Feng Shui, literally means wind and water. It is an ancient Chinese study
of the natural and "man-made" environment and has been practiced for
thousands of years.
This environment can be at the office, in your home, in a building, or on real
property. For us, it is the way that we have organized our cattery.
Properly applied, Feng Shui can result in improvements in the life of the
individuals (both humans and pets) that occupy the environment and may
include prosperity, health benefits, and general well being.
What are the basic principles of Feng Shui?
Feng Shui is based on the principle of Yin and Yang. Balance, harmony,
consistent change, and the interdependency of all things are but a few of the
deep meanings within this simple representation. Yang representing heat and
light is rising and Yin representing cold and darkness descends.
Shown above, the image represents the true orientation of the Yang and Yin.
Yang, representing heat rises on the left (or East) and reaches its peak at the
top (South). Yin representing coolness descends on the right (West) and
reaches its maximum at the bottom (North).
Yin and Yang are dependent opposites that must always be in balance. The
opposites flow in a natural cycle always replacing the other. Just as the
seasons cycle and create a time of heat and cold, Yin and Yang cycles
through active and passive, dark and light, etc. Yin and Yang evolved from
a belief of mutually dependant opposites that cannot live without the other.
Yin and Yang can further be explained as a duality that cannot exist
without both parts. The chart below shows some of the many opposites that are
contained in such a simple symbol.
YANG Yin
active passive
hot cold
life death
summer winter
male female
day night
odd even
sun moon
fire water
Within Yang, there is a small piece of Yin. Within Yin, there is a small piece
of Yang. Just as in the heart of winter, a seed lays in wait to become life, so
is Yang waited within Yin for its turn. In a hot summer, a sudden desert
storm can bring coolness. This too is an example of how Yin is found in
Yang. Again, there are no absolutes, just cycles in time.
Another analogy is that the sun rises in the East, reaches its hottest at noon
and sets in the west, soon reaching its darkest. Yet within Yin there is a seed
of Yang waiting to arise and within Yang there is Yin waiting to descend.
This analogy can be applied to time, seasons, directions, and many other
cycles of change.
The Relationship of Five Elements
Another simple, yet powerful representation based upon the Tai Chi (Yin and
Yang representation shown above) is the 5 elements diagram.
It is a view of how the elemental energies interact. Shown above in its
balanced state, it is in harmony. Yet each element can strengthen or weaken
other elements in a variety of beneficial and detrimental ways. When
calculating the energy "blueprint" of a property these interactions provide the
key to correcting issues within a property. An elemental perspective is a
productive cycle of five elements. Creating this productive cycle of elements
we see that:
Wood burns producing Fire.
Fire leaves behind Earth.
Earth is the source of Metal.
Metal liquefies into flowing liquid like Water (or when Metal is cooled it creates
condensation, such as a car left out on a cool night)
Water then becomes the nourishment for the Wood.
According to Feng Shui, the energy of our home greatly affects our general
well being. Great pains are taken with interior and exterior design as well as
furniture and object placement so that everything works in harmony with the
cosmic force or energy for the highest benefit possible. Most individuals who
employ the art of Feng Shui report wonderful positive changes.
Besides increased happiness, wealth and prosperity, they have also reported
such things as improved health, more harmonious relationships and a
general feeling of well being. Taking such care of our homes infuses them
with sacredness and they become living spirits that nurture us.
In nature, all things are in harmony. Animals living in nature live
harmoniously with the energies that surround them.
When animals spend most or all of their time in artificial indoor
environments, they are at the mercy of the inharmonious energies that might
be present in the environment.
These energies can greatly affect their health and emotional well being. You
may have taken great pains to create a harmonious and esthetically
beautiful atmosphere in your home without considering that, for your animal
companion, things may be far from harmonious.
This can be better understood by taking a look at indoor life from the
perspective of your cat, dog or other small animal. Get down at their eye level
and take a look around. Often the area closest to the floor is the most
neglected from a housekeeping standpoint, being the most untidy. It is all a
matter of perspective. What you experience and what your cat, dog or rabbit
experiences can be quite different, indeed!
Cats, in particular, are extremely sensitive to the energies given off by
different objects and the energies generated by different configurations of
objects.
Often when I communicate with a cat, or other small animal they will
communicate a sense of discomfort with their indoor environment.
When I ask the animals to give me a visual picture of what they are
experiencing I am often presented with the view of the underside of a bed,
couch or other piece of furniture.
These areas in most homes are often cluttered, untidy and the last to be
cleaned. We simply don't think of these areas of our homes because, to us,
they are of little impact. To our animal companions, however, particularly
when they are of a diminutive size, these areas comprise a great deal of their
world.
Many cats frequently explore the tops of dressing tables, piano tops, dining
tables, kitchen counter tops and other places where delicate things are kept or
food is prepared. The reason animals frequent these places is often not what
we think. When questioned about this type of behavior during telepathic
communication sessions, cats will often communicate that they like the
energy in these places - they experience a sense of order, cleanliness and
beauty that they do not experience when on the ground.
Animals are naturally drawn to harmony and beauty and will seek it out
whenever possible. In nature this would not be a factor since nature is always
harmonious and beautiful, but indoors it can be quite a different matter. I
have experimented with my cats over the years to see how they respond to the
creation of beautiful, harmonious settings placed at their level. Placing small
container plants close to the floor along with mirrors and sacred objects
makes them very happy. They respond immediately to this kind of
decorating on their behalf and consequently they spend far less time on top
of furniture.
I once created an altar of remembrance for my cat Bijou. It was in a corner of
my room, on the floor. Bijou's altar was decorated with fresh bedding, an
electric warming pad, some shells, rocks, a small statue of St. Francis, the
patron of animals. Bijou loved his altar and would spend happy times in
front of it lying on his back in a kitty yoga posture. Bijou knew the altar
was his special place and he loved it very much. Since that time I have
always created altars, and I would animal altars to all cat owners. Creating
a sacred space for our animal companions not only makes them healthier
and happier but enriches our lives as well.
Andrew Harvey, once said: "In the new world, if we get there, all homes will be
temples. And the animal, your companion animal, should be worshipped as
the representative of the creation and as the representative of the Divine
Mother. So they are at the very center of the mandala of the home. And
anything that you can do to make them happy making special altars for
them, finding out where they most like to rest and be, making that as
comfortable and sacred an environment as possible, and playing the kind of
music that they love is all to the good because it only increases their joy. And
the deeper and the greater their joy, the happier the home." Andrew continues
in his book, The Direct Path, "For me, my cat Purball is our temple cat; her
being and need are sacred; her presence is a divine blessing on our house to be
kept vibrant by tenderness and attention. As the expert I learned Feng Shui
from told me when he saw her lying asleep at the top of the stairs: 'If your
animal is happy, the house will smile. And if your house smiles, all your
hopes will flourish.'"
So, we have based our cattery and our lives on the principles of Feng Shui.
Harmony and balance are the keys to be healthy and happy. For cats, the
Yin/Yang have another meaning in that the are responsive to us as we are to
them - its a two way street people - the felines understand it, why can
humans? The Five elements of cats include: Health - free of genetic issues
and contagious disease; Beauty - strictly a personal view of appearance;
Pursonality - how the animal interacts with others (cats and humans);
Standard - the attempt to maintain the purity of the breed; and Attachment
- what we all need.
Ziggy has his own concepts of Feng Shui, click here.
