Summer 2013

SUMMER LUNAR CALENDAR

June 21st – Summer Solstice
June 22nd/23rd – Super full moon (the moon was at it’s closest point to earth and also full = Super). Hope you saw it
June 26th – Mercury goes retrograde — double check all appointments and communications
July 8th – New moon — start a new project
July 20th – Mercury goes direct — whew!
July 22nd – Full moon — finish or complete what you started – Skunks flourish
August 6 – New Moon — start a new project
August 20th – Full Moon — finish a project
September 5th – New Moon (Rosh Hashanah begins)

misty lake shore

So many places — dealing with multiple locations

  • Do you have a cottage or summer home or a get away place?
  • Do you have several different places where you need to be for long periods of time?
  • Is your job taking you away to hotels for extended stays?
  • Do you often ask yourself “Which place did I leave that?” “Where are my clean clothes?”

As summer approaches we find ourselves in multiple places asking “Where’s my stuff?”

First be practical:

  • Have duplicates of the same stuff in the two locations. Rather than carrying your makeup in the car where it can melt (or freeze) Keep another set of vital products. True, it may be more expensive to begin with, but rather than running out to get another computer cord, phone charger, lipstick, your lifestyle and peace of mind will benefit and you can relax knowing it is all taken care of before it becomes a crisis.
  • Organize your layout as much the same as in your other location, if possible, so your mind doesn’t have to think about where things are.

seating area with red theme

Then use Feng Shui feng shui references to help. For example:

  1. Apply the basic bagua — financial things in the money back left corner, relationship things in the marriage/relationship/love back right corner,etc.
  2. If you relate to direction more (most people don’t) Use the directions for categorizing the elements, of what your products are. For example a metal rake would go on the west (metal) area of the garage, wood, in the east, water in the north, fire in the south, etc.
  3. If color is more important or stands out to you – use the colors of the bagua as a reference — red in the south, black/blue in the north,etc., whatever helps you remember better.
  4. It is interesting to see how you will learn that no matter where you are, you will want some of the same things around you. You won’t be content until you do. For example, I have a lot of bridges in my artwork and pictures on the walls at my house in Milwaukee. (Most of my clients do have a tendency to do this — whether it is mountains and lakes, flowers or whatever.) If you can’t decide what your theme is ask a friend to tell you. Go through the house with her/him and look objectively through the eyes of a visitor or stranger. Often you can’t decipher it yourself because you are too close to the situation. When I recently took an additional apartment to be near my elderly parents in Wisconsin, I didn’t have a bridge picture to put up. I got a shower curtain that has the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge on it to satisfy the need for bridges in my surroundings.

wooden bed with duvet and throw pillows

Feng Shui Tips for Summer Travel

Staying in hotels and motor lodges can be fun for the kids, but often challenging for feng shui people. Other people’s energy, as well as their germs linger in the air, the carpets, the beds, etc.. We have physical ways, detectors, bringing our own supplies, etc. Depending on how long you are going to be there, you can decide how through you want to be in cleaning and clearing the space. If it is for a week, more or less.

Make sure the room is in a quiet sleeping area — not next to the highway, air conditioning main frame, party room or other noisy places. Many of us think that the room has had our name on it for days and it cannot be changed. Unless the hotel is booked solid, you have some choices.

Bring along a couple of sticks of incense or familiar good smelling items to clear the air and relax you.

Check the vents and choose the bed away from the air conditioning vents so they don’t blow directly on you at night.

lake scene

What about your car?

A decade ago I wrote a book about using feng shui in your car. It is indeed another place where we can spend many hours going from place to place. Give it the same attention as you do your house when you are putting things into it. Because a moving car is a potentially dangerous place, if you must find something while you are driving – water, food or answer a phone (absolutely no texting, please), it should be in a consistent reachable place. Today some of us practically live in our cars so we need to do a few things on the road. Eat and drink safely if you must do so. Take a call, if you must, but tell them you are driving and will need to call them back if this conversation requires careful thinking. Your best attention must be to traffic and your surroundings. All your senses should be alert and able to react quickly to any situation that should arise. The days when we could regroup, be inaccessible and relax while driving are gone forever. Technology follows us everywhere and while it is productive and time saving to keep working while in the car, it can be very hazardous.