What do you want to be in 2021?

And more importantly what do you want in your life?

Showing Up is the key to deciphering this polarity.

Big questions, and ones I am asking myself loudly and clearly!

The Feng Shui year

The Chinese New Year changes on the 12th of February – to a Year of Yin Metal Ox. What does this mean in terms of Showing Up? Everything. Because it requires you to be more creative in finding solutions that have better strategies in place so you are fully prepared. 2021 will favour the organised and adaptable.

Not like last year, when we were handed a blinder. This year promises more in-depth reflections. Making bolder decisions that have pliable approaches need to be in place. The Ox as an animal sign is thought of as being solid, dependable character, but with the Yin Metal as its Element this could shake things up. We are all aware that the world as we know it has changed.

So how do you approach this ideal of creative solutions? Basically, we need to change old thinking.

How can Equate support you?

I’m writing a series of articles that looks at ways to explore this concept and discerning if it is just a shadow-self that is talking or are you genuinely wanting your life to look differently?

If you are reading this, you will recognize that society is gearing differently. The gap between who has and who hasn’t is widening and this will bring about social shifts. So not to tread water you will need to:

— learn to think on your feet,

— learn to say yes, I am showing up,

— yes- I do know what I want in my life.

For this to happen you don’t need to work harder but smarter and in doing so achieve a different outcome.

The key to this is working collectively with others, each contributing equally. This is not about getting rich but getting a better You and collectively a better Nation.

If you have questions on this or you would like your Yearly Chart prepared you can send me a message through Facebook or on my website.

2020 is the year to really question habits and look at what you do. It’s a good time to reevaluate your ‘shoulds’, and perhaps change the order of how you do things. The COVID Lockdown has given us a taste of really looking at the status quo and experience. For example, we got to find out what downtime feels like and what relaxing, just being means. It also gave us the gift of no conflicting agendas.

How can Feng Shui help you embrace the gems you have discovered during this time?

Energetically understanding your personality really helps with this. And this is where the five elements really come into play.

Freedom to have that honest conversation and right in the comfort of your favourite couch is my point. Feng Shui works when you find the area in your home that fits you. No need to align the whole house — just where the energy is flowing and supporting you emotionally for a certain purpose. For example, you can boost your Creativity, or your Health, Family Harmony or Financial Success. Each has a Zone according to your astrological coordinates.

The Water Element Thinker

This layout would really appeal to a Water Element Person — blues, whites, and zig zap patterns. Water babies like space to go with the flow and importantly sense spatial clarity. A corner like this would provide the opportunity to float and unconsciously scheme new pathways. Adding touches of personal favourites – special journal, favourite markers, cell phone to reference pictorial journaling. Basically surrounding themselves with comforting touchstones.

The Wood Element Planner

For Wood Element planners’ colours would be brighter. They crave a much more structured layout with lots of matter-of-fact textile choices. Wood Element people are planners and like to have many projects on the go. Bag ready, nature by their side and motivated to start work on their personal goals. Planning their goals may happen in more than one area of the home and these spaces not as personal, with colleagues or family included in your goal setting.

The Metal Element Organiser

Metallers revel in structured planning methods for goal setting. They often sketch and draw defined boundaries around projects. There are always detailed logical steps to their critical path. Planning spaces within the home will have a more architectural feel and will be organised – very organised.

Earth Element People

Like to be grounded and snug with favourite things around them and at no surprises at arm’s length. They are logical planners, practical, solid, and reliable pathways. When it comes to getting them off the couch the Goal must be full-proof and lucrative.

Fire Element Creatives

Creative planners and big on bold goal-setting, our Firies are not as precious about outcome. They like to see what surfaces and are happy to change paths at the last minute – very futuristic and visionary goal setting. Impatience can be an issue and they often struggle with timing issues.

Personalised Energy Maps for You

The energy Feng Shui generates is malleable and relates to the compass directions within the home. These spaces can be plotted and customised for you personally. Aligning you, your element helps to support the vibrations that you resonate with. This flow is Feng Shui bliss and when you are in that sweet spot, doors will open to support your planned vision.

An Energy Map is a personalised location chart highlighting the correct directional locations for you. This is a powerful tool to counteract the negative forces that are depleting your energy field. Based on your astrological birthdate, the map provides you with:
—where to sit or work and puts you in your correct location flow,
—where to cook and where to relax
—which direction favours you spiritually and,
—where to boost Abundance and Prosperity.

This provides all positive boosts for your health and wellbeing. The Energy Map can be prepared so it stands alongside your Personal and Career Goals.

The Energy Map is valuable for information when:
—Buying a house,
—office or home renovation,
—heath and relationship matters,
—looking for the right job,
—or for financials gains.

A Basic Energy Flow Plan costs $250. This includes an online Skype Session – you provide me with information and details of why you are wanting this service, the areas of your life of concern and what you want me to focus on. When this is complete I will email the information to you. Simply reach out to me via my contact form and we will arrange a date.

