West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick BorNei

Certified Red Ribbon Professional of the International Feng Shui Guild

My World, One Day at a Time … The Good and Bad

Lately I have been waking up earlier than usual, so I decided to adjust my schedule and take advantage of this new phase. “I will beat the crowd and get everything done by noon.” was my thought. Dressing quickly, I made a shopping list for three stores. This is a big undertaking for me, because in my spare time I would much rather write, paint, visit with friends, be with family or travel. Putting off shopping for a month had now turned into a project. With list in hand I shut the loft door and walked a few steps to the elevator door. The huge elevator is capable of transporting large art projects, ladders, musical instruments and other equipment used by the artist community called Milepost 5. My condo sits on the top floor of the building and overlooks the large vegetable and herb gardens. The view is lovely above the tree tops and the sunsets powerful. The oversized doors of the freight lift slowly opened to the main floor and immediately the current juried artist’s work display was at eye level. Gallery lights flooded over the canvas images. Turning the corner of the industrial hallway, I hurried out the main door of the Loft’s building, greeting “neighbors” on my way to the car.

I love the rain, so have no problem with Portland’s weather, sun and rain all in one day, take your pick! My mood was in high spirits and I was ready for the day. The jade bracelet for luck and protection, which was blessed by many lamas during my last trip to China, was on my wrist. I love the feel of these special items which have had many prayers infused while lying on an altar. Marianne Williamson, a great teacher of our times, recently quoted, “Anything placed on the altar is then altered.” I know this from experience and teach this when I give classes on 9 Types of Altar Making. Any special nook or cranny can be used for an altar to bring life to any aspect of your life. If your life seems hopeless in some area, please call me for relief ideas.

The stops were made in record time, and I was still smiling through all the indoor and outdoor traffic. With Mars, Aries and Uranus doing their thing in a Mercury Retrograde, I was very proud of my progress. I am not an astrologer, but pay attention to the planets and their energies. If the Sun and the Moon can affect tides and growth of plants, I certainly believe the other planets can make an impact on our earthly behavior. Of course, all planets have positive and negative qualities, but the negative aspects of all the above planets at the same time could be compared to mixing water, oil and fire, explosive energy to say the least.

The stores were now crowded to the max, and I wanted to go home. I resorted to zooming through each aisle as if it were a marathon, when suddenly a woman screamed so loud, everyone stopped and turned in her direction. “Shut up,” she screamed again and again to her little girl, who seemed to be too large to be jammed into the shopping cart baby seat. I would guess her age to be 6. People stared for a few seconds and then moved on, feeling helpless and not knowing what to do. The aisle cleared quickly and I retreated so I could observe what was really happening. I had learned years ago not to step into this rage and say something immediately, as this action will intensify the person’s uncontrolled anger. While waiting in line over 30 years ago, the woman in front of me slapped her small child who was doing very little it seemed. I said, “Why did you do that, please stop.” She quickly smacked him harder then looked at me and said, “Because I can.” I tried to turn her in but in those days, parents made the rules, especially in that part of the country, and the store manger shrugged his shoulders at me. I have witnessed verbal abuse in public way too many times and know that this is the tip of the iceberg to what is happening at home.

I am now chanting The Heart Sutra Mantra to myself, calming the energy in every direction. Any prayer that is familiar to you personally will have the same effect. I call it “getting outside of yourself” so you can “see” the situation on another level. I felt the woman’s pain. Her Chi could not be contained. It was shooting out in every direction with every word, each word a weapon to be used like a machine gun, with rapid fire, wounding everyone within range. The redness of her face told the story. I could now see she was pregnant and also had a son about 7 years old. He was not the brunt of her frustration. The girl was the target. “Shut up” was again screamed in the face of the small child. By now I could see the girl was not even speaking. There were no tears from the children, another bad sign, just wild terrified eyes, both children now staring down at their feet, embarrassed and helpless. People were still shocked as they came up on the scene. I waited until I had made eye contact with both children, sending them strength, love and light. I flooded the mother with the softness of pink and golden rays of the universe, in series of bubbles, placing each one of them in this protection of God’s light.

Even though it seemed I was checking the prices on the soup in front of me, I was actually placing the bubbles of rainbow Chi, in multiples of 3’s and 9’s. I could feel the intensity of the anger and rage calming as I walked away in tears. My grandchildren’s faces appeared before my inner vision; I took deep breaths to maintain myself and went straight to the checkout counter. “Enough for one day,” I muttered. I continued to chant for all of the world’s children all the way home and into the night.

Each day presents ways in which we can be of service. Awaken yourself to how you can help. I am painting pictures with the methods Grandmaster Lin Yun shared with me, and giving Feng Shui cures and exercises for those who need healing, and I will continue to send light, love and protection to children who cannot help themselves.

This weekend I will be giving a Red Rice Blessing Ceremony at the Grand Opening for the Studios and Lofts Buildings. The Mayor of Portland will be also be on-site for a ribbon cutting. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, art will be celebrated. As a community, all of the residents give over 50 hours of community work for the Montavilla neighborhood which include schools, events, activities, nursing homes and more. Hopefully our presence in the Northeast section of this city will soon be on the “map” of places to visit. Bring help to your children by helping others.

“One good deed can divert 1000 disasters.” I wish I could have helped those children more, but I will concentrate on what I can do, such as good deeds in their name.

Caroline will be coming to the Benicia area in April; call (503) 208-2960 for more details.

If you want an early bird price for our September 14th Trip to the Middle Kingdom of Tibet, please contact me before March 31^st. We will start in China and cross over into Tibet mid-trip. This is a lifetime wish and it has manifested!

Caroline Patrick BorNei 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 in 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 archives on her website www.fengshuiartistry.com.