AT Imbolc, we celebrate the polarity seasons once more. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the Solstices (Winter in Oz and Summer in the N. Hemisphere) but it was only roughly six weeks ago! Imbolc celebrates the Return of Spring. Nature's cues come with the sprouting of saffron crocuses, snowdrops or new tree buds. The first born offspring begin to appear - even the term 'Off spring' meaning 'OF' Spring references the season we herald in
Read moreLughnasa + God of Light Lugh
It's time to celebrate the Polarity of Seasons again. Phenologists will appreciate, when the dog days of summer bring balmy humidity, I know my internal barometer is in sync with seasons! The dog days of Summer coupled with the end July (or Jan in S.H), are both calendar and celestial indicators; a midpoint point between Solstice and the next Equinox and the heliacal rising of Sirius the Dog star. This crucial time on the Celtic Wheel of the Year is a time of Harvesting nature’s bounty, known as Lughnasadh, an Autumnal festival marker.
Read moreWater Element
Through the lens of Feng Shui forefathers, Water represents your fortune in Taoist Feng Shui. It's one of the five elements that lends its name to the definition of Feng Shui; ‘Shui’ meaning Water. A nod to the significance of Waters powerful use and effects, when applied correctly by a Feng Shui consultant. Regrettably generic advise by less scholarly folk, albeit well intended, to place Water in non specific areas of a building can bode negatively for some. . . . .
Read moreUSING FENG SHUI TO BUY YOUR NEXT CAR
How do you choose a new car? Is budget a factor or does colour and brand outrank?
But what if there’s a better method of choosing the ideal car. Besides the usual criteria on a car buyers checklist, one could also narrow the choices down by using a few Feng Shui techniques and planetary movement!
Read moreFeng Shui for Business Branding
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
No matter the business idea or field, when it comes to face-to-face encounters you’ve got about a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger, and that's according to two Princeton psychologists. In the blink of an eye - a judgement is made - and apparently longer exposures doesn't significantly alter those impressions.
Read moreImbolc | Goddess Brigid | Chinese New Year
The Celtic Wheel of the Year denotes when we honour the end of a season and the beginning of the next. Often marked as festivals dates and celebrated at sacred places and landmarks where ancient builders crafted structures to showcase astronomical events. The skies two luminaries - the Sun and the Moon were the peoples calendar.
It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the Solstices (Winter in Oz and Summer in the N. Hemisphere) but it was only roughly six weeks ago! Now we celebrate the return of Spring. Nature's cues come with the sprouting of saffron crocuses, snowdrops or new tree buds. The first born offspring begin to appear - even the term 'Off spring' meaning 'OF' Spring references the season we herald in.
Read moreCreatives . . . Keep Left
International Lefthanded day in August, has been celebrated since 1976 when Dean R. Campbell, founded Lefthanders International, Inc.
Read moreImbolc | Candlemas & Goddess Brigid
It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the Solstices (Winter in Oz and Summer in the N. Hemisphere) but it was only roughly six weeks ago! Now we celebrate the return of Spring and the Sun rise. Nature's cues come with the sprouting of saffron crocuses, snowdrops or new tree buds. The first born offspring begin to appear - even the term 'Off spring' meaning 'OF' Spring references the season we herald in.
Read moreCrooked House Feng Shui
The Crooked House in Sopot, Poland came up in my news feed recently.
I was fascinated by it’s quirky exterior. At first I thought it the façade has been Photoshop-ed, but No, it was genuine. So I dug a little deeper to see what the building might be able to ‘tell’ me.
Read moreElemental Water
WATER, WATER Everywhere
Through the lens of Feng Shui forefathers, Water represents your fortune in Taoist Feng Shui. Water is one of the five elements that lends its name to the definition of Feng Shui; ‘Feng’ meaning Wind and ‘Shui’ meaning Water. A nod to the significance of Waters powerful use and effects, when applied correctly by a Feng Shui consultant. Regrettably generic advise by less scholarly folk, albeit well intended, to place Water in non specific areas of a building can bode negatively for some.
In essence, the 'quality' of water is significant and when it's partnered with Wind; the results are highly effective. Consequently, the element of Water to a Feng Shui consultant is used in a very measured fashion.
WATER AFFINITIES
Water is one of five energy forces, applied throughout Feng Shui - Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal complete the set. These are more commonly referred to as the Five elements. As Feng Shui is one of eight branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the other modalities of meditation, exercise, diet, cosmology, bodywork, herbal medicine and acupuncture also deploy the use of the five elements in each discipline.
