West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick

Business Success Using Feng Shui

I love helping new and old businesses thrive. Using Feng Shui or the balance of “Wind and Water” is of great value for maintaining a steady flow of income. Learning the “Elements of Success” will help any home or business owner succeed. Water is the Element of Career, and in the ancient times the lay of the land and the way water flowed through the land was considered extremely important to the survival of villages. The Element of Fire was equally important, as the balance of Water and Sun (Fire) made the crops grow, animals and people to prosper. Now, skip forward 4000 years and you will see that these same methods recorded for success by Chinese Scholars are still valid and can be used in the construction of modern buildings, homes and in city planning. Although many ancient civilizations used their own types of Feng Shui, the Chinese are given credit because of their detailed written studies on the impact of nature and the environment when all 5 Elements are in harmony.

Picture a pie cut into eight pieces with a round section in the middle. This image is similar to the Bagua, a compass-shaped tool which is used to determine directions, Elements, body parts, seasons and lessons. This eight-sided, perfectly balanced, mathematically even-shaped octagon, houses all 5 Elements which are know as Water, Wood, Fire, Metal and Earth. Four of the Elements are sprinkled evenly between the eight outside sections of this “wheel,” leaving a gap between each Gua or piece of the “pie.”

So now, WATER is the Element and black is the color which houses CAREER and is the “mouth of the Chi” or the section where energy needs to nurture your life’s direction. This Element is wavy in shape, similar to Water flowing easily by your dwelling. A home or business is enhanced by adding a Water fountain near the front entrance inviting Chi to flowing into and around all the spaces. In ancient times it could have been a city well or a body of Water which flowed by gently, nurturing the land and its inhabitances. Water brings opportunities of a seaport or job opportunities to business or structure. Many cities have become famous because their waterfronts. When using Feng Shui to find a location for a company, I use modern tools. Using a satellite view from my computer, I can see where the “water” flows. The wavy lines of freeways and airports locations have become symbolically our modern waterways.

As the energy moves around this octagonal wheel going left, we skip by the next area called Knowledge (blue) and travel to the next major stop called WOOD; green is the color and columns are the shape. It is necessary to use symbols of new up-growing green vital plants on the inside or healthy trees on the outside middle left of the piece of the octagon, or the FAMILY sector. Please check around your home for those empty pots housing dead plants, as they can put a damper on success and bring dead energy to that area of the Bagua.

Moving upward toward the top, we find one of the most important Triads called WEALTH. This is the place where Wind combined with other sources and puts “wind in your sails,” bringing Prosperity to your home or business ventures – Purple stimulates abundance. Now we are at the very top of the Bagua map. The Element of FIRE lives here and is represented by the color red in the shape of a cone. To be able to succeed reputation and Fame are needed in business and at home. Praying, chanting, doing daily mantras manifests the ancient energy of Fire. As we pray in earnest, our body responds with newfound Chi, filling the entire body. Our eyes become clearer, which is the body part given to Fame. As the “flames” burn away anger, negative thoughts, burdens and old issues, we become reborn in a sense, as we can see more clearly all of the things we should NOT have done. You can become famous or infamous. It is your choice!

Now we are to the upper back right of our “wheel.” This Gua is called Partnership and is an Earth-related area. Pink is the choice color for relationships, which is a combination of white and red, so red and white can be used also to invite good communication with your partner. Coming down the sacred wheel of life is found a special section for CHILDREN AND CREATIVITY. The shape is round. White and pastels usher in the joy of our children and/or the children of our heart. METAL is the Element and the condensation from Metal creates Water as we come down to one of the most overlooked sections of the Bagua called HELPFUL PEOPLE AND TRAVEL. Although this Triad or section doesn’t own an Element, it is related to Heaven. The “gates of heaven” bring help from above and beyond to rescue our efforts to help with our Career. Gray is the color of Help! When working on achieving money in the Wealth area, its partner to place cures and corrections is the front right corner of the house or office.

Last and most important is the Center of the “wheel” called HEALTH. I have learned much more information on this spoke section of the Bagua in the last three years. Design details used during construction and remodeling can bring unwanted illness. Yellow is the color for this EARTH center of the structure. Its shape is square, which seems odd, but when a square yellow wall-hanging, an Earth related painting is hung, or a square rug is placed in the middle of a room, building or house, the health of the Family is protected. Using square tile in Earth colors is also a good enhancement. It is best not to place a bathroom in the center of any dwelling, as it is hard to “pull” the continual constant downward flow of Water upward when doing a cure. Sickness seems to be an unwanted guest with this center design.

Hopefully it has helped those who missed the last seven years of this article called ‘WEST MEETS EAST’ to review and become acquainted with valuable Feng Shui tools that can help you continue to be successful. If you are having problem in any area of your life, please email me for a phone consultation. At home, remember to evaluate the outside property for clues, and in business, check the successes of other businesses and see how you measure up. The Chi may need to be “lifted” at your entrance and back exits.

Caroline is a Feng Shui consultant, artist, herbalist, newspaper columnist, businesswoman, author and teacher. She has conducted over 3500 Feng Shui consultations. She has taught art for over 35 years. Her weekly column West Meets East can be viewed on her website moongateschool.com. Caroline’s advice is only considered suggestions and she is not responsible for any problems relating from her suggestions. Please consult a physician for any diagnostic evaluations concerning your health.

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