Feng Shui and Chi

Feng Shui is an ancient discipline which shifts the chi (life force energy) in your home to improve your life. Children are indeed a blessing and add joy to one's household. In ancient times, a family was regarded as incomplete without children. Many methods were utilized so that couples could be successful in their bids for children. However, like many young things, children can get out of hand sometimes. Applying Feng Shui can help you enhance your relationship with your children, understanding their needs and so strengthening family ties. If you wish to enhance your relationship with your children, sleep with your head pointed at your Nien Yin direction. You can find this direction using your Kua number Sleeping in this position will help bring you closer to your children and strengthen family ties.

If you have been trying for children or your offspring are getting out of hand, check if there is any offending man-made structure that is sending out harmful poison arrows towards your main door. To boost up romance, play smart with lighting. Yellow, white and red lights are just appropriate to set the mood for romance. Use soft romantic shades in your room like pink. Ideally windows should have direct natural light.

According to the 8 Life Aspirations, children and descendants are governed by West. The element of West is Small Metal and the colors are Gold, Silver and White. Metal is produced by Earth and is destroyed by Fire. Avoid having any major Fire or Water element in this section of your home.

If you wish to enhance your relationship with your children, sleep with your head pointed at your Nien Yin direction. You can find this direction using your Kua number Sleeping in this position will help bring you closer to your children and strengthen family ties.

Add trees, plants or upward lighting to raise energy. Plants are signs of life, but they must be kept healthy, dead or dying plants or even dead leaves are bad Feng Shui, as they represent death and decay.

Clear your clutter. Not just the obvious junk lying around, but also old books/CDs/DVDs that you don't like anymore, old clothes that are too big/too small, stuff that's accumulated in random drawers/closets. Even your garage should be a tidy place to store things, not a mass of boxes and random stuff.

Don't make your house a storehouse of old useless things. Maintain cleanliness and throw away what is not required or what has become obsolete. Its important to make way for proper ventilation so that old energy can find space to go out so as to let new fresh positive energy get in. There is a need for some relocation of furniture. Even if you move your furniture just by an inch or so, it will generate positive energy.

If the West section is missing in your home, you can install a bright light or a mirror to partially remedy this problem. You can also activate the West section of your bedroom as well.

Energize the East section of your home. East represents Health and Longevity - the colour of East is dark green and the element is wood. If the East section of your home is located in the living room, dining room or a room that is not used as a bedroom, place some live potted plants or furniture made of real wood to activate the corner.

Water is good in the wealth areas of a home, but never in the bedroom. Add fountains to increase the flow of Yang energy or a fish tank for a double bonus of Feng Shui, water plus a living animal is excellent Feng Shui. To counter a large, imposing fireplace, place a picture of a waterfall directly above the fireplace, or put a fountain next to it.

About the Author Rob Daniels is a long term practitioner of Yoga and Pilates additional articles available at Pilates Shop http://www.pilates-shop.net and Yoga Store http://www.yoga-store.net

Feng Shui & Symbology

Symbology is very special to my heart. In fact, one of the more precious gifts I received is from my husband. It is a piece of artwork depicting in white jade, the Chinese dragon and phoenix. This hangs proudly in my office and for me, represents what I try to achieve daily for myself and others ? the balancing of yin and yang.

The Orient has always had a particular penchant for looking at objects and interpreting their hidden meaning. This is revealed by the prolific use of symbols and that these symbols are like a secondary language, rich in nuances that penetrate all communication.

Not all Westerners are aware that in Chinese, each written character represents an entire word which is in deep contrast to our alphabetical text - where a sequence of individual letters signifies a word. This means that more or less every word in the Chinese language is represented by a different symbol so it is not unrealistic to consider that whenever pen is put to paper or in carvings it can also have some mysterious, abstract or obscure meaning.

Symbols are generally categorised as either auspicious or inauspicious and can be viewed as conveying the unseen messages of good or bad luck. All Oriental artworks are viewed as symbols, and their characteristic themes ? water, clouds, flowers, trees, animals, rocks even colours ? portend not only themselves, but also something beyond themselves ? there is meaning far beyond the visual experience. There is virtually nothing in all of nature or any artefact that is not seen as being imbued with particular significance.

I simply love the meaning of things!!! On my first journey to Singapore back in 1986 I purchased a silk painting and it?s always been dear to my heart and this painting still hangs in a special place within my home. I was told that this beautiful piece of art depicts the story of the Eight Fairies or as I first came to know them - the Eight Good People of the world. Now these Fairies or immortals are on a special journey travelling the world dispensing good fortune to everyone they meet and each one of these ?good people? has a special object that they always carry with them. These items still carry auspicious meanings as they have done over the ages and generally, they can be hung anywhere in the home. They have also come to play a symbolic part in Feng Shui.

