West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick BorNei

Certified Red Ribbon Professional of the International Feng Shui Guild

The Guas Are Talking

What part of your house is calling for attention? Find this area and you will find immediate clues relating to your life aspects. Are you having unusual Health or money problems, or have you just moved into the house of your dreams and now chaos is coming from all directions? One unbalanced connection might be too many doors, not enough windows, indicating too many adults have been giving too much unsolicited advice about your children. Doors of a home represent the voice of adults, while windows “are” the children. What this symbolism boils down to is...too much Yang (light) is coming in the house and not enough Yin (darkness) for comfort and sleep is available.

There are eight Guas or sections in the ancient Chinese system and a center known as the Tai Chi or center of a template which is superimposed over your home to locate all of these Guas or sections. This giant pie shape is flexible and can expand over an oblong, square or round house plan. When remodeling takes place, many doors, stairways, bathrooms and kitchens are changed and the energy of the home gets crazy. This shell or structure fits over the family, protecting them from the elements of excess Wind and Water and invites comfort, warmth, support and a haven from stress in the outside world.

When our world economy is chaotic from wars, environmental aspects suffer, from the lowest of plant and animal life, to human and planetary imbalance. Cause and effect over and over in an outward spiral. Where can we contribute to world harmony? Starting at home, one room at a time! Testing this ancient system, I challenge each person reading this column to open your Feng Shui eyes and follow me through their home. To begin, start at the front door or CAREER section or Gua of your home. What is the curb appeal? A dead tree in the front of a house is not a good beginning. Is your home in the path of a direct roadway aiming at your front door? Next open the door. What do you see first, because this can make or break the Chi flow into the dwelling. Shoes, gates, direct staircase, split-vision view, a wall, a fountain not running or maybe a dead plant? These all can be “corrected” and when they are, relief comes quickly at work or your home-based job.

Continual split view upon entering a space can relate to head problems, as this Gua is associated with the head, ears, mouth and more. What going on in your head? Each of the nine areas of the Bagua is related to a body part, and every body part is related to an Element of Water, Wood, Fire, Metal and Earth. Now you can began to understand why Feng Shui is so intertwined with your Health. Chinese medicine is based on the five Elements for balancing the physical and spiritual body. All philosophies are connected.

This week began with consultations of three separate clients and their questions on remodeling designs. As prices tighten at the gas pumps and food prices try to slip upward unnoticed, this trend of building onto an existing structure brings challenges to the Feng Shui Consultant. Now the “skin” of the home is interrupted, exposed and changed for better, or worse in some cases. The first scenario was a home in the country, with a few acres of land and plenty of room to expand. Rooms had been added to the home to the right, left and in-between, without much rhyme or reason. It seemed each time the couple’s marriage hit a low, they built yet another room. Just walking through the house I could spell out what, when and why they were unhappy according to the Gua in which the room was located in the Bagua template which overlaid the house plans. Some couples in my days decided a new baby might make a marriage closer, now people build on rooms.

Don’t take me wrong, as when planned correctly, building on a new room, living room, office or kitchen can bring Wealth, Partnership or Knowledge to an all-time high, when the room is added in the right Gua or area and becomes an extension to the triad. That was the case with the second client. The architect on this house was excited about my suggestions and began redesigning the house according to the shapes of the Elements.

The third client was an emergency. Their center kitchen began smelling moldy. Removing some floor tile they discovered the dishwasher had been spraying water under the cabinets for many months and now the entire kitchen needed “gutting.” I related to this house, as one of my homes was flooded for several days. The smell never leaves and it opens the building to all kinds of spores growing in the walls, floors and sometimes consumes the house. The good part of this experience was that the kitchen could be extended and the stove relocated, getting it out of the Middle or Center of the house. “Water floods Earth” in the destructive cycle of Feng Shui. The middle of a house is called an Earth Zone. Theoretically Water broke “the dam of Earth” in the center and Health problems were beginning to manifest quickly spreading through the family. The Center of the home is related to the organs of the body.

After 5000 consultations I continue to see the Guas talk. Take a tour of your home to see the hidden problems trying to get your attention. If you can’t solve the problem, please email me for an appointment. Phone consultations have become very popular for those living in other states. Please get advice before you build or remodel, it can save you many headaches and lots of money!

Caroline Patrick Bor Nei is a certified Feng Shui Practitioner and a Red Ribbon Professional of The International Feng Shui Guild. Her abilities as a consultant and artist are widely known in the US and abroad. Caroline has completed over 5000 consultations for individuals, large and small businesses. Return clients appreciate the value of her suggestions both mundane and transcendental, providing support on multiple levels. As a college art instructor for many years, Caroline understands the power of color, its symbolism and the visual effect images have on individuals and their surroundings. Her home base is Portland, OR where she continues to write, teach, paint, do illustrations and give herbal medicine making classes. She is available for Feng Shui consultations; Feng Shui art consultant, advises builders, architects and mentors a few serious students.

Call (503) 208-2960 or email caroline@fengshuiartistry.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.

Caroline’s “West Meets East” weekly newspaper column, can be read from an archives on her website www.fengshuiartistry.com