A dear friend of mine is renovating her home and she reached out to me about the placement of her head when she sleeps. She had heard that your head should not face north.
I think most of y’all know that I am an adjunct professor at the University of Texas in El Paso, so indulge me for a minute to offer an explanation as to the origin of the theory of the direction of our head when we sleep. We all know that the earth and our bodies have magnetic fields. The earth has a north and south pole as do each of us on the planet within our bodies, not just humans.
In India and in India feng shui – the Vastu Shastra– they feel that pointing your head north will interfere with your body’s magnetic field and with that of the earth. They also say that since blood contains a lot of iron when you sleep north your brain accumulates too much iron. So, the set of Ayurvedic teachings aims to live in harmony with the energy flow of the world.
However, as we say in Texas, “That dog won’t hunt.”
Here’s why.
There is ZERO evidence in science that proves the integrity of these theories – “don’t sleep with your head pointing north” – to date. If we look at nature, bird nests, ant beds, and the way an animal lays down all are always North/South. I come from a fifth-generation ranching family in Texas, and everyone knows a horse, goat, wolf, or whatever will always put its head north if it must lie down to sleep. So, if you are lost, find a sleeping animal. The theory is that the quieting radiation coming from the north vitalizes currents from the south. It is best for circulation.
When I was learning this theory, I pointed out that the magnetic north and south poles do not coincide with the traditional geographic poles of the earth.
That is why it is so difficult to reach the geographic poles using a magnetic compass. And, above all, what about the people who live in the southern hemisphere? Does it work the opposite for them?
See what I mean? This is superstition at its best. So, my suggestion to you is to tune into your own intuition and follow that. You already know what to do, I am giving you permission to do that.
Have any Feng Shui questions? Feel free to contact me at michelle@michellecromer.com and sign up for your Power Color or visit me on Facebook at Michelle Cromer Feng Shui.
Feng shui is not a religion. It originated in China over 4,000 years ago, and it is a massive body of knowledge centered on the study of energy. Many of us were taught that energy is something that can be reduced down to one simple formula: E = MC2 (energy equals mass multiplied by the velocity of light). This formula for energy has imparted little if any true relevance for most of us in our day-to-day lives.
Simply put, feng shui is the system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in the relation to the flow of energy. It’s the ancient art of placement and the movement and balance of the five elements and the yin and yang energy or chi to achieve the results you desire.
It is said that we, as human beings, possess at least one Spirit Animal or totem, in our lifetime that serves as our personal protector, guide, helper, and companion.
