Feng
Shui Notes – August 2007
August Greetings!
As we move into mid-summer I am reminded that the Earth element and the Relationship area of the Bagua are most prominent during the month of August. Both are yin, or soft and yielding, in nature.
To stay in harmony with nature’s cycles, use this time to slow down and relax. If there is anything you need to release, this is a good time to let it go.
The summer heat helps us to yield to our need for relaxation, unstructured time, and a change of pace. It’s not surprising that August is one of the top vacation months. For many people the stress, pressure, and competition of career or job can cause a chronic active state, causing them to feel that they must always be doing something and achieving more.
Take this time to embrace softness, peace, and joy—all aspects of the yin. Don’t worry about losing your momentum. After relaxing for a time, your natural inclination will be to move back into more focused activity. This is the normal ever-changing dance of yin and yang as they continually seek to be in balance. (To read more about yin and yang energies, see the Q & A section below.)
This month’s newsletter is dedicated to questions and answers. We will be doing this every few months, so if you have a question about Feng Shui, please e-mail it to me at SuzanneMetzger@earthlink.net. Please use Feng Shui Question in the subject line.
Questions
and Answers
Question:
I’ve heard that: - Instead of applying the Bagua to my entire home,
I can apply it to individual rooms. Which is correct?
Answer:
Both. However, whenever possible, apply the Bagua to your entire home
first.
If you have a large missing area, you can apply the Bagua to a significant room in your home, such as your bedroom. You would then enhance the missing area of your home in that room. For instance if all or part of the Wealth area is missing from your home, you can enhance the Wealth area of your bedroom.
Also, if you live in an apartment building or rent an office or room inside of a larger building, you would apply the Bagua only to the space you occupy.
Question:
Both of my parents are suffering from respiratory problems. Can Feng Shui
help?
Answer:
Yes. There are several things that you can do.
Respiratory problems are often associated with imbalances with the Metal element. This could mean that they have either too much or too little metal in their home. Also, other elements could either be over or under-represented throwing the balance of metal off.
Make sure that the Children’s and Helpful People areas have metal represented. Simple ways of doing this are to decorate those areas with items that are round in shape or made of actual metal. You can also use icy pastel colors or fabrics with metallic ribbons or threads.
White is also associated with the Metal element, but since it’s also linked to illness, avoid pure white walls. If the interior of their home is painted white, either repaint using off-whites or other colors. If the walls must remain white, add red accents. (If you do repaint, be sure to check into nontoxic paints, especially in their bedroom.)
Clutter is often related to a Metal imbalance. Metaphorically it is a form of congestion. So, if your parents are “collectors,” encourage them to de-clutter.
If any doors or windows are blocked by furniture or permanently painted shut, first try to repair them so that they can be easily opened. If that is not possible, add a small mirror to the window or doorframe to symbolically create a hole for air to flow through.
Question:
It has been suggested that I move my bed from the commanding position
to the west wall, which is one of my best directions. If I do this, the
head of my bed will be on the same wall as the door to my bedroom.
Answer:
Whenever possible, it’s always best to have your bed in a commanding
position. Briefly, that means that you are facing and can see the door
without being directly in front of it. Having the head of your bed on
the door wall, violates this basic Feng Shui principle.
Good form in Feng Shui, and the balance that it creates, always takes precedence over a favorable compass direction.
Question: Could you explain yin and yang?
Answer: One of the basic tenets of Feng Shui is that the opposite energies of yin and yang must be in balance not only in your home, but throughout other parts of your life as well.
Yin and yang energies are dependent upon each other. One cannot exist without the other. In our homes, we can achieve harmony and balance these energies by working with colors, lighting, and various building and decorating materials.
In other areas of life, yin and yang are always present. We achieve personal harmony by engaging in diverse activities that require different skills, balancing work with play or working alone sometimes and engaging in team-work at other times. Even the foods we eat have yin and yang qualities that need to be balanced for optimum nourishment.
Yin and yang are never static. They are constantly changing and rebalancing. This means that the spaces we occupy must also change in order to accommodate the personal changes we each experience in life.
Enjoy the
rest of your summer!
Fortunate blessings,
Suzanne