This move completed a series of events that we had envisioned when we first married, never dreaming that almost five years would go by before they could transpire. But finally, the planets aligned and we would be starting anew as we wished we could have done initially. This happiness shared emotional space with grief and sorrow.

We both wanted our new home’s energy to acknowledge and mirror the loving gifts with which we’d been blessed: the ability to look ahead with optimism and purpose while honoring the past. I particularly wanted to leave behind the “presence” I had learned to live with at the other house. It was the beginning of February as the Chinese New Year turned, and it was time to bless our new home.

Our dear friend, Hinda Abrahamson, is a Certified Feng Shui Consultant who graciously offered her assistance. She arrived on a peaceful Sunday morning shortly after we moved in and we chatted lightly about all that had transpired in the space of the previous few weeks. Our move had gone smoothly and harmoniously. We were hopeful these energies were the vanguard of this new chapter in our life together. And we knew if they were, we could retreat for purposes of solace and renewal from the emotional aftershocks that were inevitably coming after such cataclysmic personal events.

Hinda guided the conversation to the purpose of the Orange Peel Blessing which she had selected for us, knowing all these circumstances so very well. The Orange Peel Blessing uses the essence of the orange, which in feng shui has four aspects: protection, blessings, lifting the energy in general, and removing negative energy from a space. Each of these aspects addressed what we wanted for our home’s overall atmosphere.

I have learned from Hinda that feng shui is all about intention. Practitioners learn how to reinforce intent by placing objects within environments to encourage the flow of good energy (chi), as well as to protect from harmful elements. Your general well-being can be supported by opening your home to the blessings associated with good chi, and maintaining its atmosphere toward that end. Should there be residual energy in a space, left over from previous inhabitants or even from the ground upon which it is built, feng shui principles will encompass sensitive acknowledgment as well as manipulative measures to access energy’s most positive qualities and neutralize the negative.

As a real estate agent who toured and showed many houses, I realized that, like many, I am quite sensitive to a home’s atmosphere from the minute I enter it. I had co-existed with a troublesome vibe in the house we were living in, and I was determined to bid it farewell. The vibe in our new place felt neutral by comparison, with friendly overtones. Pete and I wanted these positive aspects to emanate, and our intention was to enhance them.

Hinda began the Blessing Ceremony with a few minutes during which we could center ourselves by contemplating these intentions, identifying them by name, and then mentally introduce them to our space. We did this in silence, each of us choosing specific things and concentrating. As we did this, Hinda quietly intoned the Heart Calming Mantra, which consists of nine sacred words repeated nine times. The peace that enveloped us was palpable and we were ready.

Hinda instructed us to select a special bowl and fill it with water. I knew Pete would want to use the plain earthenware bowl in which his grandmother’s bread had regularly risen on the farm so long ago. What a perfect choice. Our bowl’s neutral simplicity evoked our intentions, and its residual energy – the vessel in which sustenance from the life of the farm was transformed through honest hard work and loving hands – was good.

We set the bowl on the table before us and peeled nine small round shapes from a fresh orange. The number 9 is significant in numerology for universal influence:

The spiritual meaning of number Nine brings us to the very height of vibrational frequencies in this number sequence. Nine represents attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, and our success to achieve an influence in our circumstances. The spiritual meaning of number Nine deals with intellectual power, inventiveness, influence over situations and things. Nine beseeches us to recognize our own internal attributes, and extend these abilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.

We had been pleased that our new address contained several nines, and Hinda concurred, sharing with us the special qualities the Chinese culture assigns to the number nine. The site, Chinese Meaning of Numbers, summarizes:

If we consider each of these initial numbers as a pathway into ever increasing complexity and higher knowledge, the nine will be our precipice of our understanding. At the apex of our upward count stands the nine, and in Chinese meaning of numbers it is the jackpot of celestial forces. Interestingly, in Feng Shui, nine sections are cordoned off by agricultural land owners; eight sections of land are cultivated, but the ninth section (in the center of the agricultural blueprint) is classified as “god’s acre” and is devoted to honor the supreme and sacred. The Chinese meaning of numbers nine is completion and satisfaction. It represents a high standard of celestial congruence. When we reach the philosophical height of number nine we have ascended in esoteric understanding and obtained a cosmic satisfaction. The Chinese zodiac symbol for number nine is the Monkey and its Feng Shui direction is West/Southwest.

Several nines in our new address, but not only that, our townhouse is on the southwest corner of the building. Our front doorway faces south, but is unobstructed from the west. Everything was pointing toward a confluence of good energy.

