The Goodness of Green

“Green is the prime color of the world and that from which its loveliness arises.”
– Pedro Calderón de la Barca
When someone inspires me, it’s a call to action. When a color inspires me it changes my life. I recall a sweet conversation with a darling stranger who shared, “Color is my medicine.” Selecting her attire was a conscious ritual that expressed her quirky personality yet protected her from a world that could often be unkind. Her words struck a chord with me: the colors we adorn our bodies and homes with are profound and meaningful. They affirm our sense of beauty and peace of mind, more so than choosing current color trends.

This brief conversation was especially timely and I could see it mirrored in my March walks along the Ridge. The landscape has been filled with an explosion of luscious greens – emerald, olive, pea, lime, pine and verdigris. Grasses, plants and trees are happily rioting in the warm, spring sun. Nature has indeed replenished the earth. This joy led me to ask, “what is the goodness of green” and “how do we use its goodness in Feng Shui?”

The goodness of green is that it refreshes the body and spirit. It is associated with springtime, a fresh start, vitality and hope. It is a common color in nature – grass, trees and vegetation reflect this color and can help you to feel grounded, creative and calm. Green is easy on the eyes and you can look at it for a long time and not experience eye strain. It lays its verdant, healing vibration upon our spirits in a manner that equalizes, relaxes and balances painful processes.

Will you be turning your attention to a remodel or refresh your house in the coming months? What about painting your bedroom? If you are dealing with depression, the goodness of apple green is that it supports new beginnings. It’s an invitation to take a different path; it inspires hope and encourages possibilities for a better future. Add this secret for the best results: visualize in detail your venture into the unknown while the vitality of green strengthens your resolve to follow through.

Does this economy have you worrying a lot and you can’t seem to shake the feeling? Cheek your front door. Open it, what do you see? Are there dead or unhealthy plants within view? Remove them and your worries may dissolve. Replace the old with new greenery (both inside and outside the door). The goodness of green is your decision making will improve, your next step will be clear and you will feel confident in moving forward.

Did you daydream when you were a child? Do you still want to step out of your body so you don’t have to dealt with adult matters? The goodness of green is that it can influence your inner state and give you hope that a fresh start is around the corner. Wearing the color green is grounding like a tall tree that draws the vital essence of the earth up through its roots into its branches and leaves. Its essence infuses your spirit with a sense of aliveness, abundance and focused energy.

Plants are all too happy to share their abundant life force. They thrive in groups. The goodness of green in the bedroom is they revitalize your Ch’i. If you place nine (representing longevity, completion and peak accomplishment) green plants in the master bedroom, this BTSB Feng Shui adjustment will lend ardor in your intimate moments with your beloved.

Green orchids bring extra blessings and luck to friends and family. Sending them is a powerful good deed as they are a symbol of good fortune, good health and longevity. The Japanese culture employs the goodness of green by displaying a green orchid in the home or office. It is believed to bring good fortune into one’s life and career.

Bamboo has a long and humble connection to the Chinese culture. The drooping bamboo leaves cross one another, as if they are composing the Chinese character “An” (tranquility). Being both hollow and soft inside, it symbolizes humility (the Chinese word for hollow means to be humble) which allows it to bow in the wind. The goodness of this green tree is that it provides peace and can drive away negative influences so it will protect you. If you wish to have money and work peacefully for it, hang a bamboo drape in the Wealth/Hsun gua (far left back corner) of your home.

Do you want to enhance what is already a good relationship with your home, family, your job or partner? I would be happy to help you with your place. I am available my signature offering, Your House Is Talking, full consultation service as well as the Feng Shui A La Carte. I look forward to talking to you soon! 503-232-2543 or bette@shenmenfengshui.com.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Color Your Life With Hope

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
– Albert Camus

Going for walks in the northern hemisphere, these late September days, I marvel at the trees shimmering with hues of vermillion, titian orange and marigold that light up the landscape. If you are like me you are enjoying the autumn rhythm of shorter days. And yet I have heard from some of you saying you feel isolated by COVID-19 sheltering in place and/or fearful about the unstable political climate.

