writer of all things feng shui to devoting my energies full time to my non-for-profit charity, the Sakhile Centre of Learning, sponsored by Legacy of Grace SA, I'm letting you know about my new focus.

In August of 2015, after the death of both of my parents, I traveled to South Africa for a month with the goal of breaking the cycle of sadness I couldn't seem to shake off by myself. I had felt South Africa calling for quite some time, so I know from feng shui to follow my intuitive prompts.

While I was visiting the beautiful South African Drakensberg Mountains, I was in the presence of two wonderful people, Elijah Mbonane, my Zulu Guide, and Cheryl Blackburn, a guide and co-owner of Three Tree Hill Lodge. While visiting the Royal Natal Amphitheater (a World Heritage site) and the Sans Art caves, I had an Oprah moment. I wanted to help Elijah fulfill his dream of starting a pre-school in order to help the Zulu children, ages 1-5, learn English so they could one day attend mainstream kindergarten and continue their education. They didn't have a means to pursue an education and make a difference in the world. They were only hindered by their inability to speak English.

On August 31, 2015, the Legacy of Grace SA Foundation was born. By January 1, 2016 the school was built and up and running in the Zulu Village. I continued to send money and seek donations to buy school equipment, hire an English teacher, build an outdoor playground and vegetable garden, and make repairs on the buildings as needed. Our ultimate goal is to expand the existing buildings and ultimately replace them with more state of the art buildings capable of capturing rain water via the roof and into rain barrels. Currently, the school has no electricity or running water.

Today we have 30 kids in our school. The 3-5-year-olds are speaking superb English and simply loving their education. We also teach them how to maintain a sustainable environment.

In September of 2016, our 5-year-olds graduated from Sakhile and are now attending mainstream school kindergarten. I bought them caps and gowns for their graduation, and they thought they were pretty dresses! But they are on their way to meeting our goals of providing them with the foundation to be kindergarten ready and able to pursue their education by graduating high school and attending college.

So as you can see, it's time for me to devote full time to my fundraising efforts. While I don't possess
Oprah money, I do have Oprah skills, motivation and perseverance to make a difference and leave a lasting legacy, by way of my Legacy of Grace SA.

I am currently applying for 501 (c) (3) non-for-profit status and hosting a huge Silent Auction Fund Raiser to benefit Sakhile Centre of Learning on July 27, 2017, in Hendersonville, NC. While you may not live in the area to attend, it doesn't mean you can't contribute to my charity and leave your lasting legacy.

You can go to www.GoFundMe.com/LegacyofGraceSA and donate what you can spare. 100% of your donation goes to the school. I pay for all administrative costs in addition to my own donations. With the South African Rand exchange rate is about R14 to US $1, your money goes a long way.

If you'd like to keep up with me, please visit my website at www.CherylGrace.com. There is a Legacy of Grace tab that has photos and videos of the school plus a story of how we were founded. Our motto is: If you always give, you'll always have.

My feng shui services will now be on www.CherylGrace.com website which includes:
~Feng Shui Design Consultations by phone. I can teach feng shui lessons, review your existing floor plans and home design, help design your perfect feng shui home by reviewing architect floor plans or answering any of your feng shui questions.
~Feng Shui on Demand: I have 4 seminars available to buy or rent on-demand to help you with your feng shui education.
~Write to me at Cheryl@CherylGrace.com or Cheryl@LegacyofGraceSA.com and I will be happy to help you navigate the feng shui lifestyle or welcome you to my growing list of donors and supporters of the Legacy of Grace SA
~Feng Shui Simply Blog. You can follow my updates on my blog, Feng Shui Simply.
~Free Feng Shui video tips, radio shows, articles and Q and A's on located on my website, www.CherylGrace.com

I thank you for your endless support and I hope you will continue to follow my journey and that I can be of service to you in the future.

Have a magical day,
Cheryl

Buy or Sell Your Home Faster with Feng Shui

FENG SHUI SIMPLY

Buy or Sell Your Home Faster

With Feng Shui

By Cheryl Grace

     Since purchasing a house will probably be one of the biggest financial investments you will ever make, it makes good sense to utilize a simple, time-proven approach. If you are in the market to buy a house, you want to find a home that will reflect your personality, provide your family with safety and comfort, and create a peaceful place away from the stress of the outside world.   Most of us are already practice Feng Shui in some form or fashion; you may just not know it by this term. 

     The use of Feng Shui guidelines to purchase a home is increasing dramatically in the West as people discover that by paying close attention to your feelings and trusting your gut reactions you’ll find the perfect house that reflects your comfort zone.  As you search for your dream house, trust your feelings if you feel anxious in a prospective house and you are unable to relax in the environment.  Feng Shui is all about good balance of colors, shapes, textures and design elements that include finding a floor plan that has an easy flow throughout the home.  Any structure with many tiny rooms, lots severe angles and shapes, and a choppy layout isn’t going to contribute to your comfort zone.

