POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION...



I traveled to Fitchburg, MA last Saturday to give a workshop to a lovely group of people at the Center for Well Being.  Knowing that there has been a variety of road construction going on over the summer, I allowed extra time to arrive early and set up.  I didn’t count on the Mapquest route taking me all the way to the downtown area, only to arrive at a bridge that was closed for repair.  The McDonald’s across the street was able to supply me with a clean bathroom and directions via another bridge; but when I got over the second bridge I found that I was completely disoriented. 

After driving up and down Main Street a couple of times, I began to get anxious as I could see that the minutes were ticking by – so near and yet so far!  I finally stopped and asked a woman who was just getting into her Jeep if she knew where Bond Street was.  Yes, she did, but as she started to tell me how to get there, it became obvious that the way was complicated.  Then she said, “You know what? I’ll take you there.” 

In a few minutes that wonderful woman had guided me back through town to the other end, up some steep winding side streets, until I finally recognized where I was.  We pulled over, and as she came out to wish me a good workshop, I thanked her and said, “You’re an angel.”  She was.  After that, the day was like a breeze.

There is an area of the Bagua (the tic-tac-toe shaped map that gets laid over your floorplan) that is called Heaven, and has to do with Helpful Friends – angels in your life that make a difference when you need it. This area or gua is located at the bottom right corner of your space as you are facing in from the vantage point of your front door.  If you would like to attract more friends, or just more helpful energy in general, this is the area to work in.  The simple act of cleaning and clearing clutter, with a feeling a gratitude for all of the wonderful help that we have received during our lives – is enough to energize this area, and keep a good thing going.

I’ve decided that the best way for me to say thank you for the favor that a stranger did me last Saturday is to do the same for someone else.  As our hostess at the Center for Well Being, Bea, says, “Gratitude is a powerful emotion.”  It goes a long way to make a difference in the world…

A TIME TO HEAL...

It has been eleven years since I began my formal study of Feng Shui.  The New England School of Feng Shui held its first class that year in Worcester, MA on the Saturday following September 11.  Like everyone else, we were all struggling to understand the tragedy that had taken place a few days earlier; and, as the weekend progressed,  we came to realize that this ages-old, yet very practical, wisdom had much to offer a world in dire need of balance and hope.

Our teachers have encouraged us not to turn away from what is, but to acknowledge it; at the same time, as Feng Shui practitioners we need to be able to visualize what can be.  I see this path as a life-long practice and a way of living each day with gratitude.  And, while it cannot stop bad things from happening, it can make us stronger, more resilient, and better able to cope with whatever life brings us.

Over the past decade I have seen circumstances improve in the lives of clients and colleagues who have taken this very life-affirming practice to heart. And, yes, I have seen miracles occur, both in my own life, and the lives of those who were willing to look at their living and working spaces with new eyes. 

Our spaces act as mirrors of our inner state, affecting us deeply on both a conscious and unconscious level.  However, since we are part of our environment, we can influence and change it with the right intention -- one that is beneficial not only to ourselves, but also to the highest good of all concerned…