Elixir's
Fifteenth Feng Shui Window

Elixir's fifteenth Feng Shui Window revealed itself on 07/07/10 (26/5/4708), the beginning of Xiao Shu , Small Heat...

Geng/Yang Metal
Yan/Yang Wood (Tiger) Year

Gui/ Celestial Yin Water
Wei/ Terrestrial Yang Earth (Sheep) Month

Wu/Yang EarthWu/ Yin Fire (Horse) Day

This month's basic feng shui framework

This month we're working with the energies of:

Gui/ Celestial Yin Water, which is the depths of space

and

Wei/ Terrestrial Yang Earth, which is mountains.

Wei converts to:

Yi /Celestial Yin Wood, which is the vibrations in space,

Wu/Celestial Yang Earth, which is the boundaries of space ,

and Ding/Celestial Yin Fire, which is the light of stars.

Discussion about this month's window

The primary relationship of this month is about Celestial Yin Water and Terrestrial Yang Earth. This is a situation where a limited but aggressive entity tries to contain and control vastness. This is very much like the relationship between the mind and the soul. Mind tries to define and delineate within its own terms everything it comes into contact with. When it reaches the limits of its resources, the mind then describes reality by measuring its own state of exhaustion. This of course has nothing to do with the territory itself.

We began to describe what we could of these energies by using a Dwarf Mugo Pine contained within a 19th Century American Brass Bucket. The pine brings both the energies of the mountains and its dwarfish quality evokes Yin Wood as well. This energy is contained within the boundaries of the brass bucket, which invokes the antagonism between growth and containment.

We continued with this theme with 2 Miniature Cypress trees set first in grass, to further activate Yin Wood...

And then wrapping the relationship up with contemporary coiled American basketry, much in the way space holds us without containing us.

To elaborate on the theme of space we used nine bamboo rods bound together with a skein of green twine. This invokes the nine levels of heaven which are ties together by the thread of time and the web of the spider goddess.

We attracted the Yin Water dimension of space into this Yuan Dynasty celadon charger. This happens through the green color and the container itself. The process is also aided by the presence of this most delicate sea shell...

And is further described by this set of 12 French knife rests in ivory from the 1920s. This is the way space has been described by six pairs of opposing energies by many cultures around the world. Ivory invokes the elephant, an iconic symbol of Raja Yoga, the yoga of the mind. This particular symbology points out two things:

One is that the mind is forever trying to describe and define.

The other is that the mind has the ability, although frequently not the tendency, to understand its limitations and go beyond them.

And finally to represent Small Heat, we used this 19th century American steel candlestick in the form of a snake with diamond eyes...

and also summons the image of the developing human being becoming one with universe that contains it.

Take home lesson

We can use an esoteric space as a bridge between what we know and what we don’t know. The beautiful thing about creating a project such as this is that it can hold a lingering intention for a compound of ideas and feelings that take longer than a moment’s consideration to fully understand.

Back to Elixir's Feng Shui Window Gallery

Elixir's feng shui Windows are a collaboration between John Mini and
C. Terrence Schell.

John Mini, M.S.C.M./ L.Ac.