The Feng Shui Bagua Map

The Feng Shui Bagua is an essential tool in associating areas of your physical space with the 9 areas or guas on the map.

Depending on the style of Feng Shui which you are interested in; the process of Bagua application may be different, however the areas on the map would not be dissimilar to the image above.  Therefore you may find that you enter your home through the Knowledge and Self Cultivation gua or that your bedroom is located in the Wealth and prosperity area.

This map could be laid over your entire property; it would be applied to your home overall, as well it can be mapped specifically on one or every room individually.  

The Bagua encompasses all the areas of our lives:

• Knowledge and Self Cultivation
• Health and Family
• Wealth and Prosperity
• Fame and Reputation
• Love and Relationships
• Children and Creativity
• Helpful People and Travel
• Career

These eight compartments, surround the Center, the common denominator or the glue that holds it all together.  The interconnectedness of the outside squares is possible because of the Center square, it is my opinion that the Center is YOU.

I personally use the Bagua Map as not only a tool which relates to our physical space, but as a tool which I value when looking at what is going on in my life, my thoughts, my feelings, my experience overall.  As well I can apply it to the things which I wish to bring into  my life, things I'm working on or towards manifesting.

The Five Elements series of posts I did (Metal, Earth, Water, Wood, Fire) beginning with the pop quiz, may have given you another perspective in which to look at creating balance, and potentially how your living rooms may or may not mirror that.  

This series of posts is my interpretation of Bagua map as it applies in Feng Shui; followed by how it can be an instrument aiding us in observing the balances and imbalances, to create connectedness and perspectives in our lives.  How our "go forward from the center: our thoughts, attitudes and feelings" have a direct impact on moving forward. 

Just like for your home, a Feng Shui consultant may invite you to move furniture, add elements, or subtract clutter in order to get the energy moving in your space; de-cluttering our minds is equally as important.  

My intention is to share with you my approach in Creating Space in life with my Creating Space Bagua.

With Grateful Ch'i...

Couples Therapy: My Relationship with Procrastination

It took a long time of struggling with the push and pull dynamics of the relationship to finally ask myself:

• How had I allowed myself to be bullied for so long?  
• When had I given up so much power over myself?  
• And how could I release this hold on me?  

Being caught in this vortex was not serving my purpose. 

The need for change was imminent.  

Or was it?

It seemed futile to look for balance in a relationship, such as this, when the common ground felt as stable as quicksand.  I needed to step onto the sidelines of the blame game and determine what my role was in all of it.  Along with my new found conviction to make a change, I set off armed with fresh eyes, an open heart and a clean slate to begin anew.

Determined, I moved forward, seemingly unaware of the subtlety of the seduction, the light and easy suggestions, the whispered ideas luring me to come out and play.  The gentle urgings, the innocent voice, the promise of “it will only take a moment; you'll be back on point right away.”  

The mastermind I was dealing with worked easily and effortlessly to derail my intentions.  

The initial moment was drawn out with the cajoling of, “Just one more minute, what’s one more minute?…You can make up the time later.”  

Those are not the demands of a bully, they are simple requests or so I led myself to believe.  Once the realization came I was furious.  It wasn't just a moment, it wasn't just another minute, I had been duped yet again by the exponential growth of a single moment into the whole loss of a day.

I berated myself, I belittled myself, I was angry at myself for being led. Angry at the apparent ease I had succumbed to distraction.  

Where were my fresh eyes, my open heart? 

I looked at my clean slate with disdain, now smudgy with taunts of distracted success by procrastination.  Chaos ensued.

Chaos had become a common ingredient in my life and it reigned in my world more times than not. In turn I welcomed chaos as I began to notice and accept that I thrived within its outer appearance of frantic disorder.  

That feeling of being more grounded as I stood amid the eye of the storm, more productive, more decisive, more clear and more successful to get my tasks done.  I began to relish in my many accomplishments handled and realized that I create chaos for my greater good.  Then it hit me.  

If chaos was a direct descendant of procrastination how could I love one and not the other?

I had found my piece in this dysfunctional relationship and now I could make my peace.

Procrastination had firmly established a place in my life, and for years I had rejected its value.  I had adopted the attitude that we could not work together, either I was on top or on the bottom, no balance. 

I was attempting to keep track of wins and losses and each time I checked the scoreboard I was always behind.  My feeling like a victim in the relationship only served to feed procrastination’s power over me.  The imminent change I needed to make was not one of overpowering my opponent, rather to embrace the challenges procrastination presented me.

I wanted procrastination to do the work to change.

I wanted procrastination to leave me alone so I could relinquish the guilt I felt when I listened to the whispers.

I wanted procrastination to respect my productivity rather than seducing me away from it.

I wanted peace! And procrastination was not giving it to me.

Making peace with something is akin to forgiveness.  The process is to accept what is in its natural state, not being in agreement, condoning it or in opposition to it, but to find neutral ground from which to move forward from.  

Procrastination had been doing its job, and doing it well without fail.  It always led me to chaos which I admittedly embraced yet I continued to resist the journey with procrastination to get there.

The relationship looks and feels different now that I have accepted procrastination for what it is.  

In my opinion, it is a momentary meandering off the path, or coloring outside of the lines as a means to an end.  I have chosen to view procrastination as a gift to myself and gently allow myself to wander for moments at its request.  

I have given myself permission to get to the end result without fear of veering off my predetermined path and know that procrastination allows me a bit more time for mulling or creating before the destination is reached.  At times getting there may be chaotic and other times not, that works for me too.

Procrastination and I are cultivating that comfortable relationship known best by old friends rather than adversaries, most of the time.  

