Feng Shui Flower Fun
The "magical" qualities of flowers is rich with history. The term "poet
laureate" comes from the Roman custom of crowning poets with laurel leaves.
Shakespeare's Ophelia in Hamlet proclaimed "pansies for thought." Cleopatra
paid gold to have the room where she would welcome Mark Antony in rose petals
two feet high-symbolic of love and a woman's beauty.
Feng Shui- the ancient oriental philosophy concerning the impact the home and
work spaces has on us- also assigns particular flora and fauna with either
magnetic or repulsive powers.
The proper FS garden leaves little resemblance to a seed catalogue cover or
southern Californian pet cemeteries. Red plants are said to enhance energy
and health; yellow buds enhance clear thinking and intelligence; white for
purity; green fauna serves as protectors and brings fortitude; dark-colored
flowers act as grounding influences.
Fragrant flowers pack more power than their decorative relatives. Keep plants
clean from dead buds and leaves, recycling them in the compost pile. The
south portion of a garden plot concerns itself with your rank, fame and
personal power; the southeast with money; good health is assigned to the east;
the northeast with learning; career influences live in the north; for help
from others and luck when travelling, activate the northwest part of the
garden; west deals with children and pets; a healthy love relationship is
assigned the southwest.
A garden lush with CORNFLOWERs is said to help establish balance in your love,
family and work relationships. Add clusters of these pale blue flowering
plants to the southwest and northwest parts of the garden to bring peace and
harmony amongst your support system.
The DAFFODIL, or chalice flower, is said to attract communication and
politeness to a household, especially when planted in the garden's northeast
section. However, too many of these yellow flowers is said to scatter
resident's energy and focus. These are best used as an accent in your garden
beds, preferably in odd-numbers to insure open-mindedness and healthy
discussions in the homes they surround.
The common but potent DANDELION, so named because the jagged edge of its
leaves resemble a lion's tooth, is governed by the Sun (the symbol of life)
and is also called the priest's crown. Because its flowers open daily around
5 am and shutter at 8 pm, they served as a warning to shepherds to leave their
herds and head home for repose. Feng Shui lore consider them beneficial for
lawns. Home front lawns lush with these golden waving wildflowers are said to
protect family members from calamity and poor health. Cancel the Chem-Lawn
exterminator man and indulge in a hearty salad of dandelion greens today!
The DAY LILY signifies coquetry because its fragile flower seldom lasts a
second day. Keep them at a minimum in your FS garden and immediately remove
wilted blooms to insure good health to elderly family members. However, if
tortured by dental troubles, root canals or mouth disorders, hold the Darvon
and place a bouquet of day lilies on your night stand to help alleviate pain
and toothaches.
The FORGET-ME-NOT is traditionally used for gravesites and should be used
sparingly in home surroundings. When you pull a sprig of forget-me-not and
recite the name of a loved one, it's said that you will immediately win a
place in the heart of object of your affection. Weave a few of these delicate
blue plants in the southwest garden corner.
FERNS, a favorite decoration in yuppie watering holes, are considered
auspicious, having the legendary power to bring good luck and confer wealth.
Let this lace-like live green luxuriate in the SE and N portions of your home
to attract financial opportunity and soothe insecurities. Race to the nursery
and grab the hoe: Feng Shui says a garden can never have too many ferns!
Red GERANIUMs are said to attract extra income and prosperity when placed in
pots on both sides of the front and rear doorways. White ones bring peace of
mind among dwellers. Because of their ability to survive harsh weather,
geraniums assist in combatting ongoing or long-term household hassles when
placed in the kitchen and dining areas and assure that food will always be on
the table. White geraniums should never dominate a front yard garden; keep
the garden bed red!
The shiny green HOLLY, planted around a house or field, is believed to repel
evil influences. Folklore says that elves and fairies are attracted to holly.
Medieval monks called it the Holy Tree with its spines represent the Crown of
thorns, the white flowers purity and the birth of Christ, the red berries
drops of blood, and the bitter bark the Passion. Legend has the holly first
sprouting under the footsteps of Christ. Plant holly in your north or
southern parts of the garden to attract prosperity and make income thrives.
The HOLLYHOCK has been long revered by Chinese Feng Shui for its beauty and
the varied colors of its upward spiraling flowers. It's best used against
walls or in garden corners. Young couples panting for parenthood should plant
them (preferably, reds and orange) in the west and southwest sectors of a plot
to promote fertility and enhance the embryological education of budding
geniuses.
White LILACS are said to create disturbing thoughts and impair judgement and
should be used sparingly and never near the home or bedroom windows. Purple
and blue shades are best. Because their flowers and fragrance are fickle and
inconstant and fleeting, they are an emblem of youth. When you're stuck in
old thought patterns, toss a bouquet of bluish lilacs on the dining table or
in the den and open up your mind. Great for writers and artists. Throw them
to the devas in your compost pile once the aroma fades.
The proper Feng Shui home avoids featuring MARIGOLDS- best used as a garden
accent. Combine these pungent yellow-orange flowers sparingly with white or
pink roses or weave other colorful flowers in-between them to neutralize their
reputation associated with grief and despair. Although yellow is the color
usually associated with intelligence and learning, these guys are the
exception and should never be visible from bedroom windows.
The helmet-shaped flowers and shield-like leaves of NASTURTIUMs symbolize
bullheadedness and ego, It's said that clusters of these scarlet and yellow
flowers can create disagreements between family members, especially if planted
in the SW or NE potion of the garden. Their Latin name means "nose-twister."
Better to let the dandelions run riot rather than cultivate disagreeable
nasturtium blossoms.
A rose by any other name would... you know. The ROSE is identified with
female beauty. It is said that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, created the
rose. As she ascended from the sea, the foaming drapery that covered her
turned into white rose bushes as it fell to the ground.
WHITE ROSES bestow the ability to cut through the thick of matters. An
abundance of RED ROSES is said to generate vanity and pettiness amongst
homeowners and should be reserved for the south part of your lot, only. Too
many of these scarlet beauties attract thorny discontentment. However, YELLOW
ROSES act as a magnets to attract intellectual discussions and objectivity
among panelists on Crossfire and Nightline.
The name TULIP derives from the Turkish word tulband, a turban, because of the
flower's shape. In the east it is the emblem of consuming love. Presenting a
potential suitor with a red tulip means that your heart is on fire. They are
said to be special havens for fairies and elves, who sing their babies to
sleep beneath them.
RED TULIPS symbolize love and devotion when planted in uneven formations;
yellow or variegated varieties instill the courage to fight for those you
love. The darker the flower, however, the less their attraction for harmony
and peace. Plant tulips in the southwest or east parts of the garden for luck
with love and family.
Take time to smell the roses... and every dandelion, too!
About the author:
Dennis Fairchild is the Birmingham-based author of several books, including
Healing Homes:
Feng Shui - Here & Now,
the US correspondent for Europe's Feng Shui For Modern Living
magazine and spoke at the 3rd annual International Feng Shui Conference.
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