Feng Shui for Father’s Day

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Feng Shui for Father’s Day
Sam’s wedding day

I love a holiday that focuses on thanking someone for all they do, and Father’s Day is at the top of my list.

Barry and August
Barry and August

In Feng Shui terms, the Northwest sector of your home relates to the masculine energy of the family, which is the farthest left-hand corner. So, a gift might be a gold metal turtle to put in the corner of whatever room it is at your home. This signifies longevity and protection to the patriarch and family wealth. 

The helpful people section of the home is in the front right-hand corner, and fathers are certainly that. Perhaps in this section stand in honor of this masculine energy, this father archetype in your life, and give thanks, offer a prayer on their behalf. And, perhaps add a vibrant green plant in this area symbolizing their health and wellness.

Dad with Dam
Barry and Sam

Is your dad a gadget geek, a craft beer enthusiast, or an eco-friendly urbanite? Does he like to dive into a book or spin a few old records? Or is he more in tune with nature and the outdoors? Give some meaningful thought to his passions. I like to give experiences over things so perhaps a gift certificate for a round of golf or a weekend of hiking in Sedona. You know what this giver of the wisest of wise advice really likes. 

Food is a big deal in my family so making a special lunch and dinner complete with their favorite desserts is always appreciated.

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, stepdads, fathers-in-law, and anyone who fills this critical role. And especially to all the dads they didn’t have to be. And a huge happy Father’s Day to our Barry! Our boys have loving hearts, compassionate spirits, and humble natures due to the direct example that he has shown our boys their entire lives. Wishing all the dads a heartfelt Happy Father’s Day!

Have any Feng Shui questions? Feel free to contact me at michelle@michellecromer.com and sign up for your Power Color. Visit me on Facebook at Michelle Cromer Creating a Meaningful Life.

Harnessing the Energy of Gaia to Your Vegetable Garden

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Harnessing the Energy of Gaia

When it comes to a good Feng Shui garden design, the size of your garden is not the main criterion. It is wonderful to be surrounded by a big, lush garden, but if you only have a small space to work with, you can still create a good Feng Shui vegetable garden design.

To Feng Shui, a flower garden is a great deal easier. It is much easier to say ‘Plant a purple flower here’ than ‘Plant a purple vegetable here’. There are many more choices with flowers. So I was inspired to Feng Shui my own vegetable garden and to help you do the same.

feng shui garden design

Ultimately where you plant your vegetables depends on many things such as where the sun hits the garden, what was planted there the year before, what will be the best vegetable for your area of the country, etc. That doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate the five elements. A vegetable garden inherently has the elements of Feng Shui already — Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire, but all must be present and in balance in a Feng Shui garden. The universe is made up of these elements working together to create a harmonious, welcoming, space, and you want to reflect that in your garden.

Garden cropWorking with Feng Shui colors is a great way to emphasize various Feng Shui rhythms in your garden. In Feng Shui, color is used according to the five elements theory, and you can bring healing harmony, and joy to your garden by choosing colors that emphasize specific energies, such as the fire energy in the color red, the color of a tomato; or the healing earth element in the color of yellow squash.

In designing your garden, be sure to allow gently curving pathways for chi, or energy, to flow smoothly. Straight lines are rarely present in nature, so use relaxing, flowing shapes and pathways for your feng shui garden. Garden accessories like wind chimes are a wonderful addition to any garden, as their gentle sound creates healing feng shui vibrations in the air. There are a variety of wind chimes on the market, from metal to bamboo, with various symbols, colors, and numbers of strings. While each element of the wind chime design is important, in particular, the sound of the chime is always a deciding factor.

For me what Feng Shui does, if nothing else, is make me examine different aspects of my life by examining the environment, in this case, my garden. I don’t know if putting a particular object in a specific direction can really make a difference, but, the connection I experience from Gaia, Mother Earth, and getting my hands in the dirt grounds me in a way that nothing else seems to.

Never underestimate the healing power of quiet moments of grounding yourself in a garden.

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.

Balancing your Backyard with the Five Elements

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balancing your backyard with the five elements
Since your garden and your backyard are an extension of your home it is also important to make sure to balance these areas with the five elements. Here’s how:

Earth Element1. Earth Element: We all have a lot of earth in our backyards and gardens due to the soil and the colors of the earth and the shape of a square. This area always reminds me of the energy of the goddess Gaia, Mother Earth which is life itself, the very soil that sustains us. Every culture has a version of this goddess. The Greeks call her Gaia from the Greek word “ga” which means land in the ancient Greek language and is sometimes spelled with a “ge” which is where we derive the word geology and geography. I learned in Peru that the Incas called her Pacha Mama. This goddess is so old she predates writing.

2. Fire element: This element can be brought in with a fireplace or fire pit or with the color red, orange, or pink in flowers or the shape of a triangle.

balancing your backyard with the five elements3. Water Element: many of us have pools that represent water or you can bring in the color blue in flowers or furniture or the shape of curves.

 

4. Wood element: Often times we have outdoor furniture made of wood or we all seem to have lots of trees. The shape of wood is the rectangle which might be shutters or perhaps you can bring in the colors of wood, browns, and greens.

