McCain is a Rat and Obama is an Ox -- Whose feng shui is better for America?

Recently, I have been asked about my feng shui pick for president. Emails have come in asking some simple questions about the candidates and I couldn't resist answering some of those questions here on this blog.


1. Using feng shui as a predictor, does McCain or Obama have the better chance of winning the election?

Please note: My answers are based purely on the principles of feng shui and should not be taken as my personal opinion.

In feng shui, there are six types of chi (qi) beginning with ripening chi followed by growing chi, improving, declining, dead, and killing chi. Each has its own energy. John McCain is a rat in the Chinese zodiac and 2008 is a rat year. McCain’s energy surged in January of this year as the Year of the Rat started but is declining as the Year of the Rat closes.

Obama was behind Hillary Clinton at first but quickly began catching up to her as the year progressed and as her personal chi began slowing. Last year was the Year of the Boar and Hillary is a boar in the Chinese zodiac. Therefore, it made sense that she was the forerunner in 2007 but as her chi declined, Obama's was ripening.

Obama is an Ox in the Chinese zodiac and as the Year of the Ox approaches, this is making his energy ripen. Ripening and growing chi is the best chi and declining or dead chi is the worst. Furthermore, each candidate is an example of their respective annual chi. For instance, Obama is a younger man and personally has growing chi. McCain is an older man and has declining energy. When these feng shui factors are put together, Obama seems the clear winner and the polls seem to indicate this as well.

2. Would the world and the United States benefit more from a Obama or a McCain presidency?

Looking again at the type of energy that each man possesses, we are more likely to see a more positive outcome in America and the world if Obama is elected as his energy is new and fresh. Obama’s zodiac sign is also a plus. As an ox, Obama will be able to push through the current economic problems and get them resolved and behind us. This is part of the benefits of being an ox, and Obama has shown his ox tendencies throughout his life and career, to be able to push past criticism and get down to creating real accomplishment in his life.

Because he is an ox, the sign that follows the rat, we would be moving forward as a country and in the world. Obama has said that he will create a dialog with nations that America has had chilly relations with and creating a warmer reception in the world is important for America. McCain, as a rat who is ruled by water, is more fluid in his responses and more reactive.

McCain has many fine and wonderful qualities and has been an outstanding Senator and American hero, yet his energy does not support creating change for America the way that Obama’s does, or for stabilizing our country, which helps the whole world. With McCain we would more likely see more of the same kind of administration and adherence to the past ways of doing things in keeping with his declining chi.

Part of the problem we have had in our economy was because of the negative tendencies of greed. These are also some of the negative qualities of a rat, which McCain is. I don’t know that his presidency would tend to stabilize the economic problems in our country or the world because he’s more likely to be materialistic as a rat and would be more inclined to avoid regulating industry, such as the investment and banking industries.

Based solely on feng shui, Obama’s ox qualities are a better choice to get us out of the economic mess that we are in and shore up our standing in the world. Obama has already stated his interest in putting more into America's infrastructure, which is a very ox-like quality.

Like the WPA of the Great Depression, FDR lifted America by reinvesting into our infrastructure, and many of the improvements made by the WPA stand today. This will put the emphasis back on America versus spreading ourselves too thin and weaking the energy of America as we have in the past administration.

Feng shui relies on the concentration of energy and by compounding energy into our nation, we will help to lift ourselves and the world. Of the two, Obama has improving chi -- that matches with his desire to improve America -- which leads me to feel more confident in Obama’s presidency than McCain’s with his declining chi.

3. What does feng shui say about the vice presidential picks Joe Biden and Sara Palin?

According to feng shui, McCain and his vice presidential running mate, Sara Palin, are at odds energetically. Palin is a rabbit and has wood energy. This drains McCain because her wood energy exhausts McCain’s water energy -- think of how a plant drinks water. If McCain were wood and Palin were water, then the partnership would be better and more supportive for McCain, which is the optimum arrangement.

Obama and Biden are a harmonious pairing. Joe Biden, is a horse in the Chinese zodiac and has fire energy. His energy is productive for Obama’s earth energy because fire creates earth; think of a volcano (fire) spewing out lava (new earth). They make a better pair than McCain and Palin and, thus, their energy would be better-suited for the presidency. Of the two candidates for president, Obama has better chi, which leads me to feel more confident in Obama’s presidency than McCain’s.

4. What should Americans know about this current election?

That it's good feng shui to vote -- regardless of the candidate you choose. The mere act of voting and putting energy forth into our country will invigorate it no matter which candidate is elected. We have a precious right and all Americans should exercise it so that their will is known and so that America's energy is reinvigorated. Personally, I am having an election party at my house to celebrate our collective American voting effort!

Las Vegas Workshop Scouting Trip

If you're a reader of my online newsletter, the Red Lotus Letter, you'll know that I have an incredible two day feng shui workshop that will help you use feng shui more effectively. I'll be teaching participants everything they need to know about the Year of the Ox and how to make this year an incredible success.