We floated the nine peels in the bowl and began at the front door. Pete held the bowl and I flicked drops of the orange-flavored water from the fingertips of my hand. This, I later learned, is the Expelling Mudra, which clears the space for blessings. This is done while you hold the intentions you meditated upon in your heart.

We moved throughout our new home. As we spritzed the fragrant orange water, we visualized the removal of any negative energy and welcomed the positive in the form of new blessings. Hinda accompanied us and repeated the Six True Words, which were originated to bring harmony back into life, in a soothing mantra. I felt the presence of goodness and peace.

When we had finished, we returned to sit quietly in front of the bowl and absorb the energy in our space. Part of the process is to leave the bowl in a central place overnight. Hinda reminded us that the next morning, we should divide up the water and pour it down each of our drains until it was all gone. The orange peels, likewise, we were to return to the earth via moving water.

Hinda’s expertise lies in a school of Feng Shui that is called Black Sect, which has origins in Tantric Buddhism. Black Sect shares the Three Secrets of Reinforcement as being Body – the positioning of the hand and placement of an item which holds your intention, Mind - the visualization of what you want and “seeing” it happen, and Speech – the repetition of sacred speech like the Six True Words. These Secrets (which refer to powerful inner methods) can cause adjustments toward preferred outcomes using the strengthening power of mind and speech. This combination is believed to manifest appropriately as well as abundantly when accessed with sincerity and an open heart.

Our house blessing took place six weeks ago on a quiet winter morning. Pete later wrote:

Today we had our fung shui (sp) blessing of the new home. Thank you Hinda for your blessing and friendship. I am excited. I feel that this will be an exceptional year with many positive changes. . .

Perhaps the most challenging times in life are served up by grief. When circumstances are overpowering, as they have been over the past eight months with the loss of both Pete’s parents, the descent into incapacitation and despair can be rapid and, in some cases, permanent. The upheaval is distorting and upending, and we are disoriented and vulnerable.

But changes in perspective can also be wrought from grief that are refined and focused. The unimportant falls away and we, in an effort to conserve and protect our fragility, focus on what matters most. Good healing consists of protection and repair in the beginning, and then the ability to place the experience in its proper place in the continuum of life.

We concluded our morning with another ceremony: the tradition of the Red Envelope. Before Hinda arrived, Pete filled a red envelope with 9 coins, totaling 99 cents, which we presented to Hinda with a slight bow using two hands. She accepted it in the same manner. This tradition signifies payment for favorable service from a teacher, brings good luck and also wards off evil spirits.

Blessing our house by welcoming and making a place for peaceful, positive energy has been an auspicious choice which has already strengthened and supported us in the weeks hence. We are cloaked and protected against harm, and we move forward peacefully and purposefully.

Hinda Abrahamson is a founding member and President of the Feng Shui Institute of the Midwest. If you would like to work with her or subscribe to her monthly newsletter, you can reach her by emailing hinda at livingyourintention dot com.

Random thoughts (sorry, these are the associations my brain makes) on the relationships of significant symbols and the origins of things we refer to:

1. What new context do the following phrases have now that you know the significance of the number nine?

a. “Dressed to the nines”

b. “on Cloud 9″

c. “The whole 9 yards”

2. Do you place any greater significance to the trend toward flavoring cleaning products, oils and soaps with the essence or fragrance of orange?

3. In what way do you believe that harmonious surroundings have a correlative effect on your emotional and physical well-being?

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Bless This House is a post from: Passing Thru

Energy - photo by Lukasz Strachanowski

So there’s an energy crisis.  And concurrently, we have a housing crisis.  Out of these two, a financial crisis has arisen. We have a climate crisis, too.  We’re battered with wave after wave in the perfect storm of converging crises.  Are we headed for what Jimmy Carter notoriously identified back in 1979 as a “crisis of confidence?”  Does all this make a veritable tempest?

There’s a force abounding throughout these waves.  People run around like crazy, pulling out of the market, obsessing over imminent recession.  Others are bewildered into stupefaction.  In the midst of maelstrom, our leadership is vested in management.  Look beneath the swell.  We’re told what to think.  It’s important that we understand how instrumental they are. They will lead us to the sheltering harbor where all will be calm again.

This is the energy that can suck yours dry.  Realize that the commonality in all these crises is our willingness to buy into characterizations of ourselves that may not apply.  When we do, we trade our supply of good energy for malaise.

