Who’s Got Your Back?
In feng shui, there is an important concept called Command Position. I like to compare this position to where the Godfather would choose to sit in a restaurant. This position is located in the back of the room, up against a solid wall, able to see the rest of the room without being in the path of the door. The Godfather also generally has two bodyguards who stand on either side as guardians.
History
Historically this is represented in the school of forms as a safe place to build a graveyard, a city or building to protect it from the elements of nature or marauding enemies. In our contemporary lives, we use it to feel more empowered in how we place our furniture.
This position is can also referred to as armchair position. Imagine sitting in a large armchair. There is a solid backing, two arms on either side to protect you and then openness up front to allow entryway.
Application
Ideally, this position is used to place the furniture we spend the most amount of time (beds, desks, couches) to create auspiciousness and reduce the fight or flight reflexes that get triggered by having your back exposed to a room.
This concept and can also relate to other aspects of our lives.
Offices/Cubicles
See if you rearrange your workspace so that you are in command position with a solid wall behind you and out of the path of the door.
If there is no way to place your furniture into command position (like in a cubicle) this is sometimes why you might see someone create “simulated command position” by placing a mirror or reflected surface in front of you so that you can “see behind you.” In black hat feng shui one might also place a shawl with a powerful fire element color on the back of their chair (Reds, Oranges, Deep Pinks) or earth element color (Gold, Brown, Khaki.) If there is a window behind us, we might put up a solid curtain, set of blinds or hand a crystal from the window to protect us.
We also place guardians up behind us on the wall (bookshelves, diplomas or a photos of a mountain range or other protectors) as a symbolic way of representing someone or something “having our back.”
Weddings
When we stand up and take our vows at a wedding, there is a similar process.
Behind us stands a priest, or rabbi or justice of the peace. This person stands as the mountain (of faith) at our backs. Behind us on either side we start with a maid of honor and a best man who spearhead the row of groomsmen and bridesmaids who stand guard on the day of our ceremony and into the lives ahead. The audience (family and friends) flank an aisle that represents the river flowing to our feet. The most auspicious place to stand is at the center of this configuration.
Sports Teams
The coach is the leader within the organization and therefore represents the power of the team. It starts with the top and works its way down from there. Therefore the coach must be protected from the elements (media/fans/other teams) by the strength of the stadium or building and those who have the coaches back (The General Manager/Team Owners.) When the organization is in harmony and everyone is on the same page, this message (power) can transfer to players and can be a great source of strength for everyone to benefit from.
Start to think about who has your back in your own life. Perhaps there are one or two people who you know that you can always go to in times of need. They may still be alive or perhaps they are on the other side watching over you. These people are your energetic guardians. Your faith and belief in the source of all things in your life is the mountain at your back. And the rest of the people stand like banks of a river creating a clear path for you to explore as you navigate through life.
Read moreIf Your Home Were Alive…
If your home were alive…a living breathing thing filled with light and life, how might you think of it? How might u treat it differently?
There is a group out of Germany called Bau-Biologie which studies buildings as if they were alive. The concept is similar to the Gaia theory of our planet, which is that we are one giant ecosystem, with everything affecting everything else. So what might you do differently if you entered your home and imagined it brimming with energy, dancing with your desires, stifled by your clutter, confused by your broken things, and responding to your thoughts?
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” -William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Our homes are a reflection of where we are in our lives. If we look around, it tells a story. There are stories being told by the things we see (images, artwork, words) as well as whether we are looking at order or chaos. There are stories being told by what is hidden out of sight (what’s under the bed, what’s in the closet, even what is in our storage units.)
As my colleague Inessa Freylekhman points out, quoting Roberto Assagioli (a well known Italian psycho-analyst and spiritualist, as well as a student of Freud) “Holding new images before the eyes tend to produce the reality suggested by the image.” This is also similar to the phrase “that which we focus on, grows.” So use your home as a reflection of what you would like to see manifesting in your life.
There is a pattern of energy within our home based on the areas we USE the most. On the contrary, areas start to “feel” stagnant if we don’t use them. There are patterns of energy we bring into our homes when we take home antiques. Or take in items from other family members. Or Goodwill. Or items we get on Craigslist.
There are patterns of energy being cultivated in the ground from Lei Lines (patterns of energy which affect us from under the earths surface.) These lines of energy can either support us, or disrupt us, depending on whether we can harness their use for our good.
There are patterns of energy from cellphone towers and satelite dishes, from wifi and from microwave ovens, from computers, televisions and other electronic equiptment.
There are also patterns of energy from the wind rustling through the trees, from raindrops that splash on the cement outside and from the traffic which passes by our doors.
There are patterns of energy from the moon and other celestial bodies. From the seen ones (like our sun) and like the unseen ones which are there whether we are aware of them or not.
There are patterns of energy flowing through our bodies from the way things were and there are patterns which flow from our imaginations. There are patterns of energy which are stuck and other ones which flow freely. There are patterns which might make sense if we could see them and other ones which would only make sense from a different perspective than the one we are standing in now.
