Where Energy Flows

In Feng Shui one of the nine areas of the bagua is called Creativity and Children. Although all areas are equally important and interdependent for me personally this is probably my favorite area of life for I’m all about creativity. More and more as I look around these days it seems to me that the biggest thing that ails us silly humans is that we have become so disconnected from our essential creative natures.A great way to link back up with your creativity and energize this part of your life is by spending some time making a collage. Gather up some old magazines, a pair of scissors, paper and some glue. I like rubber cement. For paper you can use card stock, poster board, mat board or even plain copy paper.

With all your materials in front of you set an intention for what you would like to create. It can be a general intention such as, “I’d like to make a collage that represents creativity to me.” Some other great topics to collage on include going in search of lost parts of your soul and help from your Spirit Guides. There are infinite topics to collage and I’ll be discussing new ones here each time I blog to give you ideas.

Once your intention is set you can dive into the magazines. I like to flip through them quickly and rip out any images that say, “Yum!” to me. I do this quite fast so that my left brain doesn’t have time to analyze why I like certain images. I work by feeling with my eyes, not by thinking with my mind. To me my collage time is a sacred feast for my eyes and imagination. Collage is like a party for your right brain.

After I’ve gathered a small stack of 5-10 different images I then take a look to see if there are any themes emerging. Often the theme is a color. There will be several images either all the same color or complementary colors that are just crying out to be together in a collage.

Next I begin trimming away any excess around the image that I don’t want to be included in my collage such as words from advertisements. Then I place them on my paper surface and begin sliding them around to see where they might want to live. Often I start with a larger background scene and then layer smaller images on top of it.

It’s always fascinating to me with each collage I make that the more I can surrender to the wisdom of the images I choose, the more they guide me. They come together in mysterious ways like pieces of a puzzle to form a soul snapshot that I somehow misplaced. The more you can understand yourself on a soul level, the more balance you can bring into your home and life. Try it and see for yourself!

 ”The loss of my mare is not necessarily a bad thing. All will be shown for its true worth in time.” ~ from The Old Man of the Steppes Finds a Horse, Chinese teaching story

As a feng shui and space clearing practitioner and teacher I know I have touched many people’s lives, but it is not something I am comfortable talking about. This is at times difficult because many feng shui books are written from a ’success story’ point of view, and people love to hear success stories. They are fun and bring a sense of hope and wonder into the world. But I don’t focus on success stories  because the nature of energy is that we do not know what the final outcome will be. In my studies with Denise Linn, she shared an ancient teaching story about an old Chinese man and his horses. You may have heard it. The moral is “it isn’t good, it isn’t bad: we do not know the whole story.” Eckhart Tolle also shared a version of this story in The New Earth Webinar series.

Here is a story that illustrates this point. I often work with people who want to have a new romantic relationship in her life. This is a story about Sally. When I did a feng shui consultation for her, I saw that she had her desk set up in the relationship bagua area of her home (therefore on an energetic level, her relationship was with her work.) We moved the desk a few feet away into the reputation area, set up a beautiful altar dedicated to love and romance in the relationship area, as well as making several other enhancements and in addition to the manifesting work she was already doing.

A week later Sally called me very excited and happy because the energy shift happened almost immediately: not one, but several men were suddenly interested in seeing her and she had been going out on dates. It was an exciting and heady time for her, and she wanted to give me (and the feng shui) credit. It is tempting: It feels good to be thanked and to feel I have personally done something that has brought happiness, but in the back of my mind I heard those words “it isn’t good, it isn’t bad, you do not know the whole story.”

I didn’t hear from Sally for awhile but when she finally got in touch with me, it was to tell me she had began a serious relationship with one man, but some problems were coming up: the types of issues that often have to be worked through when two people begin to merge their separate lives together. Questions about roles and boundaries, and personal space. And now her gratitude for me has cooled because suddenly she has new and serious problems that she didn’t have before. As a feng shui practitioner, am I responsible for the problems? No, no more than I am responsible for the success, which is to say that my role is to help bring a change in the energy. No matter how strong my intention that the change be for the highest good of the client, I know only a small part of the story. The work may have brought up relationship issues that were there before, waiting for the opportunity to be healed. And I don’t know anything about the story and energy of other people involved in the story.

In my role as a feng shui practitioner, I don’t know how it is going to turn out, as none of us ever do. What I know is that each action we take changes life for another person — often many people. This is what feng shui teaches us: that everything in our universe is made up of constantly changing energy fields which have a type of consciousness (different levels depending on what it is.) We are a part of everything and everything we do touches and affect everything else. What happens is far too complex with so many levels and variables that it is clear that labelling is a problem. From where we stand there is such limited information available to us. All that we do simply is; not good and not bad.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

The Creativity area (also called Creativity and Children) is about experiencing joy in your life. We can all think ‘abstractly’ about what brings us joy. The challenge as I see it, is to be devoted to experiencing joy. 

