Symbolism | Michelle Cromer

Everything and Everyone Creates a Chi Imprint in Your Home

Michelle Cromer March 19, 2023 1 Comment

Recently a viewer asked me if people who visit her affect the chi in her home. YES! Our homes are filled with chi that we create and allow us to flourish. In many cases, our relationship with the pulse of our homes is passive rather than active because we don’t pay particular heed to the chi that is coming in. It is only when we regard these spaces as unique sections, as the nine power centers of the Bagua that we begin to understand why it is necessary to take charge of the chi that fills our homes. Stagnant, inharmonious chi can find its way into our homes through many avenues: previous occupants, visitors, and the individuals who live in a home leave a strong chi imprint. Objects and symbols can also have an effect on the chi of a residence. Such as an Ouija board, which is known for inviting negative chi. When we are aware of all that can influence the energy of our spaces, we are empowered to create harmonious homes that do more than meet our need for shelter.

One of the easiest ways to ensure that the chi of your home remains loving and supportive is to be selective as to whom you invite into your home. However, it is not always possible to keep out potentially harmful people but we can take precautions. Have a routine of thorough cleansing or smudging. Have symbolic protection by your front door, such as a crystal or a feng shui frog facing in, which symbolically guards against bad luck.

A home can appear beautiful, comfortable, and stable while still serving as a dwelling place for negative or otherwise offensive chi. If you care for your home diligently and with great care, you will instinctively look beyond the surface qualities of your home when assessing how it feels. Since you actively guard your home against the intrusion of unwelcome chi, you will have the time and energy necessary to cope with it constructively. The spirit of your spaces will respond to your thoughtful actions and it will support you for as long as you choose to reside within her walls.

And like one of my favorite books, Under the Tucson Sun said, “What are four walls, anyway? They are what they contain. The house protects the dreamer. Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game. It’s such a surprise.”

For a more in-depth version of this article, watch my video here.

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 Superstitions versus Symbolism

Michelle Cromer July 4, 2022 Leave a Comment

Decades ago, as Feng Shui swept through the United States from China; many misinterpretations were swept along with it. This homogenized version of Feng Shui has somehow adapted mixtures of superstition and folklore, none of which have anything to do with living in balance or harmony, a central principle of Feng Shui. Unfortunately, these superstitions have found quite an audience because they promise quick and simple results.

However, when I studied Feng Shui in Tibet and China I quickly learned how deep superstitions were embedded in Chinese culture as well. For example not only did airlines and airports routinely skip a 4th isle or 4th gate, but more than 90% of high-rise buildings all over the country lack a 4th floor. You won’t find a room number four, a license plate that ends in four, or a phone number or home address that ends in the number four. This number is considered unlucky because it sounds a lot like the Chinese word for death.

In the United States, we have developed our own irrational superstitious beliefs: the number 13 is bad luck; we “knock on wood” to ward off bad luck; if we break a mirror we have seven years of bad luck; walking under a ladder is bad luck but if you find a penny and pick it up, “all the day long you’ll have good luck.”

Unlike superstition, symbolism has the power to bring the mind and the heart together and connect us to the deepest truths of life, and that is why I use the language of symbolism in my Feng Shui practice.

Symbolism is the idea that things represent other things. Let’s look at the color red – in Feng Shui red isn’t just the color itself, but something beyond it: passion, love, or devotion. To others, it might represent blood or it could mean stop. In other words, red can mean anything you want it to mean. In other words, it means everything. Or, it means nothing, because you can assign any kind of symbolic interpretation to it, with no special quality.

Symbols and symbolism were created as a way to comprehend something, and over 8,000 years ago, a double-headed eagle motif was the oldest symbol known to humans. It was symbolic of the foundation of a city.

It is symbolism that is the basis of thinking, and the major difference between human beings and other life forms on Earth (at least, so far as we know. Who can tell what a whale or a dolphin does to store impressions, or what great, slow thoughts a sequoia indulges in while living through the centuries). Humans not only manipulate symbols but create symbols as well.

Symbolism is an interactive practice, requiring the discernment of humans to flesh out meanings according to his/her own perspective at the time of interpretation. Superstition asks no such thing of us.

