Many people have heard about Feng Shui, but have questions about what it is and how it works. Here are answers to some of the most common questions.

Question: Is feng shui a religion? Do I have to be a Buddhist or something?

Answer: No. Feng Shui is the art of placement. Some of the concepts are based on Chinese spiritual traditions, but today–especially in western culture–Feng Shui is used primarily for arranging furnishings and choosing pleasing colors.

Think of it this way: Your kids can study karate without getting involved in Asian spirituality. You can use yoga for fitness, period. Likewise, Feng Shui can be used for decorating your home or office, and that’s all.

You can be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Agnostic, or Atheist, and there will be no conflicts with anything that I teach about Feng Shui. Just skip over anything that sounds a little too weird or mystical.

Instead, focus on Feng Shui as a way to declutter your home, and create an environment that supports your dreams as well as your daily routines.

Question: I put flowers in my romance corner, and nobody’s asked me out yet. (Or, I’ve put a fish tank in my money corner, but I’m still unemployed.) What’s wrong?

Answer: Sometimes, Feng Shui can seem to work miracles. At other times, the results take longer. Did you see the Jim Carrey movie, “Bruce Almighty”? That showed why everyone can’t win the lottery at once. Life doesn’t work that way.

Also, while a single change can sometimes “work magic” in your life, you may need to look at the bigger picture. See the next question and answer, for an example.

Question: I want Feng Shui to help me with my final exams, so I’m “energizing” my Knowledge area. But, what about the clutter in the rest of my apartment? Where do I start?

Answer: Good for you! Energizing your Knowledge area (the left side of your room or home, as soon as you walk in the door) is a good idea, but you’re right to ask about the clutter. One of the biggest problems that I see when people use Feng Shui like this is that they do too much in one area, and neglect the rest.

I’ve written an article, Feng Shui and Clutter, to give you some ideas. If you’re working with massive amounts of clutter, my best advice is to start small, take things slowly, and–as soon as you start feeling overwhelmed–stop and take a good long break.

Some people start with an easy area… maybe they’re going to alphabetize the spices in their kitchen cabinet. Maybe they’re going to go through the pens and pencils in their desk (or junk drawer), to see which actually work and which need to be thrown out.

Others prefer the time approach: They’ll set a timer for 15 minutes. That’s all they’re committing to, in terms of decluttering that day. If they’re having fun, they’ll keep going. If not, well, that’s 15 minutes put to good use. If you spend 15 minutes of decluttering each day, that’s nearly two hours each week. It may take you a month to go through your entire home, but you will get there!

And then there is the logical approach, which borrows from Feng Shui philosophies: Start at the door that most people use to enter your home. Clean around the door. Then clean whatever you see next. And then whatever’s after that. Pretty quickly, people will see a clean, clutter-free home when they walk in the door. For many people, this is incentive to tackle the rest of the clutter… the areas that visitors don’t always see.

No matter which approach you use, getting the clutter out is the only way you’ll get long-lasting results with Feng Shui.

Take 15 minutes (or a small project) right now, and you’ll feel vastly better when you’ve finished it.