Let me share a few things that could help. Worry and unease contract our Ch’i. “When our Ch’i is weak, we are more open to absorbing negative external factors–bad luck, bad Feng Shu, and bad Ch’i –that may come our way.”(H.H.“Professor” Lin Yun). So despite external conditions we can brighten our outlooks by creating our own invincible season. Color is one of many Feng Shui principles that strengthens our Ch’i. Making color adjustments in our homes, wardrobes and offices revitalize our mental, emotional and physical energies. I see this often after a client adds color to their home or wardrobe. They express confidence, they feel they are in a better place and hopeful about the future. 

Fall for the color that makes you happy.
For your office
Red color has a stabilizing effect on the eyes (which are connected to the heart). Place a red object in the area directly across from your entry. This focal point allows the mind to get clear before you move on to your office tasks. A side note: red, symbolic of happiness, is a colorful antidote to anxiety.

Purple color has a calming, peaceful influence. It enhances visualization. If you meditate it will enhance your meditation practice and that improves your decision-making at work. Make a red and purple pillow and sit on the purple side to minimize anxiety. Or if you need to change your luck to good, sit on the red side, it raises your Ch’i.

Green color is associated with vitality. If your desk is too close to the entrance to your office or cubicle or your desk is in line of the home office door this diminishes your energy. Place a lush, leafy green plant on your desk. Its life force dispels negative Ch’i that may enter.

For your wardrobe
Red amplifies your reputation. Wearing red with the proper intention will increase your visibility both in a mundane sense and the transcendental scope. It will build your career and increase your options for success.

Green is associated with springtime, a fresh start and hope. You can look at green for a long time and not experience eye strain. Wearing apple green or blue can help minimize anxiety. Excellent for children in the first year of school or a child who daydreams.

Black, Green, Red, Yellow and White, the Five Element colors, help you interact with a person who isn’t listening, who thinks only of themselves, who argues with you and has “Yes, but Ch’i”. These colors do not change their behavior but help you respond to them with equanimity because they strengthen your Ch’i.

White color if you stress eat. Professor Lin said that when we wear white we are afraid we will spill food on our clothes so we slow down, are more careful and our stomachs will fill up faster.

For your home
Red paint for the front door for in Feng Shui symbolism, red means happiness, etiquette, power and strength. Though it protects against negative energy the main reason to paint your door red is it will continue to gather auspicious energy over time.

Green (any shade) in the kitchen can turn your finances to flowing again. Keep in mind the stove is symbolic of your finances. A vent or microwave over your stove oppresses it. Applying green above your stove will lift the energy, creating more opportunities for money to come to you: 1) easily 2) without pressure 3) and relieves worry.

Apple Green helps to deal with depression. If a friend or family member is feeling despair paint their bedroom an apple green to give them hope that a new beginning is around the corner.

Yellow, orange or brown in the center of your home helps you collect your Ch’i.  Often your Ch’i is depleted from work, raising children and overextending yourself. The center represents Health. Placing an adjustment here will help you respond to emergencies with surety and know that you can trust your decisions.

Rainbow colors in the bedroom (from my chapter in Recipes For Living Coloring Journal), “Stress creates a host of emotional burdens on your heart. If you add a complete color system to your room, for example, the rainbow colors, (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) you carry the frequencies of these seven colors. This spectrum creates homeostasis in your body. It mirrors the chakra system, the life force centers, that are the gateway between your endocrine system and cosmic forces. I love this strategy for peace. I find that displaying a scarf or a quilt invites a sense of serenity and a feeling of calm washes over me when I enter my bedroom…” Good choice for  a man searching for a partner,couples who are having disagreements or a child who may need help with their studies.

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.