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Seasons
The Truth About Feng Shui and Love
Although spring takes most of the credit, social scientists say that it is really in the autumn that a young man’s – and everyone else’s – fancy turn to love. Perhaps it is because the idea of the long, cold nights spent alone is so unappealing – or the prospect of a lonely holiday season spent by yourself saddens you or, scarier even, facing the relatives and endless gatherings without the support of a loved one. So now is the time to seek out new relationships or turn attention to nurturing the ones we already have. After all, basking in the love brings the sparkle into the season – and our lives. But, what do you do if the love seems to be eroding or is just not there?
Love is hard to define just as is the qi energy of Feng Shui but even if we don’t know how to define it, we do know the effects. And the Feng Shui in our homes does have a powerful effect on our love life.
It is easy to go on line or pick up a Western Feng Shui style book and read about the mandarin ducks, the placement of symbols of your love, crystals, candles, matching night stands and pictures of your lover in the room. And adding and using these objects and wishes may work – for a short time – because you put intention behind it and intention is a powerful thing. But they are also very generic and the problem with generic remedies is that they are so, well, generic and we and our relationships are not. Our situations are all different and so are our homes. In fact, there are 216 different house combinations with many more relationship qi energy combinations.
To find the love qi in our homes we need to do a compass based Feng Shui Flying Star audit. To do this we need a floor plan, a compass, a determination of the sitting and facing direction of the house, and the construction date of the house. Then we map out the qi energy or “fly the stars.” Complicated? Yes, a bit, but then, so are our relationships. Specific? Yes, an analysis can be very specific. For instance, an analysis can tell you if you are sleeping in your “Lonely Pillow” direction (which means you will be sleeping alone) or if the stars in your bedroom or main entrance are the cheating stars. There is a combination that defines a specific unequal relationship – when a woman is dominating the hen-pecked husband – and this cannot be remedied by making sure the night stands are equal! Feng Shui can tell you so much more about your love and relationships but it is something that cannot just be seen by looking around the room; it is the unseen qi analysis that will reveal all.
It is difficult for a trained compass based Feng Shui practitioner to give out generic advice because of the specificity that we can reach. Still, I agree with the Western Feng Shui practitioners that it is important to keep the bedroom and front entrance clutter free and to find symbols that will honor your love. But more important than this, is to take the time to love yourself and your loved ones. Simple acts of love and kindness can brighten your day and that of those you love. And when you are ready, give me a call and we can find out what is really going on in your love life.
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.
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.
Thank you for reading my blog.