In
the last issue of The FAMILY Magazine, we explored placing
the bagua over the blueprint of your home so as to utilize
it as a "manifestation map" of the environment. I hope that
it spurred thought and personal insight, as well as help you
to identify the areas of your life that you wish to nurture
and enhance. Now is the time to employ these discovered intentions
by energizing the specific centers of the bagua, helping guide
you toward your vision of happiness and fulfillment. You are
in the process of purposefully deciding and identifying what
you want, and now is the time to learn how your home can support
you in attaining it. This month we begin with one of my favorite
corners, Wealth and Prosperity: the northwest corner of the
bagua.
Wealth
gives us the financial freedom to live out our dreams, as
well as the equally important ability to be able to give to
others. Energizing the Wealth and Prosperity corner helps
this center to work like a money magnet, drawing prosperous
energy to any financial endeavor. The goal of energizing this
center is create and stimulate monetary security, helping
us to prosper in our lives.
Let
us begin with three Wealth and Prosperity taboos:
The
bathroom: The bathroom is considered to be the largest
fiscal fizzler in feng shui, with the toilet working effortlessly
to suck down all your abundance with every innocent flush
(can't you just hear the whoosh?). You can refer to the November
2007 article for a complete list of bathroom feng shui tips,
but as a quick reminder, it is recommended that you plug all
drains with a rubber stopper when they are not in use, and
to keep those lids down!
Clutter:
We can hardly have a feng shui discussion without some sort
of mention of the word "clutter." Recap: if you got it, clear
it. You want the energy to flow freely, and if you have clutter,
it will interfere with your financial currents. When it comes
to prosperity, it is important to remove garbage cans, especially
those that sit visibly in a physical corner; place cans under
the sink or behind closed doors.
The
fireplace: Yes, we are approaching the hot and humid days
of a Michiana summer, so who's thinking fireplace, right?
Although you may not be stoking coals anytime soon, it is
important to remember that fire is money's feng shui nemesis;
you do not want to see your greens "going up in flames." A
common remedy is to place a water fountain (or any object
that holds water) on top of the fireplace to "tame the flames."
Some other ideas include placing a bowl of fresh water with
gold, purple and red stones in it. You can also place a vase
of fresh flowers in similar colors atop your mantle.
Now
that we are through the taboos, let's move on to the dos.
I'll begin with two creative activities that help foster the
beneficial energies of each bagua center: creating a manifestation
board and intention writing.
One
of my favorite creative activities is the designing of a manifestation
board (get ready to introduce yourself to your inner kindergartener).
This is a corkboard or poster board with a collection of personally
wealth-inspiring pictures taken from magazines, postcards,
drawings; or anything you can cut, clip and paste. Your manifestation
boards can even be something as small as a mini collage displayed
in a picture frame. You can include sayings, quotes, or pictures
that inspire your personal vision of wealth and prosperity.
And the best thing about this process… there is absolutely
no monetary limit to a wish; nothing is too crazy or out of
reach when you have a pair of scissors in hand (I write this
as I look to my board with a clipping of an open air bungalow-
with a gourmet kitchen- on a private stretch of tropical sands)!
When
you are finished, what you will see is a collage that depicts
your inner desires, wishes and goals; and as you look at it
every day, these images will become imprinted, both consciously
and subconsciously; you will become what you
focus on. Each manifestation board you create will be a visual
anchor of the life you would like to emulate. Make an evening
of this by inviting friends over for a collage-making party;
