Change and Feng Shui
Change has been a recurring theme with my clients lately and I’ve always believed that these trends are worth noting since they likely affect others as well. Some of the changes (like moving homes or expanding businesses) were planned and anticipated while others arrived out of the blue unannounced and unexpected. A natural and necessary part of life, change breaks down barriers and exposes new vistas but sadly is often accompanied by anxiety, rigidity and fear. As in nature, our ease in adapting to change determines whether we’re able to grow and learn or retreat and stagnate, so cultivating flexibility is both a challenge and reward. Resilience, like Feng Shui can help us move forward with confidence in uncertain times.
Springtime is the season of change in Chinese metaphysics when all of nature leaps forward revealing strength and beauty hidden away since autumn. Spring is linked to the Wood element – tree energy that is upright, sturdy, graceful and expansive. The early morning hours and eastern direction of the rising sun set the tone for this season’s ambitious upward direction. Firmly rooted to the earth, Wood energy grows around obstacles and reaches for the sky, despite wind and weather. Wood’s pioneering spirit avoids the status quo and looks toward the future with optimism for the journey and enthusiasm for an uncharted road. In Feng Shui, Wood represents the community, ancestors, family and offspring – the roots and wings that nurture and then let go.
We know that cultivating flexibility is one of the most important tools for physical longevity and emotional health and serves us well in the spring season. Happy people, successful businesses and gifted sailors know how to shift direction when necessary to ride the winds of change. Like a tree, a brittle branch snaps under mild pressure but healthy green shoots bend in the strongest of gales and return to their upright position unscathed.
If you are having difficulty adapting to change in this season, take a look at the quality of Wood energy in your environment and make adjustments as necessary. Here are a few ideas to help you on your way:
Visit the outdoor spaces around your home and business to evaluate the health of Wood energy there. In feng shui the land supports the dwellings upon it, so pay attention to what you see. Trim dead branches, clear pathways and remove any clutter that obstructs free movement and growth.
Balance the colors and shapes in your outdoor landscapes with varying shades and amounts of tall, round, climbing, spreading, rigid, flexible, solid and transparent organic materials. Inside, evaluate your rooms for easy flow and comfortable areas that foster creative thinking.
Tidy the garden but don’t aim for perfection. Leave some empty space for the unexpected bloom or wildlife visitor to perhaps find a home there. Inside, make room on a bookcase for the knowledge you have yet to discover.
Clear any clutter that accumulated over winter (both inside and out) when tendencies were strong to surround yourself with belongings, weight and extra layers of protection.
Welcome the outdoors into your building by opening the windows and doors and allowing spring chi to fill all the stagnant spaces. Make an arrangement of flowers, leaves or budding branches and add them to every single room of your home and business for inspiration.
Relinquish some control over the way your day begins and ends and every single minute in between. Springtime is the season for renewal and innovation, so open your mind to new ideas that will inspire creativity.
Since the emotion associated with Wood energy is anger, practice letting go. Impatience leads to rigidity and missed opportunities to see things in a better light. Gentle exercise like stretching, yoga, swimming, tai chi and walking increase flexibility and will help expand your reach. Read different genres, try different foods and eat what is fresh in the season. Try adding fresh greens and herbs to favorite dishes for variety.
Add a healthy green plant to your desk, office, kitchen and all children’s bedrooms – then watch them grow. Enclosed office buildings, high rise apartments and upper floor bedrooms disconnect us from experiencing seasonal changes necessary to transition and evolve.
Springtime reminds us that change is inevitable, natural and good. It’s a time for new beginnings and the endings that create them. Observe nature’s own rhythms and enlist ancient Feng Shui principles to help guide you on your way. As always, let me know if I can help.
Wishing you good chi,
Diane Gallin, CFSC
