West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick

Turbo House and Property Therapy

It is that time of year when yard work is at its peak. Depending where you live, it is either dry, rainy or humid. A hot summer ripens fruit and vegetables, watermelons, corn and wheat. Too little moisture or too much moisture can make or break a crop. During our farming days in Arizona, I learned how to live and farm in the high desert seasons. I’m sorry to say I was not Feng Shui savvy at that time, but I now understand why part of our lives flourished and other aspects of our family life suffered on our 80 acres of land. Whether you live in one room or own a thousand acres, Feng Shui can be applied to properties.

First place the Bagua, or the Feng Shui octagon, over the home to learn more about yourself, the family and land. Then place the expanded Bagua over the whole lot or acreage as the invisible shape can flow with the space like a flexible rubber band. Below I give advice about the section called Family and Health.

Recently encouraged by friends, who I have helped in the past, I am now “reading” homes in a new, unique way. It is exciting to see yourself, your stuck issues and those of your family without leaving home. I will quickly evaluate each Gua and give quick solutions for you and your house, and give answers for those areas by phone. This is a more personal in-depth look at you, your health, marriage, career, infidelity, children or infertility and money problems. The house is YOU and other family members. Each Gua, or one of nine sections, has body parts, colors, energies, and male and female Guas. What are you doing wrong? What negative action are you repeating over and over? The house talks! I will place you “in that space” and see what is happening in those rooms. It will give you a direction to immediately work and improve life problems. I call it “Turbo House Therapy.” It is amazing, and my friends love it because it is quick and affordable.

Read below for ways to “cure” Family issues in general by looking at this side of the land.

Walking from the front of the property to the left (middle) side of property is the area of the ancient Chinese Bagua named Family and Health. This extended living space provides a perfect side yard to enhance your family’s vitality. Blue and green florals with a touch of yellow is an excellent choice for this gathering place.

According to the I-Ching (or Book of Changes, an ancient text used by the Chinese to lay the proper foundation of harmony and balance in their environment), this trigram of the eight-sided octagonal grid placed over the dwelling was given the name “Shocking Thunder.” This belief relates to the growth and expansion of changes which sometimes come quickly. Having a solid family system, this gives the individual comfort and nourishment during good and bad times. The color green is assigned to this Gua, and is a healing color. Use it as your main guide for this section.

Columns, pillars and cones, trees, posts and poles are the shapes associated with Family and Health. From bird houses to fences with healthy green beans and peas growing on the trellises, a swing set, tennis or basketball court and/or workout bench would pull the family to this side of the house. A picnic table covered in a striped cloth would carry out this theme. Animals are also welcome here.

For those health-conscious individuals, include an herb garden. Dandelions are a nuisance for some, but for me they represent health on many levels. The yellow flowers can be harvested and sprinkled in muffins, pancakes, cookies and salads to provide your body with beta carotene. The roots are best dug in the fall since the rich vitamins and minerals are stored deep in the root system. I use them year round to make tinctures (liquid drops). The leaves can be eaten as a cooked vegetable in many dishes. Whether dried or fresh, used as a food or medicine, this simple weed can clear the skin or heal the liver. Acting as a mild diuretic, the dandelion removes toxins from the body, but Mother Nature, the miracle worker, replaces these toxins with potassium, a much-needed mineral.

Coltsfoot, a small plant with a leaf the size and shape of a colt’s hoof, hovers close to the ground. It’s a friendly little addition to the garden and seems to have a perky personality! Used in teas and tinctures, I pick two or three leaves on my morning tea trek and add it to my Lemon Balm and Thyme when my throat is strained and scratchy. Lemon Grass, Lemon Thyme and Lemon Balm, with a few leaves of Nettles, makes a wonderful morning drink to get your motor running.

Mints are my very favorite. My grandmother grew peppermint next to the outside water spigot. She would send me outside for a fresh sprig to “snap off” and add to her zingy lemonade with a red cherry sitting on top. The pink color would run down into the liquid and rest against a squeezed lemon and color the whole glass pink.

Some of the other mint flavors I enjoy are Chocolate, Pineapple and Spearmint. A mint tea poured into a foot bath will perk up those tired feet! Be sure to pot the mints in separate containers as they will gleefully mix when your back is turned.

Bamboo trees are a sacred tree which represents longevity. Millenniums ago the bamboo trunks were the first known fire cracker. When groves were set afire to expand the crop spaces, the sealed bases exploded. In fact, the very name originally appropriated to it because of such a loud noise was BAMBOOM, later shortened to bamboo.

Enjoy activating this side yard of your home. Make it a gathering place for fun, love and support to nourish the family, which also extends into the neighborhood.

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