There are so many different factors that influence or determine our success in life. There are some that are predestined or unchangeable such as our parents, our birth date, birthplace, our culture and the economic and cosmic cycles at our time of birth. These factors have a great impact on our foundation in life and we have no control over them. Nonetheless, we can learn about ourselves through these factors.
Then, there are adjustable factors such as our education, friends, spouse, career, personality, creativity, moral, motivation, ambition, endurance, philosophy of life, abilities to make a living, place of establishment and the energy or feng shui of our home or office. If we were to set these factors on a scale, how do they rank in contributing to our success in life? How can we improve certain factors to promote us?
There is one particular model in Feng Shui that helps us compartmentalize our life experiences into nine areas. Its called the BaGua (PaKwa) Ba meaning eight, Gua, meaning Trigrams. The Eight Trigrams are arranged around a central space called the Tai Chi. Each area represents one specific area of life. This life map allows us to correlate life experiences with a physical space in our surrounding. Below is a short description of what each area means and how you can see your life reflected in the arrangement of your surroundings.
Success, Recognition, Spirit
Research has confirmed that the way in which you see yourself has crucial implications for your personal development and mental health. The perceptions others hold of you (your reputation) can directly affect the opportunities you are given to develop your talents and skills, to interact with others in a harmonious environment, and to develop your identity and self-worth.
Fame does not mean notoriety for its own sake, but recognition of an undertaking well done and a sense of fulfillment.
The reflective approach taken in my Feng Shui consultation helps you to increase your self-insight, thereby making your life more fulfilling.
Good Feng Shui expands your career, presents opportunities for promotion, and helps to attract mentors and other patrons who can help you. It also opens up opportunities for you to expand yourself: travel, the acquisition of knowledge, meaningful relationships.
Relationship, Marriage, Partnerships
In every personal relationship, your feelings about another person are strongly influenced by the way your interaction makes you feel about yourself.
The principle in Feng Shui can provide you an opportunity to help you better understand the way your personality and living environment influence and are influenced by your intimate connection with a special person.
Developing a stable and satisfying relationship does not require some mysterious talent, it depends on a process of self-disclosure ( sharing intimate, private information about yourself with another person). It’s not who you are, but what you do that strengths your relationship.
LOVE IS REALLY AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT, A SENSE OF ONENESS WITH YOUR GOOD. YOU MUST BE TRUE TO THAT WHICH YOU LOVE.
In everyday life, all of us play many different social roles. Such as your role as a parent, sibling, son or daughter, student, athlete, employee, community leader, etc. The principal goal here is to deepen in the awareness of our connection to one another.
Feng Shui can be described as the Tao (the way) of design and life. The yin/yang (female/male) symbol symbolizes wholeness (balance between the polarities of yin/yang). Feng shui is a lifestyle, in fact. As within, so without. Begin now to discover the wonder and peace it brings.
When discussing feng shui related to relationship and marriage, there are two basic rules: (1) have nothing broken in your home, and (2) rid yourself of things you do not love.
Projects, Future, Offspring
In a sense, we each live three lives. We have our public life, our private life, and our inner life.
Our inner life is where we connect with our unique human endowments of self-awareness, conscience, independent will, creative imagination and passion of vision.
As Gandhi said, “We must become the change we seek in the world”. Is there something you feel you could do to make a difference?
We call this creative imagination (project) “passion”. It’s empowered by the “legacy” we can leave, the contribution we can make.
All of us have read the story of Columbus and his discovery of America. It was imagination that led him to his discovery. The sailors said to Columbus, “What shall we do when all hopes is gone?” His reply was, “Sail on, sail on, sail on and on.”
Ideally, the room you spend most of the time developing your creative projects should be exposed to energizing sunlight at dawn. This would be the case in the east and south-east of your home. The east contains the youthful uplifting chi energy associated with growing and developing.
Your creative self is alive and waiting for your invitation to evolve! Dare to embrace your creative self and manifest your dreams. Recognizing your creativity leads you into a life of self-expression, fulfillment, and contribution.
Friends, Clients, Travel
It could be said that growth and development are not achieved simply through an enthusiasm for ourselves. When we stop to note that what real effect others are having on us, the satisfaction that a king or queen would take from being the benevolent monarch who appreciates his or her friends, partners, subordinates, etc. are what makes him/her great.
Interaction with others is an essential part of life. We should be willing to help others and need some help in return.
Take a source of keen delight and pleasure in your work, environment and the people. Display a glad feeling and enthusiasm, and this mood will be felt also by others. Your words of encouragement and confidence to others can lift them up and also give you an inner joy to see them grow and expand. Then you find wonders happening in your life. That is the true meaning of HELPER.
When I say helpful people, this is your whole support system, but also people who bring you opportunities, referrals, people whom open doors for you.
An enhancer for any space that will nurture the supportive energy is an object which represents all five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
From time to time we feel fear. Fear of losing control, irresponsibility, losing friends. Fear of being lost in the emptiness. Fear that something will happen that will change you. Relax. Understand that, like all the other feelings — boredom, pleasure, pain, excitement– your fears, too, will pass.
Our conscious, reasoning, intellectual mind is the governor of our heart’s desire.
Luo Pan Compass
Career, Lifepath, Work
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A VOCATION?
A vacation means more than a choice of work, more than a job. As its Latin origin suggests, vocation implies a “calling”– as in feeling called by God, or by the needs of a community, or by a sense of one’s own personal talents to make a contribution in a particular kind of work.
