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by Nancy Uon for viewzone

The Pa Kua, fundamental Feng Shui

In the last two months we have discussed spaces in and around the home which create feelings of discomfort, and described possible causes for this "negative energy." In this section, we will suggest ways in which you can energize areas of your home with a positive purpose. Remember, Feng Shui deals with creating balance, so in addition to neutralizing negative energy, you must go on to create or activate the flow of positive energy.

A most important reference tool used in the practice of Feng Shui is the Pa Kua. In our last discussion, we showed a form of this symbol which was appropriate for outdoor use. Pictured here is the form which should be used in determining remedies for home or office space. This symbol, which has origins in the I Ching, is divided into eight sections. Each section corresponds with one of the compass directions or sub directions. In addition to direction, each section is appointed an I Ching trigram, or significance, a ruling element and a life aspiration.

The sections of the Pa Kua correspond to career, education, relationships & health, wealth & prosperity, fame & recognition, marriage, children, and mentors & friends. By enhancing certain areas of living or work space, one can create positive effects in the related area of his or her life.

Withering plants discourage sales & success

This past summer, I was invited to the home of a friend who had been suffering a serious career setback. Carolyn was a sales executive who had been enjoying a prosperous life due to great success with her work. In order to carry her standing with the company further, she decided to convert a den to an office space and work on additional projects in the evening. Her scheme seemed to backfire though. She was spending all her time in her new home office, researching new clients and planning presentations, but she had somehow lost the ability to close a sale.

She thought that perhaps taking an evening for "tea and sympathy" with a friend might give her a new outlook, so she gave me a call. After listening to her story and talking for a while, I asked Carolyn for a tour of her new office.

The withering plants and destroyed landscape sat exactly on the area which she had hoped to improve.
The converted den had held a door on the north wall, which Carolyn had decided to replace with sliding glass doors to bring more light into the room. This plan had been a good one, but she didn't follow it through to completion.

During the construction, a row of low shrubbery outside the window had been damaged, and had soon after died. The grass in that area had also been worn away. The slate walk to the door was cracked and damaged, with pieces of it scattered on the bare earth. She had planned to make repairs to these damages, but had gotten lost in her work and let them slide. There was still some debris in the shrubbery and along the wall which had never been removed.

On the inside of the window there stood a tall stack of boxes which Carolyn had brought home when her work began to downslide. They held "dead accounts" that she hoped to resurrect, but hadn't gotten around to it. Next to the boxes sat a very large plant, dying from neglect, alongside her cat's litter box. She said she had placed these things in front of the shrubs to keep her from feeling guilty about making the outdoor repairs.

Location, location, location

This, of course, was the section that represented Carolyn's career. The withering plants and destroyed landscape sat exactly on the area which she had hoped to improve. Dead trees and plants create very negative energy, and together with the debris, had created Shar Chi in this area.

We quickly removed the dead plant from the front of the window and found a more appropriate spot for the litter box. Since Carolyn said she would probably never open the boxes of old accounts, I helped her load them into the car trunk so she could return them to the office store room.

Inside, in front of the stationary portion of the window, I placed a small, deep blue table, upon which we positioned several attractive sales awards that Carolyn had received in the past. One of these awards was topped with a crystal globe-- very good Feng Shui. We also placed a few richly framed photos of her, in outstanding moments of her career, on the table along with the awards. In a moment of inspiration, Carolyn placed a lovely silver business card holder, bearing the logo of a company she had been trying to sell to for the past few months.

About an hour later we had completed raking and removing debris from the shrubs outside the window. We discussed some possibilities for outdoor treatments, and Carolyn promised to call her landscape gardener the next day. I retreived a small gift from my car-- some wind chimes I had purchased while on vacation. We hung the chimes outside the sliding doors.

Two weeks later, Carolyn called to invite me for tea. When I arrived I was quite pleased to see the changes that had been made. A semicircular garden had been planted on each side of the doors, complete with lovely orange and red toned flowers, good colors for luck. On one side, a small waterfall cascaded into a tiny pond, which held goldfish. A birdbath a feeder were installed further from the window, and the pleasant chirping of birds could be heard even inside her home.

Carolyn also shared some good news. The company whose logo she had placed on the table phoned her the day before to tell her they were ready to make a purchase. Her career was back on the upswing.

Once you have determined which aspect of your life needs improvement, simple treatments like these can be made to enhance the Chi in your own home or office. By dividing your living or work space into sections, according to the Pa Kua, you can begin to look at these areas with new eyes.

How to use the Feng Shui compass

You will first need to acquire an acurate compass. By standing in the center of the space, you can determine the compass direction for each corner and sector of your room or office. With the sectors identified, use the following enhancement tools to draw positive energy to that area.

Career- north
Element: water
Symbols: Fish, seascapes or objects representing water.
Personal symbols of success can also be placed in this area.
Colors: Deep tones; black and deep blue.

Education & Self cultivation- northeast
Element: little earth
Symbols: Personal symbols of education; certificates, plaques, awards.
Statues of teachers or classical educators. Paintings or pictures of mountains, landscapes, etc.
Colors; Black, blues and greens

Family & Health- east
Element: wood
Symbols: Healthy plants and fresh cut flowers. Furniture and decorations made from wood.
Symbols of health and momentos or athletic awards.
Colors: Blue and green

Wealth & prosperity: southeast
Element: little wood
Symbols: any symbols of wealth such as coins, gold or silver objects, etc.
A small aquarium with goldfish (angel fish should not be used). Healthy plants and fresh flowers, particularly in the colors below.
Colors: Red, purple and blue.

Fame & recognition- south
Element: fire
Symbols: Feathers, leather. Symbols of fame; trophies, awards, etc.
Bright lights or scented candles.
Colors: Reds and red family

Marriage- southwest
Element: earth
Symbols: Roses, pairs of decorative items- vases, candlesticks, lamps, crystals, symbols of love; hearts, doves, etc., paintings of lovers or couples.
Colors: Reds, pinks and white

Children & creativity- west
Element: metal
Symbols: Furnishings or accessories made of metal; brass, steel, pewter, gold, copper.
Items that have personal association to children and creativity.
Paintings and figures of children. Art supplies or items that inspire your creativity.
Colors: whites and pastel colors

Mentors & helpful friends- northwest
Element: metal
Symbols: Wind chimes, fresh flowers, paintings or images of spiritual significance such as Christ, angels, Buddha, etc. or objects that have spiritual significance to you, photos of helpful people or mentors in your life.
Colors: white, gray and black

By now you should be ready to tackle an area or two in your home. The treatments can be simple-- a few items placed correctly can create great change. Once again, remember that we are dealing with principles of balance. Do not overdo cures or enhancements. You can drown in too much water or be crushed by a sliding mountain. Strive for balance in both your surroundings and your life. This is the most important principle that you can practice for health, happiness and success.