I have an admission: my husband and I have traveled all over the world together, but this was our very first trip to Las Vegas together. We thought we'd spoil ourselves a little, so Tim and I stayed at the beautiful Four Seasons hotel that sits on top of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino. It's a quiet oasis of comfort and plush, refined beauty. One of the things we noticed prominently at the Four Seasons and at many of the upscale hotels around Las Vegas were the beautiful flowers.

Feng shui and flowers

Flowers are wonderful representations of wealth -- and of romance -- perfect for "sin city" where the vibe is definitely sensual! The flowers created an air of beauty and loveliness in all the hotels. By far, though, the Bellagio has the most magnificent flowers and greenery displays.

This is me next to an arrangement of flowers in the Four Seasons Hotel. The purple orchids were the most vivid shade of purple. All those pinks, lavenders and purples matched the dress I was wearing, too! It was so nice of the Four Seasons to coordinate their flowers to my attire!

Greenery creates growth and beneficial yang energy

The Bellagio has an amazing conservatory with stunning floral displays. What I am very excited about is when we go on a walking tour of Las Vegas as part of the Year of the Ox worshop.

Don't forget: I'm taking everyone who registers for the Year of the Ox Workshop out for a great meal in a wonderful restaurant with fabulous atmosphere and then we're going on a feng shui walking tour afterwards!

The Bellagio Conservatory will definitely be on the agenda because every year they do a tremendous job of preparing for Chinese New Year. For our visit in October, they had a beautiful and imaginative Fall Floral display that was magnificent. Notice the tree at right has a face. The face moved and looked alive.

There is also a walk-through arbor whose displays change with the seasons and holidays.

As you can see, Las Vegas has plenty of natural beauty.

This -- and the amount of feng shui that I see when I'm there -- is always a surprise to me. Many people might just see the casinos, gambling, shows and emphasis on the seedier parts of Las Vegas, but there is much more to it than just the "usual" tourist traps.

Lots of feng shui

There is a strong emphasis on feng shui in Las Vegas that tells me they're are really paying attention to how the environment plays a role in how patrons feel -- and spend. There is one hotel that is extremely negative, and judging by the low number of customers, everyone else can feel it, too. The shape of this particular hotel is very negative. Unfortunately, the energy emanating from this hotel affects the hotels around it.

If you sign up for the workshop, you can bet I'll give you a full "feng shui tour" of the Las Vegas strip. That's because when you see the examples of feng shui in such a large way, you understand the principles much better. I can't wait to talk about each of the hotels and why some are doing great -- and others are barely hanging on.

Here's an example of a hotel that understands feng shui -- and puts it to work!


Notice how the doors are revolving. There are three of them (the number of growth) and their spinning creates activity at the front of the hotel -- and notice the ring in the center on the ground. Again, this invokes the energy of a circle, which is moving and yang and resembles the round shape of coins (and casino chips!).

We'll talk about all this and much, much more in January. I can't wait to share all the secrets with you when we have TWO FULL days to really talk about feng shui in ways you had not known before. But most importantly, we'll talk about how to apply all this to your life to make YOU more successful and more prosperous.

Great Food and Lots of Culture, Too

Many visitors never venture off the Strip. While we were in town, we wanted to visit Las Vegas's bustling Asian District off of Spring Mountain Road.

We decided to forgo breakfast in favor of some wonderful Dim Sum, which is comprised of a wonderful variety of Chinese dumplings. This is a favorite brunch type food that many Chinese eat in mid-morning. Small carts of steaming dumplings -- in every imagineable combination are wheeled past. Each cart seems to get better and better and each dish becomes harder and harder to refuse!

Here are some pictures from our fabulous dim sum meal this past Saturday

I hope you enjoyed a small tour of my visit to Las Vegas to scout out workshop locations.

Next installment -- our hotel for the Year of the Ox Workshop next January 24 and 25th, 2009.

Stay tuned!

The Value of a Good Impression -- Building Your Chi

Your house also speaks volumes about your life at the entrance. The typical homeowner rarely uses the front door and those that do reap the benefits. Sadly the front door is usually relegated to FedEx deliveries and the UPS man. But if you ignore the entrance to your home, you are depriving your life of opportunities and advancement. In feng shui the front door is called the mouth of chi. This is where chi, or energy, enters the home. If the front door does not look auspicious or beautiful and isn’t regularly used, the result is limited potential. Growth slows and opportunities grind to a halt.

My front door mat has an auspicious symbol of the mystic knot for never-ending opportunities

Look at your front door and see if you can’t improve the impression your home gives. And, yes, impressions do count. Beauty creates beautiful energy called sheng chi. Sheng chi is enhanced by dappled shade, light breezes, pretty flowers, and a well-kept appearance. When you have a beautiful entryway to your home, you invite this beautiful and auspicious energy into your home each time you open the door. If, however, your door has peeling paint, cracks in the sidewalk or dead plants, you invite negative energy called shar chi. But whether you have sheng chi or shar chi at your front door, it’s important to know that both kinds of energy grow.

This urn sits at the left of my front door to bring the wealth of opportunities

When you continue to maintain and improve the appearance and upkeep of the front of your house, you cultivate your home’s sheng chi. Doing so provides benefits to everyone in the house. Beautiful sheng chi energy creates well-being in the house and in the residents. Shar chi grows too and when it does, it becomes more yin, more negative. That’s why when you see houses that seem to be declining they will continue to decline.

