Autumn: The Earth Pulls Inward

     Mother Earth is the primal nurturer. She is receptive, strong, and gentle. Together, earth and sky complement one another, and in doing so, foster creation.

     The autumn season is a time to reap the harvest in preparation for the colder months ahead. It is a time to persevere even when things seem impossible. Mother Earth teaches us to be open to a solution then one will be presented as the earth follows heaven's time and heaven's time helps the earth. If we yield to the earth and treat Her with kindness unlimited abundance is ours.

     The natural contractive force during this season impacts human behavior. There is an underlying desire to serve all life forms unconditionally as higher self awakens. It is the inward momentum that calls us to take time away from distractions and tap into inner resources.

What Can We Learn:

     There are several lessons Mother Earth puts forth especially this time of year. Love and respect is a big one. Think about it, the earth has respect for all who live upon her. There is no part of her that is greater than the other. All is one and perfect.

     Gaining wisdom and having courage are also lessons to behold. The greatest sages known to man walked upon the earth. In their very footsteps lies the wisdom to be shared with all. The earth doesn't falter when shaken. Every day She provides for all without compromise. We too must work through the difficult times and defend what is right, what we believe in, and be a part of this world.

     Seeking the truth is yet another lesson the earth presents. The earth is always true to itself. It does not seek to destroy. If we are true to self first then it will be easy to be true to others.

Simple Earth Meditation:

     Earth represents the mother, nurturer, and liberating current; it requires sky energy (the father) for balance and to bring intentions to fruition. Here is a simple meditation, so you can better serve yourself and others:

• Sit comfortably with your spine erect and shoulders relaxed.
• Soften the corners of your eyes.
• Focus on the ebb and flow of the breath.
• Repeat a simple mantra, "I am divine love" 108 times to affirm connection to love and align yourself to the will of the universe.

Around the Home:

     The earth areas of the home include the northeast, southwest and center. It's a good idea to build and root these areas of your home with fire and earth elements. There are so many ways to do this from color choices, elements, patterns or as simple as crystals, stones and candles. I offer a plethora of simple design solutions in many of my publications, but especially Feng Shui Designs in a Flash CD. You can click here to visit my publications page.

     Once you build and root the aforementioned areas of your home, you will energetically feel more grounded to take you into the colder months ahead. To help you with the inward journey this season offers, activate the west and northwest portents of your home as well. You'll want to support with strong earth and contractive precious metal qualities. The inward journey is a time to reap the benefits of your intentions set earlier in the year so you can prepare to lay the groundwork for new ideas to come.

For further information on the forces of nature and how they impact you personally see my third book: Mother Nature a Bridge Conscious Living


Om!

Mary Jane - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Seats and Arbors

Stone Seating

     Gardens are a perfect place to sit and relax. Choosing the right seat is everything. The shape, pattern, or color on a bench or chair will effect the flow of chi. A long straight bench with horizontal slats acts as a straight line to speed up the energy, while a round chair with curved back helps the chi to flow smoothly. A solid, heavy stone seat would make a good stillness remedy. This bodes exceptionally well in high activity areas as the stone becomes a tethering point.

     When choosing the material for your seating, use the bagua for guidance. For example, stone seating bodes exceptionally well in earth and metal directions such as southwest, northeast, west and northwest, while wood works dynamically in the east, southeast or south directions. Also be mindful of the style choice when considering the portents of the bagua. For example, choose a more romantic feel when positioning seating in the southwest, while a carefree and playful design works best in the west.

     Arbors make for very good feng shui as long as they are not too overgrown for energy to flow in and out. Choose a shape with a rounded top, and use scented plants to attract beneficial chi to the area. Arbors are excellent accent pieces especially in the dynamic growth portents of east, southeast and south. They also can act as a fabulous border to separate one area of the garden from another. Depending on the size of the arbor, it can double as a protective roof over an eating area.  

     Think about your garden as a place to relax and a place to be active - weeding and pruning, planting and mowing. But even the most active of us need simply to sit and enjoy the garden some of the time. Seating is an essential part of any garden, whether you have a single chair or half a dozen benches in different places. Either way, take your time to balance your outdoor space with interesting choice seating and artsy arbors.

Mary Jane - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Autumnal Equinox 2019!

Happy Autumnal Equinox 2019!
You are the only true expert on your journey to enlightenment!

