Feng Shui
SEASONAL QI – THE NATURE OF AUTUMN
Feng Shui affects everyone – it can be very specific as in a home, office and a personal Feng Shui reading. And it is also universal, touching everybody in much the same way. Perhaps the most universal of the Feng Shui affects is what we call “seasonal qi”, being in tune with nature and how the changing seasons affect us.
We all live in the natural world and are ruled by nature. After all, we are a part of nature – every culture stems from people that were heavily affected by what was happening in the natural world – temperature, winds, rains, times for planting, harvesting and resting. Despite our technical, industrial societies that seem to be separate from the elements we are still profoundly tuned into nature. Nature has her cycles and since we are part of nature, we, too, have our cycles.
We are deep into autumn now. In most of the United States we celebrate with the pumpkins, gourds, outings to see the changing leaves and enjoying the coolness in the air. But we also have the internal cycles that we recognize as seasonal qi. It has a powerful effect on our lives even if we are not consciously aware of it.
Feng Shui consultants often make a big deal of the seasonal changes but seldom explain the why of it. It is not to decorate your home, although that is the fun part of it. It is to acknowledge and honor our connection to nature. To understand the seasonal qi helps us to live a life in tune with the natural cycles.
Autumn represents the turning inwards – a more yin season that follows the high energy, yang summer. We tend to slow down our activities and busy thoughts; we begin to start nesting for the winter. We begin to nurture more, catch up on our sleep (as shown in “fall back”), think more about taking care of our health, eat heartier fare, and prepare the gardens and home for winter. We are more reflective. It is natural, cyclical and part of our internal calendar. This effect is not only personal; in the business world you will find that many companies are finishing up their budgets – not planning new expansions until after the turn of the year (winter seasonal retail exempted) while planning on completing projects that have already been implemented.
We are in the autumn phase. Its “home” is in the west and northwest. It is represented by the metal element. Beyond the psychological influences mentioned above, the organs and parts of the body that are represented by the metal element – the lungs, the head, and chest – are dominant. This is the start of allergy, cold and flu season so extra care should be taken to strengthen the metal parts of the body in order to protect oneself from these illnesses. Teeth and jaws are also taxed so make sure you follow up with that dental appointment you tend to put off. It is only natural that we tend to go inwards and become more aware of our physical needs; it is nature’s way of strengthening us.
As is common in Feng Shui there are myths associated with seasonal qi. Some of them may be cultural, superstitious, fun and harmless. And some can have a negative effect on your Feng Shui. Enjoy autumn – it is a beautiful season. And be aware of these Feng Shui myths.
MYTH : Since metal is the element representing autumn, it is wise to add metal elements to the west and northwest.
FACT: Although metal makes its home in the west and northwest, this usually has a shadow effect on the Feng Shui of your home and office. The element that needs to be represented in these areas is determined by the construction date, orientation and Flying Stars of the house. Do not arbitrarily add metal in these areas. It will not bring business or financial success or enhance your creativity UNLESS all the requirements are met. And, if it is not an area that needs a metal remedy and metal is added it can cause quite a disruption.
Learn About Feng Shui Classes in Virginia Beach
Think you know all about Feng Shui? That it is all about clutter, cleaning and colors? Well you are not alone. Most books and classes out there focus on these very superficial aspects and never go beyond to the truly powerful and effective truths of classic Feng Shui. What most people think of as Feng Shui is really environmental psychology or cultural superstitions. It is time to dispel common Feng Shui myths that have held people back from exploring true Feng Shui.
Time to give it another look through my courses being offered through the Adult Learning Center in Virginia Beach.
