West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick

Improve Family Holidays with Feng Shui

Holidays are the time of year when families get together and celebrate traditions passed down from generation to generation. It is the season of lights. The cold weather brings the knowledge of the north and the seasons of ancestors, warming our thoughts and opening our hearts toward peace, forgiveness and compassion. The energy of fire is symbolized by candles, logs burning in the fireplace, Christmas lights on trees and ovens cooking those favorite family recipes. Giving is the spirit of winter and my favorite time of year. I wish and pray for balance and harmony every day, hoping that each person see his and her responsibility for helping our world to become a better place for all the new families and babies joining these families. One way every household can help with this purpose is to use Feng Shui in a creative form when decorating for the holidays.

Choosing a space to enhance family communication during the next few weeks is easy. Look first to the middle left section of your home. What room is there? If it is a dining room, family room or bedroom, this side of your home brings in the energy given to the health of the family and family life. Place an altar to celebrate your children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, living or any of the family that has passed on, and place a centerpiece of flowers, up-growing plants with the glow of candles to light up pictures of your loved ones. Using a simple arrangement helps bring family unity in this wood element section of your home. Many times I have suggested a placement of this kind to help generate a feeling of love and security to a runaway child. The encouragement of Chi placed in this middle left side of the house brings comfort to all family members estranged or those far away not able to attend the celebration. Dining rooms are wonderful areas to bring Feng Shui energy into the dwelling. A mirror placed on a wall reflecting the main dining table symbolizes insured continued abundance of food and health for your family.

What if some of the family makes you crazy? Using this idea works wonders even if the person in doubt isn’t present. Place a note on the back of Aunt Do-dah’s picture, stating you wish her the best and the relationship is healed, without any complications. This way you don’t even need to talk to her, but at the same time you are sending her blessings and good Chi, which in turn brings blessings back to the giver. If you spend over two minutes a day rehashing old stuff, you are poisoning your body for two full minutes. What a waste. Many of us spend a lifetime trying to please others when concentrating on our purpose will keep us on track and healthy.

Any room or small nook can be used for altar making. Using angels, pictures, loved objects, fabric cloths, bells, candles, plants or crystals can bring special energy into tired spaces. Water fountains, wind chimes and color accent and activate Chi. Using the eight-sided octagonal-shaped template which is used in Black Sect method of Feng Shui, every room has its own Bagua or direction. The main doorway to each room is considered the entrance for the flow of energy or the mouth of Chi. This doorway is named Career, its Element is Water and the color is blue-black. The physical or compass direction of the door doesn’t matter, as each room can have a transcendental direction, so the main doorway into most rooms, if you want to Feng Shui each room individually would be considered “North.”

Entering a room from its main entry, you can alter that room’s energy by choosing a special corner to set up your year-round or holiday section. Have fun with this idea during family gatherings. Use green for family growth, red for action, pink to bring in a feeling of love. White for the metal element or touches of gold and silver, purple for abundance, blue for knowledge, and yellow for earth and health problems can be used in the form of plants, cloths and crystals, or hand-beaded crystals. Lead crystals are the Feng Shui aspirin used to activate any space by using colored or clear-cut faceted balls which come in various sizes to fit the square footage of the space where it is to be hung. They can also be hung from table hangers. Use aromatherapy, music and meditation to finish your creation. A last word of advice, please clear the clutter from the room before starting your creation. This most important aspect will help those estranged relatives feel welcome in your heart. If the space is a mess, guess what? Your communication will most likely be messy. But if the altar you create is full of love and light, you will shift the love and light of that Gua or aspect of your life.

WHAT IS CUSTOMIZED FENG SHUI MENTORING?

· It is for those wishing to study with me privately, with the experience of over 4500 consultations. ONE ON ONE, starting where you need to start.

· A six-month commitment is necessary.

· A monthly mentoring date is set for at least one to two hours of phone conversation, at different intervals.

· Packets are sent for you to study each month. Emailing and faxes will be part of the course as we go over floor plans.

NEW CLASSES COMING IN 2008……… THE YEAR OF THE EARTH RAT!

Please visit www.fengshuiartistry.com and click on www.moongateschool.com for current local and out-of-state class schedules in Feng Shui, Art and Medicine making with Herbs. Caroline is available for teaching and speaking engagements.

Caroline lives in the Northwest Region of the US, called The Puget Sound in Washington State. She is a Feng Shui Practitioner, writer, author and artist. She gives workshops in Feng Shui, Elements of Art, private mentoring for serious students, lectures and writes for newspapers. She combines teaching and traveling to other locations, here and abroad. Her 2007 schedule includes workshop and classes in the Northwest, Southwest, Midwest and Alaska. She is available speaking, teaching and consultations.

Please consult your physician for physical problems as this article only gives ideas and suggestions. Caroline is not responsible for anyone using these suggested plants or advice for cures or healing any problem either medical or Feng Shui claims. This column and article is for entertainment only. Please seek help from a qualified physician, naturopath, herbalist or other certified person for treatment.

Caroline Patrick Caroline's Feng Shui Concepts Mt. Vernon, WA 360-424-1501

caroline@fengshuiartistry.com www.fengshuiartistry.com www.moongateschool.com