Stoking Your Fire: Its Elemental My Dear Bagua

Fire plays a dynamic role in our world; both literally and in our vernacular.

Using Fire in our language can be as such:

Get fired up = energized.

Being fired up = motivated.

Fire in the belly = motivation.

Getting fired = losing one's job.

I'm on fire = Angry, enraged.

I'm on fire = On a roll, passionate.

And the list goes on...

The Fame and Reputation Gua is the home of the element of Fire.  I interpret this gua as having the essence of Community as its all about who we are in the world, thus how we are viewed by others by what we communicate to the world.

Fire is about communication, emotion, and touch.

A healthy amount of fire in our lives is nourishing.  Fire can be our spark, our sparkle, our excitement in our life.  It can be conveyed in a warm and gracious nature. 

Too much fire can be

• aggressiveness
• conflict
• impatience
• intolerance
• loud

Too little fire can be

• lackluster
• no warmth
• flat
• cold, chilly
• separation from
• shy

Elementally, Fire fees on Wood which turns to ashes which turns to Earth.

If we put a single piece of paper into a fireplace and light it, it will ignite and burst magnificently into flames.  However in order to keep a fire going, we must feed it, starting with kindling and build to adding logs.  We nurture the fire in our live's metaphorical hearth the same way.

Finding Your Center: Its Elemental My Dear Bagua.

Earth is the Element directly associated with the Center of the Bagua.

Hence my invitation for people to come to the center of the map and feel "Grounded".  

The best literal example I can use is what I do prior to teaching a Foot Fitness class or doing any type of bodywork.  I generally ask people to do a check in or perform an inventory of their body prior to us going forward.

Its simple and takes only a couple minutes, I invite you to join in.

• Sit with your feet flat on the floor; or stand
• Hands on lap; or hanging easily to your side
• Eyes open or closed, your choice
• Inhale through your nose to the count of 3,
• Exhale to the count of 3 through your nose, like you are pressing out your breath
• Repeat, extending the count as you are comfortable
• Inhale noticing your lungs expanding and your shoulders rising
• Exhale feeling your body melt down down down into your feet
• Inhale feeling the energy rising
• Exhale feeling the energy descending
• Notice your feet and how they are making contact to the floor
• Notice the where you feel the weight distributed
• Press your feet into the floor; extend the toes to create the widest foundation
• Inhale filling your lungs to capacity; lifting through the top of your head
• pause; then exhale and empty your lungs to their depths pressing your feet into the floor
• Take an inventory of your body from the feet up to the top of your head
• Continue to focus on your breath; extending up through the top of the head and extending through the feet into the floor.
• Notice and feel the contrast.
• Continue for as long as comfortable.

This physical check-in can also be adapted to how you are feeling in your life overall.  Check out the Earth qualities:

Earth is physical, and is tangible in quality.
Earth is represented by the shades of yellow and earthtones;
Earth is literal soil, ceramics, tile, brick; 
Earth is the shapes of square and rectangle.
Earth is practical.
Earth is stability.

Too much Earth energy may be defined as feeling: 

• too much responsibility
• weighted down or heavy
• too conservative
• all method no madness
• getting stuck
• to focussed

Too little Earth energy may be defined by feeling:

• precarious
• floating
• unfocussed
• irresponsible

Balanced Earth Energy

• grounded in the here and now
• accountable of what we do and say
• action to ideas
• practical as an equal partner
• symbolic of being the creator

So where on Earth are you? Or where is Earth within you?

On average are you feeling balanced, centered and grounded?

Can you notice where in your life that you may benefit from cultivating more or less Earth energy.  What action can you take to make that possible?

The Element of Wood controls Earth; whilst Fire makes Earth...

More on that to come.

Press Any Key to Continue

Wouldn't it be awesome if our lives came with an Any Key? 

I'm all about choosing to Move Forward, and admittedly there are times, such as now, that I would love for my life to have a pop up window that said...

 

"Press any key to continue" 

• To continue...
• To continue...
• To continue...

What does that mean "to continue"?

How do we reboot or wait for our internal harddrive to stop spinning on its own and find the point where we left off?

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Ughhh

My focus is to share my interpretation of Feng Shui to help people find their center, their balance and to feel more grounded.  I've gone back to this time and again when my footing has slipped and my foundation shifted.  Over the last few months I have been tested time and again about the feasibility and structural integrity of this concept.

There are five elements that affect and work in concert the Bagua in Feng Shui.  

Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.  

I trust you are familiar with that feeling when things are moving along just tickety boo,  Gotta love that vibeage.

Metaphorically speaking, the Controlling or Destructive cycle can feel like:

Kerspoosh a big rock is tossed into your Water/Flow;

That splash then douses the flames of your Fire;

Or Sizzle sizzle drip drip the container that holds it all together has melted into a puddle of no discernible shape;

Or Whack...Timmmmber; down fall the tree(s) you've been nurturing;

An imbalance of any element does not have to be your downfall.  The magic is in being able to step back to see what needs to be added or culled to bring back harmony.

And the best direction I can give at this time is to that is to 

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then  "Press any key to continue" 

• To continue...
• To continue...
• To continue...