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West Meets East© By Caroline Patrick BorNei
My Mother’s Seasonal Feng Shui
Some people are born with a sense of placement, called Feng Shui, while others buy a bed, couch and TV and set them close to where the packing box landed. Then there are those who change furniture around every week, and others by season. Before Feng Shui was even introduced to the West, many women and some men were naturals at finding harmony and balance in their environment.
My Mother was a seasonal Feng Shui decorator. In summer the chairs and couch took on a cool look. Slipcovers were the rage; not everyone had them, but my Mama was in style. Newly starched and ironed curtains blew in the hot warm breeze. Blue and white striped fabric danced around the windows, giving a false feeling of coolness. Midwest summers could be brutal and humid. July thunderclouds billowed upward, filling the skies with all sorts of strange formations. For fun we children lay in the grass and watched as “Cloud creatures” crossed the heavens. Giving names to the drifting formations was not only entertaining, our backs stayed cool, if only for a while. A few seconds might change a bunny rabbit into a galloping horse.
Things grew quickly in the hot sun, and so did we. Fruit trees filled the orchard, and each day the former tiny buds exploded and magically turned into juicy cherries, apples, pears and peaches. Tummy aches abound, as we tasted and tested the new harvest before it was ready. I collected bugs and butterflies and a million chiggers! We dared each other to climb the tallest tree or walk a plank or ride our bikes off platforms. Kick-the-can games ran into the night, at least till 10 p.m., and the dangers of hide and seek could prove ugly when everyone secretly abandoned you near the old haunted house. With a brother six years older, you had to out think, out wit, and out run the “monster.”
Our pets were numerous and joined in the fun with wagging tails and doggy grins. Our kitties climbed trees and harassed mother birds, jumping from limb to limb like monkeys in the jungle. My pet duck followed me endlessly, even into the house, climbing the steps in a very waddling manner only to meet the end of Mother’s broom! Poor Willie quacked endlessly waiting for the screen door to open once again, hoping for a dropped cookie crumb from a careless child. Dripping swimsuits hung on the clothesline after a short rinse, smelling a bit strange from a dip in the muddy cool lake nearby. Air conditioners had not been invented, but Daddy installed window fans in our house even before the rich people on 15th Street had them. We were lucky! And so the summer went.
As autumn winds cooled the atmosphere, Mother gently removed every trace of summer colors from the house. Pastel green throw rugs, blue curtains and slipcovers were tossed in the basement hamper while we were in school. The ritual of summer was put to rest and winter’s cozy colors of red, gold, deep green and brown transformed our home into a snug nest. Warm blankets rested at the bottom of the beds if needed in the night. Braided rugs added brightness to the floor. All 5 Elements and shades of the Elements were woven into the endless oblong pattern. Water was represented by black and blue; Wood, from blue green, to vibrant green; Fire, with reds; Earth, from yellow to earth tones and orange; Metal, grays, whites and pastels. Warm and colorful curtains dressed the windows and were pulled shut before bedtime.
As cold bitter temperatures plummeted, rain quickly became ice. Heavy ice coated streets, broken trees snapped with the sound of gunshots through out the night and electrical outages were the norm. Our dogs and cats found their way into Mom’s heart and she temporarily allowed them to sleep by the fireplace.Of course we loved the school closures. The ice was so thick you could use hedges for benches. Winter experience taught us the best places to sled. There were the beginner’s hills and killer slopes. You guessed it, my brother kidnapped me, put me at the front of the sled as a bumper guard and away we flew before I could scream “Mama?”
And so goes the seasons, as humans seek to live in harmonious cycles of nature and understand our relationship to the cosmos. PS. I am now a RED RIBBON PROFESSIONAL FENG SHUI CONSULTANT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FENG SHUI GUILD. A universal assessment test has been developed by the IFSG’s . Universal Topics from all recognized schools of Feng Shui have been combined to test consultants on their understanding of this ancient art. It requires that you understand the concepts and main components of compass school, flying star, 8 mansions, Black Sect, Form School & others; and to offer clients professionals who are experienced in this knowledge. I am able to offer my clients this additional confirmation of experience and hope you chose me for your next consultation. Call before August for phone consultations, as I will be traveling:
-August 21st -25th Calgary, Canada Workshop with Professor Lin Yun -September 16th-October 6th, China Tour with James and Helen Jay, Feng Shui Designs, Golden School IFSG -October 15th –21st speaking and teaching for the Arizona’s Feng Shui Festival hosted by Lisa Montgomery certified Golden School IFSG of Feng Shui Arizona. -October 23rd Boston with Professor Lin Yun Workshop -October 25th New York teaching and giving consultations -November through December Bay Area CA. for Napa Valley Casino groundbreaking, teaching and other consultations
Phone consultations are a great way to get help without leaving home. Choose an experienced consultant who can “see” the problem and give easy answers to complex problems. Caroline has given thousands of consultations. Call her at (360) 424-1501.
Caroline lives in the Northwest Region of the US, called the Puget Sound in Washington State and is an experienced Feng Shui Practitioner, writer, author and artist. She gives workshops in Feng Shui, Elements of Art, private mentoring for serious student, lectures, does book illustrations, art demonstrations for Daniel Smiths Art Supplies and writes a weekly newspaper column for the Benicia Herald in California and other publications. Call (360) 424-1501 for her availability for speaking, teaching and consultations in the U.S. and abroad, or email caroline@fengshuiartistry.com. Visit her websites: www.fengshuiartistry.com to view her special Feng Shui artwork designed especially for cures and corrections and enhancements of the 5 Elements (originals have sold, but prints can be purchased) and www.moongateschool.com for West Meets East archives.
Note: Caroline Patrick BorNei (pronounced Bornay) is Caroline's Chinese name give to her by her Master Teacher His Holiness Grandmaster Lin Yun.
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