We listen.  We want to understand.  But doubt creeps up alongside, siphons our tank and we sputter to a halt out to sea. We put our plans and dreams on hold:  too risky, better play it safe, keep your job because you’re lucky to have it, don’t start anything because there’s no credit.  Get ready to bail, we’ve sprung another leak!  Does anyone find this as downright appalling as Pete and I do?

We’ve had it too easy!  We’ve let other countries feed oil into our gaping maw. We think we’re entitled.  We’ve been lulled by our investments, our employers, and our government.  We’re soft.  Despite the most magnificent terrorist attack in recent history and increased global nuclear proliferation, we’re ambivalent and argumentative in its aftermath.  We’ve enjoyed the greatest run-up of wealth ever over the last 60 years.  We don’t know how to work.  We’ve burned daylight, as Pete is fond of saying.

The result: we’ve allowed our precious energy to drain.  We’ve brewed up an energy crisis by not believing in or using our capabilities.  Daniel Webster said, “Failure is more frequently from want of energy than want of capital.”

Blogging is a lot about conversation.  But you’ve got to act.  Where do we get the energy to act?  What are we really doing?  I posed this question to another group and the answers were beautifully frank and uplifting:

… My entire life has been one of relying on self and God. Without my faith I could not have survived the things I have. I have utter and total belief in a God that cares about me and I trust Him. Yes – I worship a heretic and model myself after Him in as many ways as possible. I feel sorry for the folks … who don’t know the same rabble-rousing, butt kicking, in your face miracle working, get your hands dirty, party with sinners, homeless heretic I know. … Reliance? It’s all about faith. – B.B.

… there is a certain karma that goes along with taking care of others, most notably the elderly. Taking care of those who have it worse than you provides a necessary perspective. Obviously, if you have children, they come first. And it makes sense to me that if you worry about how this economy is stressing out your circle of friends or tribe, reach out to help others in your tribe. - M.L.P.

Betsy, I like the phrase “tightening our circle of reliance.” Tho some might interpret it to mean a shrinking of the circle (as in “tightening the belt” and doing with less), to me it indicates a strengthening of bonds with those who matter, in the way that Seth writes of “tightening the tribe.” - P.S.P.

I spent a good bit of time in the denial stage with brief stops in the anger and depression stages and now I’m closing in on acceptance. I can’t help but think I’m getting there because my focus has turned outward. There are a huge number of people, including some of my very good friends who are facing changes that a few months ago would have been unthinkable. I need to keep myself alert for ways in which I can be of service to them. - S.C.

I used this quote in another context somewhere else in Tribesville, but I think it’s apt: “Life is a shipwreck, my friend, but we must sing in the lifeboats.” To me, that’s Voltaire intimating that existence is going to present lots of confounding conditions, some of them grievous, but that a shared, collective will can keep us afloat. It’s less a blind faith than a sustained presence of mind. I think there’s even some humor, whether black or some other color, mixed in there as well, and God knows that humor in the face of barbed wire can soften the barbs a bit. – T.B.

I find it remarkable that similar metaphor occurs in much of what I have read in the past few days.  Storm-tossed travelers all, we still have faith, take care of each other, be of service, and find unison.  Lifeboat to lifeboat – here we are in the sea.  We have not gone down with the ship.

I’m reminded of the old salt who took us fishing in Seward: “It’s gonna be a little wrinkle-y for a while outside the harbor, but once we make it past Caine’s Head, it’ll smooth out.”  We’re now in the chop, friends, but smooth sailing lies ahead.  Here comes a loose list of how Pete and I, and others, are rigging our craft.

Attitude – See lovely quotes above.  Chris Brogan, in a post entitled The Beauty of Pirate Ships – another ocean-based allegory, tells us to always seek the treasure.  Brett Legree powerfully concurs, “Perhaps if enough of us turn our backs on those who are trying to instill fear in us, we can make a difference – we can build for the long term.” Les Brown said, “If you’re flat on your back, look up.  If you can look up, you can get up.“ Pete always keeps busy.  He believes you get old only when you don’t have a project going on.  (Try and laze the day away married to him, I dare you!)   What can you get out of a month of hand-wringing except behind with your plans?

Fuel  (Transportation) – We’re a 2-vehicle family.  We’re already driving only one on the weekends.  I could use the second one even less.  Public transportation is close, and biking it to the office isn’t outside the realm of possibility.  Verdict:  needs more serious action.  We’re pretty frugal when it comes to conserving gas by combining errands, or opting out of them altogether.

