MAKING WAVES WITH FENG SHUI

Fountains And Good Fortune

 by Dennis Fairchild

You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted.

Ruth E. Renkl

Uh-huh, it’s summer Feng Shui fun-time! Dig it (the soil this season, that is) and dump/recycle yer junk. Feng Shui (pronounced “fung schway”) has been around 3000+ years and is a globally- symbolic, spiritual melange of Buddhism, Taoism, astrology and rural folklore magic. This month, let’s peek through some phenomeNEWS reader’s queries.

Dear Dennis,
One of my friends told me that Feng Shui claims that I have a fighting tiger and dragon in my front yard that’s bringing me and my family unhappiness. What the heck does this mean? I live in the ‘burbs and most of all of our front lawns are similar but I’ve had no disasters, only family arguments and normal hassles.
Deana; Birmingham MI; internet
 

Deana dear:
My beloved friends who survived Hurricanes Charley, Katrina and those of us prepping for this season’s windy-and-rain swirls all swear by the following Feng Shui Tiger and Dragon “cures.” Granted, this simple installment may not curb a tornado or Ma Nature madness, but it’s said to prevent hassles in relationships, illness and tragedy.

What is it, you ask? Like the Bible and many other holy books proclaims: the remedy is light! Uh-huh, as in outdoor lighting, candles, floor lamps... even flashlights. Where to place and why? Well, since it’s summertime, let’s look at your yard and garden and, for apartment or condo dwellers, outside the main door of your residence.

Garden/front yard lights are magnificent, positive adjuncts for attracting luck and vitality and are magnets for peace of mind. For fans of “real” and classical Feng Shui, always illuminate both the South and SouthWest areas of your property with an outdoor garden light – there are several inexpensive free-standing, non-electric solar-powered devices available at most hardware outlets... or, use yellow-gold toned perennials.

If you have a home or condo and are able to embellish your lawns, look first to the south (how peers view you) and the southwest (harmonious relationships) areas. Here, placing garden lights is said to enhance the earning abilities of the family breadwinner and insures that residents enjoy positive, well-resected reputations. If solar lights seem silly to you, then try placing orange or yellow small clustered plants like marigolds here. Flora and fauna is better than fluorescent.

In addition to adding light to the south and southwest sectors, home and condo/apartment owners should open their front door, stand in the entranceway and look straight ahead. To your immediate left is called the Tiger; right is the Dragon, regardless of the compass direction

Inside-looking-out, the left-side of your main entry should not have tall or unruly items or natural growth (trees are the exception). If on the left, you have unattended bushes, shrubs, etc, this suggests that the Tiger has the potential to become nasty, pounce on you and create havoc – especially during retro Mercury and challenging Saturn transit-times. A malevolent Tiger in your front yard ain’t a welcome thing!
To keep the beast tamed, benevolent and provide you with protection, install a bright light or golden-hue plant/shrub. (If your condo has a balcony, do this on it and get happy, inspired and ready for action!) Pale and yellow-gold tones here represent the Fire element, the only element that combats the intrinsic nature of Metal, which is the Western sector’s ruler – and, fire destroys metal in the cycle of elements.

Embrace the animals! Petting and purring is purr-fect-o!

Hi Dennis,
I have a small water fountain on a stand with crystals and stones in it on my front porch, which is facing the northwest Is that a good spot?
Delphine A; Pt.St. Lucie,FL; internet

Hi Del!
Regard the home as a living, breathing organism. Metaphorically, the front door is considered the mouth of our dwelling through which ch’i (pronounced “chee,” meaning ‘life,’ good vibes’) enters. This suggests that the front porch is the lips.
So, a water fountain on a front porch or near front door is a good Feng Shui-thing!

The front door is where we make a transition from the outside “real” world to the “inner;” external to internal. As we spend a lot of time indoors cooking, sleeping and in sometimes vulnerable states, you have to feel a sense of security in this front door/porch area. This can be achieved in the form of a healthy front garden, a gate or fence or – yep! – a fountain.

Everyone must keep the front yard and driveway clear of old or dead debris as these are considered dead/unhealthy ch’i. Uh-huh: cue the water fountain.

In your case, Del, a northwest-facing front door with a water feature with crystals and stones suggests that you’re inviting opportunities for travel and that you enjoy contact and good times with old friends.

For everyone, please refrain from using water fountains that have electric lights in them (for that matter, electricity, period) as Fire (electricity) is brought down by water.

In the case of your specific fountain, those with more crystal are “better” than those with more stone or rocks, as rocks are said to keep one more rooted and crystal opens up the door for more opportunity.

On a similar note, for all home, apartment and condo owners, either planting or featuring a potted plant on the front porch (especially in northwest or west), place pots of golden-foliage flora and fauna here, like gold “Aureus” or silver-stemmed bushes to attract financial windfalls. And read below comments about Treasure Chests buried in pots.

Dear Dennis,
Recently, I married an American Asian woman. My wife’s mother gifted us with a small metal box the size of an old-fashioned cigar box with many dollars of silver and gold coins. She told me to bury it in my yard and that it would bring me prosperity.

I don’t know if this means anything in Feng Shui, nor where to put it. Have you heard anything about this tradition? How deep to place it, etc?
Henry; Wayzatta MN; internet

Dear Henry:
Congrats on your new marriage. You’re in store for some wonderful Feng Shui folklore stories from your in-laws! Be open-minded to your mom-law’s suggestions. And then, “modernize” them to contemporary times and your home. There’s lots to be be learned from “legends.”

Many Asian and ancient Feng Shui lore claims that burying a metal box – like an empty Altoid container or such – with something like an odd number of the newly-issued “gold” dollar coins in the west or northwest areas of your property or by your front main entry will attract extra spending money.

The philosophy is that the earth from the soil will give birth to the metal (which in Chinese translates to the word “gold”) which originates from the earth. If you have the luxury of a garden, bury your treasure chest at least 13 or 15-inches below ground in the most westerly or northwesterly part of your property. If in an apartment or condo, bury in a potted plant in either same directions or near front entry.

Sometimes, we have to get our hands dirty when making a dollar. Right?

Dennis Fairchild is an author and does astrological/intuitive consults in Royal Oak MI. For info on obtaining a private session, phone (248) 546-6912 or emailDenFairchild@aol.com.