Feng Shui - How it Works - Part 1

Feng Shui is a broad banner title for a number of different ways of interpreting the energy influences that affect, guide and activate our Life Experience. From the ‘authentic’ Feng Shui to ‘Classical Feng Shui’, ‘Cultural Feng Shui’ and ‘modern’ Feng Shui; there is a ‘feng shui’ to suit all palettes! Each kind of Feng Shui also has different styles, or schools, of tradition.

Essentially, this thing called Feng Shui is all about the way we perceive the accumulation, reduction or elimination of energy.

We would all wish to accumulate the kind of energy influences that promote success with our endeavours, happiness, contentment, health, wealth and Peace. We would also wish to reduce or eliminate the kinds of energy influences that would sabotage the successful accumulation of any of the above aspects of our Life Experience.

So how do we do this using Feng Shui?
Since starting to operate my Feng Shui consultancy a few years ago, this is probably the most popular question clients ask when I start to discuss the Flying Stars formulas of their building. Even if they are familiar with some Feng Shui theory before we meet, the Flying Stars Feng Shui can seem quite daunting. Flying Stars is a school (or style) of Feng Shui that is a complex interpretation of the energetic influences upon a building and the occupants, taken from the date the building was constructed and the orientation of the building. These two things allow a practitioner to devise the ‘chart’ of the building, and then the interpretation can begin. This interpretation alone is considered to be less than one third of the influences that affect, guide, and activate our Life Experience.

More to come in excerpt 2 and 3!

or if you would like to read the full article ask for The Holistic Feng Shui MiniZine to be sent to you absolutely free of charge. Email jthtc@yahoo.com.au

Bach Flowers - A thousand and one uses for Rescue Remedy

Ok then, perhaps not a whole thousand, but I expect there may just be that many uses for this wonderful stuff.

Rescue Remedy is a Bach Flower Essence Blend, devised by Edward J Bach in the 1940’s. It is made up of the essences from Star of Bethlehem, Clematis, Cherry Plum, Impatiens and Rock Rose. These five essences address the main psychosomatic-symptoms arising from shock, trauma, distress etc. They fundamentally address our primitive mechanisms and the physical, mental and spiritual responses of ourselves to a real or perceived danger or threat.

So how does it actually work?
To understand how flower essences ‘work’, you need to have an inkling as to what ‘vibrational energy’ means. Simply put, it is the unique resonance of a particular thing. Think of a piece of music you love and feel what it feels like to remember it. Now think of a piece of music you dislike and feel what that feels like. The resonance differs with the feeling. Even though you are not physically ‘hearing’ the music being played, you still interact with the memory, it’s resonance, it’s vibrational energy. You may respond by getting relaxed, or by getting ‘goose bumps’, or by becoming happier; or if it’s the music you dislike, by getting agitated. You don’t have to physically hear/experience the music to respond to it’s vibrational energy.

With flower essences it is the message that the plant/leaf/blossom/etc., has, captured by floating the part of the plant in pure water. The vibrational message is then imprinted into the water itself. Masura Emoto proved scientifically that ‘water holds memory’ for us a few years ago. What flower essences do is capture the ‘memory’ of the particular flower for use in healing.

Importantly, the Star of Bethlehem essence in this remedy provides the necessary ‘comfort’ resonance, that has the enviable quality of not being able to distinguish Time in the process of healing. This means it will access hurts from Past or perceived threats from Future to relieve distress in the Self whether it will manifest (or has manifested) physically, mentally or spiritually.

The essence of Rock Rose specifically targets the primitive fight or flight mentality that usually manifests as ‘panic mode’. Panic attacks and anxiety in general are soothed by the use of Rock Rose, and it can be highly beneficial to have the picture of the flower in your mind’s eye when you are suffering from panic. The message of these flowers is not only accessible via the essence. The message is the flower’s vibration, and therefore when we view the flower itself on a page or in the Mind, we can draw that unique vibrational message to ourselves.

Cherry Plum is for when we are at the end of our limits and feel that we could explode or implode, depending on the situation. It to me is like the fishing line that can reel one’s Self back safely to shore. This essence used on its own is excellent for calming tempers due to exhaustion or overload of work and/or responsibility. It can allow a person to find the ‘anchor’ when it seems like the ‘ship of Life’ is floundering on a dangerous sea. (and that’s enough analogies for one paragraph….)

