BUT I also ran across some interesting things about the year of the dog.
The back-story is that I'd designed a "Year of the Dog" artistamp for Ephemeria and then didn't really have the time to release it, so it's sitting in a file in need of being put on a sheet and a PDF file created from it.
It seemed like a good idea to add some background information about the year of the dog to the sheet with the stamps. So that led me to research.
I found a multitude of stuff but OY! it's got some surprises thrown in.
So now it's a tough call. I don't want to say "here's this year of the dog stamp gift and look how dismal the next eleven months could be for you."
Apparently feng shui consultants see the year hosting 'issues' between the Dog and the Dragon. Personally I'm thinking the dog better be a rottweiler or have a dozen or so very good friends unless this is Puff the magic Dragon.
Because the Dog is the enemy of the Dragon . . major natural disasters are a great threat to earth . . . It is for this reason that most feng shui experts suggest wearing protection amulets to keep the clashing "earth" elements, and potential disasters in check.So far the year has been very generous to me. But to be on the safe side I may need to find one of these amulets. Can I make my own? I figure not, since feng shui seems pretty hard and fast with symbols and placement and all that stuff.
So now I'm even getting a little worried about the color choice for this type. Should it be red instead? I'm too clueless to know and too busy to do the research.
Could I maybe just change the placement of my bed or something?
On the other hand, if the amulet needs to be a precious stone I can go for that. There is after all that Ross-Simons sale thingie.
I'm now just looking for some good news, so I read on and find out that -
Fire, the other element of the year, doesn't help either. In fact, it weakens the vital element that reveals the destiny of the year: wood.Oh great. Combine fire and wood and it smells like trouble.
But like all other predictions . . (this) . . . will not be overshadowed by the bad news. The good news of course, will keep our hopes up.
Or smoke.
This is like one of those good news / bad news things where the good news is that there is not ALL bad news.
At least we've got an expert telling us about this, in the person of world-renowned feng shui consultant Lillian Too, who according to my resource contends that
Wealth, however, will not come that easily. Only when we experience a lot of rainfalls would wealth prospects manifest. This is because water strengthens wood, the vital element, weakened by fire.See now this is interesting - although confusing. I've got two fountains in the house. One is in the studio which has southwest windows and the other is in the powder room which is off the front foyer which opens to the northwest. Even marginally, I'm not sure that qualifies.
This is why Too suggests having water features near or around your living spaces.
"You just place water in the north direction. Activating this direction benefits the whole house," she said.
Besides, the cats drink out of them and they're forever running dry if I don't refill them absolutely every day. I think a dry water feature may be worse than no water feature at all, because the elements may be expecting something . . and getting nothing could make them really annoyed.
Especially if elements have PMS or are retired guys with nothing to do. That could be bad.
But then I keep reading and things start to look up, in fact it almost sounds like projects begun this year will be successful because of "double spring."
Now this sounds great as long as it doesn't mean double the tourists here in DC.
But don't get complacent. Because the word is that . .
On Feb. 4, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, Lap Chun is the start of spring. It is advised to keep your doors located or facing the southeast and southwest closed for the day because the Five Ghosts Door and Door of Death are located in these directions.Talk about your yin yang. First excellent news (I mean who can argue with getting double spring?) but then she slides seamlessly into a line that only makes me think: Good lord, someone should have told me before today!
Luckily I rarely use those doors but you can't be too careful with death and five ghosts running amok on February 4th or any other day.
And then as if things weren't dicey enough it looks like. . .
Relationships will be unstable as the year is drowned in quarrelsome energy, thanks but to no thanks to the ruling number 3, which according to feng shui, is a magnet of quarrelsome energy.I see, so things will go well . . . except not relationships. Ha - what's new there?
I took a break after that and tried to think how to make the best of things. I kept thinking back to the information about the presence of three special stars coming this year.
So I'm putting on my "to do" list the creation of artistamps not just for the year of the Dog - but also a set of three honoring the Star of Prospects, the Star of Spirituality, and the Star of Powerful Mentors.
You can't mess with a belief system that's as old as Feng Shui so getting on the good side of the forces that be by honoring three stars can't hurt - can it?
I better get busy with those stamps and play it safe.
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Comments: 14
Loved this article, Susan!
Aileen - you're right! Weenies it is; NOW I've got another great theme for my year of the dog artistamp. Oh & I knew _somebody_ would get the retired guys thing!
Kathryn, the whole thing boggles me. I read about it and I try to interpret what it means and first it loks like one thing and then the opposite. I was whining about the contradictory messages and my daughter said something like "duh - I mean its the whole Yin Yang thing"
Thanks a lot for confusing me further! I have to tell you, I can be easily overwhelmed and now with all this new information about potential gloom and doom if I use the wrong door, don't have a fountain in the house or let it dry up, etc., I'm afraid I'm on overload. So please excuse me while I go stick my head back in the sand. This was hilarious and very well written!
I have NO clue how all the yin/yang of feng shui will balance out this year but now that I've moved my bead so it doesn't face a mirror I'm feeling more secure.
Susan- loved it. I'd reccomend moving your fountain out of the bathroom though...too much water element could be bringing about too much change at once.
Keep 'em coming!