I don’t know about you but right about this time of year I’m thinking deep cleaning. I’m thinking company is coming for the holidays. I’m thinking about how much longer I can count on warm fall days, for, say, drying curtains and rugs or blankets in the sun. Not much longer, that’s for sure. So I am being certain to capitalize on this time so I don’t miss the gifts of the moment. This is that time of year when I’m eyeing the shed and mentally taking stock of decorations packed away in boxes. I’m haunting home decor shops looking for that oh-so-special tablecloth and the perfect candles for the dining room table that will grace us with their presence setting the tone for the beauty and harmony I always aim to create. I’m taking a closer look at areas that might have gotten the “lick and a promise” as I hurried to complete tasks so that I could get to others. And with this deep renewal I quite naturally reach for a longtime favorite book, which has guided my actions to some extent or other for several years now, and that would be Karen Kingston’s classic book Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui. I have relied on this book for years, and imagine I will continue to do so, as it is such a rich resource and reminder that I will never tire of rereading and continuing to integrate the lessons into my daily life. The girl knows her stuff.

I think one of the reasons I immediately resonated with Karen’s writings is that she was energy sensitive. To have developed one’s energy sensitivity gives one a distinct leg up in getting a grip on one’s environment. The subtitle of Karen’s book leads the way: Learn the Art of Space Clearing and Bring New Energy into Your Life. I can distinctly testify that if one learns the art of clearing out the old outdated no-longer-relevant energies in one’s life, a way is opened for the new, the pertinent, and your life will change. I promise.

What I find particularly fun in feng shui is the concept of the bagua, kind of a map one superimposes in one’s mind over one’s living space,using whatever door you use as the front door as a starting and reference point. Here’s a bagua:

So, standing at the front door (i.e., the door you use to come and go–are you listening?) put this “map” in front of you and then use your imagination to superimpose the bagua over your house. Do you see where the rooms would fall? Now look at the qualities ascribed to that room.

Now here’s the thing. Your mind could easily be saying right about now, “Uh, I don’t believe in this stuff.” And that’s OK. You don’t need to. What I can tell you is this–just pretend you do. Then engage in the process. And see where it takes you. What if the far back left hand corner really does affect your good fortune? I’m inviting you to suspend judgment on the system and Play the Game and see what happens. I’ll tell you what happens to me: I start caring about what is in all those areas. I might put a plant in the far back left hand corner. Or a crystal. Or something that speaks to life. Something beautiful. And so it goes. Room by room.

One of the things I learned early reading this book was the importance of the front yard. I fully integrated in my mind that the front yard is the place where I interface with the community, with the world at large. How am I presenting myself? How available am I? Could I be found, maybe not literally, but energetically? Are there branches blocking the flow? Is there a clear path to my door? Is it inviting?

One of my favorite questions to ask when I’m engaged in a clearing out process was given to me by a girlfriend, Brenda, who was learning about feng shui as well. I never forget it. “Would you buy it in a store today?” Wow. While it’s OK to hang on to things from our past that have sentimental value, does your wardrobe, for example, represent who you are NOW? Because a good part of feng shui is getting current and being current.

Another aspect of “being current” is to be sure that all repairs are completed in your house. Also, try to develop your consciousness to be attuned to those annoying little things that are energy wasters or energy annoyers, like doors that don’t quite close properly, or keys that you must always look for. Or dog water dishes that are too small and thus need filling more often than you’d like. (Yes, I did that.) Streamline, streamline! Ask, “Is this flowing?” If not, take the time to make the adjustment. All those old adages have value. A place for everything and everything in its place. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. It’s true!

Karen offers this perspective about feng shui: “Feng Shui offers hope. It offers the means to reconnect and bring the sacredness into our lives.” What a worthy endeavor, and what better time than now?

Love and blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Posted on October 26th, 2008 by Kathryn
Filed under: Book Notes | 16 Comments »

Tibetan mandala, 14th C.

I’m not sure what got me thinking about flower mandalas. I used to make them regularly. I think this was when I lived in Santa Rosa on four acres and had an abundance of materials to choose from. When I first decided to write this post I actually thought I’d gotten the idea for flower mandalas from a book I will soon be reviewing. (Stay tuned.) But, in fact, when I looked there, she makes no mention of flower mandalas, and when I googled them, I found zero actual images of what I have been doing for years now. Of course the mandala itself is a very old archtypal image, as indicated above. The word mandala is Sanskrit, and roughly translates as “sacred circle.” It also bears a context of home or essence. I create my own humble, live versions, and hope after reading this post you will be inspired and encouraged to create yours.