Clematis, the reality flower, brings a person into the Here and Now, making alert the Mind that has chosen to wander to a safer place. This can be nice sometimes, to wander to other worlds, but Clematis carries the message of being present fully, to address the situation at hand, and travel through the experience with an aware mind.
Impatiens is, I feel, the flower essence for this time period. It assists the slowing down process of the energy body, going from ’zing!’ to ’zahhhhh’. People who have the Impatiens negative state often manifest tongue/mouth chewing, rapid fire speech, indigestion, rashes that come and go, and generally as state of, you guessed it, impatience. They are always asking children to ’hurry up!’. They may be the ones who tap their feet when waiting in a queue. You’ll notice them picking at imaginary scabs on their arms while speaking quickly. That kind of behaviour is all down to built up distress in the energy body. It is often seen in victims of traumatic situations whether it is someone who is waiting to give a speech in public, or a person who has just been involved in a car accident. Impatiens soothes our concept of Time, allowing us to take appropriate rest and to recuperate, and to let things Flow naturally.

When and How do I use Rescue Remedy?
You can take RR as a drops under the tongue or added to water and sipped slowly from a glass. This latter method is best I think as the water helps the body assimilate the message quicker, whilst making one slow down enough to hold the glass and drink from it too!

RR is for any shock or trauma, distress or injury. You can take it before you have to visit the dentist, doctor etc., or before you have to visit someone who generally makes you uncomfortable. You can also take it before doing a task that usually makes you nervous or promotes an anxiety attack, like public speaking, exams, job interviews etc.

Give RR to someone who has had a fall or injured themselves. It is especially good at re-aligning the energy body after such minor incidents and by doing so, eliminating imbalances that can later manifest as colds/flu/aches and pains. Often we can trace back why a healthy person has become ill, to an incident a few days before where they had received a shock. This imbalance if not addressed naturally will cause an immune system imbalance.

RR should be used for anyone who is going to have any kind of surgery. It should be taken before, during immediate recovery and during convalescence.

RR is wonderful for Mother and Baby and Family before during and after birth. Even if the birth was good, it is still such a big event for everybody that it is a good idea to give everyone a little help to align after the excitement of it all. It is essential after a trying birthing as everyone will be involved in the energy present around Mother and Baby.

Rescue Remedy can be taken every 15 or 20 minutes until your symptoms have subsided and you are feeling more in control or more relaxed/relieved/comforted/at ease.

You can take RR with any medication as it does not contain any volatile constituents, and the brandy used to stabilise the water is of a very small amount.

Rescue Remedy is safe for children, but if you are concerned about them ingesting any alcohol, you can dab the essence blend behind their ears on the thin, soft skin and it will be absorbed effectively. This is often useful to do with bedridden or unconscious patients as well.

I keep a bottle of Rescue Remedy in the house and in my handbag as I never know when I’ll need it, but I know I want it in reach when I DO need it.

Rescue Remedy can be ordered from www.HolisticTherapyConnections.com.  ∞www.HolisticTherapyConnections.com

Meditation for Survival - Staying Centred in the Maelstrom

This life is so very busy isn't it?

Some of us endlessly complain about 'not having enough time' to do X, Y or Z, yet are we cheating ourselves out of precious time by not remaining centred?

Centering is a term used to describe a sense of being grounded in the one 'place'. This place can be a physical space to start off with, as this may encourage a kind of patience in us. This patience is usually what is lacking from not remaining centred in the beginning. After a while, once you have gained the keen awareness of your own 'Centre', you can bring this personal energy signature to wherever you are and whatever you are involved in. So the 'place' becomes a vibration of energy more than a physical space that you retreat to.

An awareness of centre can also be encouraged by focus on the Third Chakra point of the Solar Plexus. This area is thought to be the resting place of the soul or human spirit in many cultures, and is representative of the deepest 'ego', or place where our primitive self worth is stored. The colour of this energy point in our energy body is brilliant Gold, or yellow. Focussed thought on this colour and point on the physical body (just around the diaphram) can easily bring a deep sense of calm and peace.