I energize my yard, and specifically my growth and family sector with a flowing fountain and beautiful plants to symbolize wealth, health, and growth.


As my friend, Sally Francis' husband, Deryl, says, Westerners build muscle and Easterners build chi. Make it a point to build your wealth chi in and around your house to lift your spirit, maximize your enjoyment of your home and bring you the wealth and opportunities you want.

Paradox of Our Age and Wealth

I've long admired the Dalai Lamai and Buddhism. On a recent trip to Taos, New Mexico, I read and inscription by HH the Dalai Lama entitled, The Paradox of Our Age and was very moved by it because it explains the essence of what is missing in so many of our lives.

The Paradox of Our Age
by The Dalai Lama

We have bigger houses but smaller families;
More conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense;
More knowledge, but less judgment;
More experts, but more problems;
More medicines, but less healthiness;
We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We build more computers to hold more information to
produce more copies than ever but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity,
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods but slow digestion;
Tall man but short character;
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It's a time when there is much in the window,
but nothing in the room.

When I write about acquiring money in feng shui, I focus my attention on wealth versus money. That's because money comes and goes -- wealth stays. And, isn't that what we want? Money becomes a river, but wealth is a well. This is one of the reasons I am so attracted to feng shui and talk about it in my newsletter is because I am most interested in helping people to build wealth. By improving your feng shui, you create the energy in your home, your office -- yourself -- to attract wealth to you.

The Paradox of Our Times is a wonderful way to explain the difference between having money and being wealthy. This is a key idea because just wanting money is short-sighted. The problem is in the thinking. Your goal must be the "bigger picture" of wealth in order to make a change. Even the Reverend Billy Graham is quoted saying "If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life."

Your mind could be what's holding back your feng shui if you have had difficulty manifesting money. That's because getting your mind straight with money and wealth will help you attract more and be more abundant. Watching as my husband and I grow financially is very rewarding. But maybe more valuable, is the sense of stability, security and safety that come with it. It also helps me come from a position of success when dealing with my clients and I enjoy myself more with them. Even shopping has become more fun as I focus on acquiring better items instead of just buying "more."

Well, here's wishing you good chi --

Katie

Welcome to my blog

This is my first blog entry. It seems like the whole world is blogging and I'm lagging behind. Many of the readers of my ezine ask about my personal life and want to see more photos. I thought a blog would be the perfect place to do this. I'll feature some of the things I'm doing in my business as the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and also to keep you posted on some of what I'm doing in my personal life.

Because I only have so much room in my weekly e-zine, this gives me a little more space to "spread out" and include some of the fun stuff that I'm doing and share some more of my personal life with my readers.

This month in the Red Lotus Letter is "Money Month." The entire month of newsletters will be devoted to using feng shui to attract and manifest more wealth and abundance. If you're interested in learning more about wealth and abundance, sign up at http://www.redlotusconsulting.com/.

Tim and I Celebrated 18 Years!
Last week was the 4th of July and my husband and I also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Because we live in a small South Texas town, we decided to go to San Antonio and have dinner at the Hemisfair Tower with our son, Steve, aged 9. This is our family at the tower after we'd finished eating (Steve gobbled his mahi mahi and Tim and I loved the crab stuffed mushrooms. Hmmmm hmmm.) Don't I have two handsome men?




We had a terrific meal with rose champagne (remember I told you I LOVE champagne!). But we really had a great time clowning around with the camera.

After dinner, we went to the observation deck and watched as a rainstorm came through. This is me and my son Steve being blown by the high winds. It was almost a "Marilyn Monroe" kind of picture!

Getting a new perspective on life is so important. We chose the tower to celebrate our anniversary because it's so tall and gave us a beautiful view (good visual feng shui?? you bet!) of the city as the sun went down. Sitting in the amber rays bathed us in golden sunlight (another wonderful feng shui enhancer!). Yes, we are still in love. This picture was taken by our son.

After dinner and the observation deck, we went to a 4-D presentation of "Skies Over Texas" that was a BLAST. What a great show for kids and adults. I won't give away all the secrets, but you really 'get into' the movie on a number of levels. This is us goofing with the glasses before the movie.

If you live in San Antonio, or close by, stop in at the tower. The food is very good and the views are spectacular. We had a terrific evening. The fact that it rained on our wedding day 18 years ago after two months of drought -- and then again for our anniversary -- was a wonderful omen of blessings and prosperity.

I will keep you posted on what's going on in my life, my feng shui musings, and continue to share with you more important news and events here, so check back from time to time.

I'm wishing you good chi!

Katie

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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Weekly Feng Shui E-Zine , and is devoted to sharing the wealth and life-enhancing benefits of feng shui to people around the world. Her goal is to help you create the life of your dreams by creating supportive, wealth-enhancing environments that support your well-being. She publishes 'Red Lotus Letter' weekly ezine with 8,000+ subscribers. If you'd like to create greater wealth, and a happy, smoother and more successful life and business, you can get your FREE subscription and more FREE feng shui tips at http://www.redlotusletter.com