MAKING WAVES WITH FENG SHUI

Feng Shui And The Holiday Season PART 2

 by Dennis Fairchild

You can only find truth with logic if you have already found truth without it.
G.K. Chesterton

Feng Shui (pronounced “fung schway”) is the ancient global philosophy for creating and maintaining peace and harmony plus health and love in your household. Feng (wind/air) and shui (water), are the Chinese words for this ancient art of placement that aligns our energy with that of nature and the universe. It is a proactive philosophy of manipulating the energies in our environment, both interior and exterior, that increases our feeling of peace and well-being. Based on geography, astronomy, astrology, ecology, meteorology, common (and un-common) sense plus Chinese herbal and folk practices, Feng Shui has captured the imagination of mega-millions around the world.

Every issue, phenomeNEWS readers are invited to submit questions and obtain a food-for-thought solution regarding your furnishings and how to flourish. This month, we continue our talk about Feng Shui and the holidays.

In Feng Shui, we categorize everything from food to furniture into five types, called elements – fire, metal, earth, water and wood. An ideal dwelling or occasion sports a healthy balance of each.

For example: the Christmas tree. The base it sits in is usually Metal, which we fill with water to nourish the evergreen. The lights are governed by fire and porcelain and pottery ornaments equal earth. Glass globe ornaments represent water. An ideal Christmas tree should feature a full spectrum of colors for each element: fire=red; water=blue; wood=green/brown; metal=white or shiny silver-gold; earth=yellow/brown.

To promote inner fortitude and good fortune, non-candled Kwanzaa and Hanukka decorations should be situated in either the northwest (travel; friends from afar), west (family) or northern (career) areas of rooms reserved for celebrating. Menorah, kinara and other flame-illuminated objects are appropriate in the south (acknowledgement from peers) and northeast (higher thought; mentors) sectors of rooms.

What about the presents under the tree? Well, Feng Shui has a few taboos about gift-giving for your consideration.

• Sweets, such as candy, fruits/fruit cakes, cookies as well as wine and liquers (only pre-AA folk, please) are said to be love and happiness “magnets” for the recipient and symbolize good luck.

• Clocks and watches – altho popular gifts in Western culture – are frowned upon when given to a loved one. They symbolize that “time is running out” and youth is fleeting.

• Feng Shui nixs gifting others with sharp objects like knives, scissors, swords and such. These send harsh energy to the receiver and are said to sever friendships and joy. (If you receive one, immediately give the giver a coin to symbolize that you “bought” the gift from them.)

• Never give an empty wallet or purse as it’s said to repel prosperity and create financial troubles. If this is on your gift-giving list, be sure to include a small amount of moolah with it. Gold dollars work best. Or, gold bullion.

• Symbolically, those pretty handkerchiefs that are popular grandma gifts are frowned upon too. They suggest that you expect the recipient to be doing a lot of crying in the future or sweating over financial frustration.

• Never give roses of any color that have pointy thorns as they are said to create suffering in relationships.

“Best” Feng Shui color for gift-wrapping? Shiny red paper festooned with gold-yellow ribbons! The Latin, French and German (yes, they have their own splinter schools of Feng Shui too!) words for “red” stem from a root word meaning “blood.” You’re asking for trouble if you ignore a red traffic light. A red light district signals passion just as the Bolshevik red flag once was a symbol of revolutionary ferment. Red is the gown color of choice by traditional Chinese brides and is believed to represent good luck, happiness and positive chi (pronounced “chee,” meaning ‘energy’) and is widely revered in many Asian and Feng Shui cultures. Certainly provides a new take on the color of Santa Claus’ outfit, eh?

Red poinsettias get the Feng Shui thumbs up, but only when used minimally and never, never, never mixed in amongst the white ones. Here, red/fire melts/destroys white/metal. Pass the egg nog.

Outdoor luminaries or pots of real hardy holiday plants (silk is OK; no plastic) on your sidewalk are Feng Shui-favored provided the pathway runs directly from your front door to the curb. However, arrange them in a staggered lightning bolt-like pattern rather than lining them up exactly opposite one another. This zigzag design is said to invite positive ch’i energy into your dwelling.

Gingerbread, as I wrote about in last month’s column, is the modern version of ancient cakes made from grain and honey which were often offered as sacrifices to the nature goddesses and gods at Yule. When gingerbread was introduced into Europe from Asia, it was soon incorporated into the ritual Yule cake – thus, the Feng Shui-origin of gingerbread.

On this note, another magical Feng Shui thing to do is make a gingerbread house... but this time, make it in the image of your own home! (If impossible, visualize your home in your mind’s eye while baking, forming and decorating the gingerbread house.) Envision your household overflowing with love, warmth and happiness – all gifts of ginger and the Sun, astrologically. Eat the gingerbread house on Yule, Christmas, day one of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa sharing it with others who live under your roof and invite its positive energies into yourself.

This Feng Shui holiday, deck the halls – not your friends!

Royal Oak author Dennis Fairchild welcomes your Feng Shui questions for consideration in a future column via  DenFairchild@aol.com. Call (248) 398-3025 for information about individual psychic-astrology and on-site Feng Shui consults.