I am personally, a visualisation junkie. :) So when I do a centering visualisation I literally see a great tornado / maelstrom around me - things flying everywhere - blackness and lightening - the whole thing! And there is I, ME, the Being, smack bang in the centre, with a serene and detached expression. I feel that I am almost 'sucking in' the tumultuous energy of the maelstrom, and putting it into the Solar Plexus for good use later on when I'll need it, or wish to use it for some 'good'. I have the Third Chakra set to 'intake' and let it wind it all in like pure gold thread! This visualisation can take seconds (if I'm in a shopping centre and its all gotten 'too much' for me) or it can be a wonderful, prolonged journey via a warm bath, a relaxing walk or a sit outside in the garden on a pleasant day when I reward myself with a good 20 minutes sunshine.

I think all of us come to realise that 'losing our temper' or becoming agitated, aggressive and irrational, wastes our time and energy. Getting our energy all 'fizzed' like this inevitably leads to accidents, problems, misinterpretations and misunderstandings. (and that is always a waste of time and energy) This very 'fizzing' is what stretches our energy field, distorting our perceptions, and ultimately removes us from Centre.

The Buddha once said, "there is absolutely nothing worth getting angry about,....nothing", and it has to be one of the most enlightening statements ever made! Because really, what does anger, or a vibration similar to it, 'fear', actually achieve? Absolutely nothing of course. It does not change the situation that occurred. It does not lead to a productive outcome. It does not teach us anything about the truth in a situation that led to such strong feelings in the first place. When we access Centre, we find the truth of 'what', 'where', 'how' and 'why'. We even access truth of 'who' we are. From this point we can hope to make progress.

'Progression' is not just taking the steps, but following steps of a process, that ultimately leads to a greater understanding; a definition of enlightenment that bursts with truth. It is not following a banal doctrine, a set of ideas, or ideals from a particular personality. These kinds of things set our Self outside of our Centre, giving us the easy 'out' when it comes to grasping responsibility for our existences. They do not encourage truth from within.

Truth from within is a terrifying thing at first, mainly because one has to dive in through that maelstrom. Once inside though, the feeling of ultimate safety, of control by releasing control, is intoxicating.

Below are a few affirmations and their short explanations to try out while finding Centre.

"I find great beauty in the world around me" (abundance is boundless)

"I find deep peace in sorrow" (happiness comes from compassionate feelings)

"I find ancient awareness within aggravation" (my primal nature is timeless)

"Within Me I find my Teacher" (everything I need is already with me)

Meditation for Insight - What's your Inner Landscape?

Cerato - The Intuition Flower

And what is it telling you?

Our Inner Landscape can be a metaphor for out emotional and spiritual State of Being. It can contain clues as to how we are travelling, what we are focussing on, or what issues we may need to address. Viewing this inner landscape in a detached, observant third person manner can be extremely beneficial in helping us understand where we are, and why we are feeling the way we are feeling too.

A landscape that is predominantly water may indicate a highly emotional State of Being. This may be a passing phase of life, and you may need to use methods of visualisation meditation to properly navigate this position you find yourself in. If it is a life long landscape that you always have encountered, then perhaps this can indicate to you that an avenue of mastering your emotions to bring about a calmer life may be needed.

Harsh inner landscapes appear when we are feeling oppressed, or have suffered a great deal of physical, psychological or emotional pain. This is an opportunity to offer your Self the visualisation of survival, of progression from this harsh wilderness towards a more pleasant place of existence.

Constantly using our minds to place our Self where we want to be is part of the journey of true and healing progression. Another part is to observe and take conscious notice of what we are teaching ourselves. We have to be able to trust our inner landscape and the messages it sends. We have to learn how to trust our intuition and act upon it beneficially. Humans are extraordinarily adaptive, to the point that some people adapt so well to the harsh landscape that any form of progression from it seems scarier than what they are living in now. This kind of emotional ‘negative gearing’ is so limiting, and ultimately leads to an injury of the Self in some way.

The person who consistently verbalises how tough life is, will usually end up with harsh experiences, yet the one who seemingly breezes through life is the one who has a catch phrase, ‘its alright, I know its all ok’ humming through their innermost thoughts. Their inner landscapes are vastly different.

