West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick

By Caroline Patrick

Father’s Day and Feng Shui

What does Father's Day have to do with Feng Shui? When using the ancient system of harmony and balance in your home or business, a Bagua or eight-sided template is placed over the structure in question to determine how the Chi or energy nourishes your dwelling. What a great idea! This science is over 4000 years old. Each of the eight pieces is given an aspect, body part, and element. The center of the wheel is devoted to Health, because if your health is bad, the rest of the wheel and its eight aspects are out of balance.

According to Black Sect School of Feng Shui, the entry to the Chi is determined by the architectural front door of the house or building. This entrance is then considered the Career Zone of the Bagua. Modern doorways are sometimes to the side of a house, in the center within a courtyard, while others are to the right, middle or left of the front of the dwelling. It takes a consultant to interpret a yin, or internal, hidden entry, but most front doors face a main street or road.

Looking at your home from the street, the section known as Helpful People and Travel is located a to the immediate front right corner of the house. Sometimes this room is a garage, office, guest bedroom, older child’s bedroom or bathroom. Is there a blocked staircase, or could this area possibly be “missing,” as we say, because the shape of the home’s floor plan is irregular? This placement could mean that your Helpful People and Travel Sector is in the front yard or garden. Noting this information, you can identify the area designated to the energies of FATHER.

The most yang or masculine of all trigrams, this is the Gua for strong people who may be helpful to you, whether friends, family or business associates. This is the area of motion, and it is interpreted as the place to celebrate your travels. It is the Father corner and represents the paternal branch of the family. The sky is the physical feature, and the colors are white, gray, or black.

How does this affect your life? Check the Helpful People section of your space for relationship balance with your father. Is it cluttered? What room resides in this area of your home or homes you have lived in over the years. Is it missing or was it missing in past homes? Do you have to work too hard with no help in sight? Did you have an absent male figure? Clues to how your masculine energy benefits or doesn’t benefit you can be found in this triad. Hopefully you have a great relationship with your Father and Grandfathers, but if you have not, draw out as many past floor plans as you can remember to investigate relationships in the paternal branch of the family tree. Whether those relationships were good or bad, the great news is you can now enhance those spaces connected to male Helpful energies for future money issues or “Fatherly advice.”

Place large gray round boulders, flowerpots, birch trees or lighting (solar spotlights are now available) to back light shrubbery or shine up to the eaves of the house to complete “missing corners.” Gardens or statuary are perfect solutions to beautify this space devoted to Father or Yang actions in “missing areas” to complete balance. Use the colors of Gray to enhance the Metal/Water Elements associated with this Gua. Round silver or gold gazing balls are also a great choice.

Inside the home, place pictures of your Father if he is – or was – an important part of helping you along life’s path. If this seems inappropriate to your history, use pictures of people or scenes that give you strength. Angels and heroes are also welcome. If this room is a garage, create a small “altar” using this same theme. Add a feather for the heaven realm, round beads, glasses to “see” things clearly, a metal wind chime for clarity, a round quartz crystal and a round mirror for unity. A large silver bowl is also recommended to place your wishes and intents. This is a powerful cure for when you need help, above and beyond the call of duty. Seal these intents with a prayer, mantra or sacred song, visualizing all the help in the universe is assisting you. Always ask the best for everything and everyone involved with your blessings, as wishing for the wrong things can only cause a boomerang effect. Continue to work out of this corner for assistance in the world and don’t forget the Travel energies of this Gua. Place a picture of your favorite vacation spot on the wall to visually connect with that special place daily. Maybe you will win a trip!

Every being has lessons which are attached to our actions, our body and the environment. Feng Shui is a great way to learn the principles of the harmonies we can create in our environment, the physical or body reactions, and the spiritual connections with our homes, cities and eventually the nation. Are you doing your part to create peace in the world?

FIRST TIME OFFERED........Caroline is now offering "Customized Mentoring". Starting point for each student is based on their own life experience. Classes will be limited. By phone, fax, and email!!! Call 360-424-1501 or email caroline@fengshuiartistry.com for more information.

Caroline Patrick, Feng Shui consultant/practitioner, teacher/speaker, Feng Shui artist and writer, lives in the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Washington. Her weekly newspaper article called WEST MEETS EAST is a popular Feng Shui advice column. She enjoys answering your questions, when possible. Some questions will be chosen for publication with the permission from the reader. Enjoy her new 5 Element attached-folding cards which can be used as a Feng Shui enhancement or correction in any space. Larger prints of several selected paintings are also available. For consultations, speaking/teaching engagements and art evaluations contact her at caroline@fengshuiartistry.com or visit her websites at www.fengshuiartistry.com and www.moongateschool.com.

Any suggestions given in this column are only for entertainment. Please contact your physician for any medical or herbal advice or diagnosis. Caroline Patrick is not responsible for any misuse of her advice or suggestions.