The virtues of the Water element have many affinities and relationships. On the Pa-K’ua there are eight trigrams - which are glyphs formed by three parallel lines, solid and unbroken. The trigrams describe the rhythms and cycles of nature, like the four seasons or the cardinal and inter-cardinal directions among other things. K'an is the trigram assigned to Water, two yin broken lines flank a solid yang line. It's associated with the direction of North, winter, darkness, the number one, the kidneys, bladder, ears and bones, and your emotions. It’s also linked to the taste of salty foods, the planet Mercury and the digit six. A colour is also assigned to each trigram and K’an is Black. Many wrongly assume the colours associated with the Water element are aqua blues, sea-foam greys and turquoises. But in Feng Shui the elemental colours are deep dark hues of inky navy blues, dark stormy greys and black.
A little knowing smile crosses my face when I recommend Water element remedies, as most client discloses that they are drawn to watery, beach colours. But whites, greys and pale hues are more Metal element colours and blues are the Wood element. Feng Shui wise, ubiquitous ‘beachy themed homes’ are classified as more in keeping with the Metal element, than Water.
Prosperous Water
All five elements intermingle with each other throughout a home. Some harmoniously and others less so. In the main Water represents your fortune in Taoist Feng Shui. To a consultant the element of Water will be introduced as remediation or removed if exacerbating a malefic influence. Following a consult on your business or home, a consultant may advise that a sector of the building internally (or externally) could benefit from the use of an actual Water element. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with a significant body of water in the correct sector, this could activate your prosperity and abundance. Water can be added through the use of various means, via colour, shapes etc. but the use of the actual element such as a fountain, lake, pond or pool has the most targeted influence.
In warmer climates the omnipresent swimming pool - generally located in the rear of the property - can also be used to activate auspicious sectors in the home. However, if the pool is located in an inauspicious location feng shui wise, the opposite results can occur and you could find you’re literally drained of resources. When adding any permanent and significant water additions to your property it's wise to consult if the chosen location is positioned to benefit or hinder your prosperity.
Manmade water features v's natural water
A manmade feature is generally in your control - simply flick a switch to engage a fountain, add some fish to move the water in a pond or frequently use a swimming pool. Initially in the design stages the manmade water feature location can be selected according to the prosperous sector of your home. Small structures of course are also potentially moveable. However, the ebb and flow of oceans, rivers, streams or waterfall near your property can be destructive or benevolent. Fast flowing rivers that crash and flow erratically are destructive, equally so is a stagnant pond or swamp - the quality of water is all important. Yet the gentle lap of water on a shoreline is beneficial as is gentle babbling brook. Living in a secluded bay also collects the fecund energies from the combined water and wind dispersal - that said, your homes positioning on the bay is also significant.
Further consideration
Another point to consider is the landfall of your site. During torrential rain fall on an area of your property may become waterlogged for extended periods of time. More advanced formulas also exist for the actual plumbing and drainage flow within the home - correctly applied feng shui formulas, can also enhance an occupants prosperity and abundance.
In summary, the water element can be your friend or your enemy. A recently added swimming pool, large pond or water fountain could be contributing to a reversal of your good fortune. Falling on hard times, is emotionally harrowing, aside from the actual installation hit, it's hard for clients to believe their new water feature may be a hindering factor. It’s always prudent to get the landscape plans looked at pre installation and the good news is this can be done via a remote consultation.
So, if you’re feeling things are going backwards and your affluent water addition is hindering gains then a feng shui audit could highlight solutions to harmonise the situation. For more information check out our Residential or Business consults and our Remote consults are ideal if you just need assistance with identifying a suitable position for the water feature. Don’t forget to check out our Pinterest boards to assist in decorating with the water element if you’ve been advised to do introduce the element of water into a certain sector of the home.
It's #WaterQualityMonth in August. We all know Water is vital to sustaining life. The United Nations emphasize the importance of the actual Quality of Water over the past decade every August.
“Living eye to eye with environmental wisdom ”
— FENG SHUi iSM
Bicker Better
Where and what to Avoid.
Do you find you often quarrel in a certain room of your house? It’s typical for a barney to ensue in the same spot in your home. But did you know that a Feng Shui Flying Star (Xuan Kong Fei Xing) consultant, can tell where a couple are most likely to argue in their home just by looking at the house 2D floorplan?
Read moreFeng Shui for Business Branding
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
No matter the business idea or field, an actual person has got about a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face, and that's according to two Princeton psychologists. In the blink of an eye - a judgement is made - and apparently longer exposures doesn't significantly alter those impressions.
Read more