In LEARN ABOUT FENG SHUI (Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 – 9 on Oct 16 – 25) we will explore what Feng Shui truly is and learn how to apply this centuries old system that was once considered so powerful that only the Emperor was allowed to use it on pain of death. These teachings show you how to tap into the beneficial qi that can create major changes in your health, family relationships, abundance and creativity. You will learn how each house is specific and where its power centers are – how to read the energy patterns in your home and accentuate the positive while neutralizing the negative energies Specific study will be done on:
- How to read a Feng Shui compass
- Qi flow
- What the Bagua really tells us
- East West system which define both yours and the homes best and challenging directions
- Finding your sitting and facing directions so you can map out the energy grid of your house / apartment
- Permanent and annual Flying Stars (which are never covered in Western Feng Shui)
- The Five Elements and their relationships
- Difference between classic and modern Feng Shui
- Is it Feng Shui, power of intention or cultural superstition
What most people think of as Feng Shui is really environmental psychology or cultural superstitions. It is time to dispel common Feng Shui myths that have held people back from exploring true Feng Shui.
Please join me on Tuesday and Thursday, October 16 -25 from 6:30 to 9:00 and we’ll have fun with Feng Shui. To register contact the Adult Learning Center in Virginia Beach at 757-648-6050 or at www.alc.vbschools.com.
Feng Shui Fall
There’s something about autumn we all love. Even before the hot days are over and the calendar tells us we are now in fall, we seem to crave the brilliant colors and harvest that autumn brings. According to retailers and interior designers, fall decorating is second only to Christmas and is not far behind! This decorating can be the artificial flowers and leaves or the fresh mums, pumpkins and gourds from the garden. It is beautiful, inspiring, happy making and joyful – but is it Feng Shui?
Certainly the beautiful decorations impact your emotions and psychological well-being and this can play a role in your mental outlook. When something makes us smile, makes us happy the impact can be quite transforming and boosts our inner spirit. And people who understand the power of attraction and intention can use this feeling to jump start their day and moods. This can be quite powerful – but it is not Feng Shui. Rather I would call it part of environmental (or interior design) psychology.
Feng Shui is the balancing of the energies that are inherent in your house based on the orientation of the sitting and facing directions and the year the house was built. Qi flow from the inside and outside environment is also a factor in determining the energy balance and the needed remedies. Holiday and seasonal decorating does not have the power to change the essential Feng Shui of your house. Despite this fact seasonal decorating plays a large role in much of the western Feng Shui practices.
I myself love to decorate for fall – I am a sucker for the Indian corn, the gourds, fall leaves and Halloween ghosts and witches. I love it all – and it makes me happy, brightens all the grey days and gets me pumped up before winter. But I know it does not change the inherent Feng Shui of my house. And, I also know that the “rules” given for fall decorating by some Western Feng Shui schools can be ignored. Let’s explore and destroy some of these myths so you can decorate without fear of bad Feng Shui.
Myth 1 : To enhance family relationships fall decorations should be placed in the east.
Truth is, it does not matter where you put your decorations. In some Western schools, the bagua is broken into 9 life aspects; the east being the family relationship. In the classic, traditional Feng Shui schools we do not look at the sectors (guas) this simply. Each one has an energy determined by the permanent stars so every one of the nine sectors affects the family, wealth, health etc. Every house has its own specific Feng Shui – it is not generic enough that we would say east is the family. Just think about it – if the laundry room was in the east would you only place your beautiful decorations there?
Myth 2: All reds and orange decorations should be placed in the south.
True, in all schools the south is represented by the color red. But this does not mean that red objects should only be placed in the south. In fact, this could be quite explosive when the fire element is over represented in this area – or in any area that does not call for fire. How do you know? By finding the permanent energy codes in your house through a classic Feng Shui reading.
However, do not fear placing your red and orange leaves in the southern part of your home if that is where you desire it. I have never seen a home with so much red in their fall decorations that it would negatively affect the fire element. (Christmas red is another story.)
Myth 3: Dried corn stalks and flowers represent death and should not be used.
Most Western Feng Shui schools perpetuate this myth while classical Feng Shui has no taboo against this. I see it as a personal preference. Dried flower arrangements, hay bales and dried leaves can be beautifully arranged and do not bring in the specter of death and decay. After all, we use dried herbs in our cooking and this is pretty life sustaining.