But if you don’t achieve a WOW instantly, you write off the process as it doesn’t work.

Let’s get your expectations a little more grounded… Instant results are only ever advertised to get you to buy something. That’s not how Feng Shui works. It certainly isn’t how I work.

Essential activations that ignite Feng Shui magic are subtle. Delicate combinations need to be thought out to achieve an energetic shift. There are lots of elements at play.

This is not to say that Feng Shui changes aren’t spectacular – they can be. And very fast. But here are a few things to keep in mind as you approach this work.

Change your perspective

Perhaps it is you that is blocking change. Or the shift has been for a higher purpose – what we needed, instead of what we asked for! This can surprise you and you don’t recognise the freshness of this shift.

Change the approach

Another way to approach Feng Shui alignments is to brainstorm what you feel needs to shift. Ask yourself: what is not working in my life? how are my relationships? is my health and wealth on track? Having an idea of what is current is the first step to seeing where the cracks are. What do you sense is not supportive and just how is this affecting your energy field?

Recognise that things are different

Covid 19 has upset the natural rhythms of our lives, Earth energy is rather flat right now and oversaturated with a layer of distortion. Remedies that in the past worked now must be revisited. For us humans, this pandemic has changed everything. We suddenly need each other more, and materialism is more compassionate to collective ways forward. This is the same for the planet.

Making the right decisions is key

We need to commit to really understanding what it is we want right now.

This decision is not based on what has not worked in the past. We carry over so much of former judgements and this colours our thinking.

Knowing ourselves more deeply

For Feng Shui alignments to work we need to know ourselves deeper. And we can acknowledge the Feng Shui elements that are a key component of what makes up YOU.

Metaphysics is based on Astrological timing. When you were born you arrived with a dominant element. For instance Yang Water, Yin Water, or Yang or Yin Earth, Metal or Fire. When you know this, then you recognise the right action for you. Using your primary element properties really clarifies your thinking. With this knowledge, you can then use Feng Shui using the correct alignments in your home environment.

This is how clutter cleaning works, discarding the old for more supportive fresh spaces. Marie Kondo’s wardrobe magic also works this way. Notice the difference of having at your disposal the right outfit, neatly hanging for you to step into. Boy, then you see how Feng Shui works and this in terms generates fresh opportunities. Things just turn up. Bring it on!!

Knowing others on a different level

Knowing you, knowing your environment is so powerful and this is needed more than ever. We need to uncover our individual uniqueness. Same applies for all your family members. If you know how each other tick, you’ll know what support is needed for them in this current age.

So where to from here?

A lot of knowledge and experience goes into my Feng Shui consultations. If you need help to move forward, demystify and clarify what is happening in your home I offer Alignment and Energy Design consultations. These are perfect for individuals and families who want to align their living environment with their goals. Get in touch today.

We certainly are going through the learning that Mother Earth is speaking. Teaching us that it does not take much to rattle us from our complacency. Jarred from routine, with a sharpened awareness to expect aftershocks. Do you have that swaying at sea feeling? Our sensitivity shows we are certainly still on high alert.

What does Feng Shui offer? For me personally, it is to go with the perceived threat of uncertainty and breathe. Draw in air and take deep long breaths right down into your stomach. This keeps the mind still and you can reason what to do next.

Feng Shui is based on the recognition that the planet operates on the Heaven/ Earth/ Man theory.  In other words what is happening in the stars and the heavens at a particular time, what is being activated by the heat of the Earth’s core, and us mortals that are being directly affected by a force out of our control.

Invisible forces are always going be there and strong in this Year of the Metal Rat. We can expect more unpredicted during 2020 and with Covid 19 still very much on our minds the need to strengthen our mental learning is important. Feng Shui uncovers your personal core strengths–knowing more how you as an individual operates, your strengths, what makes you wobble and recognising all this is learnt behaviour. Things like: are you an individual thinker or need group dynamics to resolve issues or require support when facing unpredicted events? It’s really empowering when we can plot Heaven / Earth responses in a chart and see where and when we require to focus on self-development and when favourable planetary vibrations are available for us to tap into.

But today’s Earthquake was about immediacy. What is your response when uncertainty arises? Where was your thinking?

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash.

Lucky me. I have just returned from a week on the Big Island of Hawaii. My head is very much still in the clouds.

Warmth, time to dream and to recharge was my focus for my time there. But you can never escape what spending time in another culture does. And this Island with Volcano eruptions and Hurricanes really sharpens your respect for how the Hawaiians just accept what is and work together to deal with what nature presents.

On the Kilauea Volcano ‘Madam Pele is cleaning house’ (Enduring Deity of Fire) She, as she is known, shapes the sacred land of Hawaii. Living on land that is alive and active is enriching and immediate. And with two other Volcanoes–Haulalai and Mauna Loa–sleeping but also active, it’s remarkable how these warm loving locals openly admit they wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Why? Because they live with a community focus, taking each day as it comes, are open and you feel their abundance of spirit, their cultural depth and gratitude.

