Where Energy Flows

A while ago I wrote a series on the impact of colours in feng shui and it was suggested that I bring all these posts together in one place. So here it is!

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

The kitchen is the heart of many homes. This high energy room of the home symbolizes success, sharing, community and celebration. The nourishment created here with love aids in health and healing and teaches our children about creativity, sharing and generosity. The eating habits we learn here and the memories around food and family last a lifetime. The smells of our favorite foods can quickly take us back decades. What does Feng Shui tell us about creating a balanced kitchen?

• this yang or active environment requires good lighting
• rounded edges of counter tops keeps cutting energy minimized as does putting knives into the cupboards and off of the counter top
• keep work surfaces clutter free and doorways clear to allow chi to flow easily
• take the “command position” for food preparation by standing where you can easily see who is entering the room
• there is plenty of fire and water elements from the stove and sink/dishwasher/fridge. Wood elements can come from wood flooring and cupboards. Earth elements can be introduced with marble, granite or slate. Metal small appliances are found in most kitchens.
• kitchen colors? White and cream create a clean look. Yellow, green or blue tones bring in light, healing or calm. Try bright, dark accents of red or orange.

Love in the kitchen? Food prepared with love in a happy environment is good Feng Shui. Make a date with your kitchen to clear clutter on counters and behind cupboard doors and drawers. Renew the fire in the heart of your home!

© Brenda Rosenberg, 2008. All rights reserved.

White is technically not a colour — rather it encompasses all colors in the rainbow spectrum. It is often the colour of choice in healing work (when directing colour to the person being healed) because the person can take whatever colour they need out of white light.

The cultural meanings of white are not straight forward. On the one hand white represents new beginnings, purity, innocence and cleanliness. White is often used to represent ’goodness’ or the right side of the law, e.g., a white knight, the ‘good’ cowboy in the white hat. There is also a religious or sacred connotation of white: it can represent divine realization and humility.

On the other hand, white represents ambiguity and falsehood, e.g. telling a white lie, or to whitewash something, meaning to cover up the truth with lies. A white elephant might be the classic definition of clutter: something you do not use or love.

~*~White in decorating~*~

There is a reason why many books on selling your home recommend painting the walls in your home white: in feng shui we say white walls are a like blank canvas. So prospective buyers can more easily imagine their own colour schemes rather than being influenced by the seller’s choices. However I have found as a Feng Shui Practitioner, that when people do not change the white walls, as they face that blank canvas day after day, it is a little like writers block — or creativity block.

And this is interesting because in the bagua map, white is related to the Children and Creativity gua, and the element of metal, so you would think having a white colour scheme throughout the entire house would make you wildly creative. And it might do that — if you are a person who has a lot of metal energy — someone who has a personality suited to it. But there are four other elements other than metal: fire, earth, water and wood. For these people a little bit of white — such as decorative trim, contrast colour or even just one white wall – as well as a little metal, will help with creativity and decision making, but not four white walls plus ceiling!

Another interesting thing is that white is yang, which is outgoing, extroverted and expansive. But colour healing experts say that large expanses of white can be isolating and make it more difficult to make decisions and take action — and I have observed that to be true as a feng shui practitioner. If you feel lonely or cut off, that your energy is ’scattered’; if you want to be more out-going or make decisions more easily, try bringing in colour.

If painting is not an option one thing you can do is to hang coloured textiles on the wall with curtain rods or other means of attachment. This could be curtains, a quilt or even a rug. Another idea is to bring in warm accessories (think earth tones) that will cast a warm reflection on stark white walls. Having art work hung on white walls is very important as it will help lift the ‘blank canvas’ feeling. 

The colour experts say that white is good in bathrooms and kitchens, but not good in children’s rooms or dining rooms.

© copyright 2008 Deborah Redfern. All rights reserved.

Traditionally this is an intense time of setting Resolutions for the year ahead. Wow! This always made me shudder. There were many years I sent the resolution to “Follow a recipe, exactly.”  Each year I failed and felt ‘bad’ about my self worth. But, my creative nature just wasn’t letting that happen. Me, the Earth person personified, loves to read cookbooks like novels. So I would find ideas, use them as the base element and just add from there.  So try as I did, it just wasn’t happening. I gave up on that and many other ‘Resolutions’ and just came to ignore the idea, which can be very difficult with everyone quizzing you as to your “list.”

Recently, through using the word so often in my Feng Shui work, I recognized that I resonate well with the idea of New Year’s Intentions. And I apply them to the Feng Shui bagua. I create an eight-sided star and fill in the bagua areas with the Intentions I hope to manifest in the coming year.

I have found that Intentions bring me freewill to grow in the directions of my choice. They are bendable, I can review and refresh my Intentions as the year progresses, with the many monthly and seasonal changes that unfold. Intentions don’t carry the guilt of Resolutions. They are softer and gentler.

And that is the goal of a Feng Shui holiday. Look for ways to open the door to Peace and Balance. Life is meant, especially this time of year, to be Softer and Gentler. It is the season of darkness, the season of hibernation, so keep that in mind and you plan a memorable season of Love, Laughter and Joy.

© Copyright Roberta Binder, 2007. All rights reserved.

