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February 27, 2006 Fast Feng Shui Newsletter In
this issue:
The Compass or the Doorway? I’d like to welcome all of our new subscribers. We’ve had a lot of sign-ups recently, so I thought it would be good to review a topic that is often confusing to beginners (and about which I’ve received some emails lately): the difference between the compass and doorway methods of using the ba gua and which is the “right” way. Much of the confusion that besets newcomers to feng shui arises because the ba gua can be used in two different ways: * According to the compass directions (N, S, SW, etc.); the space is usually divided into eight wedges. (Sometimes a 9-unit grid is used, but the pie-slice method more accurately matches the compass sectors so I recommend it if you are going to follow the compass.) Note that the feng shui compass shows South at the top and North at the bottom:
* According to the location of the entry; the space is divided into a nine-unit grid that divides the space into equal areas without regard to the compass directions:
I have a strong personal preference for the doorway-oriented ba gua, especially for interior spaces. Here’s why: 1. Consistent Relative Location Here’s a diagram of a simple 4-room house. The black arrow shows North. The red wedges show the south sector of each room, and the green arrows show how you enter each room:
Notice that when you step into room 1, FAME is the
area around the doorway. With the compass method, it’s easy to see by looking at the floor plan that the ba guas for each room are all aligned to the compass the same way. The problem is that as you enter each room there’s no consistency to the location of the FAME gua (or any other area) relative to your position. This means that you experience the locations of the guas differently in every room. Using the ba gua according to the doorway solves this problem. FAME is always at center of the far side of the space relative to the doorway. Here’s the same example floorplan, this time showing the FAME gua for each room according to the doorway: Here, notice that you experience the ba gua exactly the same way in every room: FAME is always in the center of the far side of the space. 2. Symbolic Experience
The Career area (which represents our life path or journey as well as the specific work that we do) is in the center of side of the room through which we enter, with Knowledge and Helpful Friends (things that help us reach our goals) on either side of Career providing a foundation for our progress:
As we move further into the space, Family and Children/Creativity are with us on either side, accompanying us on our journey and reminding us to strive for a balanced life.
Feng shui is about the impact of our space on our experience, so it makes sense to me that this key tool should be used experientially. The compass directions simply don’t offer this kind of metaphysical correlation between the areas of influence in a space and how we move through that space. 3. Modern Factors You may hear some feng shui teachers and practitioners say that Traditional Chinese Feng Shui is the “right” way and that the modern approaches to this ancient practice are “wrong” or “faux feng shui.” I believe that our world and lifestyles have changed dramatically over the past few thousand years and it’s reasonable to expect that feng shui would evolve to accommodate and reflect our contemporary cultures and attitudes. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to use the ba gua, just different ways. I don’t ignore the compass directions or methods in my practice, but I give the doorway ba gua the greatest consideration because that is my preference. If you are new to feng shui, and have a strong intuitive pull to one ba gua method or the other then go ahead and follow your intuition. If you don’t have an inner sense of which method you’d like to use, then I recommend that you start with the doorway method first. If you are already experienced in feng shui and are accustomed to analyzing your space by the compass directions, you may want to take a look at what the doorway ba gua has to offer.
Announcement
Feng
Shui Q+A (Questions have been edited for clarity and length, and identifying details have been changed. Due to the high volume of email I receive, it is not always possible to respond to every question personally. I welcome your questions by email, and if I cannot provide a personal response I will try to address your issue in a future Q+A column.) Q: : "I have recently moved into a new
house. The master bedroom is on the second floor over the kitchen and
my bed is directly over the stove. It’s a corner room, with windows
on the two exterior walls. The entry wall also has an open archway leading
to the master bathroom. So there really isn’t any other place to put
the bed. Is the bed position over the stove a problem? If it is, what
can I do about it?" The stove is a very active (yang) energy. A bed is for sleeping, which is a very yin state of inactivity. When the bedroom is adjacent to the stove that strong yang energy may spread into the bedroom, and you may find that you do not sleep well or that you feel tired and irritable much of the time. It could also indicate heart or blood pressure problems (the stove is a strong fire element, and fire is associated with the heart) for anyone sleeping in that bed. However, that's just an indication, not a guarantee of problems. Since you can’t move the bed (the best solution, were it an option for you) I would recommend avoiding as much as possible any kind of fire energy in the bedroom. Keep the lighting low, and avoid using reds and oranges in your decor. Don't have any candles in the bedroom. Earth colors (browns) will help to reduce and settle the unstable fire energy from the stove, and some water imagery or colors (dark blues and black) will also help to control fire. Although feng shui advises against using mirrors in the bedroom that recommendation is fairly far out on the superstition end of things and not something I consider essential. In this case you might place a mirror on the wall opposite the bed (if you can), with the intention that it symbolically pull the bed over to that side of the room. You should also be aware of the possibility of high EMF levels from the stove and other kitchen appliances, which is a serious concern. You might want to use some EMF protection devices such as the BioPro Home Harmonizer (we use this in our home). You can find out more about EMF issues at our sister website: www.EMF-health.com The open access to the master bath from the bedroom is also considered a problem, as it allows too much yin from the bathroom to flow uninterrupted into the bedroom. It would be a good idea, if you can, to use some kind of curtain, or install a door, or even hang a faceted crystal ball in the entry to the bathroom. Hope this helps, Stephanie R.
Recommended Resource
Clutter
Clearing Tip DON'T 'ORGANIZE' YOUR CLUTTER Don't run out and buy closet organizers until you've gone through EVERYTHING and know what you are going to keep. Otherwise, you will end up with very organized closets that are filled with things you don't really want or need. This is a common mistake, and it's one reason I felt inspired to create the CFF program. I'd read so many good "how-to-get organized" books, most of which didn't address getting rid of the clutter first. Organization is the SECOND half of the picture, and should only be done after a good clutter-clearing. "So far the OUT BAG count is 56 bags have been pitched!!!"
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A hui ho! (until next time),
Feng
Shui Books & eBooks
Miscellaneous AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND EDITIONS Softcover editions of "Fast Feng Shui" and "Fast
Feng Shui for Prosperity" are available in AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND
through Fast Trak Direct Pty. Ltd. ••• Newsletter Archives This newsletter is published approximately twice a month. If you missed our previous issues, you can read them here. ••• We also invite you to visit our sister sites: All About Prosperity - Articles and resources for developing Prosperity Consciousness and Wealth Building skills: creative visualization, goal setting, emotional intelligence, as well as affiliate marketing, money management, and more. Feng-Shui-Ebooks.com - Our popular Fast Feng Shui book series is now available in ebook version for your immediate download. BIOPRO EMF Protection - Watch special video report on "The Invisible Dangers of EMF Radiation." Learn the facts about electromagnetic fields (EMF) and how they affect your health. Find out how you can create an electropollution-free zone in your home and office with the Home Harmonizer. Amazon Rainforest Herbs - Wild Foods Nutrition from virgin soil of the highest concentration of life energy on the planet - the Amazon Rainforest. Save your health while helping save the Rainforest.
(c)
2006 Stephanie Roberts. All rights reserved.
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