So, please enjoy the fall without worrying about your Feng Shui decorating. I wish you long walks in the falling leaves and crisp mornings to start your day.
Feng Shui, Home Purchasing and Foreclosure
If you are thinking about buying a house now think of this – your best friend may be your Feng Shui consultant. A Feng Shui reading can give you a heads up on the permanent and upcoming energies of that house you have your eye on.
We know that every house is unique; and based on the age of the home, the direction it is sitting and facing and internal and external architectural details; the experiences and potentials of what will happen in the house can be predicted. And that’s a good thing. A Feng Shui practitioner can tell you what house type the home is: is it a wang shui – wang shui, reversed, double sitting or double facing? Is it going into a money lock or a people lock phase? What are the effects that any missing piece or extension going to have on the new homeowners?
And more important than the questions are the answers. A classically trained compass based practitioner can point out the possibilities and advise you how to cure, remedy or enhance the qi flow and pattern as necessary.
This may be the best time in decades for people wanting to get into the real estate market. Interest rates are low, prices of houses are the lowest in decades and there is an abundant supply of houses on the market. For those who quality, it may not get better than this. There are deals to be had out there – but, are they all real deals?
The question I get most frequently from people looking to buy a home is about some of these deals – the money may sound right but is there a consequence to buying a foreclosure or a house from owners needing to do a short sale.
Great question – And to answer that we have a few things to consider. Perhaps the biggest issue here is why the house went into foreclosure. Was it the individual circumstances of the owner or was it a neighborhood trend? If it is the case of individual owners falling upon hard times another family will not necessarily have the same experiences IF any of the negative, unbalanced Feng Shui elements of the house are remedied. However, if the neighborhood itself is experiencing a negative cycle it may be advisable to avoid this purchase and look for another house. Please make sure you do the following:
- CHECK OUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD-
Although the house itself may have good Feng Shui or may easily be remedied, the neighborhood around it will have a powerful influence. Do your research and check with your realtor: Are there jobs available in the area, can the industry support the population of the neighborhood, are the schools satisfactory, is the water supply clean the air quality good, is there an electric grid in your backyard? What are the crime statistics and neighborhood amenities?
- GET A FENG SHUI READING ON THE HOUSE
A Feng Shui reading can give you a lot of information about the home’s potential as well as giving you insight on how to tailor the house to your specific needs – and to make sure they match up. Some energy combinations work well for the more active lifestyle, the social individual while there are element combinations that will guarantee a more mellow energy for a person wanting a quieter environment. People and house types are unique. It’s best when they flow in the same direction.
So when you are thinking of buying a new home check with your two best friends – your Feng Shui expert and a knowledgeable real estate agent and happy house hunting.
Find the good Qi, tap into the Good Qi and Circulate the good Qi
The theory behind Feng Shui is so simple. Really it is. After all the explanations of what Feng Shui is, what the words mean and what we want to accomplish – it comes down to…
Find the good qi, tap into the good qi and circulate the good qi.
Of course the skill is how to read the energy map and that can be quite complex since there are more than 200 house types not to mention the unique quality that people add to the space. And it is true; the more I study Feng Shui the more complex and specific the applications, cures and enhancement formulas become. Yet I see that it all comes back down to the basic foundations of qi flow, yin yang and the Five Element theory.
And that’s what I have been thinking about. The basics.
A classically trained Feng Shui practitioner uses a compass, the age and orientation of the house and the floor plan to draw up the energy map. Simply put, this map gives us the qi flow as represented in the elemental numeric code. These codes represent relationships of the elements – they may be in a productive or clashing relationship. If they are productive we can enhance or leave alone. If they are in a conflicting relationship the occupants of the house will feel the negative effect and it is the job of the Feng Shui practitioner to advise the client on how to neutralize this negative effect.