I found as I began thinking of writing about my flower mandalas, my mind kept nagging me for thinking of writing of them in the fall, when flowers are certainly not at their peak. Nevertheless, I could not postpone the idea for some reason or another, which perhaps will become clearer by the end of this post. So I went out into the garden and gathered what was in most abundance (as you need repetition to create them) and brought them into the kitchen to begin. My first observation, surprisingly, was that almost every flower I currently have multiples of, is rather horn or trumpet-shaped. (“Harbingers of what?” I asked myself.) And this means they do not lie flat, as they should. So my first effort was uncharacteristic in its lack of perfect symmetry, yet I felt it has sufficient charm to be included. And thus I share Flower Mandala #1.

You will recognize that I used white and red hollyhocks, golden and orange nasturtium, pink and blue morning glories, and two pink zinnias. The zinnia is most what I would normally use, as it’s quite flat. But I find in spite of the slightly casual display, this is a nice addition to a table, dresser or even altar, if you are so inclined.

Most mandalas have an intuitive, irrational character and, through their symbolical content, exert a retroactive influence on the unconscious. They therefore possess a “magical” significance, like icons…

Carl Jung

Upon completing this first flower mandala I was simultaneously pleased and frustrated. I determined I needed to make another, and turned to yesterday’s farmer’s market for what I knew would be there in abundance: (flat!) dahlias. This enabled me to choose stem by stem considering symmetry, in terms of both color and size. More inspired, I returned to my kitchen and fashioned Flower Mandala #2, which is more similar to those I’ve made in the past, but also more formal. It’s very pleasing, I think. And, yes, I added two of the zinnias from my front garden for splash!

By now I found myself fully engaged in the Flower Mandala process as I found myself inquiring over and over again what the implications were for now and for the upcoming holiday season. I kept imagining bay and berries and trying to configure them in my mind’s eye in keeping with this structure, almost to no avail. Undaunted, I surrendered to this process, which has some unexamined urgency or drive behind it, and advised myself that apparently I was engaged in a Flower Mandala Workshop on a Sunday afternoon [I’m what??] and what had I thought I was doing? It seemed like a worthy endeavor. Deepening the surrender I went out in search of flowers that reflected current motifs. I’d already decided I wanted to explore greens in addition to flowers, but knew I needed a single flower with a big voice. Here’s where that impulse led.

In all honesty I had been anticipating lots of layering, so I was utterly surprised when I realized once I’d put the flower in the center, the red maple leaves symmetrically framing it, and the baby mums in place that it was finished. (You are?? Yes, I am.) This taught me that sometimes a thing of beauty can be rendered in a flash. Good to note.

My curiosity was now fully engaged and I followed the next impulse, wanting to incorporate something of the upcoming Halloween imagery, but, also, again, the notion of More Green. I had abandoned the idea of berries, as its being too soon in the season, but pulling out from a store jaunt, I happened to spy some pepper berries in the parking lot and quickly reparked and pulled out the gardening shears which I always carry in the glove compartment. (You never know when you might find something irresistable and available–such as pepper berries in the parking lot!) I have to confess I’ve never created anything quite like this, a very satisfying experience for a creative person, and thus, I really did create my very own Flower Mandala Workshop today, in the convenience of my home. Sweet, unexpected, fun, and very gratifying!

Squash, pepper berries, gingko leaves, red maple leaves, and nandina blossoms

I would like to invite you to explore making your own flower mandalas with what is readily at hand. I hope you will. And then if you would love to share your treasure, please email me a jpeg and I will include one or two here.

I saw that everything, all paths I had been following, all steps I had taken, were leading back to a single point — namely, to the mid-point. It became increasingly plain to me that the mandala is the centre. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the centre, to individuation…I knew that in finding the mandala as an expression of the self I had attained what was for me the ultimate.

– Carl Jung

Love and gardening blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Posted on October 12th, 2008 by Kathryn
Filed under: People at Play | 34 Comments »