Currently, many friends are moving in to a new stage of their lives. Some have lost careers and are pondering the next steps and finances and their sense of identity. Others are reinventing themselves due to divorces and sadly, loss of loved ones. We are on the threshold of moving back to our home country and yet after twenty years, it feels like another adventure and life. When I look back over the last decades of moving to different cities and countries, usually we moved without knowing anyone and often struggled with another language and different bureaucracies. It feels as if there is a hall of mirrors reflecting a different identity at each time and place with a different sense of self. This is interesting to reflect upon when reviewing this sector of the Bagua Map.
Feng Shui First
As with the Wealth sector, define what Self-Knowledge and Cultivation, Spirituality and Wisdom mean to you as it will differ from others’ idea of what this means to them. It can be seen as an inward or external journey to knowledge and balance or a resolution or solution to various emotional and psychological needs. For those who are drawn to spirituality in any form or faith, it can be part of this sector. This doesn’t mean setting up a shrine or putting up icons in this sector although we often saw an altar in this area when living in Malaysia. It does mean ideally encouraging this area by using the Wood element and blue or earth colours including pale yellow, to achieve a sense of balance.
The Bedroom
This sector is in our main bedroom and we have lovely art work depicting happy couples as this is important to us. Having moved to different places, we have often grown together when experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly of each experience. The bed linen is bright and sunny with birds and leaves depicting growth and happiness and the colours are shades of green and lemon. It is a calming room with gentle light ensuring a sense of feeling restful and peaceful.
The Kitchen
We have had a kitchen in this area and we renovated the space with earth tones and stone adding hints of green and wood. What was interesting is this became a happy place where people gathered and cooked together. For some food is a key part of their community and sustenance. For us, food has attracted friends from different cultures who are passionate about food and ingredients and what makes a good meal to share.
A Bathroom
As readers will know, the bathroom is always a room for a Feng Shui conversation due to being seen as the room where money and life can go ‘down the drain’. It is often the area that gets the most questions about water, decor and general usage. Keep the door shut, the place clean and check out other posts on how to ensure that the Water element is reduced. If you have a bathroom in the Self Knowledge and Wisdom area, don’t start putting Buddhas in the bathroom as as my Buddhist friends say, would you put a statue of another religious icon in a bathroom? An interesting discussion to be had. Also avoid shells and anything to do with the sea as this just adds more water energy.. Plants, green towels and decor are ideal and any stone or earth elements can be used as they are seen to ‘soak’ up the water aspect.
An Office
A friend has her office in this area and after discussions, she has put her awards, framed certificates and business books in this space. Being in Human Resources, it is ideal as the focus is on harmony and growth in her field and she has put up goals that she wants to achieve.
Final Thoughts
It is a sector that is often overlooked but one that is important for asking who are we, what do we represent and what is our identity? As Carl Jung stated, “Your visionĀ will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
