Where Energy Flows

Do you notice all the ways you use your senses as you move through your day?  Do you notice the subtle ways that your physical body interacts with the world?

The depth of connection to the world we experience comes largely through our five senses - touch, smell, sight, hearing and taste.  Everything we do can be a sensual experience:  Smelling the freshness of the grass that you just cut.  Feeling the soft, fluffy texture envelope your fingers as you knead warm bread dough.  Enjoying the rich, chocolaty aroma of your coffee as it is brewing.  Or just noticing the touch of the wind on your skin as you walk outdoors.

 When I was in New Mexico recently, one thing that amazed me was the luminous quality of the sunlight and the brilliant color of the sky. The shade and depth of blue was startlingly beautiful - I loved how it enhanced the delicate yellows and reds of the rock, and the way the smallest, puffy cloud was highlighted against it.  After a few days, I understood why artists like Georgia O’Keefe were inspired to create there.  I was aware that my senses were all on fire and my own creative spirit was “juiced”. 

Sensuality is also key in Feng Shui and Sacred Space design.  It is at the heart of how we make adjustments to environments.  And, as Interior Alignment™ practitioners, we often suggest changes that are meant to activate and please the senses.

You can do this as well.  Simply start by observing your sensory experiences for a few days.  You might even want to jounal your observations.

What are the things you notice as you first enter a space?  Are you more drawn to textures, colors, fragrances, fabrics, light or sound?  Discover which of your senses are most keen, which ones you rely on most.  And, then reward those senses by making changes to your surroundings that excite those senses.  Experiment with new foods or spices.  Add new colors or intensify hues.  Use more texture and layer in new fabrics.  Decorate with expressive paintings, photos or sculptures that speak to your heart and delight your eyes.  Use essential oils and experiment with a variety of scents.  And, taking this a step further, find ways to continually develop and expand your senses.  Consider, for example, taking up a craft that requires a high degree of tactile work, like weaving or pottery. 

Delight all of your senses and create more joy, creativity and passion in your life!

Copyright 2008, Deb Swingholm.  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.

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.