The ancient art of placement, called Feng Shui uses an eight-sided grid called a Bagua to locate the mouth of Chi in your living and working spaces. This 5000-year-old tool contains nine equal sections which supports the nine aspects of life and works with the five elements necessary for balance and harmony on the earth. Water, Wood, Fire, Metal and Earth are the necessary elements. and the aspects are Career, Knowledge, Family, Wealth, Fame, Partnership, Helpful People and Travel and good Health. With a balanced combination of all these supporting factors, our lives become easier to manage. When one or two aspects become too important, then the others suffer.
The last few years our family life suffered. I longed to see my two grandsons more often. I wanted to see the daily cute things they say and do. I felt sorry for myself at times and wished they could live closer. Too many miles separated us for too long. Our present home was beautiful, but the Family sector lacked the support for the Chi or Energy to flow properly. The section related to this Wood Qua was not free of clutter. Our garage filled this sector and my husband in his Feng Shui innocence had piled a thousand pounds of tile against the back side door or entry. Once a door has been built, blocking the entry is a Feng Shui no-no! I didn’t expect him to re-stack the tile. We were going to retile the house that spring, and spring was just around the corner. His current job project was local and he was assured traveling wasn’t scheduled by his company. Of course he was quickly assigned a project four hours from home.
The tile sat in the Family sector another six years, and problems began to occur shortly. Little ones and big ones too personal to write about, I applied my knowledge of Feng Shui which helped a lot, but the blockage was there and needed to addressed. Now it was time to relocate for retirement. Boxes began to be moved and shifted in the garage and our life reflected this action. It was time for realigning our lives.
Many situations took place and finally the stagnation in our home was released. Looking for car papers, house insurance and all of those fun projects which make you crazy, was changing our thinking and planning every few hours, it seemed. We would put money on one home, only to find out another couple had just put earnest money on the same property an hour before. This process repeated itself again and again. But I realized that losing your grip on a sure thing is God’s way of “stepping in” to save you from yourself.
We had given up on finding a home on the Oregon Coast and were now ready to give up and try later, when our son called with his suggestion to move both families to the San Juan Islands. My dream was coming true. I let go of the constant yearning to be near the little ones. That is when things materialize into form. The blockage of controlling any situation can stagnate any purpose. The Chi lodges in the home, in the atmosphere or in the body. Blockage is blockage.
To make a long story short, we are now living on an island in the San Juan Islands. The house materialized easily, our other home sold the next week with a few quirks of its own to be discussed later. Pine trees tower above our property and the wind talks to me daily. Kiddingly I told my husband, “If the next house we see has blue-green kitchen counter tops, refrigerator with a bottom freezer, and a studio, and a fountain in the front yard, I’ll buy it!” It did, and we bought it!
The children are here with us as we figure out the rest of the plan, or maybe it reveals itself. There is magic around every pathway, as the former owner believed in secrets planted around every corner. Her projects are my treasures as I spent a lot of time with the little ones, looking at bugs and dragons in our Never, Never Land.
Yes, there are days when I think I was crazy for wishing the six loads of laundry and lunches to pack, Ferry Boat, meetings to attend, school bus schedules to mark on the calendar, but soon the little guys will be big guys, not wanting Grandma’s attention.
I still will be doing Feng Shui. The local college just signed me up to teach several classes next winter and the calls are coming in for speaking engagements. My picture is again in the local paper, and I am the only Feng Shui Consultant in the Yellow Pages within a hundred miles. I’d better enjoy the hectic schedule of the little ones because going back to work will probably be the only rest I’m going to get.