The choice is yours, you can go the quick-and-easy route, the route requiring little to no effort on your part – a pat answer typically based upon fear-driven concepts, then let superstitions be your guide.

If, however, you find yourself to be more refined, more evolved, and so require a sophisticated approach to interpreting uncommon events in your life – an approach that encourages expanded perception, open-mindedness, and soulful sensitivity – then symbolism is the right choice.

Symbolism	Superstition
Relies heavily on logic	Feeds on ignorance
Encourages independent and critical thinking	Encourages no thought, blind acceptance
Encourages anthropological/cultural research for greater understanding	Requires no understanding or research, concepts taken at face-value
Requires interpretation and exploration from the observer	Must be accepted as truth or fact without substantiation
Offers insight according to the observer’s needs	The meaning is never changes
Lends itself to the improvement of the human condition	Perpetuates fear

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.

Doors: Things Known and Unknown

Michelle Cromer February 14, 2022 Leave a Comment

It is a haunting sight standing in front of the mysterious “Chamber B” at the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, India. Two embossed cobras stand guard on two enormous doors which have no bolts, latches, or any other means of entry sealed shut by sound waves from a secret chant lost in time.

Across cultures, as long as history has been recorded, doors and doorways have been symbolic as both an entrance and an exit and associated with portals and passageways. Doors were first seen on paintings inside Egyptian tombs with the oldest door found in Switzerland dating back 5000.

Doors hold the essence of mystery, separating two distinct areas, keeping things apart. They are a barrier, a boundary, which must be negotiated before the threshold can be crossed. The mysterious beyond is hidden from sight by the closed door, and some sort of action must be taken before the other side becomes visible and available to us. The closed-door is full of potential, for anything might lie beyond, as yet unknown and unseen. Yet the closed door may also be limiting, preventing us from ever gaining access to its hidden contents.

Sometimes gaining access may be as simple as approaching and turning the handle, but perhaps the door is locked. Then we need to knock or ring the bell and negotiate with the guardian or keeper of the door. Saying the right words, or holding the correct credentials will then secure our passage. This theme recurs in countless fairytales and myths, from Ali Baba to Cuchulain. Belonging to the club or group, which lies within, or paying the doorkeeper might also secure passage, but some doors remain stubbornly closed unless you hold the key.

So when we face a closed door, we face a choice. What action will we take? Will we turn back defeated by the barrier, or will we push forwards and attempt to gain access? The nature of the door itself and its guardians may well shape our choice, helping us decide if we will feel comfortable with what lies beyond. The symbolism of a door closing on us is one of an opportunity fading, of a potential now lost to us.

A door opening is symbolic of exciting new potential. The block, which stood before us, has now been removed and we are free to move forward and to cross the threshold into something new. We are invited forwards into change, with nothing to negotiate except the transition of one place to another. The guardian of the threshold is welcoming us forward.

The symbolism of the door is closely bound with the symbols of doorways and thresholds, and of keys and locks, hinges and handles, bells and guardians. The door itself either allows movement forwards or prevents it, and in this way we can see the door as a symbol of duality, as it is closed or open, locked or unlocked. The root of the English word door lies in the Sanskrit word Duarah, which means two doors or gates. From this come the Greek Thura, the German Tur, Middle English Dure or Dor, Old Norse Dyrr, and this all-mean door. We also find the Gaulish Doro, which means mouth, giving us an interesting image of the lips as double doors to our mouths and the words beyond. A guarded way in and out of our bodies.

While standing at the majestic doors at the Indian temple I was told that any human attempts made with technology to open the doors would unleash an unspeakable calamity in the city. Some even say opening the door against its will can release unspeakable horrors throughout India, and perhaps the rest of the world. As I turned to leave I thought about the wise words of Helen Keller, “Often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.”

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.

Symbolic Items for Your Home

Michelle Cromer February 14, 2021 Leave a Comment

When I received the report from DNA company 23 & Me that I am 2% Neanderthal, I was a little embarrassed. However, as I stood in El Castillo cave in Northern Spain I couldn’t be prouder. It was discovered that more than 40,000 years ago, Neanderthal drew symbols onto the cave wall, making this Northern Spain location the oldest cave art and use of symbolism in the world.

