I hope the early the fall season has been a good time for you. During the past week in New York the temperatures went from 82 degrees to 39, within days. As nature starts her contraction towards winter, we too are in transition. This is a particularly important time to pay attention to our well being by maintaining a healthy balance in our lives.
The balance of the 5 Elements in our body and on the planet is integral to health. Of all the subjects I teach, I enjoy discussing the power of the 5 Elements most. They are the design currency of feng shui. Color, shape, material all represent the elements.
I also enjoy teaching space clearing and ritual. Working directly with unseen ‘chi’ in an environment is the shamanic aspect of feng shui. I will be teaching Shamanic Feng Shui, February 12-19, 2017 in Nicaragua. Please see if this week of beauty, relaxation and discovery resonates with you.
Continuing the discussion of the environmental challenges we face, this is the 4th in my series on the 5 Elements or Agents of Change and health.
In the last 3 newsletters I discussed the elements of Water , Wood, and Fire (catch up if you missed them). Next up is Earth which is analogous with what the Chinese consider the ‘mid-season’, or the time between summer and fall (and between winter and spring too) on the bagua – the feng shui template.
The Earth element represents the chi of credibility and trust. Yin Earth is the marriage and partnership sector of the bagua and addresses receptivity. Yang Earth is the area of the bagua representing knowledge, skillfulness and self-cultivation.
Earth Element & Environmental Concerns at Home:
Granite is an Earth element commonly used for kitchens and bathrooms – perfect for its durability, non-porosity and range of colors.
Cellars and basements sunk into soil over granite can become traps for radon gas, which is heavier than air. Radon can also be introduced into houses by wells drilled into granite.
Since radon is the #2 cause of lung cancer in the U.S., respiratory ailments are the most likely signs of radon-related distress.
If you have it, a professional should be hired to seal floors, walls, and ducts, create ventilation to draw radon away from the dwelling, and put protective radon-impermeable material on ground floors .
Radon concentration in bathrooms can be 40 times higher than in living rooms.
Another common Earth element in the home is quartz sand or silica -the raw material for commercial glass. Glass is seen in different ways for feng shui purposes. Clear glass certainly has a watery appearance. Colored glass can hold the energy of a particular element. However glass is composed of earth.
New glass extraction and manufacturing can disfigure the environment, consume vast amounts of energy and contribute to combustion pollution
Recycled glass products are developing new industries and cleaning up our planet. One such product for the kitchen is recycled glass counter tops. It’s VOC free and it is an approved product for LEED certification.
There is so much more to add on the subject of bringing our Earth (element) back into balance. The best place to start is in our own homes. Using non-toxic products, reading labels, recycling, buying from companies that are aligned with your principles, all make a difference. Especially if we are all doing it!
Next, I will complete the series of 5 Elements with Metal.
I also enjoy teaching space clearing and ritual. Working directly with unseen ‘chi’ in an environment is the shamanic aspect of feng shui. I will be teaching Shamanic Feng Shui, February 12-19, 2017 in Nicaragua. Please see if this week of beauty, relaxation and discovery resonates with you.
most likely signs of radon-related distress.