Opening to this attitude as a way of thinking and staying open to this richness is something I am now going to pursue and redefine respectfully in Feng Shui terms. Kilauea Volcano is referred to as cleansing the Chakra System of the Planet, an outlet where polarised energy can be released so the planet can recharge and respond to Cosmic changes and cycles.

Our Chakra system and the Homes we live in accordingly are responding to this same Planetary Activity. Interestingly in different ways, as humans our Crown Charta is our link to our spiritual Essence. By opening our thoughts to newness and a new state of consciousness opens us to this universal connection, forming a bridge so we can go beyond personal preoccupation and consider what gives meaning to our lives.

How to find this connection in your Home?

Where is the Crown Charta represented in Feng Shui terms? I am going to ask you where you feel a connection to light, a connection to dreaming, a connection to self. This will be different for you all because it is the source that opens you to gratitude and to belong. Look up and dream a little–hold a violet flower to give you direction.

Trip to Hawaii: Sharon Breslin www.lifestylejourneys.com

Have you noticed that in certain areas of your home you just feel supported?  Your happy place–we all have them–certain chairs, certain sunny reading nooks or maybe it is your kitchen bench? Feng Shui gives you answers to the Whys. And it can guide you if you haven’t created the Why yet. 

A Feng Shui Alignment walks you through the significance of the different zones in your Living Spaces and how you can personalise areas with purpose. We are all different and have various ways of feeling grounded and at home, it is something we don’t pay a lot of attention to but unconsciously we do seek out that spot for Me Time.

Animals are a perfect example of this, they always find the most comfortable, sunny corner. But there is more to than just warmth. Animals are in tune with the energy lines that vibrationally run through your home. Cats are different from dogs. Dogs sit on meridian lines and often balance and correct distortion. Cats, on the other hand, are just energy junkies.

Feng Shui is about feeling.

We are no different. We do sense energy spots. I often talk to people and they say, “I don’t like that area, I don’t feel drawn to that space,” or “I don’t sleep in that room”. Fascinating, how in tune we are but have never questioned our Intuition.

There are reasons for this: your Home is oriented to Polar Directions, for example North/South/East or West and the differing degrees between. Making the Facing direction of your home the pointer on a compass. Now we Humans have our own honing device, our Birth, Time and Date and from that can discern your personal favourable direction.

When I point this out to people they again know and are aware of this: for example I am a ‘Westie.’ Most people instantly recognise their alignment but have never considered that it has any bearing on them personally. But it does, and an Alignment points this out for not only you but for all the family members. Cats excluded.

Know yourself, know your space. Let that space support you.

Knowing where to: Sleep, Relax, Think, Mediate, Create and Socialise is what Feng Shui targets. It’s the best health benefit you can give yourself and the awareness mindfully opens you up to a fuller richer existence.

Book a Feng Shui Consultation so I can take you through the process– What are you waiting for?

As Winters door is about to open, I had this moment with a Prunus tree outside my living area. It was so special that I wanted to document it. Usually you look at Autumn leaves on a tree and are drawn to the striking colours and in this case, it was so. But I suddenly saw these fiery leaves were dancing in the final moments of glory. Seeing this made me realise that Letting Go can become an occasion.

For me, a reframe: Letting Go has taken on a whole new meaning. So, thank you beautiful Prunus tree for your Spirit and that moment I will treasure. Celebration shedding is now going to be part of  my practices- regardless of the Season.

Calm and knowing. The confidence to walk forward in the world with a deep sense of the two is one of life’s great aspirations for many of us. When you, your environment and living spaces are openly communicating the same vibe, a calmness and knowingness presents. When you understand that everything has energy, has its own tone, vibration and frequency — then you are on the way of aligning or programming your home and world to support you.

Often the simplicity of how this works alludes us because we think we are spinning the wheel. When the light bulb moment comes and we realise that there is another way, it is momentous and so so freeing.

In the Zen world they call this mindful awareness or being present in the now. Translating this personally gives you a simplistic palette from where you can construct a life that fits you. Just like clothes shopping, the colour, texture and fabric fit the season, the month and the day. This confidence to be flexible with your approach is what holistic living offers.

Stepping into a world of possibilities is not about possession but about being current. Is the container you live in attuned to this mindset or is clutter of past treasures blocking your path and locking you into past consciousness?

Like our wardrobe, it is time for a seasonal clean out. The key to this is simple. Shed the past fashion splurges and hold on tight to old favourites that have faithfully worked. Because not only the container we are living in needs to be current, the planet we are living on also has a voice.

Without complicating this equation, balance always goes back to the environment. Your inner and outer environment flow must have a synergetic resonance. When we have our Yang creating newness and your Yin supported you are in your happy place.

More on this in another article.