Black is technically not a colour at all. Rather, it is the total absorption of light. From a feng shui perspective, the qualities of black are power and stillness. Black is associated with power, strength, authority, and independence. Stillness evokes quiet, introspection, the night, dreamtime, the unknown, mystery, self-protection, and to go unnoticed. Black is also associated with beginnings and endings: beginnings - we are born into the light; endings - death, a return to darkness.

From the bagua map perspective black is the color for the Career gua.  The element for the Career area is water, and the trigram means ‘deep water’.  If you have studied feng shui, you may know that Career does not mean only what you do as your job; rather it also refers to the soul-searching that happens when you contemplate your purpose in life. From my book on the bagua Odyssey of the Heart,

Deep water means to go very deeply inside on an inner journey to find the quintessential nature that is you. I believe that through this journey you can find your personal alchemy which gives you the opportunity to turn your life around.

So if black represents finding yourself and your true purpose in life, those qualities of black (power and stillness) are important. For example, do you use your power in a constructive way? There are two types of power, one having to do with the misuse of it and the other having to do with self mastery. The misuse of power (having power over someone) explains one of the cautions I have read on wearing black. It is said to ’express hidden aggressive impulses and causes one to absorb unfiltered energies from the world outside’.

Do the qualities of black help you become more centered or still inside, or does it protect you in some way — to ‘disappear’ or go unnoticed?

Using Black

Black should not be used in young children’s rooms, therapy rooms, or living rooms. 

I sometimes do a feng shui consultation for someone who wants a black and white bedroom scheme. I try to dissuade them because while it might look dramatic and mysterious in the night, by day it depresses the energy. Have you ever been in a night club or restaurant with a black or very dark color scheme by day? Were they places you wanted to linger in?

Similarly, long term wearing of black, head to toe - almost like a uniform - is not recommended from an energetic perspective, but then too, there are colour/fashion experts who tell us that a lot of us just do not look good in black! Some wear black because it doesn’t show the dirt, but personally I find the opposite is true and my black clothing seems to need cleaning after each wearing. But there are times when it is useful:

• If there is a time in your life when you need self-protection or to go unnoticed
• When you are feeling extreme exhaustion
• To quiet an over-active mind.

© Copyright 2007 Deborah Redfern. All rights reserved.

“Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water.  Be still and allow the mud to settle.”  Lao Tzu

The gua concerned with self knowledge and study lies in the near left corner of your home as you enter the front door.  This gua and its benefits are not as immediately evident as others, say abundance or career.  But how can you enhance any of the other guas without first knowing yourself?  Self awareness enhances all of your relationships, whether they be with family or career, love relationships, creativity, knowing how to attain and retain abundance or how to accept help from others. 

Use this gua for self cultivation and reflection.  Find your passion and set the intention to know yourself through it and commit to seeing the process through to fulfillment.  The cultivation of self reflection can be found through writing, painting, meditation, music……..the form does not matter.  Gather what you need, things such as books or other study elements, journals or create a meditation corner.  Enhance this area using greens, blues and black.  Invite in the wisdom of elders, mentors or respected teachers.  Visit regularly, taking a few moments to let go of controlling your life to sit and let the mud settle.  Perhaps one day you will see the big picture.

“Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].

Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.

Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.

I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.”

Bertrund Russell
 

Copyright 2007  Brenda Rosenberg  All rights reserved 

What are some of the first signs of dis-ease?  Pain, fatigue, poorly functioning digestive system, high temperature, and headaches.  When we are not feeling well with these symptoms we change our diet, protect the painful area, sleep, take medications and if the symptoms persist or worsen see a doctor or health care provider.

What are the signs of ill health in a home?  Bad smells, cracks or shifting in the foundation, plumbing disruptions and electrical failures.  When our house is not well we either patch it or repair it ourselves and if necessary bring in a professional.

The Bagua Map is an energetic representation of your life as it is reflected in your home.  (see bagua entries by Deborah Redfern)  The center of your home represents the health gua/area.  It is touched by all the other life areas and in turn affects all life areas.  Like the center of a wheel it functions best when all parts are in working order and balanced.

The center of a home is like the lungs of your body.   Your breath is the meeting ground for the concious and unconcious minds.  When you breathe in freely you experience life fully and when you breathe out freely you express yourself fully.

How can you keep the health gua energized to support your health?  Back to the signs of dis-ease.   Repair what is broken or not working well.  Oil hinges, repair flooring, fix door closures, repair plumbing and electrical problems, improve ventilation and update appliances.

Keep this area open, free to breathe and expressing your health goals/ideals.  Remove clutter stored under stairs or in closets.  Keep hallways free of clutter.  Free breathing gives you access to positive feelings emerging from your body.  Unrestricted breath allows you to center yourself in order to express your health easily.

Use this area to reinforce health goals by placing art and objects that represent health and vitality to to you.  Update frequently.  The element for this gua is earth.  The colors used to enhance this area are yellow (see entries on color by Deborah Redfern), gold and earth tones.  Use paint color, flooring, and accents with shades of these colors that are pleasing to you, giving you a feeling of being grounded and centered.

Interior Alignment™ encourages a balanced, natural flow in your home and in your life.  Look at the center of your home for  early signs of dis-ease and bring your home and yourself back into balance with Feng Shui.

Copyright 2007 Brenda Rosenberg   All rights reserved.