Are you looking to increase your creativity, focus, or just your overall synchronicity in life? Look no further than the Feng Shui Metal Element.
The Feng Shui elements–Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water– are considered the building blocks of everything physical on earth. Each has its own effect and purpose in the environment and consequentially on your life. Feng Shui observes that the most harmonious places in nature are where interplay of all five elements occurs; and since human beings are made up of a combination of all five elements they are most comfortable when all five are represented in a home or workplace. Metal is represented by the minerals in the earth. When in balance in your home it enhances mental clarity and presence of mind.
It is represented by all types of metals; all rocks, stones and gemstones, the white, grey and light pastel color spectrum, the shapes of the circle, oval and arch.

Locating the Areas of your Home Governed by Metal Using the Bagua
The Feng Shui Bagua (Ba-gua) Map, from the Chinese philosophy, “The I Ching,” is a grid of nine sectors and literally means “eight trigrams,” with the center being for grounding and centering. The areas governed by the Metal Element are Children and Creativity, and Helpful People and Travel. These areas are located in the right middle side and front right corner of your home/office/business.
Although these two particular areas of your home are governed by the metal element, adding a bit of metal to all areas of your home creates a nice balance. The Children and Creativity area is associated with the qualities of pleasure, generosity and encouragement. The flowering of creativity is a joyful experience when it occurs through kindness and encouragement. These adventures into creativity can lead you into new friendships, careers and joyful self-exploration. Every home has within it an area for fun, hobbies, special interests, and childlike qualities; an area were the “whimsical” is displayed and celebrated. This area known as the Children and Creativity area encourages us to fully express ourselves in order to achieve joy and satisfaction, to nurture and grow that energizing creative spark that lies within all of us, irrespective of the creative medium. Parents can also experience this energizing and magical satisfaction while encouraging their children to grow, learn and explore through creative expression.

Enhancements for enhancing the Children and Creativity area inside your home or business:
* Colors white or pastel and circular shapes
* Things made of metal, such as furniture, lamps, candle holders, frames, figurines, jewelry
* Art depicting children
* Supplies used for creating things, such as art and craft materials
* Whimsical, playful and colorful items, toys, stuffed animals
* Quotes, affirmations and sayings pertaining to Children and Creativity

The Helpful People and Travel area of your home or business is associated with the qualities of power, synchronicity, inspiration and confidence. When everything is aligned, people and places give us the inspiration and guidance we need. This is total synchronicity….everything falling into place! Begin to access the energy for solutions to your problems; to attract mentors, clients, customers, employees or other helpful people in your life. It is also associated with the love and ability to travel; enhance this area and your synchronicity will help clear the way to travel to locations of your dreams.

Enhancements for enhancing the Helpful People and Travel area inside your home or business:

* Colors white, grey and circular shapes

* Things made of metal, such as furniture, lamps, candle holders, frames, figurines, jewelry

* Art pertaining to spiritual guides, and/or mentors or helpful people

* Natural stones or representation of natural stones such as pictures of mountains.

* Special places where you have traveled or want to travel

* Quotes, affirmations and sayings pertaining to Helpful People and Travel

A Missing Helpful People and Travel corner:
In Feng Shui it is important that the four corners of your home are inside the Bagua, but in Western homes some of these corners are missing. If your Helpful People and Travel area is missing from your floor plan, you can anchor the area by doing one or a combination of the following cures: Anchor the missing area structurally using the metal element wherever possible, such as building a trellis or deck, planting flowers in a flower garden or planter boxes in white, adding a large stone statue of a spiritual guide or placing a large rock on the corner, or a metal seating area.
If the area outside is not accessible, you can symbolically anchor from the inside, and push the walls back, by hanging a 30 mm round faceted crystal, placing a mirror, and/or a picture representing helpful people or travel on the inside wall by the missing area.

Feng Shui at work:
I was asked to do a home consultation at the home of a couple who wanted to renew their energy. When asked what areas of their home they liked the least, they indicated the bedrooms at the right. When we walked through the room in the Children and Creativity area I noticed it was being used for storage. On the wall hung a picture of a child they had lost a number of years before. This room held many sad memories. It was no wonder their energy was low and this area was closed off. I recommended decluttering the room, hanging a crystal, placing a small fountain to move the energy, and adding more family pictures along with those of their departed child in metal frames. (Metal for renewed energy.) My clients loved to sew and do woodworking, although they had both stopped these activities. I suggested that they display their crafts in this room, and use it frequently. Although these enhancements in no way alleviated the pain of their loss, the refocusing of their energies to revitalize and clear the room, also revitalized them, and helped them get back to the crafts they loved.
I recently did a consultation at a large financial office. My client has just moved to the area and was anxious to build his team. Outside his office were a number of empty cubicles, awaiting his new staff, all these as well as his office were vacant canvases. Such fun!!! You entered his office through the Helpful People area, so we worked with the wall behind the door. Upon my recommendation, he installed a metal filing organizer on the wall in this area and filled it with grey file folders (one for each of the 8 he was to hire). He placed a white label on each and filled them with information regarding the organization. He had already hired one so he included that one, placing her name on the label. He also included folders filled with business cards of mentors and recruiting agencies. I also advised him to place an affirmation in the files such as “I have the best, most diverse and productive team ever.” In each of the empty cubicles I recommended placing a small Five Element Display
(see http://www.fengshuibymaria.com/newspaper-columns.html September 2011). He has been on a hiring spree since the consultation, and has over half of his team hired. He is on his way!!!

Affirmations:
Remember that in Feng Shui, intent plays a significant role in enhancing any area of your home or business. That’s why all enhancements need to be made with intentionality; written or stated affirmations are very important. It is also important for them to be expressed as if they are already happening.
Examples or affirmations for the Children and Creativity area: “I easily and joyfully express my creativity”,
Examples or affirmations for the Helpful People and Travel area: “All went well with my job interviews; I just got the job of my dreams, “or” I am freely traveling and enriching my life, meeting new people and learning from new cultures.”
It’s time to enhance your productivity, mental acuity, creativity and get the clarity you need in your life. Bring the Metal Element into your home.
For questions or home consultations, email at mtmccull@aol.com and put “Feng Shui” on the subject line, or visit my website at www.fengshuibymaria.com, (where you can read past columns), or Facebook “Feng Shui by Maria”, where I post pictures as examples to enhancements.

* I NOW have a BLOG – Just go to the website and click on “Blog”: You can view many pictures and, I will respond to your questions quickly.

Learn more in my next class:
Learn more about the Bagua and the 5 Elements in my next series of 3 classes through Acalanes Adult Ed:
Thurs. afternoons 1:00-3:00 p.m., Sept. 14, 21, 28 Go to www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/adulted to register.
(Participants will receive $40 off a home consultation.)
Until then…Blessings!

Maria McCullough, is the owner / founder of Feng Shui by Maria (www.fengshuibymaria.com), a speaker and educator with over 20 years of experience. She specializes in residential, landscape and business consultations. She is a graduate of the Western School of Feng Shui and has personally trained with Terah Kathryn Collins, founder of the Western School of Feng Shui, specializing in Essential Feng Shui® and author of numerous books including “The Western Guide to Feng Shui.”