West Meets East©

By Caroline Patrick

Simple Wind Chimes Can Bring New Life to a New Year

The world has now become very small. I receive many emails from far away places and love to see how other countries are using the Art of Placement. Books can now be purchased with a click over the Internet. The subject of Feng Shui is still at the forefront of healing in a way which anyone can do. It is as simple as throwing away old thoughts, old papers and old beds. Why are you still sleeping on a bed which your ex shared with you. Energy is energy. If you don't believe things hold on to old situations, have the DNA of the mattress checked.

Letting go of "being right" comes at a high cost to your health and well being. Use your energy for productive service, as it will benefit in the Creative Cycle of Life. Hang a simple wind chime over the stove, front door or desk to bring new ideas or maybe money to your life. Throw away and clear horizontal spaces so new projects have room to grow.

Dear Caroline,

In the Benicia Herald I read an article from you about Feng Shui while being on a family visit from Holland in Benicia.

As you are such an expert, I hope you can answer my question. I would like to hang a wind chime outside of my bedroom at the terrace (at home in Holland) for the nice and relaxing sound. I bought a bamboo wind chime which makes a lovely sound, but I understood that I cannot hang it outside my bedroom as this room is facing west. I was told I should hang it in the east, near my entrance door, facing east.

Can you clarify on this? Can I hang the bamboo wind chime facing west or not?

Thanks for helping me out!

Kind regards and a happy new year.

A Reader

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your question.

It is always a joy to see how the knowledge of Feng Shui continues to flow steadily around the world. Invisible energy or the power of Chi can be as gentle as a summer's breeze or as fierce as a forceful tsunami wave. Of course, we choose to have gentle Chi nurture our homes, businesses, health and well being with a calm but always moving motion. When the balance and harmony of weather; environmental - sickness; physical - stagnant thinking - spiritual, become stuck, chaos is the result.

We have several mundane solutions which produce transcendental or invisible enhancements which encourage this magical energy to embrace our living and working spaces thus opening doors of opportunity and flow. One way to entice Chi is through sound. This is why wind chimes are so popular, as they are easy to use and provide the perfect solution for any Gua or section of a home inside or outside the dwelling. They come in all sizes, shapes, materials and sounds.

The trouble is, we have too many types to choose from and too many (over 300) Feng Shui books from different schools of thought to tell us where to hang the wind chime. I would need to know what school of thought you have chosen to follow. Most all schools will give you a good indication, as the Bagua or eight-sided template used to map the home or building, is the same with all schools. It follows the nine aspects or stations of life and includes the five Elements needed for life to flow.

The aspects are CAREER, KNOWLEDGE, FAMILY, WEALTH, FAME, PARTNERSHIPS (business or marriage), CHILDREN AND CREATIVITY, HELPFUL PEOPLE AND TRAVEL, and HEALTH. A color is also assigned to each qua or "piece of the pie." Next and most importantly are the five Element cycles. Most Feng Shui books have a picture of the Bagua, and so you can see the path the Elements follow. There is a Creative path and a Destructive path. Once you have determined the entrance of Chi by compass or the front door (Black Sect Feng Shui), this will set the directions for the home.

Your question relates to a Bamboo WOOD Element East enhancement and using it in a METAL West Gua. So you can see that the "Metal would chop Wood" and cancel out the cure. It would be best to hang the bamboo chime in the Family sector or Wood-related East Gua and stay with the rhythm of the cycle. But painting the bamboo chime white would be one way of using it in the Children and Creativity side of the house, as round is the shape and white is the color assigned to the West Gua! But a hollow metal wind chime is best because the tube sucks the energy upward and raises the Chi.

Now for a last Feng Shui tip. I also love the sound of the bamboo chime as it is the most mellow and gives me a feeling of bliss, so I have used a bamboo wind chime outside in the Family sector; but to lift your knowledge to a spiritual level, use the highest pitch tone you can find, with a round faceted crystal for clarity, hanging in the center below the tubes to activate any room or dwelling. The sound may actually seem aggravating but will lift your perception and heal surroundings. I used to carry colored metal chimes for each Gua in my Shoppe. If you find or make your own, be sure to bless and activate them with the three secrets mentioned in the book Feng Shui Designs by Sarah Rossbach and Master Lin Yun, my Master teacher, or use your own religion and say a prayer to bless the powers that be, to send good blessings faith and opportunity your way so you can be of service.

Caroline Patrick

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.