So what’s your Inner Landscape? Find a quiet spot, a place where you will be undisturbed, and take some deep breaths, letting go of tension in the physical body with each exhalation. Then close your eyes and visualise what you are feeling now as if it was a place you were in, a room, a building, or a landscape. What is there inside you? What does it feel like?
Harsh and rocky, dry, barren, depleted, confronting, unloving?
Or is it soft rolling hills, streams, plants, abundant, caring, supportive and nourishing?

Is it dominated by which element? And what would that mean?
Water = Emotional Instability or Self Study (looking into the depths of one’s Self)
Fire = Passion or Anger
Air/Clouds/Sky = Escapism or Freedom
Earth = Stability or Immobilisation (being weighed down by responsibilities)
Wood = Growth or Confusion (being lost in a ‘forest’ of choices)
Metal = Protective or Imprisoning (needing to stop a kind of behaviour)

Other indications may come in the forms of:
Rocks = Oppression
Boxes and Doorways = Hidden problems/Hidden solutions
Rolling Hills = Contentment/Confidence
Cityscape = Work Commitments/Pleasure Seeking
Beach = Definition between two parts of your Self (this can be dramatic or therapeutic)
Cliffs = Challenges
Roads with Traffic = Obstacles to deal with/Tasks to complete
Roads that are deserted = Choices to be made

And then of course there are the colour correlations to our Chakra points, which can indicate a host of other reasons why our landscapes may be what they are!
The colours Silver or Violet can indicate a need to accept help or find a spiritual avenue for assistance.
Indigo (deepest purple) suggests that the problem is mostly academic, or within the realm of your own perceptions.
Blue has the message that you need to communicate about your feelings to, or with, the person who may be the cause, or the best helper, for your current issues.
Green or Pink or both, centre round issues of the Heart or Heart-Mind. This can indicate a need to connect more fully with those who support and love you. It may also indicate a need to address a past hurt that has not been healed yet.
Yellow or Gold brings a message of happy confidence,… or the complete flipside of debilitating lack of confidence in the Self. Dramatic work needs to be done if it is the latter, as this can be the starting point of much physical ill-health.
Orange is the colour of our ‘one on one’ dealings with other people, be they acquaintances or persons who are we are fairly intimate with. Usually comes up when family issues are taking precedence in our Life Experience.
Red or Black or both, indicate issues with Stability, either an abundance or severe lack. It can translate easily into the physical, so if it is a case of lack of stability, it must be dealt with swiftly to avoid sickness or injury to the lower part of the body.

Observing the Inner Landscape is only part of the deal here. Translating or interpreting what you ‘see’ is important too of course. I hope the above references can help you to understand what you are feeling, and to lead you to a visualisation that incorporates those elements and representations that will benefit your State of Being for the better. Taking time to Be with your Self is important so that we have time and space for the messages to get through to our conscious minds.

The Flower Essence ‘Cerato’ would be beneficial to anyone commencing this kind of self-therapy, as it assists one in trusting the Intuition.

And me? My head’s full of rolling green hills, gurgling streams and a sky filled with clouds all in different shapes and sizes. Guess I’ve got some exploring to do…cool… :)

Affirmation for good health - Is Anger making you sick?

“If we wish to stop ourselves from being hurt, we must stop bashing our heads against the brick walls, by removing the brick walls, or by removing the behaviour we exhibit” Jannette’s brainwave, February 08.

‘Hurt’ can be the irritation, anger, annoyance, or sense of injustice we feel when we expend energy against ‘something’. This resistance to what ‘we want’ culminates in a distortion of our energy field. This distortion can then lead to imbalances. Imbalances lead to illness, sickness, dis-ease in the body.

This does not mean that you just let everything in life slide on by without having opinion, position, and a viewpoint that is uniquely yours. It means you retain all of those choices of freewill, and remove the behaviour that promotes a reaction via your personal viewpoints on any subject.

A good friend, and pensioner, was recently telling me that she was upset she could not get an appointment for the government dentist, and would have to go and line up and wait to receive treatment. Firstly, in Australia, we are very lucky to be able to access free dental care for most people who are on a pension payment. Secondly, as you would assume, this resource is vastly under funded and they do the best they can. What struck me about this particular conversation with my friend was that she had known that the appointment schedule system had been out of date for well over a decade, and she had been complaining to me about it for more than a decade! :) What an amazing waste of energy!