Our senses tell us summer has come to an end in the northern half of the world. The Autumn Equinox arrives this year on Monday, September 23, 2019. This officially marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 
 

The word "equinox" comes from the Latin and means "equal night." Essentially, two times a year the day and night are equal (12 hours).  The Autumn Equinox represents a time of harvest and contractive force within the earth to prepare for the colder months ahead. It is a time to harvest the efforts of your intentions for your life path that you set earlier in the year. 

 

The changing seasons are key points in nature: the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox. Just as the seasons move through these cycles, so too does the human spirit evolve ever deeper towards a state of enlightenment.  

 

From a spiritual perspective, fall is a time to acknowledge abundance. It is a time to recognize there is abundance all around, and to acknowledge abundance as our natural state of being.
 

Ways to Celebrate:

 

There are many ways to celebrate the significance of this time of year. Here are a few suggestions: Read more by clicking here!

Elevate Your Consciousness!

Mary Jane

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The Tree of Oneness: Most people are used to seeing trees that grow from the ground up, but yogis talk about a tree that grows upside down.

There is an eternal tree called Ashvattha, which has its roots above and branches below. The oldest reference to this tree appears in the Rig Veda, a text composed in India over 5,000 years ago. Indias' ancient sages literally placed the tree in the sky. It is said to be located in the tail of the celestial scorpion which the yogis call Mula, "the root." This is the root in heaven out of which the world tree grows. Ashvattha, the yogis' name for the World Tree, actually means "where the horse is stationed." The horse in the sky is the constellation Pegasus. Pegasus eternally gallops around the North Celestial Pole. The pole is one point in the northern sky that never moves. Everything else in heaven revolves around it. It represents the Spirit, which lies outside of time and change. From a point of complete stillness, our inner spirit observes everything going on around us, just like a motionless axle in a spinning wheel.

In yoga, the horse symbolizes prana, the breath of life. The breath is yoked to the mind the way Pegasus is yoked to the North Star. Yogis know how to slow and finally stop the breath, merging their awareness in the unmoving center of their being. This is a state of samadhi, the deepest level of meditation. In deep meditation you start to climb the tree. The Ashvattah inside you is your spine. The mystical root is at the top of your head or Sahasrara chakra, the center where Divine consciousness resides.

The Autumnal Equinox is a time to harvest your intentions placed upon the fertile ground of your mind. This is the time  of year to move inward and seek the wisdom of higher consciousness. It is a time to explore the roots of the Ashvattah tree that lies within. This tree spawns new roots from the ONE to create abundance all around.

Botanists call the Ashvattah tree, Ficus Religiosa. In India today, it is called the Bodhi tree. Sitting under it, Buddha became enlightened. It is a type of tree that grows up from the ground, but then sends more roots downward from its branches. When these shoots reach the earth they re-root themselves and form a new tree. In other words, every tree in the forest actually is the first tree.Although everything in the universe appears to be separate, in reality all things share the eternal source. 

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This Autumnal Equinox why not celebrate the abundance all around you with a Leaf Boat Ceremony!

You can prepare your leaf boats with plants from mother nature and fill them with the seeds of your intentions. Once you have filled your boats (7), the loshu number representing the trigram associated with the Autumnal Equinox, set them off to sail into the waters upon the earth.

The trigram Dui, represents creativity like that of an innocent child. The ability to create comes from your higher self.  Tapping into this state of mind requires stillness, quietude, and internal consciousness - all qualities of the contractive force of metal in combination with the movement of change, or the dosha vatta. Watch my video here about the Leaf Boats and watch them sail away in this video!  

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Blessings!
Mary Jane - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