How can these negative element relationships or qi be fixed, or in Feng Shui terms, cured? Well that’s what the reading is all about and each situation is unique so the remedies are unique, but what it comes down to is the basics. We look at what element needs to be added, subtracted, the qi flow of the room and the possibility that we should keep the room “quiet” for a certain time period.
What we don’t do is add to the clutter, the confusion and the superstition. No laughing cats, money frogs, Asian figurines, statues or popcorn in the bathroom. Just pure and natural elements to nurture the qi flow.
About Ann Covell :
Ann Covell is a Feng Shui consultant, teacher, writer and blogger. Ann is a practitioner in the classic compass style of Feng Shui and her newsletter, Feng Shui Naturally, features articles on the practical usage of Feng Shui in the modern world. She has also been known to ghost and guest blog for other qi- enhancing and healthy living websites.
When not practicing Feng Shui Ann can be found studying yoga, qi-gong and nutrition.
Ann offers personal consultations for the home, both on-site and on-line. She has taught both beginning and advanced Feng Shui to students in the Hampton Roads and is available to teach individual and group classes.
Feng Shui Bitch
I’m a fan of the Skinny Bitch series. I love the clean, clear, strong stance on non-toxic food, cleaning products, and concern for the environment. Whenever possible I strive to eat organically and support companies that embrace that philosophy. And I like to think that my Feng Shui is organic, too.
When looking for organic products you look for the basics: clear, fresh, clean, and natural. Simple ingredients often make the best meals; cool, clear water is the best thirst quencher and breathing fresh air is the healthiest and most invigorating. When you look at classical Feng Shui you are also looking at the basics –qi flow, yin yang and five element theory. It always comes down to this.
That means a classical Feng Shui reading makes use of the beneficial qi, finds the yin yang balance needed in the home and uses the pure elements to make any adjustments needed. And this is important to know – if you need to cure or enhance an area of your home you will need to use a natural element not just a symbol of the element. We want to get down to the pure, strong, energy emitting form.
Consider this: an area of your home would benefit from the wood element. What will be the stronger manifestation of this element – a beautiful lush plant or a picture with some green it it? I think we would all vote for the plant. It is true that green does symbolize the wood element but symbols do not emit the same energy as the real item. It is true, if you do not have a green thumb or for other reasons you cannot have a plant there are other things we can do. But the real thing will always be the more powerful remedy.
And the real thing is not superstition. Figurines, statues, and charms are not in the toolbox of the classic Feng Shi practitioner. A pair of mandarin ducks or crystal lotus flowers will not have an effect on the Feng Shui of your home. Placing water in the right sector or reducing the negative earth relationship with metal will.
Keep it simple, keep it pure, keep it natural.
About Ann Covell :
Ann Covell is a Feng Shui consultant, teacher, writer and blogger. Ann is a practitioner in the classic compass style of Feng Shui and her newsletter, Feng Shui Naturally, features articles on the practical usage of Feng Shui in the modern world. She has also been known to ghost and guest blog for other qi- enhancing and healthy living websites.
When not practicing Feng Shui Ann can be found studying yoga, qi-gong and nutrition.
Ann offers personal consultations for the home, both on-site and on-line. She has taught both beginning and advanced Feng Shui to students in the Hampton Roads and is available to teach individual and group classes.
GHOSTS, LIGHTNING, AND MOTHER IN LAWS
What do ghosts, mother in laws and lightning have in common? On the surface, nothing, but in Feng Shui there are energy / number combination that enhances the possibility that one will be drawn into problematic situations with one or the other. Not every house has them but if yours does it is best to get the proper remedy in place as soon as possible.
Since we are so close to Halloween let’s look at ghostly attractions first.
All societies have superstitions and agrarian cultures are rich in their stories, traditions and beliefs about ghosts, spirits and the other world. Chinese culture seemed particularly abundant in these beliefs and references to them still color our Feng Shui vernacular. Although traditional Feng Shui is able to slice through many of these superstitions we still honor the terms and phrases from the past even if they seem a bit exaggerated to us. For example, the terms “Disaster Room, Three Killings and Five Ghosts Carry Money” mean something to the Feng Shui practitioner and for the first two we neutralize the energy and for the ghosts who carry money, we use them to our benefit.
