Intentional Community Design
Gary Hendrickson • October 8, 2019
Feng Shui Design From the Start, or Adding to an Existing Development, All Can Add Magic, Vibrancy, Abundance & Beauty to Any Community Project!
Living in an intentional community is for some a very gratifying experience. Shared values, resources, meals, vision, finances, inspiration, love, dreams and often, shared spirituality are some of the elements that draw people together, living in close proximity to one another. Creating a brand new community from scratch is an incredibly exciting prospect to envision and manifest with existing acquaintances, and some who will become fast friends and next-door neighbors.
It may be a sign of the times, this reaching out to others to increase our sense of connectedness and let go of our old independent “I can go-it-alone” paradigm. Many of us privately harbor a desire to break ground together and create this sanctuary of togetherness and magic that can develop when nurtured consciously in community. It can become even more magical when the architectural elements include sacred geometry, feng shui, non-toxic building materials / renewable resources, and energy efficiency / self-sufficiency.
This evokes an inner and outer joy when manifested in physical form. As we are raising our consciousness and frequency, our playful inner child filled with wonder gets to blossom fully as we are stepping into 5th dimensional frequencies that our new communities can reflect in the beautiful environments that we can now co-create with all the knowledge that we have garnered over the years..
However, not all communities are just starting out on new virgin land. There are many existing successful communities that are already thriving, and some that are struggling for continued existence. Feng Shui design techniques can greatly benefit both types of situations, bringing balance, harmony, beauty, and greater abundance to community developments of all sizes, layout and social structure. It can help on an individual residence within the community, and well as the overall community design layout.
Having lived in multiple communities of varying sizes over many years, and having designed a couple communities of different sizes and focuses, I have experienced much of the joys, learning opportunities, challenges and heartfelt benefits of living in shared living situations spoken of herein. It is one of my great passions to share the wealth of experience I've gained, and incorporate the knowledge into all my design and consulting work I take on, especially in community developments!
I invite you to call or email me to find out more about how your community can be enhanced by bringing in some of the deep level Feng Shui techniques I've studied and developed for over 40 years!
Today more than ever, corporations worldwide are turning to the ancient art and science of feng shui to increase their bottom line. International banking institutions, restaurants around the globe, accounting firms, realty firms, architecture and interior design firms and even developers including Donald Trump use feng shui to add extra benefit to client’s projects and increase revenue. Interestingly enough, that’s not the only benefit for companies integrating this 6000-year-old practice to their operations and space development. From higher occupancy rates, lower tenant turnover, lower maintenance & infrastructure repairs, Feng shui works on many levels of a business’ set up and daily activities. Besides increased profits and larger client bases, employees often have lower absenteeism and increased productivity. The office environment commonly gets an “A+” rating by employees enjoying a more pleasant work place atmosphere when feng shui is used. Utilizing these old principles of design set in a contemporary context, office layout and space planning takes on a new, deeper meaning and more specific application. By analyzing an existing building based on its original year of construction and the direction in compass degrees that the building faces, a skilled designer can track, understand and lay over the floor plan an “energy map” of the space which allows a very accurate plan of the best color schemes throughout the spaces which, when implemented into the paint colors, flooring and furniture choices, creates an environment that can literally be felt by almost anyone in terms of how comfortable, attractive and stimulating it feels. Workers enjoy coming to work more due to the improved ambiance, and higher productivity, and, increased revenues are commonly reported following implementation of feng shui principles. On a more detailed level, one of the most powerful aspects of feng shui to an employer is having a work force that is motivated to higher achievement and is prone to lower absenteeism. An experienced feng shui designer can accomplish this 100% of the time if starting at the beginning stages of a company development, expansion plan or a relocation operation. The feng shui designer can create the ideal space plan with each employee being designated a specific desk/chair direction for them to be facing, placing them into their most productive direction orientation. Each person has a set of directions that make them focused, energized, happy and productive to face when sitting at a well-oriented workstation, and conversely, some directions which when facing would drain their energy levels, and make them irritable, unhealthy, bored, unproductive and much less efficient. Even within existing layouts workstations can sometimes be swapped between employees who both face unproductive directions, or rotated in place to accommodate better productivity for workers, while still maintaining good circulation within the existing space plan. Finally, one additional valuable Feng Shui benefit to an employer is available when analyzing each employee and their contribution, or lack thereof to the corporate culture. Valuable insight can be gained into employee personality conflicts, which can derail team cooperation and delay any projected project timeline when gossip and disputes are ringing through the halls. Fortunately, this can be perceived easily by the feng shui practitioner and can be dealt with through various means chosen by the employer, assisted by the practitioner. Feng Shui Design International is such a firm that works on all levels of consultation, design and employer/employee orientation discussions or presentations. With my over 44 years of architectural, development and interior design/space planning experience with contract interiors and feng shui, I am highly suited to assisting corporations in any of their design, relocation or efficiency and bottom-line-increasing consultations. See our Corporate Design Section or call (720) 936-6009 for more information.
I often say that integrating multiple different techniques of feng shui into a building design project is like working with alchemy, literally! I have also often said that architecture to me is often like frozen music. I have been blessed to create a life combining all three - music, architecture and feng shui. What is the common denominator between all three? Patterns. Patterns that recur in nature, and that are detectable and predictable. When utilizing guidelines that inform us for all three, harmony ensues, naturally. Granted, architecture doesn’t always use patterns that incite harmony or beauty, nor does music, or, feng shui for that matter either! But when patterns that show up repeatedly in nature, the breathtaking wonder can be truly awe-inspiring! Certain passages in music have often brought me to tears! And with some buildings that I visit, I see and hear music in the repeating architectural motifs. There are 216 patterns of energy movement in one of the many feng shui techniques I often employ, and these patterns tell a story of the energy of a building, its likely history and its possible/probable future unchecked. Deciphering the meaning of these patterns and knowing how to specifically provide remedies and guidance to take advantage of these intrinsic indicators of nature is what we feng shui consultants do every day to enhance the lives and well being of our clients, and their businesses. To the untrained, uneducated Western mind, it all seems like woo woo hocus pocus. Of course, feng shui is only about 6000 years old, so one could say it has a bit of a track record! To me, its nothing less than alchemy! And my clients seem to agree as I continue to hear how they have physically experienced the positive results of applying feng shui in their spaces, corporate and personal. This is what keeps me going for over 40 years in this work! The constant feedback of positive change in our lives by applying the wisdom of feng shui guidance. Indeed, it works! If you are really ready for positive change in your life and business, I look forward to exploring with you the many ways we can enhance your space, either home, office or corporate campus, so that you too, can experience the magic of feng shui alchemy!