Pure Abundance Blows in With The WInd

Welcome to Body Space Alignment Newsletter. The Feng Shui month began on September 8th and will go to October 8th. It is a time when the wind picks up and the temperature fluctuates between a hot summers day and a chill in the air.  We are in the center of a transition between late summer and early fall.  The element of earth acts as the mediator during this transition period as it prepares to give birth to its child of metal. The air quality (vata) is also beginning to rise this month. It represents movement, change and a creative mind. The energetic combination between the loshu number 4 that flows with the wind, the grounding forces of transition earth, metal birthing with the creativity of a child's imagination, and vata moving and churning up the waves of change,  will prove to be an exceptional month for Pure Abundance!  Elevate Your Consciousness! Mary Jane Pure Abundance: Xun or the Loshu number 4 relocates its energy to the center of the loshu grid this month. Xun has the energetic qualities of pure abundance, movement in the form of wind, literary expertise, receptivity, and the ability to communicate ideas effectively.  When you step into the energetic field of pure abundance, it is evident that everything you have ever desired is close at hand. This is truly the concept of the Law of Attraction. That which you visualize this month comes to fruition. To Call it Forth, set your intention, visualize every aspect of it, and allow the winds to blow fortune into your life. Be a part of this abundance by reaching within yourself. Navigate the stories you collect in your mind with a sense of ease and then IGNORE them! It's the stories you create that holds you back from attaining what is rightfully yours. If you train yourself to disregard your stories, and the stories of others, you will reveal your authentic self and the true nature of others. Once you are willing to do what it takes to hone your gifts and talents, make wise decisions, and live in gratitude; the world is your oyster. Pure abundance is activated by gratitude. Gratitude is another way of saying your are happy and content. This follows the second limb of yoga or the Niyama Santosha. Read more here about contentment. You Are a Channel of abundant energy. It moves through you, around you, and swirls before you. If you can't see it clear your vision by clearing your environment. In fact, once you clear your surroundings, you will automatically breathe better. Breathing better means a clearer mind-set. The mind layer (Manomaya Kosha) is directly linked to the physical layer (Anamaya Kosha), by way of the breath (Pranamaya Kosha). Hence, BREATHE and your mind and body will relax! Live Your Life fully and abundantly with all your blessings. Show gratitude and the ever-evolving cosmic consciousness will reward you ten-fold. All exists inside your reach. Dance the Dance with Abundance! Earth:  The element of earth is the transition element between seasons. The grounding effects are essential as wind,  air (vata), and metal rise. Metal, air and wind are qualities of the ethers. Therefore, the solid ground of mother earth offers the mind and body something to be tethered to. To Remain Grounded it is essential to activate the root base through grounding practices such as Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi or Qigong. Spending time outdoors sitting or walking upon the earth also bodes well. Walking a labyrinth is a perfect way to ground the mind and body while the air and wind spirals you down the path of change. Repeating a Simple Mantra like So Ham is another way to get grounded. The mantra So ham is the natural sound of the breath - your inhale making the sound So and your exhale making the sound Ham. Read more here... Yoga Poses that stimulate the lungs and large intestines are also favorable this month with metal chi on the rise. Poses such as bridge, cobra, wheel, upward facing dog, and triangle all stimulate the lungs while gate, seated spinal twist, reclining twist, and supported bridge activate the large intestines. Be Creative this month like that of a child at play. Think about what makes your heart sing and then let it SING! Whatever your favorite pass time is explore, and then explore some more. A large part of manifesting abundance is being creative. Think outside the box and see what comes up. You may just surprise yourself at what you really are yearning for. Food Choices this month should include mostly earth foods. This will stabilize the otherwise moving chi of wind and air (vata) dosha. Earth foods include the following: Fennel Peppers Yams Broccoli Cauliflower Chestnuts Beans Mushrooms Pears Bananas And for you carnivores... Beef, turkey and veal Other Areas of Awareness This Month:  Spend time with family   Stomach upset/virus especially for eldest male  Lots of movement with finances - make wise decisions  Resources are directly linked with goal-setting this month  Plan for long-term partnership with like-minded people  Keep travel plans open and double check your arrangements  Networking and contracts should be closely scruntinized  Career advancement is directly linked to your goals and visions this month  Rely on your intuition especially during meditation practice Tap into any one of my six book series co-authored with liked-minded people from across the country and Canada. In this series discover your authentic self!  All books are available on my website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or The Wisdom Buffet website!

Quick Front Door Checklist

Quick Front Door Checklist

     The front door is one of the most important features in feng shui. If well positioned will encourage health, wealth, and longevity. With high traffic flow, this is a part of the home that can paint your own energy pattern every time you pass through it. So many of my clients ask me what are some simple pointers for the front door. Here is my "go to" front door checklist.

• Welcoming and well maintained
• Shiny feature such as address numbers, knocker or kick plate
• Fully functional with no hindrances
• Decorative wreath, plaque, or family crest
• Large chime positioned at least 4 feet from the door to attract energy
• Curved (half moon) welcome mat
• Lighting on either side of door for protection and to elevate energy
• Straight and rot free doorframe
• Preferably facing one of the occupants favorable directions

     The front door is your face to the world. Take time to think about how you want to present yourself to the world when tending to this aspect of your home. It makes all the difference and well worth your effort.

Here's to a Happy and Healthy Home!

Mary Jane - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com