There is much controversy as to exactly when the eight immortals came to be however most stories and artworks can be dated back to the Song, Yuan and Han dynasties. I have listed the items carried by the ?eight immortals? and I hope that you will be able to put at least one of them to good use for yourself in your own home or place of business.

The gourd:- This wonderful object can be placed around the knob of your bedroom door as it symbolises good health and longevity. It is one of the items carried by Li Tie-guai, one of the most recognisable of the eight immortals as he is lame. One of several legends has it that he would frequently leave his body to wander the land and heavens. On one particular day whilst his spirit was wandering around the mountains his body was found lifeless and he was subsequently pronounced dead. In keeping with the custom of the time he was cremated so, upon his souls return he could not find his own body and therefore he had no option but to take refuge in the first available body. This happened to be the body of a crippled beggar and so it was that Li Tie-guai continued his existence supporting himself on a crutch or staff and is therefore always depicted as a lame beggar. The gourd is said to contain the holy nectar of the Gods, therefore, it is a popular accessory of many Buddhist Deities. In art a gourd decorated with arabesques and roses signifies the wish that ?spring may last for ten thousand generations?. In other words ? this is a wish that your family lasts forever.

The Fan:- Fans first appeared in China during the 10th Century AD and these beautifully painted fans have been a specialty of the great Chinese artist ever since. One of the eight immortals, Zhong Li Quan, who is said to have lived during the Chou Dynasty around 112-249BC, is the chubby chief of the immortals and recognisable by the Fan which he uses to revive the dead. Many other Gods also use the fan to drive away evil and as a result, from a Feng Shui perspective it has been said that fans have the power to deflect negative ?chi? or energy that has been directed your way by a hostile source.

Lotus: As the symbol of purity modesty and love, the lotus enjoys a unique importance in Chinese folklore and it seems that this is largely due to the influence of Buddhism. The lotus comes out of the morass and yet is not itself tainted. It is inwardly empty, outwardly upright. It has no branches and smells sweet. There are two Chinese words for lotus: lian and he. Lian is to love, bind, connect uninterrupted as in marriage and also means modesty. A lotus bloom with a leaf and a bud means ?complete union? whilst a boy with a carp beside a lotus means abundance year in year out. He Xian-gu was the immortal carrying the lotus and was brought into the group by Lu Dong Bin after he rescued her from a demon by using his magic sword.

Castanets:- Cao Guo-jiu is the finest dressed of all the immortals. He is always depicted in court dress and is often seen holding an official sceptre or castanets. So, for those budding thespians ensure you have this deity around you to help you on your way.

Flute:- A patron saint of musicians, this happy immortal is always depicted carrying or playing the flute. It is said that Han Xiang-Zi could make flowers bloom at will and soothe wild animals with his music. He is said to be the great nephew of the statesman and philosopher Han Yu who lived AD 768 ? 824. There are many types of Chinese flutes, however; the vertical flute which has only five holes in the upper part and one in the lower section with only one end open is played mainly by women. In Feng Shui a pair of flutes is often used to divert the negative flow of energy.

Sword:- A demon slaying sword is the attribute of Lu Dong-bin (born around AD 755) another of the eight immortals. There are many legends regarding swords and their magical properties. In fact, it is said that an ordinary sword can be turned into one that will repel demons by going through a special ritual and then reforged. In Feng Shui terms there is the sword of coins. Coins are usually associated with prosperity, however, they were also used as protective charms. So it came to be that a cluster of coins were strung with red cording in the shape of swords. These were then worn around the neck to ward off ?sha chi? directed your way by a hostile source.

Bamboo cane: Zhang Guo-lao is the immortal that is always shown carrying a long bamboo cane, the so called ?Fish Drum?. Inside the cane are two rods fitted with hooks, and the whole piece can be used as a means of making various sounds and music. Legend has it that he flourished around the late 7th and early 8th centuries and is always accompanied by a donkey on whose back he would sit backwards and could cover a thousand miles a day.

Basket of flowers: Lan Cai-he is one of the eight immortals and is represented by a basket of fruit or flowers. A decorated basket of flowers represents riches and therefore the motif has been a popular one used during the New Year period.

There are many, many items in varying degrees of styles that can evoke a significant value for another person. So???. why not consider giving a gift for Christmas with substance, one that has an important meaning to someone you care about. Perhaps it will reflect the gift of wealth, good health and happiness or even???..love.

Juliana Abram is one of the leading Feng Shui consultants in Australia having been traditionally trained in Hong Kong by Chinese Feng Shui Master Raymond Lo.

Juliana specialises in ?Flying Star? Feng Shui and the Four Pillars of destiny.

Juliana runs her own Feng Shui consultancy see http://www.fengshuicentre.com.au and her own online Feng Shui store see http://www.fengshuishop.com.au