     While there is probably no near perfect Feng Shui home unless you have the opportunity to build it from scratch on an ideal piece of land.  You can avoid pitfalls and deal breakers if you use these Feng Shui tips when looking to purchase a home:

• You have heard it from the mouths of every real estate agent when it comes to identifying what is one of the most important aspects of buying a house…location, location, location!
• You have three main areas of focus; the overall land and the surrounding community, the actual home structure and design, and the individual rooms and floor plan. 
• The priority before you even consider going inside a home is to examine the land and near-by community.  Think of it as spheres of influence.  Drive around the neighborhood and community of nearby shops and restaurants that make up  the personality and energy of the area.
•  Find out from the city or county planning department if there are any proposed developments in your area that will adversely affect your property or desirability of the area where your house sits. 
• Avoid any homes positioned close to churches, gravesites, or mortuaries since feng shui treats these sacred places with their due respect as they are symbols of memorial and funeral services, and final resting places.  If you don’t want to hear the frequent sound of an ambulance or police cars in route, eliminate homes located near hospitals and police stations.
• Once you have selected a house for its curb appeal and been a witness to neighborhood trends on weekdays verses weekends, take the time to observe the landscaping.  Above all, look for mature, natural and abundant foliage. Trees around your home can increase its value by 15% or more.
• Avoid having a view or be near water towers and large storage tanks.  They can be unstable in hurricanes and should they break, can create havoc to anyone located nearby.  Large satellite dishes can send negative energy toward a home and lower its value in the process.
•  Reject any home that direct end of a T intersection, or the direct approach of a cul-de-sac from the road.

     It’s important observe the approach to the home and to always enter through the front door to see if the foyer is open and uncrowded, setting the tone for the rest of the house.  Upon entering through the front door, stairs should not greet you as energy and prosperity descend down the stairs and out the front door!  Look for lots of natural sunlight, combined with a floor plan that is spacious with easy traffic flow and room for both family activities and quiet time.   In addition, a professional Feng Shui consultation will further help you identify hidden pitfalls in each room of the floor plan that could prevent you from experiencing peace and harmony.

It is no wonder that homes with good Feng Shui sell faster.  If you are considering putting your house on the market, Feng Shui methods can be exactly what you need to get the job done…and quickly!  Your goal is to emphasize the strong points and minimize the weak points by staging your home with the “buyers eyes”.  Buyers want to visualize how their furniture, artwork and accessories will look like in this home.  Surveys have reported that a home that is “staged” for sale sell two to three times faster and with a minimum of 3 percent more profit. 

     Therefore, it is important to follow these basic Feng Shui guidelines that rid your home of troublesome areas and instead, create a lasting and positive impression:

• The first step is to eliminate clutter.  The more you eliminate, the faster your house will sell.  This is especially important in the kitchen. If the cook falls in love with the kitchen, you are on your way to a sale!  Once the process of de-cluttering is complete, your home will feel lighter and spacious, and a potential buyer will be able to concentrate on the strong points of your home. 

• Staging a home for sale involves many things, including a good and thorough cleaning, inside and out. Your best allies are fresh air, natural sunlight, optimum lighting, and professionally cleaned carpets, tile, and windows. 
•  Keep furniture, artwork and accessories to a minimum in order to create an easy flow of traffic. 
• Odors and aromas can actually kill a deal faster than you can imagine. Use fresh and simple scents, such as orange or vanilla, to eliminate persistent odors.
• Keep family pets away from open house, or caged during any walk through.  Not all people are pet lovers and you want perspective buyers to focus on your home’s architecture.

Feng shui teaches us how to savor our home, and to live intentionally surrounded only by what brings us joy, positive energy, and a sense of calm.  Use Feng Shui as a fresh approach to achieve a quick and easy sale or to buy the home that assures you that family and relationships will thrive in your newly chosen surroundings.  Even if you are not in the market to sell your home, consider using this philosophy to prepare your home for joyful living now.

