I let one of my two friends above lend me her book on Feng Shui which of course is based upon "ancient Chinese wisdom". I look at the Bagua chart, a sort of tic tac toe grid that one superimposes over ones house or a room:
abundance/finance reputation/fame romance/love
health/family center/spirituality creativity/children
self-knowledge/skills career/work influential people/travel
I consider the idea that all ancient wisdom must have some value to it or it would die in public awareness. I consider the 9 areas list and conclude that these are important areas of life. In fact if one were to list 9 things people care most about or consider most essential to a good life, I must admit this list would be it.
The book lists types of objects to emphasize or expand good fortune in each section, and things which are generally bad feng shui anywhere (dirt, chaos, disorder, dead things...well that makes sense). Most of this seems nonsense to me. However, as mentioned in my last post, at that moment in time I was trying to find a partner. So I review that chapter of the book. It talks about putting paired objects in that section of the house. I think of that will be easy I will just move my paired objects to there. However, after a quick search of my house I discover to my shock that I have only some salt and pepper shakers, candlestick holders and one box my sister gave me with two birds printed on it. There are however in my home many objects that celebrate the beauty and power of the individual. Even the painting by my grandmother that hang throughout my house, none have two of anything in them....ahh this is even a multi-generational message in my life. I have been taught self-sufficiency and independence, even isolation, but not cooperation, partnership or duel engagement!
This was my first real lesson in Feng Shui. It is not really about objects, it is about seeing your own consciousness. In fact I was most persuaded by a place in the book that said: "Do not be ruled by this, have fun with it." Having had some success in the romance department I decided I need more income in my life, so I turned to the "abundance" section. First lesson: notice it says abundance not money or income? As is always the case with Feng Shui one is invited to symbolize the desired outcome. What does more income actually look like? What do I want money for? Good questions. I also find myself strangely freed. I was raised in a religion that emphasizes simplicity. The pursuit of material wealth is bad and not of God. But this word abundance turns that on its head for me. Abundance I recognize is of the Divine Provider. The Source is where all abundance originates from. So I am freed to consider how to represent this in my home and in fact how to actually accomplish the increase in income I needed to provide for my family. In fact Feng Shui warns about houses with missing sectors and how to "correct" for this. As I thought back on homes I had lived in I was amazed to recognize that throughout my mostly poor adult years I had lived in countless homes that were without this sector!
In the influence people section I enjoyed creating a collage of the people who have actually influenced me and their quotes. Also posting pictures of places I want to travel to. I have enjoyed thinking about how I think about my self-knowledge, that which I have and that wish I would have. Same for my "fame" section. It was also fun to put up pictures of several generations of my family in the family section and equally fun to create a work space for creative endeavors in the creativity section. I have become many times more creative and recaptured a creative part of my heritage in so doing. For many of my clients the real work of feng shui is about clearing away the junk: the messes of an undigested life. It is an outer work that matches the inner work.
What questions will feng shui open about your life?