She feels a sense of injustice because she cannot access what she wants straight away. She complains about the number of immigrants/’out of work’ people/single parents etc., that she shares the line with, yet espouses Christian values of goodwill towards all. She becomes visibly tense and openly angry when talking about this subject.

When I view my friend and the health issues she is encountering I see the distortion of her energy body reflected most evidently. When anyone displays (for a good length of time eg: years) processes of thought that are rigid, emotions that are irritated, and a duality of personality, they will culminate in symptoms like stiff joints, sensitive skin and digestion and general imbalances perhaps in the skeletal or muscular systems. This friend of mine is displaying all of the physical symptoms associated with her energy body imbalances.

If one was to take a very easy path to recovery it would be via altering the way one thinks and behaves. This is the simplest path, yet also the most challenging, as it puts all the responsibility for outcome squarely on one’s own shoulders. :) scary thought for most I would assume. There are other paths. A course of Flower Essences, Hypnotherapy, Relaxation Therapy like Reiki, Massage, or gentle exercise regimes like Yoga or Tai Chi. Then there’s always prescription/pharmaceutical medications that can make us happy when we’re sad, pain-free, calm when we are angry, sleepy, disorientated and generally putting up with side-effects that are harmful. But at least the outcome from such paths can be blamed on someone else…as it leaves very little responsibility on the shoulders of the individual. It takes very little conviction to pop a pill in your mouth and swallow.

Some may say I am taking a far too rosey look at the world when I say that I choose not to get involved in argument. I say that I am choosing to have an existence that suits me. It is my reality after all, so I’m going to make it as pleasant as possible! :)
I choose to see the best in everyone
I choose to make my life beautiful
I choose to be in harmony with myself, people I communicate with and my environment
I choose to be grateful for all the good things I am given
I choose to acknowledge my blessings

And in choosing not to dwell on, or rebel against, the more unfortunate happenings in my life, I am reducing or eliminating the potential of resonating those kinds of negative energies into my Life Experience, and that of my children and family.

When something unbeneficial or unforseen/unfortunate occurs I am immediately trying to find the good or the lesson in the happening.
Why did it happen?
Is there an ‘upward view’ to this situation?
Generally, … can I ‘make the best out of a bad situation’?
Honestly, if anyone would have said this to me about 20years ago I probably would have king-hit them. But after the events of the last decade or so, I am unsurprised that this is where my mind has come to rest. This is where my heart lies, in deep peace, in happy harmony. This is where the Being that I am in this Life wants to be.

The best gift you can give yourself, is the gift of inner harmony. This does not come from anyone or anything else.
It comes from within you.
You are the miracle you’ve been hoping for.

Jannette is a Senior Holistic Feng Shui Practitioner, completing her formal
studies at The Centre of Holistic Feng Shui on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

She operates Jannette Tibbs Holistic Therapy Connections, a
consultancy in Brisbane, Queensland, offering a selection of energy conscious
treatments for home or business, body and spirit.

Jannette is also
a passionate Bach Flower Remedy therapist, Reiki II practitioner, and Meditation
teacher, as well has having an interest in Crystal Therapy, Aromatherapy and
Sound Therapy.
Contact:
jthtc@yahoo.com.au

Natural Alternatives - Reducing Toxic Chemical in the life of you and your home

The symbol for 'Harmony' looks just like a neat little home :)

Each month I seem to discover a new way to improve the Simplicity of my life. Most of the time, these initiatives end up making my home ‘greener’ and more efficient, so they are a real plus. It makes very good Feng Shui sense to reduce the amounts of harmful chemicals, as they are considered to be low level energy, and will therefore attract low level energy. Replacing them with a bio-eco friendly alternative which has high level energy, will in turn attract more high level energy of course.