All of these patterns are available to us each day. At each moment. It is what we do with our thoughts, words and actions which determine if we have the current (or wind) at our backs, or if we will meet resistance with each step. If you aspire to anything this summer…see if you can look at each item in your home (starting with the room you are in now) …and know with certainty that it is there ON purpose, and WITH purpose. If you can achieve that, YOU are a Feng Shui master.
Namaste,
Ariel
The Circle of Life (and stuff)
Feng Shui is an evolving art and science. Although it comes to us through China, it is the meaning that we personally assign to these principles that affects how this knowledge can and will be applied to our lives. Sometimes we learn new information that causes us to reexamine or let go of old thoughts that are no longer serving us.
The same is true for our stuff. We bring new items into our home, we assign them a place and a purpose and eventually we let go of these things. It is a cycle that we participate in, ongoingly, throughout our lives.
Some of these things take on a meaning that we assign to them and sometimes items have meanings assigned to us by others. It is the meaning of the objects that can shift over time.
Let’s say that you are in a relationship. During this relationship you gather a whole bunch of items that relate to that time period. As long as the relationship is going well those items are supporting you, and the relationship in harmony.
If the relationship ends somehow (either by our choice or the choice of others) all of a sudden these items, which before seemed friendly, now feel differently somehow.
So what to do?
The process of transforming your home from a feng shui perspective has three stages to it:
- Declutter (remove anything that is no longer serving you.)
- Reorganize (envision a new blueprint, or design scheme and organize around that)
- Beautify (add in new items that support your present and your future….where you are headed)
Does this mean you have to get rid of all those items that remind you something that now is painful? Absolutely not. Sometimes we must cocoon ourselves and spend time with these items before we are ready to let some of them go. Just as skin cannot be ripped from a snake before its time, it is not necessary to napalm all of your items to move on in your life.
Sometimes we find that the person and the item can separate in our memories and we can INTEND the item anew. We can simply relate the item to something that is pertinent now or in the future of our lives and over time the item will no longer remind us of our ex.
Lastly, we sometimes need to do a cleansing ritual to transform the energy of these items. This generally means doing some sort of action accompanied by some sort of sound. We can light a candle or candles. Burn some incense or sage. Or spray some lavender, or citrus (orange/lemon) over the items. For sound we can either say some words aloud, sing, or chant. We can also ring a bell or singing crystal bowl, or even play a cd. It is the thoughts, combined with the words and the action that transforms the energy of the item, room or building.
So as you transform your relationships with your “stuff” remember the secret formula:
Thought, Word and Action
Read moreBirthdays
It was my birthday last month.
For me, birthdays are always a time for reflection. I like to think about my new years intentions and see how things are unfolding, what adjustments I’d like to make to ensure that I am in alignment for manifesting those intentions and to see the correlation between what I’d intended and what is actually showing up.
Call it my self-accountability check -in.
Sometimes I make startling discoveries (I completely forgot what I said I was going to do this year!) and other times there isn’t much to discover (it’s pretty much how I’d envisioned it.)
But these extremes are unlikely these days. Usually I am not as blindsided to discover that I am way off course (thankfully I am usually pretty aware of what I’ve been manifesting) and rarely do I find that everything is as I’d envisioned it, because life happens.
It reminds me of what my meditation teacher used as an analogy once. Meditation is like flying a plane. You know where you are taking off from and you know what the destination is, but all along the way is constant course correcting for unseen elements.
This is exactly what feng shui is like. There are elements that are within our control (placement of furniture, the colors we surround ourselves by, our clutter, what we buy, cleanliness, our intentions, etc) and then there are the aspects where LIFE SHOWS UP. We strive to find the balance between inner and outer, between seen and unseen, between control and grace. This is the essence of the yin yang, the balance that permeates our bodies, our space and our lives.
So this birthday I realized how many of my intentions were manifesting (and seemingly all at the same time.) I started to be excited and I also realized that I was overwhelmed. So many opportunities! Surely each one of these would require more time, more effort, more attention. How would I do it all?! My concept of how many things I could handle at the same time was being put to the test. It was a crisis and I needed some wisdom of how to handle all of this simultaneously.
I came across Albert Einstein’s rules for work:
- Out of clutter, find simplicity
- From discord find harmony
- In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
I think that these rules are a great approach for us to tackle our homes. Keep it simple, rebalance what is imbalanced and no matter how bad a situation looks there is always an opportunity lying within our drawers, and closets and bags and piles and shelves and storage units…an opportunity to transform all of our lead into gold.
And the same is true for my situation. In the midst of my “difficulty” is an opportunity.
The third of Einstein’s rules for work is very similar to the John F Kennedy description of the Chinese character for Crisis:
“When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.” -John F. Kennedy 04.12.1959
This is the chinese concept of “wei ji” or Danger/Opportunity. It means that every moment of imbalance or “crisis” presents an opportunity to evolve or transform a situation into something better.
