Where Energy Flows

Pachamama - Incan for Earth Mother, our beloved planet.
As we in the United States are preparing to celebrate Earth Day Tuesday 22 April, let’s all give thought to what we can do to help grow an even more beautiful planet for us and all future generations. Honoring Earth Mother gives value to your own life and the lives of everyone who lives here.

Pachamama is the basis of sweetness - in your honoring of Earth Mother in little things such as remembering to recycle everything possible with the services of your community - you help to enrich her sweetness. If we dis-honor her sweetness, Pachamama will be no more! 

We are beginning to see more and more signs on store doors, especially grocery stores, “Did You Remember Your Bags.”  So do you bring your bags? A collection of canvas bags is easy and inexpensive to come by these days, and generaly pays you back in a token refund at the checkout.

I’ve been drinking bottled water for decades - then a friend sent me a video showing plastic bottles on the shores of an un-personed remote island. The bottles were piled on the beaches having floated there from places unknown and I thought “Did one of mine get away and get into that pile!” In response, I’ve purchased a simple water filter - it has made life easier.

Since we all love gifts on our “Day!” perhaps honoring Earth Mother by planting a tree would be a perfect gift for her.  It would be a great experience to begin with the young ones in the family who can pass it on to the young ones in their families and so on for generations to come.

Love and Honor Pachamama, open your heart to her beautiful gardens and she will open doors for you.

Happy Earth Day! - Let’s make everyday Earth Day….

© Copyright Roberta Binder, 2008. All rights reserved.

The nine areas of the bagua map can be applied to any room in the house. When applying it to an infant’s room we soften the intentions, making them age appropriate with a loving influence. As you gently energize all areas of the room you encourage your baby to grow in a well balanced way. Keeping the room and closets clutter free and child safe is most important. Keep colors soft and the content of all pictures or art loving and positive. Most of the time your infant will be sleeping in this room so remember to keep the themes of toys, art and wallpaper non-moving and restful. If you have items you wish to display in the room think of the following suggestions:

Prosperity. Intentions here support a wealth of unconditional love for your baby. A good spot to put a special piggy bank.

Fame or recognition. Help your baby to feel recognized for who they are as individuals and family members by placing items representing firsts for them.

Relationships. Baby’s first relationships are with family. This could be where Mom and baby sit for feeding time.

Family. Place family photos here that were taken when everyone was happy or items that represent your culture that are warm, friendly and infant appropriate.

Health. Try to keep this area open so that chi can move freely. Remove obstacles to growing up strong and healthy.

Creativity. This would make an excellent play area. Store a small number of toys here that are favorites and rotate new toys in that are at the next challenging level.

Self knowledge. This area can display books or be arranged as a reading corner to foster an early love for learning.

Career. Your baby’s job is to learn about themselves and their world. Educational toys that are age appropriate and safe could be stored here.

Helpful People. Gifts from god-parents, babysitters or items from anyone with a special supportive role in your child’s growth and development could be placed here.

Copyright 2008  Brenda Rosenberg  All rights reserved. 

My children - My sweet children -They are terrors without doubt
The crazy ones that live with me - My hair? – I pull it out
It’s hard - It’s easy - I don’t know - They drive me crazy
All I want is sleep – yet I am sure I’m not too lazy

Oh exhaustion - I’m so tired - I’m so grouchy - I ‘m a mess
Something needs to change right now – there’s way, way too much stress
So I shall shift the energy - Creating what I focus on
I can get this right – I will - My mad, sad thoughts will all be gone

Balance – Beginners Mind – Patience – Good Thought Thinking
They’re only little once - They are a joy - I am not sinking
Wait – Cancel – Correct – I’m buoyant with so much love
That always surrounds me - From below and from above

Be gentle with myself - Who I am right now’s enough
Life is really good to me – It’s really not so tough
And if society pulls me down - I notice it – without a frown
As perfect parents don’t exist

I go outside – I make a list
Of all the good that’s in my life
And I let go of all the strife
Because – after all, Life is way too short - so why not have a ball.

 © Copyright Elise Rebmann, 2007. All rights reserved.

A few days ago I reviewed a great resource guide and DVD on reducing toxic exposures in the home for pregnant women and their babies. The title is Better Safe than Sorry - Hidden Exposures all Parents Need to Know, and it is put out by the Center of Education for Children’s Health and the Environment.

This is an excellent resource and very in tune with the Healthy Home part of the Certified Practitioner of Interior Alignment™ training. For many years Interior Alignment™ has stressed the importance of reducing toxins in the home. 

There have been so many changes in home environments in the last twenty to twenty-five years. Homes are more energy efficient and many do not naturally exchange air, unless we remember to open the windows or install an air exchange system. The huge increase of chemicals in our environment is creating chemical sensitivity in many people, and pregnant mothers, babies and young children are particularly at risk. 

Many of the products mentioned in the Better Safe than Sorry DVD are things you would not necessarily think about as being harmful but in fact most homes contain a complex cocktail of pollutants from many common household products (see Helen’s post Natural Cosmetics for a Healthy Home for example.) These common household products can include formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ozone, radon, sulfur dioxide and particulates from cigarette smoke.

The Better Safe than Sorry guide tells you what products to avoid in the workplace while you are pregnant and what to use in your home — which are the safer plastics, what to look for when setting up your nursery, and how to read labels on cleaning and personal product labels to make informed choices. And there is much more.