Fuel (Heat) – We’re lucky that the genius who installed leaky metal windows in a late-70′s remodel of our home also put a wood stove in.  Pete has used wood for supplemental heating since he’s owned the house.  Price increases this winter have been estimated as high as 40%, so this year we’re going to use it more.  Our winter energy bills were several hundred dollars per month last winter, even though we put in a new furnace over a year ago.

Pete regularly trolls Craigslist to supplement our supply of firewood. We’ve currently got about three cords total on hand.  Our plan is to get as much as we have room for. Last week we brought about two cords that are ready from the area by our garage where it cures, and stacked it up by the house.

We’re planning on dialing down to the low 60′s this winter, lower at night.  Pete put in one of those Honeywell programmable thermostats years ago, replacing what I considered to be a highly functional dial dating from the 60′s.  Honestly, you can remember to dial down, too, but no!  Whatever.  The wood stove really cranks the heat out but up it goes via the stairwell, too.  So we’ve got a ceiling fan in the highest vault upstairs and it’ll re-circulate warm air.

We put new siding on the house earlier this year – thanks to the mother of all hail storms.  They wrapped it in Tyvek barrier first.  The contractor said less heated air would escape.  No, I thought, it will just congregate at the metal windows like Macy’s shoppers at the revolving doors.  Now, we’re replacing half the windows in the house with energy-efficient ones, and while that won’t help as much as we’d like, it’s what we can afford to do.  We’ll be breaking out the warm clothes and socks, too.  My dad used to tell how he would wake up in the morning at the farm and there would be a dusting of snow on his pillow, so I can get out another sweater.

When you know you’re doing as much as you can, you feel empowered.  Last year, the Juneau area saw an avalanche cut off electrical supply – raising prices 400% almost overnight. In very dire straits, residents resorted to ingenious and extreme measures to save energy:

Changed out all incondescent lights to energy saver bulbs. Went from a total of 3,322.5 watts to a new total of 477.5 watts on lights. Cost $135.00 Shut furnace down all day. Turned down hot water heater form 140 to 110 degrees. No lights or tv during day. Heat down to 62 day and night. Only one light on in evening after dark and that is a 13 watt bulb. Turned off one refer. Only one laptop on for 30 minutes three times a day. Conserve on showers. Turn water off while soaping and washing. Use paper plates and wife cooks. About ready to use plastic utinsils. Only wash cloths every two weeks. Make washing machne and dryer full now. No extra rinse. I lived in a logging camp when young and know how to conserve electricity. They did not have watt saver bulbs back in the 50′s and 60′s. Oh, what fun we are having now. Memories are wonderful.

Now they’re not returning to their old ways, because a low-water year threatens hydroelectric sources, too.  Likewise, when oil demand in the continental U.S. lessened and the ban on offshore drilling seemed doomed, voila! the price per barrel dropped in the last week.  That’s more control!

Food – We both come from a long Midwest tradition of re-using, saving, butchering, canning, and freezing.  On the farm you ate what was in season and canned the excess.  Friends, it’s time to conserve and preserve.  If you don’t have a freezer, see if you can share one.  Stock the pantry.  Clip coupons, buy in bulk.  Simplify.  Exchange processed foods for fresh – better for your family and less expensive.  Eat less.  Seriously.  There are tons of resources all over the web on money-saving.  Pete’s vegetable garden fed us amazing produce this summer.

Other fun frugalities.  Getting rid of our land line.  No longer are we victims of Qwest!  Vacations on the cheap - we’ve talked about them here and here.  Anybody done a “stay-cation,” discovering what’s local?  Clothing swaps and friend-me-downs?  Do you like to sew or knit?  How about handmade-only holiday gifts?  Trade Great Depression stories from your family and compare your life.  Here are two of our family’s:  hitching up the Model T to the plow when the horse died, and dinners of saltine crackers.  How about depriving ourselves of negative people and conserving our positive energy?

Ambrose Bierce defined destiny as “a fool’s excuse for failure.“  Circumstances find us far from the quiet harbor of complacency, in the lifeboats with each other.  Will we deem these rough seas exhilarating or terrifying?  The future is in our making.  What will be our song?

This series has turned out to be a party of sorts (see yesterday’s RELIANCE) and you’ve shown up.  Here in Minnesota, accepting an invitation is usually followed by, “What should we bring?”  So, what can you share?

On deck for later this week:  PROCEEDS

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ENERGY is a post from: Passing Thru