We had a winter storm last week. The power went out for almost 24 hours. Outside it was so dark and gloomy while inside there was a roaring fire and enough wood to keep it going.

There is something very primal about sitting before a fire. It can be romantic, yes, but it goes way beyond that. We are transfixed by fireplaces. We stare at the flames and wander off on internal journeys, often not remembering where the fire has taken us.

Fire keeps us warm; it keeps the wolves away from the door and helps deliver us from the dark. We cook over fire. Flames are guides, beacons, symbolic of a shining hope, of honor and eternal light.

That night we lit candles of all kinds throughout the house- tapers, tea-lights, pillars, short, squat, colored, white, spiraled and circular. The house was illuminated brighter than it ever was with electric power. It got me thinking about our need and desire for light on physical and energetic levels.
We need light. Without it our mental and physical bodies suffer. In northern countries where the nights seem to last most of the day a large number of the population suffer from SAD – the acronym is certainly suggestive of the mood. Without sunlight our bodies cannot make vitamin D. This can impair the metabolism of calcium affecting our bones and nervous system. Thus, our very structure, suffers. In countries and states where there is more rain than sun, more cases of depression are reported.

The need for light is in our vernacular. We want to “shed some light on the situation” and hope for enlightenment. We want to brighten things up, cast some light on the issue, maybe illuminate the subject and chase away the shadows. We want to lighten up, make light of the matter. Lovers can see the love light in their partner’s eye and the smile and thoughts of a love one lighten up our days. Kind acts make our hearts feel lighter.
And just as much as we need light, we need the darkness. We need to go deep within ourselves to find those areas we need to illuminate. In Feng Shui we look at this as the balance of yin and yang. Yin takes us inwards, to the dark places of inner exploration. Once there, we begin the journey back to the yang, to the more active, outward expressions of what we found internally.

Winter is dark, the most yin time of the year. We instinctively go inwards and deeper into our selves and, like the trees we anchor in and put down roots. We are more contemplative, introspective, we slow down, we plan and we acknowledge the depths of our being. There is truly nothing more powerful than to take the time to examine what we hold within, what we hold dear and what we fear.

The Feng Shui Bagua is a wonderful, practical and inclusive tool to help us on our inner journey. It is a guide. The eight essential life desires are laid out in a grid around the center point of unity. Both a physical and inner journey around our home, around the bagua, will bring an awareness of the aspects of our lives that need the energy of light. Ask yourself some questions. Go within and examine your inner feelings and knowingness. Where are you cluttering, what areas of the house are you avoiding or feeling uncomfortable being in? Are there areas where you feel a strong loving energy or perhaps is there a room where the family squabbles seem to always take place?

Asking these questions and listening to the answers gives clarity to the aspects of our lives that we need to examine to become lighter, balanced and yes, happier and more fulfilled. Where is the light and where is the dark? What parts of our lives are we avoiding? Perhaps conscious awareness of this is akin to shining the light on those dark areas. This is where we need the most illumination.

Moving from the darkness to the light is an incredibly powerful and transformative experience. Whenever I feel blocked, stuck or not as light as I want to be I take this inner journey through my outer space of my home. I feel as if my inner fire is stoked and the wolves will stay away from my door.