Where Energy Flows

The earth has received the embrace of the sun
and we shall see the results of that love.
-   Hunkesni (Sitting Bull)

I’m currently reading “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire and in a round-about kind of way, it reminded me of the post I wrote a while ago on the Five Element and the Wizard of Oz and this seems like a good time to offer it again. 

Five Elements and the Wizard of Oz

In Feng Shui the Five Elements are used to bring a balance in our lives. Usually this means having a balance of all five elements of Fire, Water, Metal, Wood and Earth in our living spaces. But first, let’s understand the Five Elements. L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard Oz illustrates this delightfully! In this tale you can see balanced and imbalanced examples of the five elements.

Cast  

Fire: The Wizard
Water:  The Cowardly Lion
Metal:  The Tin Man
Wood: The Scarecrow
Earth: Dorothy

Fire is about taking action. The Wizard is not in balance when we first encounter him. He portrays himself as a firey ball. but he is all talk and no action. When he is revealed as a fake, he steps up to the plate as a real leader and initiator and in so doing, he finds a new sense of direction and purpose for his life.

Water is about emotions and the Cowardly Lion is a very fearful and sensitive creature who cries at the drop of a hat. The Wizard gives the Lion a medal for bravery and the Lion finds his courage. While keeping his sensitivite nature he is much more composed emotionally after he get’s his medal for bravery.

Metal is about rational thought, organization and intellectual powers. In an imbalanced state, someone who has too much metal energy (as the Tin man believes) lacks compassion and depth of emotion: he is rigid and has no heart. At the end of the story, The Wizard gives him a heart, and a testimonial which increases his capacity to both give and receive love.

Wood is about growth, flexibility and productivity. In the beginning the Scarecrow is so flexible he can hardly stand up. He also believes he has no brains, and judging by what happens when he loses his straw stuffing, we see that he does indeed lack substance. The Wizard gives him a diploma and as soon as he believes in himself, he grows substantially and becomes ’smart.’ 

Earth is nurturing and supportive.  Dorothy’s story is about feeling un-nurtured and taken for granted. In her inner journey and interactions with the other characters/elements she learns how to nurture others and through this, recognizes something of her own value, hence the famous line “there’s no place like home.” She comes to rely much more on her inner recources to give her stability and value.

Copyright Deborah Redfern 2007. All rights reserved.

The name of this poem is Flow, author unknown, and it speaks eloquently about the important movement of water in our lives. Water is the element in feng shui that teaches us about our life’s path journey or Career. The color representing water, deep water, is black and the very dark navy blues. Round free form shapes and curving lines symbolize water in our environments, as well as, of course, the actual element of water. When we have strong water in our personality, we have the ability to adapt well, and to flow around rather than trying to push through obstacles in our way. We can change our minds easily and literally go with the flow!

Be as water is

Flow around the edges of those within your path

        Without friction

Surround within your ever moving

       depths those who come to rest there.

Enfold them

          while never for a moment hold on.

Accept whatever distance others

        are moved within your flow

Be with them gently

As far as they will allow your strength to take them

And fill with your own being

The remaining space when they are left behind.

When dropping down life’s rapids

                  Froth and bubble if you must

Knowing that one of you now many

              Will just as many times be one again.

And when you have gone as far as you can go

                    Quietly await

                                your next beginning…

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.

This time of the year starts to get to me.  Michigan winters where I live tend to be dreary and long.  The nights are longer, the temperatures are colder, the skies are cloudier, and outdoor activities are minimized….all qualities of yin energy.  As far as seasons go, winter is yin* as contrasted to summer which is yang.**

I experience this yin time of year as being less active, staying indoors more often, and doing quieter activities like reading, meditating and yoga.  I definitely align with the season, however, I do feel a bit less motivated to get things done.  To inspire me to be more motivated, I introduce more fire energy into our home.  I relocate all my faceted cut crystals to catch the sunlight (fire energy) to reflect rainbows into various rooms.  We have several lights on timers that bring more light (fire energy) into our space and yard.  In addition, I regularly burn candles (also fire).  Adding fire energy during winter, brings in much needed additional warmth and light.

If you are resonating with my experience of winter, I encourage you to invite more fire into your space.  Fire is the red color spectrum, sunlight, lighting, candles, animals, animal fibers, animal prints, people and conical shapes.  Be creative, inventive and playful!  In the meantime, join me in counting down the days until spring!!!
 * In feng shui, yin is defined as cold, dark, wet, still, ornate, soft, quiet, etc.

**Yang is defined as hot, bright, dry, active, simple, active, etc.

  © Catherine Hilker, 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.

Water is one of the Five Elements of feng shui.  When the Five Elements (metal, water, wood, fire and earth) are balanced, we are more comfortable and productive.  Since many indoor environments have little or no water, I often suggest adding water to a space.  Essential oil misters (which also make great gifts) are a fun and delightful way to add the element of water to your space.

There are many brands of essential oil misters for sale.  Along with making sure the bottle contains pure essential oil, use your intuition and your sense of what smells good to choose your mister.  You can also make them yourself.  This year I decided to make essential oil misters to give as gifts.  I created the misters with charged water.  This water is infused with the vibration of special words and it adds that vibration to the space that the mister is used.  The last ingredient, pure essential oil, adds a refreshing smell as well as special vibrations that come from the essential oils.   

I’ve outlined my process below.

I used:

• Filtered water
• A glass bowl
• Small polished rocks with the words:  love, power, miracle, freedom, success, passion, wisdom, create, and health
• A blend of essential oils that included Lavender, Sweet Orange, Ylang Ylang, Chamomile and Patchouli
• 4 oz. mister bottles (a mister is a bottle with a fine spray nozzle)
• Labels

I arranged the rocks in the bottom of the glass bowl and then poured in the filtered water.  (Note: If you’d like more information about using the vibration of words with water, see Masaru Emoto’s book The Hidden Messages in Water.)

I let the bowl of water sit with the rocks in the window, next to a sun chime for 24 hours.  The water is then infused with the vibration of the words, the sun, the stars, the moon and the chime.

After 24 hours, I filled the mister bottles. 

Then I added between 15 – 20 drops of essential oil to each bottle.  Use your judgment to decide how much essential oil to use for your misters.  Also, use care in handling the oils.  They are very concentrated and should be used with caution.  It is not advised to apply essential oils directly to skin.  To learn more about essential oils I recommend The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils by Julia Lawless.

Last I made up some fun labels and put them on the bottles.

To use: Shake to mix the oil and water.  Then mist.

© Copyright Ann Kucera, 2007. All rights reserved.