The pace of life is such that for many of us, joy is the last thing on our list after all we have to do has been taken care of.  What a small world we then create for ourselves! I have observed in my own life that I am often my own ‘make-work project’, but those projects that seem very important and even urgent at the time, are quickly forgotten. And I observe is that they take me away from what is truly important in life.

The effect of the Creativity area is to wake us up, for many people feel fully awake and alive when they are experiencing joy. These are the moments where we are ‘being’ instead of ‘doing’. Getting more done will not feed your soul — most of the time we can not even remember what we have done. Taking time to experience, for instance, a beautiful sunset can be an experience that stays with you forever. And experiencing joy in your life supports your health on all levels. The gift of Presence is the biggest we can give to ourselves and to each other.

~*~ When to Enhance the Creativity Area ~*~
You can enhance the Creativity area of your home according to the bagua enhancements for this area, but better still, why not ‘be’ creativity? For many of us we will need to practice:

• putting yourself first
• avoid overbooking or creating more ‘busy’ work for yourself
• learning to delegate and say no
• identifying what brings you joy (a daily walk in nature, painting, reading a book, spending time with a friend, watching the sunset….there are endless possibilities.
• making time for joy a priority.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

I am delighted to announce the New! Improved! Personality Profile Results Report on my website at Touchstones.  Even if you’ve done it before, I encourage you to take a few moments and do the 5 Element Personality Profile, again, just for the fun of seeing your bar graph and pie chart.

If it is new to you, it’s easy.  There are fifty descriptive words in each category:   Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal.  All you do is mark the words that you feel apply to you.  When you are finished, you click on “Show me my Personality Type.”  This will give you your current balance of the five elements.What do you do with this information?  Lots of stuff. Some or all of which many of you may already know.  On the other hand, perhaps it is the perfect time to be reminded!

First, you notice what your ‘lead’ element is — the element with the highest number.

You may have a tie between two or three elements.  If that’s the case, one element at a time, read the words you marked.  Out loud.  Pause.  Then read the words marked in the other element.  Which feels more like you more of the time?

You make decisions based on your lead element.  If you’re Water, your desire for deeper meaning will color all your choices.  If you’re Wood, usefulness is your compass.  If you’re Fire, fun rules.  If you’re Earth, other people’s feelings hold sway on your decisions.  If you’re Metal, your choices must be appropriate.

Since each element is ‘housed’ in a particular part of your overall home and each room, it is useful to know which elements are your strengths because those are the safest locations to place ‘necessary evils.’ 

Such things as your knife drawer in the Kitchen, or your shredder in your office, or the drains (Kitchen, bath sinks, bathtubs, and toilets) are ideally placed where you are strong.  This reduces their potential harm.

If necessary evils are located in a area associated with your weak elements, they weaken you further.

Most of the time, how you are in the world reflects your unique combination of elements.  A person strong in Water, Wood, and Fire will go with the flow, having fun, yet be extremely efficient with their time, for example.

When you are stressed or tired or hungry or feel vulnerable in any way you will revert to your ‘default mode,’ which is your lead element.  When stressed, if your lead element is Water, you will go inward.  If Wood leads the way, you will become more focused and less tolerant.  If Fire is your lead element, when stressed you will seek fun elsewhere.  If you’re Earth, you will be accommodating, even to your own detriment.  If you’re Metal, you will become even more reserved and distant.

Choices made solely from the lead element’s viewpoint have only a one in five chance of being the most successful approach to any given situation. The more balanced you are in all five elements, the more you will respond with the combination that is most successful in every situation.  Being balanced also has the perk of becoming stressed less frequently by life’s surprises.

How do you increase an element?  You can use color, pattern, shape, scent, wall art, sculpture, music, or activities.  Stay tuned to learn how to increase each element individually.

If there is a wide gap between your strongest (40, for example) and your weakest element (12), it is best to make adjustments gently and gradually.  If the gap is significant but not dramatic (strongest 18, weakest 10), you can make bigger changes more quickly. 

And if all five elements are basically the same, (28,28,32,30,26) consider yourself … lucky … and balanced.

When you know what your lead element is and you begin to recognize when it is operating without leavening from the other elements, it can serve as an early warning signal that stress is building.

For myself, as my lead element is Wood, when little stuff irritates me like a slow check-out clerk, it is a warning signal.  After all, how much time is even the slowest clerk wasting?  Am I hungry?  Fatigued?  Disappointed?  Whatever it is, my irritation helps me by triggering those questions.  It is then possible to take steps to alleviate whatever the cause is — and the grocery clerk receives kind attention.

What is your early warning signal?  Inquiring minds want to know!

© Copyright Kathleen Tumpane, 2008. All rights reserved.