A career is a chosen line of work through which a person labors in a profession or trade and contributes expertise through time, energy, commitment, and competence.
I always think in terms of the future: Where do I want to be in 5, 10, or 15 years? Most of us are too busy catching up with what’s in front of us to take the time to see what’s ahead.
Let your dream inform your vocation. Learn how to sell your dream to others. When you’re selling your dream, you’ve got to explain everything as clearly as possible, and assure yourself and others that you will succeed.
To be an EXPLORER is to have a dream. Your dream gives your life direction and helps you navigate day-to-day decisions.
WE ARE ALL EXPLORERS – HOW TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP
For the big decision in life such as choosing a vocation, you need to reach a deeper region of consciousness. Let patterns develop in your mind. Let clues and evidence emerge from your environment. You need time, patience, listening and courage.
The real dividing line is PASSION. As long as you BELIEVE that what you’re doing is MEANINGFUL, you can cut through fear and exhaustion and make the NEXT STEP.
To get anywhere — in life or in business — you have to know where you’re headed. You need to have a clear picture that depicts where you want to go.
If you want to build a tree house, you’d gather some wood, a saw, and a hammer, and also a rule. If you wanted to ski, you’d get skis, boots, and a warm parka. But what if you want success? What would you do?
Start by writing your own mission statement. What turns you on? What’s your personal definition of success? Money? Power? Fame? Or doing what you love?
A GOOD MISSION STATEMENT WILL HELP DETERMINE WHAT YOU WANT AND SHOULD DO.
I hope that you will take the time to learn and to discern the ways in which your distinctive gifts and experiences are speaking to you in your path to a true vocation.
Skills, Wisdom, Knowledge
Are all of the vessels full in your life? Look under health, fame, love, children, career, and wealth. Are you fully satisfied on all levels? Is there something lacking in one of them? If you say, “All I want is truth or wisdom.” Then you have all.
The fundamental role of intention is scientifically illuminated while attention is brought to that which interrupts our clarity, allowing more conscious habits to develop as we choose the lives we lead rather than allow circumstances to determine them for us.
An Opportunity to Learn Feng Shui with Will LeStrange
We learn the basic components of change, where beliefs, desires, and feelings play their roles and how to deliberately align our energy with our greatest joys.
Click here to learn more about this course
This course is for those who want to take full responsibility for their lives and are willing to examine any blocks or sabotaging behaviors in order to deliberately craft a life one aspires to. This is an in-depth presentation with plenty of psychology, metaphysics, and spirituality applied for entirely practical purposes that will last a lifetime.
Family, Past, health
A RIVER (OF CHI) RUNS THROUGH IT
To live a life with Taoist intent, honoring our family is a must.
Now for some poetry!
A blueberry muffin with butter on every bite
Scientific discoveries
A child’s evolving vocabulary
Your weekend project
A soft sofa to snuggle into
Cool moms
Not letting snow stop you
The feel of cashmere
A good explanation
Roving photographers
Antiseptics that don’t sting
Finding an old scrapbook
Sunshine-yellow flannel pajamas
When friends drop in at a good time
A donation to a favorite charity
Cool air clearing your mind
Street names
The tangy smell of mustard
A diary waiting to be filled
Bird songs in winter
Homemade milkshakes
A place where kids can be kids
Soft, soft tissues
A loud rendition of the alphabet song
Potatoes done every which way
Foamy clouds
Priceless memories
Listening before you act
Gingerbread pancakes
Cross-country skies
Having love and creativity in your life
A coffeemaker snoring
Frozen streams and ponds for ice skating
A mother calmly nursing her child
The quiet mind
Nature as your teacher
A brass cauldron of firewood
A supermarket’s grand opening
Selling an invention
Pine-needled paths
Learning to let go
A hands-free walk to work
Finding some peace and satisfaction
People with class
Making doughnut glaze for the first time
Living a long, long time
Geologic marvels
A warm greenhouse in January
Complimentary tea and shortbread
Discovering where your mind wandered
Easy-to-get reservations
Time-outs for kids
Winning a tournament
Questions with answers
A striking black-and-white photo
Children with hiccups
Training yourself to be in a good mood
Bones for dogs
A clean garbage can
Not looking at clocks or watches for a day
The Sunday New York Times
Setting up a treasure hunt
Feeling renewed
Socks that match your outfit
A cool room and a pile of blankets
Children blessed with pure laughter
Sharpening a pencil
Losing a pound
An artist at work
Being deeply wanted
Not crying over spilt milk
Dreams of summer
A library of multicolored books
New towels or sheets
The sizzle of a griddle
Babies in backpacks
Music in the air
Beautiful pictures in magazine ads
Being seated in a cozy booth
Touching toes in bed
Holding hands
Winter stars
Sunday mornings at Home Depot
For once, being the first to get the joke
Building an igloo
Helpfulness
The privacy of thought
An exciting plot
A painting-in-progress on an easel
Wildlife preservation
Just enough hand lotion
A breathtaking ferry ride
Repaired potholes
Kaleidoscopes
No static on the radio
Spellbinding moments
Closets
A warm, roomy sleeping bag
Fried eggs, over medium
A carefully wrapped gift
— Unknown collections
There is one more Gua to go… Wealth, Prosperity, Luck… and for that, you will have to wait for the next post. This gua is one which I get asked about all the time in my day to day work as a New York Feng Shui consultant. There is a lot to say about this so I think it is best left until next time.