Here is the first of my top tips that you can easily and simply implement into your life:

Reduce toxic chemical in the laundry
This one is easy peasy! Years ago I switched to a more eco friendly version of laundry liquid because I found out that powders generally end up sitting in the material of our clothes and can potentially lead to skin problems like eczema and general dermatitis, and even promote respiratory sensitivity. As I was just about to have my first baby, I decided to go with the most innocuous kind of liquid I could find in the supermarket at the time. (yes, I didn’t go to a bio-eco-friendly website/shop at first) Later on I found that the sodium laurel sulphate used in most detergents is highly harmful to humans, and so this made me choose to find a totally ‘safe’ alternative for washing.

Two things I found that worked are the pairing of Bicarbonate of Soda (bi-carb) as a washing aid (simply because it ‘softens’ the water and naturally deoderises) and White Vinegar as a rinse, instead of using fabric softener. Fabric softeners break the fibres of the materials to make them feel softer, and the perfumes used in them are synthetic. I use an essential oil like Lavender for linen (in with the White Vinegar in the rinse spout), Tea Tree for towels, and Lemon for whites. Using Lemon oil in the rinse for whites is helpful when you can hang out the washing in the sun, as the natural photosensitivity of Lemon will help brighten your whites. My washing is cleaned, simply, safely and ends up just smelling ‘clean’ or with a beautiful, natural scent of the essential oil I’ve chosen.

Bi-carb and white vinegar are SO cheap to buy and work out to be a very economical alternative to commercial detergents.
For a full wash in a top loader I use one and a half tablespoons of bi-carb, and about 60ml of white vinegar (+ about 5 drops of whatever essential oil I use).
There are a hundred and one uses for bi-carb, white vinegar and essential oils in the book ‘Speed Cleaning’ by Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming. RR $19.95. Some bookstores even sell a handy ‘wheel chart’ with the stains and which combination of cleaner to use for each kind of problem.

The other totally organic product I use now is ‘Soap Nuts’. A soap nut is not actually a nut at all, but the outer shell of a fruit related to the Lychee. It is used throughout Asia as the way to clean anything. The shell contains natural ‘saponins’ which are released when the shells are soaked in water and naturally clean and soften fabrics. A mixture of the saponin can be used for applications around the house too, for cleaning cutlery and plates in the sink and for cleaning bench-tops and furniture. Most of the time I use the Soap Nuts for the darks and colours, and for the linen and towels. But I also use them for whites if I know I will be hanging it out inside the house because of rain. Everything is cleaned well, and smells like clean water after just using the soapnuts.

The purely environmental benefits of this are that I can use all the rinse water from my washing on the garden without any concern that there may be some chemical that is potentially harmful for my plants. I can even use the rinse on my organic herbs which I use in my cooking! Above all else, the economic savings and the lift in vibrational energy of my home, I love the fact that I am doing something that is promoting good health for my family and the earth too.

There are also beneficial ‘knock on’ effects for your health, because if we reduce toxic chemicals that come into close contact with our body, we reduce the amount of energy we use naturally detoxifying our bodies. This in turn creates less stress on our immune system (lymph and blood) and the organs most responsible for removing harmful compounds from our bodies (lungs, liver, kidneys, bowel, skin), so we should be able to realise a gentle and subtle lift in our own personal energy levels, and hopefully an improvement in the function of those organs and our overall health, because of one simple step we take in our household maintenance. Not bad eh? (I have personally seen the steps I have taken lead to an increase in my family’s health. We seem to have a greater immunity to the seasonal viruses that seem to debilitate many families around us) It can also manifest as less money, time and effort taken with buying products to treat dermatitis, respiratory sensitivities and loss of sleep due to being uncomfortable or irritated because of toxic chemical. Not to mention the considerable savings made on not buying every cleaning product thrust at us via marketing. It is a win-win situation.

Jannette is a Senior Holistic Feng Shui practitioner who
operates her own consultancy in Brisbane, Queensland. She is dedicated to finding the simple, easy and effective solutions to improve the energy flow in your home or
business, body and spirit.

Cleansing and FengShui - New Year's Re-Solutions

The markers of a new year give us pause to clear away the symbolic, and the tangible, stagnant or stale energy in our Life Experience. It’s so much more than the idea of a Space Clearing, a Spring Cleaning, or a New Year’s Resolution.

Starting anew provides a way of bringing a fresh energetic resonance to carry with you into the future of your Life Experience.