Ancient symbolism wasn’t just limited to Neanderthal. Shaman, medicine people, mystics, and sages throughout the time have always known that the soul communicates through the use of symbols, metaphors, archetypes, poetry, and mystical imagination. The soul seems to know human language is far too limiting to express the full spectrum of knowledge, insight, and revelation.

A symbol is not just an image; it’s like a door into our inner world through which we can access the energy and meaning that belongs to this sacred dimension of our self. However, a symbol will only reveal its magical nature if we approach it with the right attitude if we have the correct quality of consciousness. Symbolic consciousness is a way of working with symbols that allows their meaning and energy into our consciousness. It is like a key that is needed to unlock the real potential, the energy of a symbol.

The ancient art of feng shui is also the language of symbolism, archetypes, and mystical imagination. Although feng shui is a complex school of thought on how to direct the flow of energy so that it moves freely and organically, feng shui also uses symbolism to balance the yin and yang energy and the chi of any space.

A symbol is a mark, sign, color, word, or object that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by linking otherwise different concepts and experiences and are often used to convey other ideas or beliefs. A symbol becomes significant and represents something beyond its literal meaning when we animate that symbol with our personal beliefs.

Here are some common examples of everyday symbols:

The dove is a symbol of peace.
Elephants represent many things but the elephant with its trunk in an upright position is said to be symbolic for wisdom.
Incense is symbolically based on the scent. For example, rose would be for love and frankincense would be symbolic for money.
According to Irish legends, horseshoes are symbolic of luck especially if they are hung over one’s front door. Finding a horseshoe was considered a good luck symbol due to the value of the iron.
The Tortoise is one of Feng Shui’s four celestial guardians, which makes it an extremely powerful protective symbol. Perfect for the front of any home.
Bamboo is symbolic for many reasons. It represents growth and the number of stalks gives the plant different symbolic meaning.
The color red and the heart are both symbolic for passion, love, and romance.
Examples of Hand of Miriam (Hamsa) in contemporary Israel
The Hamsa is important to Islamic and Jewish history in culture. It is a symbolic amulet for protection. Also known at the hand of Fatima, the Hamsa is a revered symbol of divine safekeeping, worn to dispel negative energy.
The Cross is a sign of infinite love.
Pigs represent wealth because you had to be wealthy in the Middle Ages to maintain many pigs.
The Lotus Flower is symbolic for an awakening.

The Lotus Flower — Photo by Lerkrat Tangsri from Pexels

Symbolic consciousness has been central to our lives for thousands and thousands of years, dating back to Neanderthal. Consciously and subconsciously we are always striving to make sense of the world and our place in it. Through working with symbols we can have access to the energy and meaning that comes from our inner world while animating the flow of chi in our outer world.

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.

Welcome to Fall

Michelle Cromer September 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

Fall is my favorite time of year!

We have cooler temperatures, cashmere sweaters, hot tea, and my birthday is in the fall. After the great light of summer, we must welcome the depth and mystery of fall. This is a time when endings make way for new beginnings. Mother Nature begins preparing for a type of death, and we too may feel called to let things go. Because life is a circle, and nothing truly grows unless it dies. I find there is a beauty in new beginnings that start quietly under the darkness of colder months.

Here are 7 things we all can do to bring balance to our lives during the fall:

Fall is the season of the metal element, which is represented in the shape of a circle and in colors like silver, grey gold, white and black. I like to bring in wear these colors and I send myself white flowers.
This is a wonderful season to clean out all the clutter from summer.
Pull off the dead leaves from your garden. We don’t want any stagnate dead energy.
Replace your doormat, which symbolically will represent bringing new opportunities in all aspects.
Clean out all the expired can goods and spices from your kitchen.
Bring in candles that smell like cinnamon or pumpkin or anything that reminds you of fall and light those candles representing lighting the way to new opportunities.
Have fresh fruit in a bowl in your kitchen symbolizing that you will never go hungry.

Fall is the perfect time to connect to the light and to the dark; the yin and yang; the masculine and feminine, because if we allow it, life can truly begin all over again in the fall.

For deeper insight into the changes, you can make for fall, watch the video here.

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.

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