Feng Shui Hawaiian Style: Earth Energy for Stability and Success in a Changing World

By Marta Barreras, Master Feng Shui Practitioner

Have you noticed a rising sense of anxiety in the air lately? Changes in jobs, changes in economic status and especially changes in our Earth’s atmosphere are provoking millions of people to be concerned about their future security and well-being.

Would you like to be able to feel more confident and successful, more stable and secure, even in the midst of all of life’s changes? While the conditions of our economy and the climate change may leave us feeling stressed and out of control, there is a way that we can, as individuals, begin to effect positive change now—within our own hearts, minds and homes.

Ola ka ‘aina, “The land lives”—Ancient Wisdom for Navigating Through Challenging Times

Beautiful wisdom has been passed down from the ancient Hawaiians that we can draw upon in our own lives today. It comes from a deep awareness of one’s inseparable interconnectedness with nature. They saw the Divine in every aspect of nature’s elements and knew that communing with the elements would instill in them the “mana” or life force to overcome all obstacles and ensure ultimate success in all their endeavors.

The Hawaiians of old regarded our planet Earth as a living being, with which humans must live in a reciprocal relationship. The ancients regarded the Earth as the “mother of life,” who gives birth and sustenance to all that grows out of her.

For the Hawaiians, Haumea is the archetypical Earth goddess. Haumea is the provider of unlimited abundance and possesses the makalei, the mystical tree branch that attracts unending food supply. From this ancient perspective, the Earth represents the mother archetype and is the sustainer of unconditional support and physical nourishment.

Earth Element as Medicine

Taoist philosophy states that the five elements (wood, fire, metal, water and earth) compose the basic building blocks of everything in the Universe. Therefore, according to this perspective, these elements also exist within us as well as everything in our physical environments.

According to Chinese medicine and acupuncture, the earth element is the feminine energy, called yin, at its fullest. It is receptive, accommodating and embraces all of life. The energy of the earth element creates the safe containment within which all life can flourish.

When your earth energy is in balance, you are grounded, organized, receptive, authentic and centered. There is a sense of order in your life that creates an inherent feeling of stability and security. Balanced earth energy engenders the ability to “be here now” with a sense of strength and presence that allows the inherent goodness of life to blossom forth under all circumstances.

Conversely, when your earth energy is deficient, you will feel unorganized, unstable, spacey or chaotic. If you have too much earth, you will be rigidly controlling, overly serious and conservative, and lacking a sense of joy and spontaneity in life.

Feng Shui and the Earth Element

The energy in your environment has a direct impact on your state of mind, and your state of mind has a direct impact on what you attract and experience in your life. By intentionally creating conscious space for balance and peace in your life, you are also better able to take effective action toward the changes you want to see in your life and in your world.

Feng shui is actually a branch of Chinese medicine and works like acupuncture to enhance and unblock energy in your environment. With feng shui, we can assess the quality of the earth element in your home.

Earth energy relates to containment. If your space has large windows or glass doors that make up most of a wall in your house, you may be experiencing a beautiful view, but it’s likely that there is not enough energy being contained in the house to support your health and prosperity. This is especially true if your glass doors or large windows are directly across from your front door.

The earth element anchors and stabilizes fast-moving energy. If your home is near a busy road or freeway, energy and opportunities in life may be “passing you by.” This may also be the case even if you can just hear cars and road noise loudly from your home.

In the bagua of your home, the earth area is at the center. If you have a bathroom here, your energy will be continually drained away because energy flows down drains like water. If this is your laundry room, your energy will be continually drained and agitated. These rooms may be very small and dark and can constrict the energy flowing through the vital center of the home – somewhat like wearing an overly tight belt around your waist. These scenarios can eventually have a negative impact on your health, relationships and prosperity.

Ideally, it is best to avoid these feng shui pitfalls when building or moving into a home. However, the good news is that feng shui offers remedies, or cures, to offset these types of structural and locational challenges and help restore balance to your home and to your life!

Feng Shui Tips: Embracing the Earth Element for Graceful Living and Success

Are your beautiful large windows or glass doors allowing vitality and prosperity to leak out of your home?

Try placing large ceramic pots on either side of the window or doors to anchor the energy contain it within your space. You may also notice how nicely they frame and enhance your view. A large ceramic pot or large vase placed between the front door and opposite door or window will anchor the ch’i before it can flow out of the house. It can be on a table, by a tall plant, or grouped with other pots or vases to add strength to this cure.

Is your home on or near a busy road or highway? Use large ceramic pots and other large, heavy items (like cement/stone fountains and statuary) near your front door to stabilize the ch’i as it enters your home. Windchimes will help to harmonize the energy coming into the home and offset any noise from cars and other vehicles. Be sure to use large chimes that offer a deep, earthy tone.

Is the earth center of your home continually drained by a toilet or washing machine?

Place a few fairly large stones or crystals (hand size or larger) around the base of the toilet or washing machine (out of sight is okay) to stabilize the energy. A faceted, manmade crystal ball placed above the toilet/washing machine or a plant or something colorful on a shelf to keep the ch’i from flowing down the drains. Keep all sink drains covered or plugged for the same reason.

Others:

Abundance vessels: Medium to large bowls, pots or vases made from ceramic, clay, stone, crystal or other earthy material. Be sure that your abundance vessel has a large opening so that it opens to receive lots of healing and prosperity-enhancing ch’i. Color: Earthy yellows, terra cotta, orangey browns and earthy pinks and earthy reds are colors that can bring the stabilizing qualities of Earth into your space. Try an accent wall in your bedroom or brighten up a dark bathroom with a bright earthy yellow. You can also incorporate throws and decorative pillows in these colors on your bed or sofa.

Earth materials: Statues, sculptures, candleholders and other items made from stone, clay, terra cotta or natural crystals and geodes will enhance the Earth element in your home or office.

Have fun and enjoy transforming your home into a world of peace and success with the earth element! ❖