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Healthy Happy Birthday West Meets East ©Caroline Patrick 2002 • 2-25-02 Preparation for company and holidays can be happy but stressful. Our grandsons were coming to see "fan-ma and fan-pa", which we are presently referred to by the boys, ages 4 and 2. Our son and his wife enjoy the coolness of the bay area after the yang heat of Arizona. The ever-present masculine environment of Phoenix’s weather can melt your brain after several years. (Sorry just my opinion after 25 years of 350 sunny days a year!) My husband and I began preparing for the 2-year-old’s birthday celebration to be held at our house. This little water child is a blessing. His joyous face says it all. Strong and bold but soft and loving his nature is overflowing with passion for life. The usual "No" response of the terrible two’s pattern hasn’t entered this little guy’s vocabulary as yet! Ask if he wants to eat — "yes" is his firm reply. "Ready for bed?" "Yes" he calls. "How about a bath?" "Un huh" he grins. Want to go to the park, ride on a train, play ball, swing or go potty, he can’t seem to squeeze enough time into his busy schedule for all these activities but he manages with the help of four adults. Life is one continuous picnic for our redheaded blue sparkling eyed Irish lad. His room at home is painted an easy blue, with swimming whales. The furniture is white which helps the lungs breathe easily. Red and yellow toys accent the area balancing out the bedroom with the fire and earth elements. I realize as I’m writing this column, green is lacking in the color scheme of his sleeping space. A picture of a forest or a green plant painted, as a mural on the wall would help balance his space bringing in the wood element. The color blue is appropriate to
The color blue may be inappropriate
The four-year-old grandson was born near Thanksgiving time. My bond with him goes deep. I was allowed to stay and help four weeks after his birth. His smile will melt your heart. This quick thinking bright child fills his day with constant activity until he becomes exhausted. This blonde little fire boy jumps, twirls and loves any racecars and choo choo trains, any action adventure. This high-energy grandson is an "air fern." Doesn’t care to eat. His excitement and zeal are only exaggerated by the lack of food. When he does eat, salty foods are the choice. Wearing red only increases his reaction to his environment. Choosing blue clothes and cold foods swings the pendulum the opposite way and causes mucous build up. Yellow is a good color to wear because the energy connected to this earth element grounds the child and corrects the immune imbalance. The color red may be appropriate to:
Red may be inappropriate
Scatter bits of red within the bedroom, but use easy pale colors in yellow, greens and blue for nighttime sleep. My son is at odds because both children love computers. Living in a desert environment, playing outside is limited to mornings and evenings, so computers are a needed blessing; he feels but calls them an addiction. Using feng shui principles helps fill the children’s learning and playtime. He installed these energy creatures in an office type room away from the bedrooms, to cut down on the hazards of electromagnetic fields during sleep time, when the body is repairing itself. Fresh air is the number one solution for raising the chi or energy. Cracking the windows and allowing fresh air to recirculate no matter what the weather, is a good idea. Symptoms of an unhealthy home are:
Chemicals being released into the atmosphere along with the mold in the environment have caused the rise of asthma and bronchial conditions to soar. To be soothed by the nurturing health or center gua, my oldest grandson leaves his room in the night and gravitates to this earth section of their home and chooses a couch located in the middle of the house thus allowing this health area of the bagua to balance his chi. Building healthier homes is a feng shui necessity. Not only the shape of the home influence the family’s success in the material world, but works as a balancing agent to create good health for its occupants. Read Prescriptions For a Healthy House by Paula Baker, Erica Elliot and John Banta that is written by authors who are respectively an architect, a medical doctor and an environmental inspector for more information on this timely subject. I’m now washing towels, bedding and a little lost sock here and there, found tucked away in a hidden secret spot. I forgot to mention the littlest one feels socks on his feet are a restriction and should be stuffed into any convenient dark space not seen by grown ups. I miss those little faces already. The hugs and kisses only little ones can offer, uncomplicated and true. As a friend of mine said, "Being little is hard" and I replied, "Being big is hard too!" We laughed and agreed. Whether you believe in the stars having an earthly influence on your life or not, or the planets and moon cycles regulating the growing seasons, knowing the season and the element of your birth can help you choose a feng shui friendly home, office, proper diet and colors to enhance the balance and harmony of your living spaces. Red glass eggs are now available at the Shoppe for the Chinese New Year. It’s the shape of this object that creates a harmonious room or office. We have horses for the Year of the Horse to help you move forward toward your goal. A feng shui class will be offered on Mapping the Home, Saturday, April 27th 10 a.m. — noon. A one-day art class will soon be scheduled in May for beginners and adults. Feng shui fountain making and altars for any space in the home are also upcoming — time and date to be announced. Come in and sign up for classes at Caroline’s Arts and Feng Shui Shoppe 129 First St. or call 707 748-1127. Visit www.fengshuiartistry.com for more information. |