Chinese Feng Shui is full of superstitions surrounding the Chinese New Year, and there are a few ideas for Space Clearing, a few ‘rules’ they follow to ensure that the old is swept out and the new is invited in. Firstly, the weeks before the New Moon of the New Year is the time to completely clean the house and grounds of a dwelling or business. This physically and symbolically clears away the ‘old’ Chi and presents a clear space to allow the new Chi of the New Year to enter and fill up the Life Experience of the occupants. New Year’s Day of the Chinese New Year is a day to do no sweeping at all, otherwise you risk sweeping out the new Chi entering! Sounds logical hey? :) Then there are the Sound techniques of using firecrackers to ‘scare away bad spirits’, and the use of bells and gongs to resonate sweet tones through the air, thereby purifying it.

Pagan traditions refer to the need to replace the house broom at the Solstice, or other Sabbat (seasonal marker) which marks the start of a new cycle. This is actually when the days start to change in length depending on whether you are Northern or Southern Hemisphere, and so it makes sense that this is a very important turning point in a year. It is also suggested that you never take an old broom from one dwelling place to another, and replace it if you move house or start a new business. This also makes sound energetic sense to me.

European cultural traditions mark the starting of Spring weather as a turning point as well, with the globally known ’Spring Cleaning’ phase. At this time it is important to remove the stale and confined energy that has accumulated over the Winter, and invite in a new beginning. It is also an honouring of the place you dwell in, and this is an important part of connecting to the space in which you live or work.

Burning of herbs or incense or even fragrant logs in a fireplace, are all ways of purifying the air in most cultures. And while some may consider it strange to put smoke in the air to purify it, the feeling of a space after such a ritual cannot be denied. It is tangibly ‘higher’, sweeter and definitively uplifting!



With many traditions, the use of various energetic clearing and cleansing practices is seen as symbolic of ‘starting the new year’. And all contain the concept of whatever is removed that is unfavourable should be replaced with something that is favourable. Therefore, no space is left void, which would indicate it was not ’living’, not nourishing and not a part of the beneficial energetic presence of a place. This is why mantras, blessings and prayers are used during and especially at the end of rituals. They ‘fill up’ the spaces cleared with beautiful vibrational energy.

This would also include the spaces and places in our Hearts and Minds too. Along with our intentions to simplify and clear out living and work places, we should endeavour to clear away some aspects of our thoughts and behaviours that attract low level energy (Si Chi). Replacing a negative thought with a positive one is proven to help one’s health and wellbeing, so imagine what could be achieved from repeating this with more than one aspect of low level energy we may be carrying around with us.

I explain the concept of Feng Shui to some people as the Law of Resonance, because this was one way it was explained to me, and it makes a lot of sense too. :) The Law of Resonance describes the way in which we set up our energetic signature and then, carry that with us in all we do. It also describes how our living environments reflect our state of Being, or vice-versa, why our environment may manipulate our Being. Our energetic signature is the unique vibration we ARE. And as everything in this Universe is in constant motion, we can change our signature whenever we need to. Inevitably, what we ‘are’ becomes what we ‘were’, … and it is entirely up to us whether we allow history to repeat or not.

I view history that is ‘good enough’ to be repeated as beneficial tradition, and that is why humans establish ritual to a great extent. We found it worked wonders in the Past, and so we wish to replicate the good mojo in the here and now. All very logical really…
If you cannot access a memory that describes to you a certain way of Being that you can replicate for the now, then look into other cultures, or research ways of lifting the vibrational energy of places and spaces.

“We are Abundant in Knowledge and Solutions”

This year, attract, and resonate, your Solutions. :)

Not feeling that pep and vigour to get you going on the track of New
Year?
Perhaps a course of Wild Rose the 'Zest for Life'
flower is what you require! :)
Order Bach Flower Remedies for very reasonable prices from JTHTC. Visit the
website at http://www.fengshuiconnections.bravehost.com/
and email Jannette with your order. Bach Flower Remedies contain no
volatile constituents and do not react to any medications. They are subtle
therapy medicine and work with the bodies own systems to restore balance and
harmony.

Pure Resin Incense is also available to order. Basilica to feel protected, and Cathedral to be inviting and open up your spaces. Charcoal discs available in 10 disc rolls.