How do you face procrastination?

This is my favorite way of approaching things that have the putting it off vibe...

Practicing what I post.

Living abroad we can find ourselves at times missing certain comforts from home, such as food.  These things can be appeased by either requesting a care package or being creative in the kitchen, our feeling of missing can be satisfied for the time being.

When we miss family or friends, that too can be handled quite easily with an email, skype call or any number of online options.  However, no matter how far technology has come when we miss that special person that is beyond this world, there is a palpable void.

Special occasions like birthdays, Christmas and other calendar dates bring up those feelings and in some ways we can be some what prepared for those times, since we know they are coming up.  Its the times, when no matter where in the world you are, that on a Thursday, for no accountable reason, you feel as though you have been swallowed up and the feelings of loss have enveloped you.

As an adult I can and do practise what I posted in the Rock Star or Roadie blog and through that can navigate my way through the funk.  As a Mom, my instincts want me to just tuck my girls away, hug them, hold them and fix things.  

But I can't.

No amount of hugs from me can replace the arms that they wish to hold them.

Listening to me can not replace the voice that they wish to hear.

A Mom can do and be many things for their children; but a Mom can never be their Dad.

I can only love them, hug them, help them as a Mom.

I can be a "go to" person for them.

I can breathe deeply & evenly, and encourage the same.

I can listen and through that feel the heaviness of the funk lighten.

We can talk and acknowledge that these heavy feelings are temporary and know that they aren't always this strong.

We can sort through some choices and auxiliary experiences, created during this time, that may have best been put on pause, but learn from them all the same.

I can and do remind them of their Rock Stardom; we can smile, laugh, and feel even more heaviness dissipate.

Reaching out to someone when you need a "go to" can seem like the most difficult step; 

Reaching in to someone when they need a "go to" can seem equally so. 

To keep connected during these times takes willingness and faith on both parts.

The email, phone call or invitation for a walk may be the opening up to helping yourself or another feel lighter and better able to make their way back on stage.

Permission Granted

In my opinion, one of the most visually stimulating and poignant clips in the movie, The Secret, is when they show a seed sprouting underground and it beginning to press its way upward and out of the earth. Simultaneously, James Ray, is telling the viewer that the Universe is supporting your vibration even though it may not be readily apparent. Therefore, if you decide that it’s not working, then that seed that is about to sprout will stop its progress, and he repeats “Your wish is my command”.

I received an email from a friend who had been visualizing the scale reading 2 pounds less, the result was plus 2 not minus. So now what? Does that mean this doesn’t work? My intuition tells me we need to find a stronger vibe, a stronger feeling. And if you want a different answer; you have to ask a different question.

1. What is your relationship with your body?

My relationship with body is that “I can literally feel that my body is at my healthy body weight right NOW”. I am repeating and visualizing my intended weight number multiple times during the day. And I’ve noticed each time I do so I scan my entire body and physically am feeling that number. I affirm that it feels so good to be ___pounds NOW and when I walk, sit, stand, whatever I am truly connected with feeling lighter. I am feeling my body at my number literally and figuratively, from head to toe.

2. What is your relationship to food?

I’m not counting points, I’m not weighing food, I’m not denying myself anything because that was (note the past tense) my relationship to food in the context of releasing weight. As a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, 3 years ago I decided to go back to a meeting and for that entire week I struggled internally and externally with feeling like I was having to deny myself food and that conscious resistance stopped me from going to my second meeting. Essentially I was feeling judged by my food choices and in turn judging myself, not exactly supporting my intention.

I have given myself permission to feel the weight already gone, my meals are the same however my portions, my snacks, and my relationship with food is that which supports my goal on the scale. I do not feel judgmental about my food choices, and best of all nothing I’ve eaten since the beginning has felt like “cheating” on myself.

Therefore, since I do not feel as though I’m denying myself food, I also do not feel cravings and my food choices have and are supporting my vibration.

3. What is your relationship to the scale?

The other night I watched the weigh in portion of “The Biggest Loser”, not only is the scale itself daunting, their weigh in is being watched by a zillion viewers. Talk about a judge and jury!

I became a lifetime member of Weight Watchers while in high school and all of us in the house were following the program. My one distinct weigh in memory was the week I was to receive my lifetime achievement for maintaining my goal. So I didn’t eat before the meeting, went…weighed in…got my key…drove home and ate a tray of chocolates to celebrate. Too Funny!

Now, my relationship with my scale is that of a friend, you know the one who tells you the truth even when you don’t want to hear it. My association with the numbers is not dripping with sarcasm and judgment, its just telling me the way or rather the weigh it is. This may sound out there but I thank the scale for telling me the truth.

4. What would improve your relationship to releasing the weight, now?

Perhaps its not just a matter of visualizing the scale’s numbers; perhaps getting on the scale would not support your vision. These can be tools that you may call on at another time.

Give yourself permission to be open to feeling differently about your body, about your choices, about your relationship to the intention. Open up the lines of communication with yourself to finding the feeling, the feeling that you can connect to and plug in to be supercharged. Give yourself permission to succeed in any one way that you can build on.

Moving diagonally on the bagua from Knowledge & Self Cultivation is Love & Marriage. This area on the bagua can be literally interpreted with respect to your marital relationship; however it is defined by all of your relationships. You and your spouse, you and your children, you and your job, you and your pet, you and your _____fill in the blank___…and the list goes on.

Choosing to change my thoughts and beliefs about releasing weight has been and will be integral to my success, and I was ready, willing and open to doing so.

I invite you to give yourself permission to find that one thing to support the seed of your intention that has been planted.

With Grateful Ch’i,