Greetings!

I love summer! To me it is such a joy to walk bare footed in my yard, picking some raspberries and peas or just wondering which flower opened up this morning. I love to feel the gentle warmth of the sun, the breeze on my skin, the scent of flowers and herbs, freshly cut grass and earth after the rain.

About the Fire Element

The Fire element in Feng Shui represents the most Yang and therefore most exuberant and expanding type of energy. In architecture and design you can pinpoint the Fire element in sharp pointed roofs, pyramid shapes and red colors. Midsummer and midday are reflections of the Fire energy. Big cities and deserts are examples of Fire environments. Latin America, the Middle East and India are different examples of Fire cultures. A Fire personality type would be someone who is charismatic, a joke-teller or someone very passionate or religious. Actors, politicians and media people are examples of Fire professions. Fire represents achievement, success and recognition.

The central organ of the Fire element is the heart. If Fire is depleted, the heart is not strong. This may result in a lack of enthusiasm, passion and clarity. Emotions of the heart are joy, love and fulfillment. If we feel that we might need to strengthen the heart, working on opening the heart to be able to give and receive more love and joy might be an important path to follow. Knowing what you want is another part of this path. Get clarity first and then get passionate about what you want to bring into your life. What is your inspiration, goal or dream? Summer is a good time to contemplate on these questions. It is a great idea to treat yourself to a quiet vacation or even a spiritual or meditation retreat.

Strengthening your Fire with Feng Shui

If you feel that you might need to strengthen your Fire energy, you should definitely bring more Fire element into your environment. Warm colors such as red, maroon, purple, orange and apricot will help you to warm up emotionally. Be careful not to overuse reds since they have a very strong energy and might be overwhelming in certain spaces or for certain individuals. Often, instead of painting an entire room red, it may be enough to get a red lamp shade or a red bed spread, or place some red pillows on your couch. Abstract paintings with a lot of movement and red colors may be a good option for some people. For others, some beautiful, inspiring, spiritual images will work better. For people who are seeking their dream partner, an image that represents love works the best. And don’t forget some candles and flowers. Bringing some Fire energy of love and passion into your bedroom not only enhances existing relationships but also helps to attract a new love partner for single people. I love getting emails like these from my clients:

“I really appreciate your advice a few months ago. My love life is dramatically different at this stage. There is a very passionate person in my life now… I made a lot of changes in my bedroom. I've added a lot of red to my entire home, actually…”

This wonderful man was single for many years. This one was from a single female client:

“I got so motivated by our consultation that I began making some changes right away including making a fabric cover for my bedroom bookcase and the beginnings of "relationship altar." … I'm excited!! I've already had 2 relationship connections in the 2 days following the changes I've just made. I feel like I'm on an adventure!”

Yes, often Fire works pretty fast…

Remember that balance is also important in Feng Shui. If you feel nervous, agitated, overly excited or too sensitive, you may want to decrease the amount of Fire element in your environment to bring things back to normal.

Acupuncture and Feng Shui are parts of the same eastern philosophy and traditional Chinese medicine system. They both work on balancing, unblocking and enhancing chi energy in the body and our environment. Acupuncture is a great way to keep your body healthy and in balance. Below are some tips and words of wisdom from Bryn Walsh, a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Earth is the Element of Late Summer
by Bryn Walsh

The Chinese believe that we are a microcosm of the macrocosm (the universe). Each element generally corresponds to particular seasons. Earth is the element that is associated with late summer. Wouldn’t it seem an appropriate element for all you gardeners out there who love to have
your hands in the dirt? The earth is associated with: nourishment, the mouth, the sweet flavor, and the organs: stomach and spleen.

To stay healthy and to be in balance during the earth season here are some suggestions:

Get connected to the earth, whether that be through gardening, going for walks along the beach in your bare feet, eating fresh, organic, locally grown produce or growing your own produce. Be in the
sunshine, nurture yourself like you would a plant, and enjoy the warmth and light of the long days of summer. Since the earth is about growing take some time to grow spiritually through reading self help books, taking a yoga or dance class or meditating. If you are a nurturing gardener your plants will be happy and if you nurture yourself you will be happy as well. And remember there is no time
like the present moment—so begin right now.

Naturally Beautiful Skin
by Bryn Walsh

The internal health of the body is reflected on the face. Healthy, glowing skin shows us that the person has good energetic balance. Acne, broken capillaries, dark circles under the eyes, and blotchy skin all point toward an energetic imbalance in the body. Since all the energetic pathways in the body either directly or indirectly pass through the face, you could say that the face is a microcosm of the entire body’s energetic system. Treatment of the face by acupuncture, massage or micro current can have a positive effect on the entire body. People who experience the micro current facial renewal have reported that they sleep better, their TMJ pain is lessened and they can see more clearly after the treatment.

To improve the quality of your skin I offer these suggestions:

• Drink plenty of water (8-10 glasses a day) and stay away from caffeinated drinks, especially coffee, which dehydrates your skin causing dry wrinkled skin. Remember coffee and teas are diuretics (make you urinate).
• Eat more of these foods that promote healthy, beautiful skin: avocado (don’t worry about the fat, this is good fat), organic berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries are all high in anti-oxidants), a full spectrum of organic fruits and vegetables, the more the better (think color), eggs (eat free range only), olives and extra virgin olive oil, which are rich in essential oils, flax seeds or flax oil, wild salmon, mackerel, bluefish, and a pure fish oil (natural anti-inflammatory), soy foods (tofu, tempeh, soy protein), organic yogurt, green tea, arame and hijiki seaweed, all the beta-carotene rich foods are beneficial for the skin such as carrots, winter squash, yams, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and don’t forget the leafy green veggies.
• Eliminate all highly processed foods: white flour products, all fried foods, sugar, saturated fats, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, and especially prescriptive and over the counter drugs.

Bryn Walsh is a licensed and Board Certified Acupuncturist located in Acton. Her cervices include acupuncture, herbology, moxabustion (heat), acupressure massage, chinese diet consultation and Qi Gong exercises. For more information see www.BrynWalsh.com. To make an appointment with Bryn please call 978-266-9889.

Questions?

If you have any questions or are interested in a Feng Shui consultation please visit http://www.easternsciences.com or call (978) 392-9089