Wednesday June 21st 2006 21.18
Ha Gee – Summer Solstice
Richard Ashworth
Feng Shui Diaries
Solar fortnight beginning:
Wednesday June 21st 2006 21.18
Hour Day Month Year
earth metal wood fire
chi xin chia bing
hai si wu xu
pig snake horse dog
Month: chia wu the Wood Horse.
Solar Fortnight: Ha Gee Summer Solstice
Peak Experience
The Summer Solstice is the peak of the year chi. Plant growth is at its height and the days seem endless. My tomatoes are coming on apace, Wimbledon approaches and we have wild strawberries outside the conservatory. As the chi peaks so does the power of the tai sui. The Dog’s influence will still be in strong evidence in October I think because October belongs to him and especially in this fieriest of Dog years but right now the North West is restless with energy.
I visit Gary and Becky in the Peak District. They have called me in because after more than a decade of driving she is having accidents and her younger son is not sleeping. I suggested by email based on this information alone, that she might have stagnant water at kun in the South West but the signs are that the tai sui, the power of the year animal, the most fearsome chi there is, has been challenged.
She has confirmed by email that I am right about the water. She has a stagnant trough there. I am satisfied now that although the orthodox wisdom is to place water in the South West in the 8 Fate, there is trouble in the middle of the South West mountain. This means I must be extra careful that water avoids the middle 15° of the South West sector and is not only clean and alive but maintains a respectful distance from the house.
Children: do not try this at home.
When I get there we establish that the water trough is exactly on kun but also that they have been digging foundations at xu, the Dog, in the Northwest. Now the specific precept about the tai sui, from which is derived the vague warning generally not to mess with it is not to dig foundations there.
Oops.
The texts say that the worst effects will follow if also there is a door or impediment at zhen the Dragon, in the South East. Gary and Becky live in half of a converted parsonage. The view over the Peaks before the traditional Yorkshire fog rolls in Bronte-like is breathtaking. After five minutes or so of survey my luopan shows that the very aggressive porch added to their neighbours’ half of the building is in zhen.
The most powerful effect of Dog abuse is said to be on those born in the Dragon year. Guess what? Becky and Gary’s second son the one who is having the dreams, is a Dragon.
So far this has been a classic of traditional authentic Imperial compass feng shui . That would be very satisfying were it not so upsetting for Gary and Becky. Now I diverge from classical practice and install my own cures.
First we remove the trough altogether. The water is rainwater and we can safely put earth and flowers there; not anything heavy that might constitute yang earth or yang wood. So no trunks or branches, just flowers in a little bed.
Then we arrange to place 6 cleansed programmed rose quartzes where the foundations have been disturbed. These stones have to be substantial and ritual has to be observed in their preparation which is by way of apology to xu. They must stay there until February.
There is a cesspit to the North East which is a little too close to the house so we arrange to plant a protective hedge. The pit is not too huge and it’s well maintained so there’s no need for hysterics. Cess is a part of life anyway. We all do it.
Examination of the ba zi has led me to describe one of the sons –neither of whom I have met – as “autocratic” and “dictatorial”. I find you often have to push the boat out if you are to make a difference but I try to be light, humorous and gentle while I deliver such slander. And it turns out that these are exactly the right words. Prominent in the little boy’s ba zi is the pillar xin muw which I have found to coincide with these characteristics.
Becky asks me what to do about this and I will reply that such imbalance grows out of fear. When we allow our children to behave badly it is generally because we fear to talk to them straight. Often because we think they will hate us for it. But more often, as in Becky’s case, because we fear we may physically lose them if we push them too hard. This is very common if the child has been sickly very young. The solution is to be prepared to push this fear by acting appropriately anyway. This is not easy. I have six children and like you, I did not get dummies to practice on first. They’ve turned out okay – as I emphasise Gary and Becky’s boys will – but a lot of what qualifies me to speak is having made all these mistakes myself.
My friend Cynthia once described my feng shui as “not for the fainthearted” but honestly I’m a pussy cat although it takes courage, grace and humility to receive these pronouncements. Good on G&B.
Someone once said that it is greater to give than to receive; it’s also a damn site easier.
More Water
And as if to prove the principle outlined a few weeks ago that good feng shui often follows getting out of our own way, my friend Paul has opened the spring that is at the South West of his substantial garden.
Paul is a brave gracious and talented man even if he does claim his only skill is making coffee. He has been through it this year.We are turning his life round so that he can continue to earn serious money and spend time with the family rather than one or the other. It is a bit nailbiting. The ghost postman of May brought him a nice present but this year he has had a son with a mysterious complaint which we dealt with at a distance, a wife with a lump scare and a brother-in-law with necrosis. He’s a glutton for it. Each time we do some physical feng shi allied to conversation emphasising his personal responsibility and each time he comes bouncing back for more.
The spring which was stagnant marsh, was clearly the natural chi holder for the whole property. I noticed this first time I surveyed but it looked like a very big and potentially fruitless job and so we had been working on holding water closer to the house when Paul rang to suggest clearing it out in time for the Ghost Postman on the 28th. I was very positive about this but had not expected him to unearth three separate strong healthy springs. This combines with the direct mountain of the house and the two main doors to imply just about perfect form feng shui and not just for the 8 Fate but longterm. This is very exciting and he and Donna deserve it.
Catfight means catfight
Heidi hates cats. It turns out that at the back of her new garden flat is a compound where many were kept. It gives her the willies. I make an aside to the effect that we will probably find the yuen hom 4:1 combination meaning cat fight here. Indeed we do.
I tend to treat these picturesque Chinese analyses as both literal and metaphorical and neither. I have not miade up my mind about these ones.
Heidi is unstoppably creative financially and otherwise. What is missing from her life is a serious relationship.This is true of so many fiercely powerful women. Their power is essentially gentle but that is no reassurance to your average bloke. He expects to be laughed at and he’s often not wrong. I think we can do something about this with the old Peach Blossom. I haven’t done the paperwork yet but my hunch is it may involve the cats.
Feedback is encouraged including that you never want to hear from me again if that happens to be the case.
Richard Ashworth
Richardashworthfengshui@hotmail.com
Names have been changed to protect ..uh…me