West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick BorNei

What Can I Do to Change Things Here and Around the World?

Not many of us have the finances to build schools or rescue nations from their plight. But each of us has a heart and the capability to perform good deeds. With each action comes a reaction. Every word, thought and deed can heal those who see no way out of their current problems. I challenge anyone reading this column to do one good deed a day for 27 days. Many of my Feng Shui colleagues have recently been inspired by our Master Teacher, Professor Lin Yun, to find small ways and big ways to change the Chi of the Nation. “Ten Thousand Blessings come to those who do one good deed,” he reiterates. We forget the power of one!

If you don’t feel creative, here are some easy suggestions. Let someone go ahead of you in line at a store or on the highway. Hug someone who needs it. Instead of being right, listen. Call or visit the elderly. Do errands for others. Forgive your biggest irritant. Donate good clothes. Pay the bridge toll of the person behind you. Open a door. Volunteer. Offer prayers for those who ask. If you are in business, offer your services free to someone. Give a scholarship. Smile and mean it. Write letters to free people and nations. Teach a free class. Babysit. Ease someone’s pain. Give food to those in need. Over the next 27 days you will begin to feel happy. Mark your calendar and note the changes taking place in your world.

I don’t know if bartering would be considered a good deed, but it sure helps to ease the finances of both parties involved. Recently I bartered a Feng Shui Consultation with my CPA. She had wanted one for two years, so we exchanged services. She and her husband live in a two-story house with a full basement. Below is the beginning of her consultation findings:

It is an honor to offer my evaluation for your home. Overall your house and property is very calming and has uplifting Chi or energy. If you have witnessed any “ups and downs” during the time you have lived at this location, they seem minor according to the floor plans you provided me. It could be coincidence that the structures we live in throughout our lives, up until this point, seem to tell a story. From my experience, “the house talks.” As our vital energy fills spaces inside and outside our bodies, it affects and reflects wherever we go. Our current and past Chi is a combination of the houses’ floor plans, some good and some not so good; but over the years, just like Wind and Water flowing gently on the land or viciously pounding the shoreline, “the place” will give clues to your current condition and situations. We become conditioned or comfortable, in my opinion, to past floor plans, which may not be beneficial to balance and harmony. In short, we may be addicted to bad design and furniture placement. Over the years many of us live in several houses with many people, while others have lived in one house with one parent. This isn’t good or bad, but I find the floor plans of these houses are a great tool for understanding ourselves. Of course, there are many other influences that form our being, such as genes and spiritual training. And so all surroundings and environment play a big part in how we feel, live, play and work. My challenge for the client is to locate key areas causing tension and relieve pressure to the Gua or section showing the blockage problem with what is known as “cures” and “corrections” in the house, business, landscape or maybe a city.

Since you have lived at your current home for many years, it has gathered all of your family’s information. Some believe we are connected to the cosmos, and this is one aspect to consider; or go online to learn more about the matrix of humans’ connections with God, or some say the Universe.

The Bagua, or eight-sided octagonal template designed by ancient Chinese Intellects and Eastern Vedic’s, when placed over your house correctly reveals all nine aspects of life. Many civilizations have a similar “footprint” or wheel, which gives harmony to their shelters, villages and towns. This exact mathematical equation of the octagon when used to locate Elements within the home or body, gives placement for the five Elements which balance life: WATER, WOOD, FIRE, EARTH and METAL. When aligned in the proper order, it creates peace in the dwelling, and divine order trickles upward and downward to meridians of the body, affecting the Earth and Heavens of your life.

When things feel or become out of balance, we need a tune-up! If you have too much WATER or representations of water, such as a bathroom in a fire zone or Gua, the excess water puts out your Fire. They fight or destroy each other. A “cure” needs to be placed in the sections causing the natural cycling of the Elements. When too much water or food cause retention of fluid in the lungs or kidneys, for example, an herb or medicine is prescribed to restore a natural flow, unless you sabotage the cure by eating a big piece of cake or a jug of wine for dinner, creating an imbalance with the liver, and so problems reoccur to cause stress in the kidneys. WATER puts out FIRE, and METAL chops WOOD, etc. The relationship between man and his environment is the final consideration when looking for balance in all aspects.

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 over 6000 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 (some for sale) and www.moongateschool.com for West Meets East archives.

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.

Note: Caroline Patrick BorNei (pronounced Bornay) is Caroline's Chinese name give to her by her Master Teacher His Holiness Grandmaster Lin Yin.