I sit at my desk, working at my computer, typing another draft letter for my supervisors to edit before final signatures.  My office space is a small cubicle on the third floor of a government building.  The building is grey cement with large windows on the exterior.  The interior of the third floor is grey blue.  All you hear in the office is the clicking of keyboards and some low voices in discussion.  The room is very quiet as people diligently work.

This is short description of my past workspace.  My cubicle was unlike most others as I had color in mine from well placed pictures and flowers.  My favorite place in my cubicle was just to the right of my computer screen.  I had a “special” place arranged with a picture of my husband and our dog, a small fairy figurine, a stone that I found on a walk, a special amethyst crystal and a small vase of flowers.  While most of my colleagues listened to music through headphones, I played my flute music CD’s at a very low volume. 

I had a fair amount of visitors to my cube.  If there was a short discussion on a project, informally, we met in my cubicle.  Friends would stop by on their break and spend a few minutes with me.  They always said that they felt so good in my space.  My cubicle was my Sacred Space.

Since I worked for a state government there were specific rules about religion.  So my “special” desk arrangement was not called an altar, but it was a work place altar and I knew what each item represented and the specific placement on my desk.  I knew the Feng Shui of my desk.  This was the Helpful People area of my desk according to the bagua.  My helpful people were my family, my canine spirit helpers, stones and crystals, the fairy and to honor all of them…flowers.

Most people have a way of placing items on their desk, such as family pictures, mementos, and “lucky” items.  I believe that arranging these types of items is natural and we do this arrangement by instinct or intuition.  When we begin to understand that every item we place has a special energetic meaning, then we step into the world of Spirit and we then consciously select those items and their placement. 

I am very grateful for my education through Interior Alignment as creating altars is integral in Space Clearing.  But even more important is that when we consciously create our own altars, our own “special” arrangements, we invite Spirit consciously into our lives.

© Yvette Neshi Lokotz, 2008. All Rights Reserved.

A common desire when working with clients in their homes or through life coaching often focuses on increasing prosperity, abundance and wealth.  Who doesn’t want to live the good life without feeling overwhelmed and stressed?  In our culture, instant satisfaction and results are the desired norm for many.  In some cases, instant results are possible; however, the most stable things in life come through persistence, consistency and commitment.  In other words, reaching our desires is a process.

The trigram for the wealth, abundance, and prosperity area of the bagua is “persistent wind.”  As one of my teachers put it, “the slow, steady accumulation of precious resources and priceless blessings.”  To feel truly abundant requires a consistent practice of being grateful.  A consistent awareness of being thankful for all the Abundance represented in our lives.  Like the abundance of friends, family, time, pleasure, creativity, soul searching, knowledge, being of service, and of course, financial resources. 

Gratitude is a natural state of prosperity consciousness.  It is very difficult, if not impossible, to experience lack or limitation while being grateful. When we are appreciating all that we have in our lives, we are a magnet for even more!  So, if you are like me, you’ll probably benefit by toning up the gratitude muscle through a consistent, ritualized practice.  Here are some suggestions:

At the end of the day, record all the things that you’re grateful for in a special journal.  And enter your dream state from this expanded place.

• Regularly offer smiles or other friendly gestures to those you encounter during your day, whether you know them or not.
• Give of yourself and precious objects without attachment.
• Focus your awareness on the upside of situations.
• Be generous with your time, your special talents, your positive encouragement, and your creativity.
• Most important, feel deserving of all the good things that you desire.

May you have all you desire, readily, easily and joyfully!

© Catherine Hilker, 2008. All rights reserved.

The Relationship Area is about nurturing relationships, traditionally it includes those with a spouse or partner. The most important relationship of all however, is the inner relationship you cultivate with yourself. Many of us go through life doing what is expected, what other people want us to do, while putting our innermost dreams aside. You are a precious being and you truly deserve unconditional love, especially from yourself. Buddha said, “You, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

How do you take care of yourself? Do you make time for yourself? Do you think nurturing yourself would be a good investment of time? What might the rewards be?

And, on the other hand, what might it cost you personally to not take care of yourself — to give yourself your love and affection?

~*~ When to Enhance the Relationship Area ~*~

To improve relationships of all kinds, practice taking care of your own inner needs first, and you will have more to offer to your relationships with others. 

~*~ Colours to Use ~*~
Traditionally, the colour for the Relationship Area is red, pink and white, but I encourage my clients to consider the colours that give them a feeling of being loved and taken care of.

~*~ Element Symbols ~*~
The Element is Earth (Gaia, Mother Earth, nurturing energy).  Put objects in this area that represent love to you, especially those you have a personal association with, such as wedding and anniversary photographs and gifts, as well as flowers, cupids, and heart shapes. For improved relationships with family, display happy photos of you with people you love.

~*~ Life Symbols ~*~
Use any objects and items that give you a sense of your own self worth.

~*~ How to Use ~*~
Use any of the enhancements of colour, element symbols or life symbols in the Relationship area of your home.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.