5. Metal Element: Round is the shape of wood which can be in tables or planters. I have metal statues in my backyard representing the material itself and metal can also be in the color white.

When we balance the energy in our backyards we also balance the chi and the yin and yang within ourselves.

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 Creating a Meaningful Life.

Living a Radically Balanced and Congruent Life

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Living a Radically Balanced and Congruent Life

At my first real job, there was a partner in the firm who was having an affair way before there was the Internet. The mistress would mail him letters and our receptionist would carefully open each letter, make copies for everyone in the office, distribute them in our mailboxes, put the letter back in the envelope, and deliver it to the cheating partner.
Should I have?

  1. Told the receptionist to stop this immediately.
  2. Tell the wife of the partner
  3. Make popcorn because this was a great novella!

Yes, stopping the behavior would have been the proper thing to do, but I chose “c” because why the hell not? I didn’t like the man. However, if this happened today, I would respond differently because living a balanced life means there are no lines separating your beliefs, your integrity, and your character.

For most of my life, I lived highly compartmentalized. I was one person when I was with my friends, a different person at work, and yet another person with my family. I didn’t even realize I was at least three different people on any given day, and none of them was me. They all contained fragments of me, hidden beneath my attempts to be something I was not. It’s this kind of fragmentation that chokes the spirit. It took me a long time to realize that even though a lot of people choose to live this way, I don’t have to.

When I wrote my first book, Exit Strategy; Thinking Outside the Box that was the only thing I did. I didn’t volunteer at the homeless shelter, I didn’t have dinner parties, or participate in social media. I wrote and edited and wrote and edited until it was done. My life was highly unbalanced, and it was extremely effective. However, during this highly unbalanced success, I continued to attempt to accomplish inner balance, meaning every thought, action, project, and dream, everything flowed together and in the same direction. All aspects of my life were in sync. The sense of purpose was startlingly clear. I realized then that when I’m living in complete congruence, complete alignment, and complete balance, no part of me is conflicting with any other part of me. There is no disagreement. No disturbance. No imitation.

Being Balanced is godly
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Being Balanced is godly.

Although simple to articulate, there is nothing simple or easy about becoming a balanced human being. Yet, accomplishing inner balance is the foundation of why we pursue a spiritual path. We cannot be truly healthy if we are out of alignment. We cannot be truly honest with others or ourselves if our head and heart exist as two separate forces within us. We cannot ever know what a fulfilled life is about if we are always compromising our intuition and inner guidance for fear of the consequences. We can never consider ourselves truly honest people if we live a life of continual compromise and self-betrayal.

What would it mean to live an inner-balanced life? Self-esteem would be rooted in personal integrity. Intuitive guidance would work in harmony with our intellectual and emotional resources. The field of life would be engaged on multiple levels, acknowledging the continual operation between the physical and mystical realms. Physical laws govern the physical life and mystical laws govern the soul’s journey. The connecting bridge is inner balance.

Of course, we’re not the same person in every situation all the time. We’re not binary, single-function amoebas. We manifest and express ourselves differently according to what is appropriate to the events surrounding us. That’s pretty natural. What is not natural is to change who we are; manipulating ourselves in order to fit some kind of mold of what is or isn’t right.

I strive every day for there to be no discernible difference between the person I am when I am working and when I am playing. Everything ideally is completely integrated between my heart, mind, body, and soul. No division between my purpose and my life path. My desires and dreams and my contribution to the world are one and the same. This is what it means to me to be completely and radically balanced.

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 Creating a Meaningful Life.

9 Ways to Move the Chi In an Office Cubicle

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How to Move the Chi an Office Cubicle

Balance, focus, and productivity are important in any office. Moving the chi in a cubicle can make you feel balanced and harmonious with your surroundings.

Here are some easy suggestions to incorporate into any space:

  1. No Clutter: Energy must flow easily through any space so making any workspace free of clutter is important for focus and to clear out any unnecessary stress.
  2. Color: Bring in some color to the space to promote the energy you wish to accomplish. Green improves health and balance; Blue is calming; Yellow is grounding; Red is action.
  3. Bring in Nature: Especially if there isn’t a window, bringing in plants can help you feel grounded.
  4. Support Your Body: When you are comfortable in your body, you are comfortable in any space. Make sure your chair supports your back and your desk suits your height. When your mind isn’t focused on pain, your brain can focus on work.
  5. Desk Position: If you can, move your desk to a commanding position so you can clearly see anyone who enters your space. This gives you the advantage of controlling your space.
  6. Clean Desk: Set the chi for the next day by cleaning off your desk and emptying the trash before you leave.
  7. Inspirational Quotes: Raise the inspiration chi by printing out your favorite quotes and placing them in your view.
  8. Travel Photos: Bring in the chi of joy with photos from past trips. Feel inspired as you recall the sights and feelings you had on these special adventures.
  9. Your Personal Chi: Check your personal chi every day to see what you are bringing into your space. If you are feeling stressed reset your chi by taking a break and walking around.

When your space is designed to support your needs, you in turn will thrive in that space. Moving your chi will set you up for a day filled with happiness and success.

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–Creating a Meaningful Life.

Michelle Cromer