Friday, June 10, 2011

The Turtle verses the Lo Shu

  
I’m not sure when I realized this but every year, in the early summer, I transform from a feng shui advisor extraordinaire, into a single unit turtle rescue squad. As it happens, I seem to draw the amiable tortoise to me like a moth to a flame.  One morning last week as I headed out to work, I found yet another one scrambling across the hot pavement looking for adventure.  I always hate to tell them, but usually there’s nothing on the other side of that hot road  they didn’t have on the side they just came from. Usually, I just grab them from behind and run to the other side. Once I get it settled into the closest patch of tall grass I can find where it can consider whats just happened, I’m on my way.

This time, the creature was near my own turf, not somewhere further down the road, so I kept running with him straight into my own backyard.  My mind fairly fizzed with the information from my own feng shui background.  I was filled with the desire to have this hard-shelled creature make his home in my own garden. I felt as if I was a descendant of the great Chinese Emperor Yu Huang.

Emperor Yu Haung was the first person known to observe the unique pattern of squares on the back of a turtle he had seen swimming in the vast Yellow River. Here, is where the legend of the  Lo Shu Square began over 5,000 years ago.

The magical Lo Shu Square, based on the mathematical formula found within its 3x3 grid, contains numbers within the 9 squares that, no matter which column you choose to work with, all add up to 15. From this time forward, the square began to be recognized by the Chinese as a symbol of natural order, balance, and a way to maintain a connection with the universe.

You may recall the Baqua, which, to me, is the easiest tool used to correct the balance of chi within your home. It grew from the Lo Shu and is based on the same principles. With either of these, you can begin to adjust the balance of harmony in your home as you address the concerns of any of the life areas.

It makes me wonder if the rescued turtle roaming around my garden was just trying to adjust his own harmony when I snatched him up so he could adjust mine.

Peace

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Black Tortoise Rising

 
We’ve talked about the Red Phoenix, the Green Dragon, and the White Tiger. Today we see the Black Tortoise creeping in to take his place at the back of your home.

Ideally, we hope to see a gentle rolling hill in place.  It is suggestive of a higher mountain and is there to represent a protective barrier at the rear of your property. If the support initiated by having this creature near by seems to be lacking, the occupants might face considerable difficulty. Work on creating a symbol of the Tortoise immediately.If there is no natural hill or mountain, a nice fortification in the form of tall rounded trees, or a large storage structure can be built to symbolize the Black Tortoise.

When the representation of all of the four celestial animals is in place, it’s like an announcement of a great auspicious area being declared for the location of your property. If you are building a structure upon your property to stand in for a gentle hill, and are given only one choice of these four magnificent creatures to select from, choose the Black Tortoise. It is said to have equal importance to the Green Dragon. You can expect the Tortoise to help in careers, provide the blessing of happiness while on the job and it guarantees great margins of success in each business endeavor.

When the Tortoise is at your back, you are surrounded by a symbol of long life and happiness as well as being supported with a great defense from negativity.  It is said that the occupants of the home will receive solid structure and backing when he is found near by. The Black Tortoise is yin and corresponds to the North. Its earth element is that of water, it’s season winter, and black, or dark gray and charcoals represent the colors for it.

This large creature is considered not only wise, but also clairvoyant. He is always listening, continually gathering useful information, as he makes plans to protect the occupants of the home. His shell is strong and represents an ability to prevent change from occurring in your homes energy. In feng shui, his shell is often used for divination.

When you put him in his place at the back of your yard, you’ve whispered the secret that you are willing to accept his protection.

Peace.