But is there such a thing as a haunted house? And are there certain things that a Feng Shui practitioner looks for in determining if the house is haunted?
What we do know is that every house is unique and its energy is determined by the year of construction and the sitting and facing directions. These combinations create an energy pattern that can be interpreted. Whether one believes in ghosts and haunting or not there are certain combinations and factors that are more likely to come up for a ‘haunted house’ than one that does not give off that vibration. Some of these are obvious and are factored in every Hollywood horror movies. Houses that are too yin, without life energy, attract ghosts. These houses are cold, damp, and dark with major maintenance issues and overgrown landscapes that often leave you with a sense of foreboding and the creep factor. Houses built on or near cemeteries or old battlefields can attract ghosts as can a property where a violent death may have occurred.
Houses that have long hallways, with doors directly facing each other, factor quite often in ghostly attractions. The incorrect use of wind chimes can also attract a ghost. Although often thought of as a panacea to all Feng Shui problems, a classically trained Feng Shui practitioner knows that wind chimes can often attract a troubled spirit and so uses them sparingly and in the correct location and under the right circumstances. The sound of the metal wind chimes can attract a ghost instead of preventing the unwelcome visitor. Perhaps this fits in with our stereotype of the ghost with the clanking metal chains.
Other factors that are not obvious to the eye but exude a powerful effect in a home’s Feng Shui is the number combination of 2-5. This combination is a double negative earth and needs to be remedied to neutralize its impact on the homeowner. Although having this combination does not guarantee the house is haunted or attracts ghosts, there is a strong correlation between haunted houses, ghosts and this energy combination. And if you have this combination and add a wind chime to the corresponding sector, ghostly mayhem may ensue!
If you enjoyed this article and are ready to see what energies are inherent in your house please contact me for a Feng Shui consultation. In this reading we can determine the energy patterns that may be sabotaging your health, relationships and finances. With the proper remedies life improves. And, enhancing the positive energies can make life go even smoother.
Traditional Feng Shui: Digging Deeper
When I look back at the hundreds of Feng Shui consultations I have been involved with in the past couple of years I notice not one involved a home was located on an old burial site, balancing over a cliff, nestled in the curve of a railroad track or built over an old industrial dumpsite. None of my clients lived in a triangular or circular house and none lived next door to a cemetery.
It’s funny. Most beginning Feng Shui classes will teach that these are problematic cases and to be avoided if at all possible. It’s true, it’s obvious. Situations like this happen so rarely yet seem to take up so much time from the learning experience, while the thing that affects EVERY ONE of us is given such little attention. As a Feng Shui teacher, I am wondering why.
I have seen cluttered houses but I have not yet been asked to Feng Shui a house for a hoarder. The issue of clutter has become so synonymous with Feng Shui that many people think that clutter control is Feng Shui. Understandable enough when you flip through a popular Feng Shui book and see the amount of space devoted to issues of clutter. But it’s not Feng Shui. Certainly a Feng Shui practitioner can help shine the light on a clutter problem but Feng Shui goes so much deeper. And yet, it is a rare book where you find the author discussing that part of Feng Shui that affects EVERYBODY ALL THE TIME.
The flow of qi and how furniture placement affects it is important in Feng Shui. But it is only one layer and truthfully more people than not are pretty savvy about where to place their furniture. And that’s because much of it is obvious – it comes naturally – you don’t put furniture in the middle of a path where you have to walk over it or trip every time you enter the room. Most of us are comfortable with chairs that face a doorway instead of a blank wall and most people do not position furniture in doorways or hallways. Fixing qi flow problems due to furniture placement mistakes is usually pretty obvious and simplistic. But what is not obvious is the element combinations that may needs remedying because it is causing disagreements, illnesses, accidents, money drainage, insomnia and other negative issues. Why is it not obvious? Because you cannot see it. But it is there, it is mathematical, it is predictable and it is manageable.