Cheryl Grace is a nationally certified Feng Shui consultant and interior refiner.   She teaches, writes and is available for speaking engagements on the subject of feng shui as a tool to reach your life potential and live in your ideal environment.  To learn more about how a feng shui consultation can help you buy or sell a home quickly or help you create an environment that improves your health, relationships or career opportunities, contact Cheryl www.CherylGrace.com

Closet Intervention

Closet Intervention After a long day at work, it’s easy to change into the same comfy outfit every evening and relax in front of the TV or settle down in your favorite chair with a good book. Days turn into weeks, and before you know it you have lost your fashion mojo. We instinctively know that certain clothes and colors can enhance our mood and enlighten our spirit. What you wear is as influential as your home or business décor. After all, your clothing is an outward expression of your authenticity and personality. With the change in seasons, it’s that time to boost our fashion attitude by cleaning and organizing our closets in order to have a working wardrobe that fits and is ready to wear. When the next invitation arrives to attend a luncheon or a social gathering, you won’t hesitate. Every item of clothing, pair of shoes or piece of jewelry is alive with energy. It’s alive because we have opinions about everything we decide to buy and wear. Our selection can either cheer us up or put us into a purple funk. The simple solution is dive into your closet to weed out anything that doesn’t fit or is stuck in the 90’s. Surveys have reported that we only wear about 20 per cent of our clothing 80 per cent of the time. This means our closet is full of clothing just taking up space. In order to discover what you really enjoy wearing, conduct your own survey. Every time you wear something over the next month, put it back on one side of your closet. As your favorites begin to accumulate, look at what remains. Is it the fit, color, style, size or state of repair that keeps you from wearing them? And as you look through your wardrobe, ask yourself if you love it! . If you haven’t worn the item in a year or more, chances are it is no longer aligned with who you are at this moment. Next, try it on. If it doesn’t fit at all, it’s time to place it in the “pay it forward” pile. Don’t get in the habit of holding on to things “just in case.” You want to avoid feeling like a constant failure by hanging onto clothes that don’t fit in the hope of losing those extra 15 pounds. Once you have sorted out the clothes you love to wear from those just taking up space, you can now rearrange your closet for maximize efficiency and organized to enthuse your styling choices. Make it fun to get dressed every day! Eco-fashion include terms such as eco-friendly, organic, green, and sustainable, but it can be hard to tell the difference between a brand that is actually helping to maintain the planet’s resources or just riding the eco bandwagon. Feel-good marketing may not reveal if a company that is claiming to organic cotton, for example, are necessarily honoring labor laws, fair trade practices, and transporting their goods in a way that doesn’t add to environmental pollution. There are, however, simply things you can do to make your wardrobe eco-friendly. When shopping for clothing, choose items that fit you now, are timeless, and don’t not have to be dry-cleaned. Gently worn clothes given to consignment shops are a way to recycle clothes and an ideal place for you to find one-of-a-king vintage clothing. When shopping for cotton fabric, regular grown cotton has been sprayed with pesticides and treated with chemical fertilizers. Choose organic cotton instead. Be skeptical but have an open mind about new fabrics. Donate any clothing to charitable organizations even if there is a small tear or stain. There is always someone in need looking for clothes. Cheryl Grace is a professional Feng Shui consultant and a Hay House author. For more information, call (941) 400-3816 or E-Mail Cheryl@CherylGrace.com

 

2015 Feng Shui Workshops and book signing with Cheryl Grace

    Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life from the Inside Out

Saturday, January 17, 2015 Feng Shui Simply Overview/Book Signing

         Location: Enchanted Spirits, 712 Broadway, Dunedin, FL

         (727) 286-6279 www.EnchantedSpiritsShop.com

         Time: 4pm

         Cost: Free talk and book signing. Books are available for

         purchase now.

Saturday, January 24, 2015 Feng Shui Simply Overview/Book Signing

         Location:  Barnes & Noble 4010 S. Tamaimi Trail, Sarasota, FL

         (941) 923-9907

         Time: 2:00pm Free Talk on Feng Shui Simply, following by

         Book Signing 2-4pm

         Cost: Free to public  Books available for sale now @ Barnes & Noble

Saturday, February 28, 2015 Feng Shui Simply: Room by Room/Book Signing

Location: Elysian Fields, 1273 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL (941) 361-3006

         Time: 4pm

Cost: Free talk and book signing. Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life from the Inside Out are available for purchase now @ Elysian Fields

Saturday, March 14, 2015:  Free Feng Shui Talk and Book Signing

Location: Faces by Dr. Anna, 5872 Bee Ridge Rd. Sarasota, FL (941) 371-7400

          Space is limited. Please call to reserve your seat.

          Time:  11am

          Cost: Free talk and book signing. Cheryl's book, Feng Shui Simply, will be available for sale at the seminar.

Saturday, March 21, 2015: Feng Shui Home Design and Staging

Location: Ringling College of Art and Design, 2700       North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL

          cssp@ringlingcollege.net (941)955-8866

          Time: 9am-12noon

  Cost: $85  Call Ringling College to register Class Code: IC246  Comprehensive course on Home Design and Staging, open to the public and all levels, and particularly helpful to interior decorating, design, and real estate staging professionals. Required reading: Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life from the Inside Out by Cheryl Grace

Blog from Drea Thompson Daughter of Waters! So important!

