I have been an adherent to the old Chinese practice of the correct placement of certain pieces of furniture and colors, called Feng Shui(pronounced: fung shway), in my home since 1995. It simply makes me feel more "alive" walking into my home, where "chi" (or "energy") seems to be flowing in a benevolent way, rather than feel staleness and no life, or worse yet, a sense of malevolence.
That's what Feng Shui teaches you to do: to pay attention to sharp pieces of furniture, sticking out at you, waiting to jab into your sides, or about not having dried flowers in your home, as they signify death.
There are many great books written on Feng Shui, including the two that I've had for many years by Lillian Too: "The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui," and "Symbols of Good Fortune."
Recently, I began to appreciate Feng Shui even more when I entered into a home that made me want to RUN! The "chi" flowing was not good!
Without making any judgment, other than to satisfy the veracity of Feng Shui practices, I can tell you the place was dark... it was uninviting and it seemed set in the 1960s... without providing a Retro feeling.
It simply was not a place most people aspiring to have a positive, bright outlook on life would want to be!
I didn't even think of Feng Shui, until I left the place and wondered about the Souls of the occupants.
I truly was PUZZLED, as to how they could allow this to continue without any seeming care to fix it.
I'm not talking about the 60s furniture.
I'm talking about the darkness and the sense of depression that invaded the inner space. You FELT their sadness and their struggle.
Knowing what I knew about the occupants, I then began to think of Feng Shui and how the practice states that your "home is a metaphor for your life."
When I first learned Feng Shui in a Saturday afternoon workshop, I immediately left and went to the store to purchase objects, like mirrors and wind chimes, and plants and other "things" to get my home the right "chi" to bring me good fortune. I don't know how, but a SEASON of real prosperity followed me then!
Now, I've moved fully beyond believing in objects bringing me good fortune or bad fortune, especially as a member of the Ancient and Mystical Order of the Rosae Crucis, which does not in any way endorse superstitions. So, once I decided to commit to membership and realized that my superstitious ways were "things of the past," I actually felt relief!
I realized how far I'd traveled along the spiritual road, where I can KNOW without doubt that no person, place or thing can harm you, only your own thoughts and the quality of your inner mind.
This brings me back to that dark and uninviting home!
If a person visiting a home very briefly on an afternoon can feel the dark "chi" , how much more the occupants, who day after day, enter and leave from that ENVIRONMENT!
I felt the heaviness of the burden these occupants had carried for SO long...not because of bad luck or ill-will of anyone...but because of their refusal to acknowledge there was a problem in the way they walked in and viewed the world.
The world is a very friendly, loving place. So are many, many people who occupy the Planet Earth!
Life also is FRIENDLY AND LOVING to us...but it depends on who is doing the looking and the perceptions we take from the events and people in our lives.
The truth is that if we cannot even begin to see the external world we occupy, day, after day, after long day and night, then HOW can we even begin to explore the inner qualities of our Souls!
Although I pride myself on always keeping a neat and tidy house, I went home that night after visiting that dark, sad place, and immediately went to work...dusting and mopping and opening drapes and examining pictures for their right"presence" in the rooms they occupy!
When I was done that, then I went into a deep meditation and reflection on the current state of my life and affairs and how my life was currently being "reflected" into my environment.
Then I traced my life back for 20 years, remembering the spaces and the places I'd occupied. With "dead" accuracy, I was able to see how each home, each space, each place I'd occupied was then reflective of the state of my inner being.
So, I share all this with you to ask you to look around your home.
Even if you don't know Feng Shui and don't know about the flow of energy and how metals, water, wood and other objects help this to benevolently flow into your space and life, see what you FEEL?
How does your home make you FEEL?
If you're just in one room: How does it make you FEEL? What "chi" are you feeling?
Happy, Sad, Depressed, Alive, Positive, Negative, Dead or Bright?
What is your home, or your space, saying about YOU?
Are you living too much in the past? Are you dwelling too much in old memories that no longer serve you?
Are you inviting people in or expelling/repelling them out?
Do you have "dried" stuff all around you, sucking the life out of both your home and you?
After you've done that, then I invite you to sit in quiet meditation and reflect on the state of your SOUL?
Is is confused? Is it clear?
Do you know where you're going?
Do you know why you do what you do?
Do you know WHAT MAKES YOU TICK?
Do you know why you HAVE A PULSE...or.... why you don't feel any?
Do you know why your ENERGY IS LOW? Do you know if you're happy or sad?
Examine yourself. Reflect on yourself.
Examine your home. Reflect on your home.
Think about what it's saying about YOU!
If you don't like what you see... or the "chi" you feel....then...get busy "Feng Shui"-ing!
Namaste',
Che'
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