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Feng Shui: Seeing the light

By on January 31, 2012
Among many people’s life goals is to be recognized for one’s abilities and achievements. The core issue is really about being respected for who one is as a person – being validated. In Feng Shui, the theme which relates most strongly to this is ‘Fame and Reputation’. While not everyone will end up on the cover of Time magazine, we can all be acknowledged and respected for who we are and what we do personally and professionally. If you are looking for a job, a promotion, or a lover, this is a key area to work with.
   
In the traditional forms of Feng Shui, the Fame and Reputation area was located in the South, symbolizing the sun that illuminates, warms, and elevates. In contemporary schools of Feng Shui, we look at the central rear area of the home or office when looking in from the front door (you can also work on a smaller scale in each room). We aim to put any objects that symbolize the sun and fire itself. Candles and lamps – which produce both light and heat – can work in this area. (Colder-toned fluorescent bulbs are very not effective in this regard, however.) Reddish colours – red, orange, and pink – are excellent here too, but yellow is not, as in Chinese Five Element theory that colour symbolizes Earth, and not Fire.   

Images of the sun itself are good, but it’s better that they not be above an expanse of water (as water puts out fire), and sunrises are better than sunsets (as the upward movement is the direction we want our reputation to go in). An image of a phoenix, the bird that burns in flames only to be reborn, is a traditional cure for this area, and logically so: so many famous people burn out, whereas those whose fame lasts can walk through challenging circumstances almost unscathed, much like a phoenix after it burns. Harry Potter fans – this is your chance to have a phoenix work some magic! If you’re not into phoenixes, majestic birds like eagles that fly high or the ever-reliable rooster (because it gets up with the sun) can be a good alternative.  

Because this area speaks to recognition, anything that shows how you have been recognized will be an effective accent. Have you won any awards? This is the place to put them, though if you’re going back to your high school track victory a decade or two ago, you might want to forego this kind of decoration. Certificates can work very well here, as they show that you have been recognized for your knowledge. Awards and certificates are definitely best used in offices and work spaces as opposed to homes and certainly not in adult bedrooms (kids can get away with it in their multi-purpose rooms, but for adults, such items in a bedroom are just tacky).

What is it that you want to be recognized for? Having objects related to that theme could be useful, especially when complemented with some of the other suggestions (the colour red and/or a light source can help to illuminate the possibility of such recognition). While it’s not my personal favourite approach, images of people who are famous in the field that you want to be recognized in can help to stimulate some energy in that direction – I find this kind of application stronger if you actually know the people in the picture. Best of all are pictures of you with famous people – if you’ve ever stopped a celebrity on the street and gotten your picture with them, this is a great place to put it (unless they were annoyed by you and look awful in the picture). The energy of fame and recognition helps to stimulate this energy in your space for you to absorb and benefit from.  

Other suggestions: incense burners (where there’s smoke, there’s fire), fireplaces, poinsettias (at Christmas time, though they’d be great year-round), plants (particularly those with more pointed leaves), red flowers, triangular and pyramidal shapes that represent the shape of a flame (finally an excuse to have a bowl of nachos!), and images of Buddha (symbolizing enlightenment).   

May you and others recognize and bask in your true brilliance.   

Mark Ainley is a Contemporary Feng Shui Consultant and Emotional Stress Consultant living in Vancouver. A former 5-year resident of Tokyo, Mark consults with clients internationally to help them design living and work spaces in alignment with their goals. He also provides consulting in emotional stress management, as well as in the connection between facial structure and innate behavioural and communication patterns. He can be reached through his website: www.markainley.com

About Mark Ainley

Mark Ainley is a Contemporary Feng Shui Consultant and Emotional Stress Consultant living in Vancouver. A former 5-year resident of Tokyo, Mark consults with clients internationally to help them design living and work spaces in alignment with their goals. He also provides consulting in emotional stress management, as well as in the connection between facial structure and innate behavioural and communication patterns. He can be reached through his website: www.senseofspace.com and www.markainley.com.