Mercury Retrogrades 2015 

For later on this month, Mercury is not playing.  January dates and the rest for this year.   Please use this heads up in order to minimize the possible tail spin or should I say tail chasing that can ensue while the retrograde is strongest.

The planet mercury will go into a retrograde period three times because the way the planet is supposed to move and what we see moving are different actions.  When this happens, all forms of communication are off kilter.  To say the least. snail mail, email, cell phone, home phone, speaking to others, speaking to yourself, and don't even think of signing a contract or wonder why negotiations are not going well...

For me, a person who's ruling planet is Mercury, I can only hope that my connection to the planet links me in ways that allow me to embrace it's energy, albeit contrary sometimes.  I will mark these dates and heed it's presence in my calendar year.  Hoping that you doing the same will glean some positively beautiful experiences.  

The retrogrades this year are three times the opportunity to show ourselves, ya know what, we can do this.  Even as that God of Communication does his usual trickery, we can move forward, albeit at a totally different speed.  Take a look below at the days and times when the retrograde turns and when it goes direct again.  Also be sure to notice the planets and remember retrogrades can be felt up to seven days before its onset and sometimes seven days after it goes direct.  Good Luck! We can do this!!! 

January 21, 2015 15:54 GMT 10:54 AM EST 7:54 AM PST	1°18' ↔ 17°5' Aquarius	February 11, 2015 14:57 GMT   9:57 AM EST   6:57 AM PST
May 18-19, 2015 (May 19)   1:49 GMT (May 18)   9:49 PM EDT (May 18)   6:49 PM PDT	4°34' ↔ 13°9' Gemini	June 11, 2015 22:33 GMT   6:33 PM EDT   3:33 PM PDT
September 17, 2015 18:09 GMT 2:09 PM EDT 11:09 AM PDT	0°5' ↔ 15°55' Libra	October 9, 2015 14:57 GMT 10:57 AM EDT   7:57 AM P

Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life from the Inside Out

2014/2015 Book Signing Tour with Cheryl Grace

Friday, October 24, 2014 Meet and Greet and Book Signing with Cheryl Grace

Location: Crystal Cave 1899-B Fruitville Rd, Sarasota, FL (941) 346-6203 

Time: 5-9pm

Cost: Free to the Public  

Meet and Greet and Book Signing with Cheryl Grace, author of Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life from the Inside Out, during Crystal Cave's  First Year Anniversary Event. Have a feng shui question you've been dying to have answered? Here is your opportunity to speak with Cheryl Grace, one-on-one. Feng Shui Simply will be available for sale or you can order from your favorite book store.

Saturday, November 8, 2014 Free Feng Shui Talk and Book Signing

Location: Mystic See, 411 W Dearborn St, Englewood, FL (941) 473-3816

         Time: 2:00pm

         Cost: Free to the public

Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life

From the Inside Out by Cheryl Grace will be available for purchase at Mystic See on 11-8, or order in advance from

         Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Hay House, Indiebound or your local

         book store.

Saturday, November 15, 2014 Free Feng Shui Talk and Book Signing

         Location: The Dancing Crane, 1019 10^th Ave W, Bradenton, FL

         Time: 1pm

         Cost: Free to the public Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life

From the Inside Out by Cheryl Grace will be available for purchase at the Dancing Crane on 11-24, or order in advance from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Hay House, Indiebound or your local book store.

Saturday, November 29, 2014 Free Feng Shui Talk and Book Signing

Location: Books A Million, 6591 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL (941) 922.7804

         Time: 1-3pm

         Cost: Free to the public   Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life

From the Inside Out by Cheryl Grace will be available for purchase at Books A Million or order in advance from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Hay House, Indiebound

2015

Saturday, January 17, 2015 Feng Shui Simply Overview/Book Signing

         Location: Enchanted Spirits, 712 Broadway, Dunedin, FL

         (727) 286-6279 www.EnchantedSpiritsShop.com

         Time: 4pm

         Cost: Free talk and book signing. Books are available for

         purchase now.

Saturday, January 24, 2015 Feng Shui Simply Overview/Book Signing

         Location:  Barnes & Noble 4010 S. Tamaimi Trail, Sarasota, FL

         (941) 923-9907

         Time: 2:00pm Free Talk on Feng Shui Simply, following by

         Book Signing 2-4pm

         Cost: Free to public  Books available for sale now @ Barnes & Noble

Saturday, February 28, 2014 Feng Shui Simply: Room by Room/Book Signing

Location: Elysian Fields, 1273 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL (941) 361-3006

         Time: 4pm

Cost: Free talk and book signing. Feng Shui Simply: Change Your Life from the Inside Out are available for purchase now @ Elysian Fields