So if the concept is that sometimes when our lives come to a crisis point, or opportunity point…I wanted to find the good in all of this. I believe that the universe is bringing me everything I have been asking for as long as it is for my highest good. I believe that I can always handle whatever is brought to me. And I believe that even though the answers are unknown to me at this moment, that the entire universe is conspiring to help me achieve my goals, wishes and dreams.
We/Ji (Crisis/Opportunity) sounds like the term “Wei Chi” as well.
What is Wei Chi?
Wei Chi, in Oriental medicine, is the defensive chi that circulates on the surface of the body and protects it from external factors. Chi is energy on the brink of becoming matter, and matter at the point of becoming energy. It is vital energy, the life force. This defensive Wei Chi energy protects the body from pathogens and from harmful environmental factors. It is what we might call the immune system.
Wei Chi is the final hexagram of the I Ching, the Book of Changes, and is titled “Before Completion.” This hexagram indicates a time when the transition from disorder to order it not yet completed. The task is great and full of responsibility. It is nothing less than that of leading the world out of confusion back to order, but it is a task that promises success.
So here I am. Relying on wisdom from long ago. Taking each step into the unknown, moment by moment. I hear my mother words whispering on the wind: “there is more to be revealed.”
Read moreSeven Thoughts for Fall
Seven thoughts for fall:
- crisis creates opportunity
- discover the cause that is creating the effect
- get your energetic “house” in order
- the proof is in the pudding
- finish what you start
- find the good in everything
- anything at all is possible
“When it is darkest, men see the stars.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Crisis creates opportunity. As much as we may dislike being uncomfortable, it is when we are experiencing something displeasing that we tend to be motivated to action. If you are experiencing something in your life that is uncomfortable, consider the fact that what is being presented to you is an opportunity. An invitation to step up to the next level.
“Every effect must have its cause. The past is the cause of the present, and the present will be the cause of the future. All these are links in the endless chain stretching from the finite to the infinite.” -Abraham Lincoln
If you wake up one day and look at your garden and you don’t like what you see, then it may be time to stop cursing the garden and start planting different seeds. Each of us has moments when we have a glimpse of perspective on our lives. For some of us it comes when we are on vacation, for others it comes in the shower or just before falling asleep. Meditation is something we can do daily which will help put our life into perspective.
“Take the time to line up the Energy first, and action becomes inconsequential. If you don’t take the time to line up the Energy…not enough action in the world will make any difference.” -Abraham/Hicks
Feng Shui is an art and a science which is thousands of years old. It is a way for us to affect change in our lives by transforming our living and working environments. Some people tell me that they want to get their lives to a certain place and THEN begin to work on their environments. I don’t see feng shui as a luxury item which comes after every other part of our life is functioning at the
level we want it to be. I believe that feng shui is literally our energetic foundation, our support system from which all opportunity grows. Because feng shui isn’t separate from us, it is directly linked to our hearts desires, our intentions and our belief in something greater than ourselves.
“Effectiveness is the measure of truth” – PONO: a Hawaiian Huna Principle
As a Taurus, I am familiar with being stubborn. Each of us has things that we cling to, areas of our life which we refuse to address or look at. One of the greatest teachings my mother offered me in the weeks before she died was that if something isn’t working any longer it is time to change direction. There is no one way to do anything. So as we evaluate the things we are committed to in our lives, it is important to realize that the proof is in the pudding. Put your philosophy to the test and see how effective it is.
“Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.” -Abraham Lincoln
Finish what you start. So many times I see projects left half completed and then abandoned for a new idea. Ideas are the fun part of the process. The work that it takes to make our vision into a reality can sometimes be a royal pain in our behind. It can test our faith. It can drive us crazy. But it can also strengthen our willpower and determination.
If we complete the tasks and projects that are outstanding in our lives, it frees up energy for something new. It also gives us faith that we can accomplish what we set out to do.
“Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well through all the darkest valleys you must traverse. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the mountaintop. So will you learn things in adversity that you would never have discovered without trouble. There is always a seed of good. Find it and prosper.” -Og Mandino
The practice of looking for the good in things is like a muscle. The more we practice it the easier it becomes. How easy is it to fall into criticizing the aspects of our lives which we don’t like? And misery seems to love company because we can find person after person to share our frustrations and irritations with. But it seems that as we focus on that which is positive, even in the darkest aspects of our lives seem to brighten, loosen their grasp over us and then positive aspects we focus on seem to attract like energy. Soon the momentum swings in our favor and our entire lives are flourishing!
“There are no limits”
KALA: HAWAIIAN HUNA PRINCIPLE
There are no limits in this universe except those created in our own mind. These self imposed limits are due to conditioning from society and our upbringing. The only thing stopping us from reaching our full potential, our goals and dreams is our mind.
