West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick

Use the Five Elements to Understand Your Environment

"The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow," was a quote from one of my favorite storybooks as a child. I remembered that line from the poem from the little book this morning as I boarded a small barge to cross the channel. The six-minute county ferry ride from our home on a small island to the Washington State mainland is usually a gift of time. Waiting ten to 30 minutes for the hour daily runs is a privilege for islanders. It keeps the tourists "at bay" and regulates the population to around 600 residents during the winter, but the beautiful San Juan Islands is a mystic magnet for visitors from around the world for summer retreats. Boating, camping, whale watching, kayaking or any sport connected to the outdoors can be found in the great Northwest, Canadian wilderness.

Now that the winter visitors have decreased, the county has decided to repair and replace the "dolphins." You may be asking the same thing I did, "what are dolphins?" They are the huge poles bound together in several areas guiding the ferry into the docks for boarding cars and passengers. During high seas, these upright vigils take a beating as the ferry rocks and rolls its way into the landing. The replacement will take a month, so a small barge is made available Monday through Thursday for walk-on passengers, or you may take a chance to make it to the mainland on a 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. auto run. So to be flexible is a good thing.

Yes I'm still talking Feng Shui - WATER ELEMENT, (fluid, releasing, exposing, soft and flowing - allows your CAREER to go with the flow and float money your way) and WOOD ELEMENT, (confinement, work, family issues, cause, purpose - FAMILY - lush, growing trees and plants, flexible but upright, not stagnant like a kid's messy room. So the new landing will be a safe improvement to the excess or destructive WATER energy, and the WOOD will control and compress things "getting out of hand."

Now to "seek and make contact," a FIRE Element of expression and action, I recently created several new paintings called the 5 Element Series. These special images are being reproduced by the newest technology, with sprayed on inks in all colors which are archival. Earlier methods of reproducing artwork have left collectors with faded pieces, and the art was lost within a few years to the elements of natural and indoor lighting. For these reasons artists have been reluctant to make prints of their work. Finding a great printer through a new artist friend, I am now confident to produce prints for sale on my website. (Take a peek at the revised site with three new pages, Purchase Art, Travelogue and Publications, when you get a minute.)

Now the stage is set for WATER, WOOD, FIRE, METAL and EARTH to engineer my life. The call comes from the graphic person, "your art is ready, can you meet me at your office?" I reply immediately, "sure, 10 a.m.?" "Okay," he confirms. Hanging up the phone, I realize my dilemma. Looking out the windows of my house, I see the WIND and WATER unbalanced and rain blasting the decks. "Oops, forgot I was on an island," I thought. "Oh well - off to the barge through the WATER, WIND, WOODS and onto a METAL barge. The ride was cold and stimulating as excited islanders took the challenge - (FIRE). Temporary tents had been rigged together, orange lifejackets in big plastic tubs were unceremoniously tossed inside the containers. Dogs, children, people of various dress and ages, bicycles and a wheelbarrow joined the mass exodus, across the drawbridge into the strange vessel including - you know who - to meet someone at 10 a.m.! Laughing, barking and crying were heard above the loud engines as we braced the WIND and unbalanced WATER.

When we reached the other side, my body was numb from the icy weather. I helped another island friend, who has developed MS, up the hill. Living with this uncertainty of ferry life is a lifestyle. She was on her way to get an MRI at the hospital. "No problem," was her attitude.

I'm learning flexibility and appreciating the Northwest challenges. I have been stuck with excess EARTH ELEMENT obstructions (freeways), security, details and passive ways too long. I'm sure the next four weeks will be full of lessons, as my consultations become a creative journey, and a trip to Yakima, Washington to speak for the Women's Council Show will certainly be inventive. Wish me luck!!!