Feng Shui Your Garden
Springtime is fast approaching and most of us want to clean out the yard and plan our garden for the upcoming season. Here are a few suggestions to help you Feng Shui your garden to bring in positive chi into your environment.
* Purple butterfly bushes attract butterflies, which can enhance the Wealth area of your property. Springtime hyacinths, purple petunias, or asters could also be used. A holly bush in this area brings prosperity.
When planting, it is important to declare your intentions as to what you would like these flowers to bring into your life. Thank the Earth Gods, the fairies, the angels, Spirit or whomever you believe in, for their part in the upcoming beauty, and add the whimsy of a windsock or whirl-i-gig to get the chi moving. In a few short weeks, you will enjoy the majesty and chi of butterflies, fireflies, bees and other beneficial life forms.
by Vikki Anderson
Flowers raise an abundance of chi (universal and cosmic energy) but one must keep them well balanced for positive results. Dead plants cause sha chi (negative energy) to stagnate over your yard, garden or home. Using organic compounds instead of chemical ones goes without saying: we want to attract nature, not poison Mother Earth. Instead of agonizing over the dandelions that nature provides us each year, why don't we revel with the emergence of their sunny yellow faces that bring good health for you and your family.
There are several ways of approaching the ba gua enhancing features. The most powerful way is to mentally super-impose the ba gua over your entire yard or property. You would then want to plant corresponding colors to the appropriate color in the ba gua. For example, imagine an octagon (or a stop sign shape) over your property or garden area. You can have several ba gua's throughout the property or just plan the property as if it were in the larger ba gua covering your entire property.
If you wish, you could add chi-enhancing flowers in the areas that correspond with issues that you are currently concerned with in this stage of your life. If space is at a premium, you might want to plant a mini ba gua of flowers in the octagonal or round shape, using the corresponding colors in the middle of your yard. Use your driveway to align the ba gua entering your property in either the Knowledge, Career or Helpful People gua.
There are a variety of special flowers associated with specific guas whose powers are defined below:
* Snapdragons call the etheric dragons to the Health and Family area of the ba gua. Sage gives the area lots of energy. You can then dry the sage and use it for smudging your home, yard or yourself.
* Blue hydrangea or blue delphinium are great in the Knowledge area, as are tulips, peppermint, and spearmint.
* Black knight irises are a great conversation starter for a lovely spring day. Although it isn't the color black, basil planted in the career area can bring fortitude.
* Dusty miller, fescue silver lining or silver artemesia in shades of gray can fortify the Helpful People gua.
* White peonies or chrysanthemums, two Chinese favorites, are great additions to plan in the Children and Creativity area. Don't forget the daisy as these cheery little flowers can brighten anyone's day.
* The pink rose will bless the Love and Marriage gua, but don't overdo it! More than three bushes on an average size property can cause relationships to become too thorny. Balance this area, as well as the others, with different size and shaped plants by adding pink dianthus or geraniums.
* There are many varieties of red flowers available for the Fame and Reputation area. Pick a flower that you feel is beautiful and which resonates with your energy. Most are perfect for this area.
* The center of the gua (the earth/health) area is represented by yellows and browns or earth tones. Marigolds are not looked upon favorably from a Feng Shui perspective, so choose another species of yellow flower. Lemon Verbena can be recycled into potpourri when dried. Who can resist the simple beauty of a golden pansy?
* Outdoor plants and trees should not be located directly in front of the home's entrance or block window views. Trees and bushes are providential when planted in multiples of three. While the most auspicious number in Feng Shui is nine, outdoor space may limit that option. Do not allow bushes to scratch against a home, and if you have pets or small children, be sure to research the plant's toxicity before planting them in your new garden.