You may be aware that a Certified Interior Alignment™ Practitioner can help you design a child-friendly environment (for example see  Brenda’s post on creating emotional safety for children through feng shui.

But did you know CPIA’s are also trained to do a Healthy Home assessment? We can help you to create a healthful environment for whatever stage of life you are in — from your 1st pregnancy and baby, to welcoming your new grandchild into your home. 

Once you have a feel for the personality of the class as a whole and its individual personalities you can begin to set your intention for the class for the day, week, project, month, season or year. Part of that intention could be to have yourself and your children seated to maximize the learning experience. Here are some ideas to consider when setting up the classroom.

First, consider your needs:

• place your desk in the “command position” where you have a view of the room which includes the doorways and windows.
• have something solid behind you such as a wall or bookcase to give a feeling of stability.
• have easy access to what you need to work efficiently at your desk.

What are the children’s seating needs?

• try sitting in the children’s desks to see, hear, feel and smell what they do. Is this consistent with your intention for what they are learning at this time?
• individual children may need to be closer or farther from the blackboard or to the right or left of where you stand to teach in order to hear/see well.
• does the child see constant movement through the window/door or are they under a buzzing flourescent light?
• does the desk size fit the child?
• does the child need to see you for cues as to how to behave or activity change?

Another intention may be to have a classroom with a relaxed easy feeling. What about the energy of the room?

• is there a clear path so that you can walk easily through the room?
• is there adequate ventilation or do you need to open the window for 2-3 minutes on a regular basis?
• active activity areas such as an art center may benefit from mobiles hung above to keep the energy moving, clear colors such as yellow to keep children on task
• quiet activity areas for reading/writing/listening may benefit from individual squares of carpet to sit on facing a corner for increased attention.
• children may benefit from energy breaks. Using voice, song, musical instruments, stretching, jumping on the spot or marching will increase the energy of the child and the room in general releasing pent up energy to allow more focus. To focus on quiet activities have the children lay their heads on the desk, cover their eyes with their hands, or give themselves a big hug to settle.
• Breathing can help wake up or settle the room. Ten slow deep breaths for older children or pretending to blow out candles for younger children can increase focus.

Teachers juggle many, many things at once every day. Let the setup of the classroom help you to create the best year ever!

Copyright 2007 Brenda Rosenberg All rights reserved.

Creating a sanctuary for your child through Feng Shui can help support their growth through all the stages of childhood. Creating a room for your child that is a safe place to go to when challenged and a safe place from which to go out and meet the world from as they spread your wings is one of our parental responsibilities.

A child’s room can help support the following as needed:

• health and growth
• calmness/stability
• clarity/focus/learning
• respect/love for nature
• sociability/expressiveness
• fearlessness/safety/security

Children can be easily distracted by movement such as from an open door, television, clock, lights, the content of pictures, windows, curtains/blinds or even slanted ceilings. Sounds from the house or outside or traffic can feed their imaginations. The surfaces and textures they are in contact with such as clothing, sheets, and the weight of the bed coverings are important distractions to a child at night. Room temperature, fatigue, hunger, thirst and household smells are amplified when alone in bed at night.

Children have vivid imaginations and take many things literally depending on their age. Shadows and sounds can join with the scary movie, story or news content of the day to create a very scared, fearful child at bedtime. A child may be fascinated by things that scare them, unable to stop thinking about them. If the things they are surrounded by at bedtime are supporting this, their fears can become overwhelming and spill over into acting out, mild physical complaints or school difficulties. Also, the things they have in their rooms and how they interact with them can be mirroring a problem outside of the home.

Spend time with your children in their rooms. See things through their eyes from their perspective, especially from their place in bed at night. Look for movement, sound or surface irritations. Talk with your child about their room, what is in it and how it makes them feel inside. If they express a fear or concern calmly ask for more information, allowing the story to unfold.

Giving your child appropriate choices for their rooms and encouraging them to have things around them that make them feel good is good Feng Shui!

Copyright 2007 Brenda Rosenberg All rights reserved.

Safety is a priority for parents when it comes to the care of their children.  Safety concerns change with the age of the child as do the feng shui needs of their spaces to support development.   Physical safety can be addressed by looking at a child’s room with the following in mind.

• Windows - consider child proof latches, screens that prevent accidental falls, blinds that do not emit noxious fumes, short strings that cannot become entangled or wrapped around the neck.
• Edges - check for  sharp edges that one could fall onto or get clothing stuck on, remove toys with edges that are ragged.
• Electrical - create a safe distance between any electrical appliances with cords that may be too close to the bed such as  clocks, televisions and video games.  (Better yet, remove the television and video games to another room or closet at bedtime)  Are outlets adequately covered for the child’s age?  Check for what is on the other side of bedroom walls  such as electrical transformers or fuse boxes.
• Clutter - is there a safe nighttime pathway for your child and yourself with adequate lighting?  Is there an allergy problem with dust collecting because of flooring materials which are covered with clothes and toys?

Creating a safe environment also involves emotional safety.  Creating emotional safety in a child’s space brings in the  senses.  Sound, scent, smell, and sight create memories and support growth.  This will be the topic of my next blog installment for Interior Alignment™ Feng Shui.

Copyright 2007 Brenda All rights reserved.