I’m talking about the Flying Stars, the element code that determines the energy potential of your house. Based on the construction period when the house was completed and the sitting and facing direction of the house, these stars create an energy map which affects the health, wealth, creativity and relationships of the inhabitants of the house. Every house has them, they are unique to the house and their influence on you can lead to enhancing or sabotaging experiences while living there.
So important is the Flying Stars that if you have not had a Flying Star reading you have not had a Feng Shui consultation.
So here’s the plug- I am teaching a number of Feng Shi classes both privately and for the Adult Learning Center in Virginia Beach. Sign up if you can, learn about the real Feng Shui. And I promise you I will not waste your time with remedies for living in a round house at the bottom of a cliff near a cemetery or the importance of not becoming a hoarder. This is real Feng Shui for real houses.
If you enjoyed this article and want more information on Feng Shui classes or consultations visit www.FengShuiNaturally.com or email Ann at ann@fengshuinaturally.com.
Problems In Your Wealth Corner?
When I mentioned that I would dedicate this month’s blogs to Feng Shui and wealth, the emails started pouring in. Understandable of course as money, abundance, finances and money fears are of utmost concern to most of us. In Feng Shui there are many remedies, both major and minor, to bring in and enhance wealth wealth both in a holistic and a practical way.
A few people wrote to me concerned because they could not know how to find their wealth corner or they were concerned because their wealth corner was missing. Well, let me assure you that no one has a missing wealth corner unless you are a strict follower of western Feng Shui. And even if there was a missing piece, there are remedies to ‘fill it in.’
The classical tradition believes that every corner, every sector has a water star and a mountain star. The water is finances, abundance and career while the mountain star is people, health and relationships. Abundance does not exist in a vacuum; therefore we really cannot talk about wealth without talking about relationships. After all – money comes from people. In order to do a true Feng Shui reading for financial prosperity it is essential then to read the whole house and analyze the water and mountain relationship and then add the appropriate cures.
Western Feng Shui recognizes the southeast as the wealth sector and advises one to add Feng Shui remedies, cures and intentions in this area to get things moving again. This, too, can be very powerful especially if you are strong on practicing intention. But what if the southeast sector of your house is missing? Then it would be appropriate to find the southeast corner of the center sector or your home office and add any remedies or symbolic pieces that remind you of abundance.
Feng Shui Tip: No matter if you follow the classic tradition or the western, both schools will tell you the same thing: keep your entranceway, home office and southeastern areas clean, organized, clutter free, get rid of broken things (reread my blog on Broken Energy) and have good lighting. Any symbol of abundance that works for you is good – it must make you feel open, abundant and full of hope. For me, I use a bowl of fresh fruit. Some people use flowers- both are wonderful but make sure no flowers are wilting or fruit is spoiling. That is not abundant!
Feng Shui and the Belmont Horse Race
Did anybody watch the race this Sunday?
Although I don’t know anything about horse racing I found the two minute horse race at Belmont Downs to be fascinating to watch. And it was all because of these magnificent creatures. These horses were breathtakingly beautiful. They reverberated with the energy of movement, wealth, glory and the champion spirit. Of course, watching the race made me think of Feng Shui and what horses mean for career success and reputation which leads to financial abundance.
I am not advocating betting on the races but I am suggesting that you get a horse, specifically a metal or ceramic stature of a beautiful, proud horse. Symbolism is strong in Feng Shui and horses represent a powerful, proud, noble energy and victory over adversaries. Besides exhibiting natural beauty, their sleek muscles suggest efficient movement which can stimulate yang chi and energize any space you put them in. Horses are often portrayed being ridden by victorious warriors and powerful kings. They are champions.
Feng Shui Tip:
Display a horse to stimulate yang energy to bring in success and a strong reputation as a victorious goal oriented achiever. Best places are home offices, entranceways and home offices. They may be too stimulating for a bedroom but this is up to you!
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