Cure Your Health And Family Area
What the heck does the family have in common with your health? Well, this is a legitimate question and Feng Shui traditions were definitely not thinking about your genes when they connected these two themes together in one Bagua life area. But it makes sense if we have a closer look at the qualities of the related element wood – see yourself!
Bagua Map (Lo Shu Square)
The Bagua area for health and family is located in the East or in the left side area of your apartment. This area is representing the wood element, spring time, the rising sun, morning and youth. It is also related to dragons, especially to the azure dragon of the East, to learn more about this important, Taoist symbol, please read my blog post about the Five heavenly beasts.
The East is regarded as the place for health, vitality and the family. In the Chinese view of the world health and well-being are connected much closer to the concept of family than it is for people in today’s Western world, where the times of large, patriarchal families with an (over-)strong cohesion are long gone.
Nevertheless both themes belong to this Bagua zone – also in the western world the concept of family is connected with the idea of people, which take care of our mental and physical wellbeing. This makes even more sense since this Bagua zone is not restricted to the family of origin – it includes chosen families and relationships to teachers or superiors as well. All the imprinting influences of our society are located in this Bagua zone. With this extended view the interaction between the two themes family and health is evident. This environment helps us growing (mentally and physically) for a healthy and successful life. The element wood is the only one of the five elements with a life of its own, it stands for health and vigorous growth.
Attention: First care about the basic energy and structure of your Bagua zones. The qi must flow freely before you can start planing measures for individual life areas. Install one Feng Shui vehicle or symbol after the other and give it some time to unfold its impact before going on to the next stage.
Care Carefully!
Whatever plans you may have for this sector, start with care! Take the example of the wood, it grows slowly but strong and powerful. Even a large, sprawling tree started as a small, delicate seedling!
Especially if you have a difficult relationship and conflicts to someone from your family, it is advisable to activate this area gently – step by step. Also in the case of severe health problems you should begin with basic and gentle changes. The sledgehammer method or even an ax doesn’t go well with the element wood – it grows best with continuous care.
Bagua area n° 3 is associated with the trigram Zhen. Zhen translats with excitement or division and is related with the phenomenon of thunder – no wonder, it sometimes crashes in the woodwork (and the families) – wood is a powerful, impetuous and up-rising element, sometimes also deterrent.
It's
all
about
wood
—
Easy Wood Element Decorating Tips:
Use green, blue and turquoise colors combined with elongated, rectangular shapes. The element wood is nourished by water, so you can complement your look using black, marine blue, dark colors and free-flowing shapes. Watch out for vivid, strong and natural energies.
Plants work particularly well to enhance the wood energy, yet pay attention for healthy and vigorous plants – avoid dried (dead) plants and ones with sharp leaves or thorns (their energy is much too aggressive and they spread the so-called Sha Qi). Artificial flowers and pictures of plants however work fine..
Decorative with elements and furniture made of wood and bamboo.
Wood | 木 | Mu, Giclée Print
In Feng Shui wood is always associated with growth and vitality. There are two life areas related to wood in the Bagua square. This one and also the Southeast corner. So if you’re looking for material growth, you should refer to the wealth and prosperity area.
Bagua Area N°3, Giclée Print
Some More Tips, Charms And Ideas:
Often enough small things can make great impact. Placing a healthy plant in the East area of your desk, may just give the necessary support to your health. Or paint this life area in different shades of green and decorate it with photos of your family members (of course only if you connect them with really pleasant memories).
Very often ignored, fresh and good quality air is one of the best and easiest feng shui cures for your health life area, your health and well-being. Work with air-purifying plants or use air purifiers to clear the air.
An important tip for all life areas, but especially for this one is cleaning up! A clutter-free and clean space is of vital importance for a healthy life.
Chose floral prints and stripes on natural fabrics to nourish the wood energy, as well as images of nature (sunrise, forest and water, etc.) or happy, supportive people.
Things To Avoid:
Avoid things related to the metal element, such as round objects, the color white or sharp cutting items. Fire can be a destructive force too, especially if the wood element is dried out already, so better not use reds and triangle shapes either!!
Popular Symbols For This Area:
It’s always good to find personal, symbolic pictures or objects to decorate and boost a specific life area. Your own, positive relation to the piece/symbol can be very helpful! On the other hand, you have to keep in mind, that the cycle of the five phases retains its validity and that also personal symbols have to support the basic concept of the area.
Browsing the web you will literally find tons of Feng Shui charms and symbols for your purpose, in any size, style and quality. The following examples from my catalogue do fit well to the health and family area as well.
Dragon
Myths about dragons exist all over the world. It’s really amazing how similar thy are in their appearance! The symbolic meaning of the individual, historical, dragon figures may however vary a lot. Also Chinese mythology is crowded with dragons of all kind.
Generally speaking: the dragon is one of the most important symbol in Feng Shui. Dragons stand for vitality and virility like no other creature. At the same time the dragon embodies also spirituality, wisdom, strength and the energy of transformation. If you prefer a statue to an image avoid metal figurines; the metal would destroy the wooden energy of the dragon.
Attention: Never ever place a dragon in your bedroom. Its yang energy is to strong for a relaxing room – the dragon would literally haunt your sleep! The only case it works is the ‘dragon and phoenix’ motive, where the female phoenix balances its power. As a couple they represent emperor and empress, symbolizing love and marriage.
Dragon, Art Card, out of stock
Longevity
The ornamental sign for longevity is based on the character 壽 (shoù), which means good health and a long life. It is the most popular and the most important good luck symbol in China and can be depicted in many different ways. In this context one speaks of ‘baishou’. This means ‘a hundred times long life’ and refers to an eponymous cave temple. In the walls of this cave a hundred variations of the character shou had been carved. You only need one version to stimulate good Feng Shui! And you can apply it almost anywhere, like your front door, the refrigerator or a pill organizer for example.
Shou, Giclée Print
Shou Xing
Shou Xing (also Shou) is the god of health and long life. He usually appears together with Lu Xing and Fu Xing, forming the San Xing trio (the three Taoist gods of good luck Fu, Lu, Shou). Xing means star and Shou-Xing is associated with Canopus, the southern pole star.
He’s got a very characteristic, extra high, domed forehead and always smiles. According to the legend, he came into the world already as an old man, after an incredible ten year pregnancy – yet, he is immortal! Usually he carries a peach (Symbol of immortality) in one hand and on the other a dragon wand, with a tied up gourd in which he keeps the elixir of life.
Shou Xing, Giclée Print
Bamboo
Bamboo grows quickly, is easy to care for, always green, very strong and at the same time very flexible; a perfect symbol for your health and family area. In Asian bamboo stands for longevity and age. Equally important is the symbolism for modesty, fortitude and integrity. Bamboo is sublime and unimpressible.
Feng Shui pays attention to the symbolic meaning of things, therefore you don’t necessarily need to cultivate a real bamboo to benefit from its positive energy, a picture will work just as fine. In case you play with the idea to plant one, please pay attention to a limitation of the roots (rhizome barrier), since it tends to proliferate and quickly conquers your garden completely.
Bamboo, Art Card, out of stock
Azure Dragon Of The East
The azure dragon of the East is one of the five heavenly beasts (constellation), a fundamental symbol in Taoist cosmology representing the element wood, North, life, sunrise, spring, health and the colors blue and green. He is the ‘emperor’ of this life area, very, very powerful and should be used with caution.
Azure Dragon Of The East, Giclée Print
Note! Using suitable Feng Shui charms and symbols can harmonize and strengthen Bagua life areas, but can’t replace a energetic Feng Shui consultant, of course. For more complex and individual solutions it’s always worth to invest in a pro!
