October Newsletter

trees in fall foliage and house

October’s Lunar Calendar

7th – New moon –start a new project
8th – Draconids Meteors
Venus goes retrograde – expect to hear from an old flame or friend
It’s a good time to reconnect with people from the past
11th – Columbus Day, Thanksgiving in Canada
22nd – Full moon – finish an old project
31st – Halloween

metal spheres

Feng Shui Element Series

Metal Element – the third in our series of the 5 Chinese elements (fire, earth), is associated with the fall. After the harvest when the earth yields its bounty. We look at what the earth itself contains – the metals. Metals are the children of mother earth.

In feng shui, the mountains and water are the vital energies of life force, chi. While water is more financial and possessions; the earth element is more personal. It represents people, their health and relationships. The Love relationship of the bagua is in the SW. The health is in the center. Knowledge is in the NE.

  • Metal rules the fall season and is found in the West and Northwest of our surroundings.
  • Metal is represented by any metal – gold, silver, copper, pewter, brass, aluminum, wrought iron, zinc, lead, chrome, steel, tin. Metal that moves has more energy than metal that just sits there.
    • Adding 100# of metal by putting weights or bar bells in areas that need metal is good, but metal in motion – like the metal second hand of a clock or watch, anniversary clock or a swinging metal pendulum found in some clocks – is even better.
    • The ultimate feng shui cure using metal is a grandfather clock. A wind chime is great outside, but unless it is rung frequently, it is not considered a moving metal cure.
    • As we know from last month, metal is a very important element to add when the #5 earth is in an important area of our home.
    • Any time there is an over abundance of earth in an area or a feeling of procrastination, you can bring in some metal to lighten up the energy.
    • Anything white, gold leaf, silvery, metallic or shiny, is considered a metal color.
    • Wearing metal jewelry is a good way to get “unstuck” from the earth if you feel you have been procrastinating, etc..
    • Wearing white, metallic scarves, circles or metal also helps balance missing metal if it is missing in your four pillar chart.
  • The metal shapes are round, like a ring, oval or dome like.
  • The quality of metal is integrity.
  • Special uses of wind chimes: There are certain times and certain years when you want to keep the earth undisturbed and protected in certain directions. (Check your annual update given out at Chinese New Year for where this area is each year.) If you must go ahead and dig, placing a wind chime between the house and the disturbed area will neutralize the negative effects.
  • Metal in the compass system is represented by the numbers 6 and7 in your house grid.
  • The number 6 is associated with wealth but possibly with no power. We like this 6 and what it represents so we want to encourage this metal element. The mother earth element will do that. The earth contains metals. Anytime we want support and help, we call mom. Adding earth and/or earthy colors will help. Pictures of mountains or pottery, etc. brings in the earthy element.
  • The number 7 area is not quite as auspicious. Generally it doesn’t need correction but when it is combined with the number 3 at an entrance it can be problematic at certain times when a break in potential is activated. Generally we don’t worry about it but to be cautious, put a red colored object or red firecrackers (with the powder taken out) in the area to diminish that problem.
  • If you want to reduce the metal element in a space – let’s say you have brass and glass everywhere or wrought iron, tin, cans, etc., you can bring in the child of metal – water.
    Metal is the mother of water so the child of metal, like all children, have a way of sapping their parents’ energy (but in a good way – usually) so bring in the water fountains, colors or blues and black and the metal element will be less strong
  • The taste is pungent or hot.
  • The smell is rotten.
  • The emotion is grief.
  • The energy is physical
  • The sense is the sense of smell.
  • Chinese medicine tells us that metal rules the respiratory system – the lung.

path in forest with golden leaves

Pictures were taken in Northern Wisconsin near Minocqua this week. For more photos of fall and other places on my recent garden tour of the NW see my face book profile:
http://www.facebook.com/fengshui.pam