Have you bought again? And are things spilling out of your overstuffed closets and overstuffed drawers, perhaps hidden behind doors and under your bed?
There is a strong correlation between a healthy colon and a healthy home. An unhealthy colon can seriously create a toxic environment. Along with its partner, the lungs, the colon is responsible for the entry and exit of pure and impure substances. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) considers the human being as a manifestation of mind, body and spirit, and in feng shui we add the home environment to this trilogy of existence. It is a functional input and output system. When you correlate all of this with your house, where you replenish your supplies but eventually accumulate more and more, there is such a thing as a “constipated house.”
This process of accumulation and elimination is a function of the dynamics of the metal in the Chinese element cycle. When nature reaches its maximum capacity, it has to eliminate what the earth has been accumulating. Therefore, in autumn it is necessary to harvest the fruit and the trees will lose their leaves. Organisms shrink within themselves and prepare for hibernation and torpor. Plant nutrients are stored underground. Autumn is a growing domain of yin. Our Tao connection to nature and the plant kingdom is an essential part of the ecosystem, as plants absorb respiratory waste and produce life-giving oxygen. The lungs are a constant reminder of fresh oxygen coming in with each inhalation and carbon dioxide going out with each exhalation into the atmosphere.
The lungs are the officers of rhythmic order, and the colon is the officer of cleansing and elimination of space. Eliminate excess baggage that has been helpful but is no longer needed. Chinese medicine sees the colon as the official that removes waste at all levels. TCM also relates the lungs to the skin, describing it as the third lung. Cleanliness, purity and refinement are the permanent mandate on the agenda of these interdependent functions.
Perhaps it’s time to seriously commit to the metallic element for feng shui adjustments and purification of your home. Metal element personality types are very neat. They like to have everything clean and pristine. They tend to be the aesthetes and minimalists, and like to make things sparkle. They pay attention to detail and tend to espouse high standards of moral values and integrity. They pride themselves on a meticulous appearance and prefer quality to quantity.
If our goal is to adopt some characteristics of metal, we might succeed in ticking off our list of feng shui do’s and don’ts for beautification and preservation of a healthy environment. Ask questions and answer with the keen insight of a metal guy:
• As you enter your space, is there a single focal point for your gaze to linger on?
• Take pictures and get a two-dimensional view of your field of vision.
• In your collection of objects, is there anything that stands out as particularly pleasing or uplifting?
• With the discerning and discerning eye of a metal guy, could you assess and weed out what might be too much and nonessential?
• Empty spaces attract new opportunities, and empty containers are receptacles for gifts from the universe.
• Have you thought about adding metallic foods and flavor to your nutrition: thick-skinned fruits or vegetables, white and spicy ingredients, daicon radishes, cauliflower, and garlic?
• Have you polished your shiny surfaces: mirrors, metal knobs, jewelry, white countertops, silver flatware, and your “golden balloon”?
• Think of your target metal as round and pure as you participate in the creative process of distillation and elimination.
• Strong lung energy will keep you in the present moment with healthy breathing and creative inspiration.
• A clean colon will keep you motivated and focused.