Monthly Archives: February 2013

The Year of the Snake

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Wendi Nitschmann

Snake

Happy Chinese New Year! It’s officially “The Year of the Snake.” According to Hitomi, our favorite waitress at Sushi Zen (our favorite sushi restaurant in Savannah) it’s going to be a lucky year for everyone. She said no one will die unless they are in some kind of accident. Hmmm.

According to the Chinese, a snake in the house is a good omen.

I know a lot about snakes since I am one of them. And I am also deathly afraid of them. Kind of ironic,isn’t it?

But in honor of the new year, here are some facts about us snakes…

We are:

  •  intuitive
  • introspective
  • refined
  • collected
  • attractive (and sometimes vain)
  • graceful
  • exciting
  • secretive
  • fiercely loyal (unless we feel we have been betrayed, then watch out because we will get revenge)
  • cunning
  • possessive
  • modest
  • proud
  • intelligent
  • wise

These characteristics are tempered by one of the five Chinese elements –  metal, water, wood, fire and earth.

The Metal Snake (those born in 1941 0r 2001)

You are out for number one and will stop at nothing to reach your goals. While money is important to you, you are more interested in what that money can buy.

The Water Snake (those born in 1953 and 2013)

You are a good manager, motivated and influential. You like to be recognized and not just rewarded for your accomplishments.

The Wood Snake (those born in 1905 and 1965) Me! And no, I am not 108 years old!

You are well grounded and not as self-serving or vain as some snakes. You are kind and generous but you don’t take advice well. And while you are dedicated to your circle of friends and family, you tend to go it alone.

The Fire Snake (those born in 1917 and 1977)

You are driven and a bit self-centered, but people are drawn to you. You are boisterous and extroverted and can easily persuade others. You are often the life of the party.

The Earth Snake (those born in 1929 and 1989)

You are the most relaxed of the snakes, calm and down-to-earth. Others appreciate your easy nature and friendliness. Your good sense and work ethic gets you where you need to go.

In this new year, keep in mind that snakes can get stressed out easily. If you are one of us, try to avoid hectic schedules and noisy atmospheres, and make sure you get plenty of rest and relaxation! Oh, and don’t spend frivolously.

Happy New Year!

Categories: Fun Stuff | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments

Map Your Way to a Better Life

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Wendi Nitschmann

I’ve been thinking about maps lately. I miss them. Even the awkward, too-big ones that you can never fold up in exactly the same way as they were when you first opened them.

550px-ChooseRightMap-1

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some GPS (except for the one in my new car, which always tacks on an extra 30 minutes to every ETA and sometimes leads us to a field in the middle of nowhere instead of to the soccer game).

What I love the most about a map is its potential.

And options.

The potential to show you the easiest way to get to where you want to go. And then, just in case you make a wrong turn somewhere, there are always the alternate routes, or the options.

How cool would it be if there was a map for your life? 

Guess what? There is!

It is called the Bagua, and it’s basically an energy template that represents your whole life.

It’s your starting point in Feng Shui, and it looks like this:

bagua-map

Each room of your house plays a role in your life, and your environment reflects your personal well-being and inner balance. The Bagua is set up like a grid that shows where the different aspects of your life are represented in those rooms.

You align the grid with the front door, which should enter one of the three bottom areas. The front door is important, since it is where the energy (chi) enters into the home. It should be clear of debris,well lit and welcoming. (If you use another entrance other than the front door, align the Bagua with that entrance.)

You can see in the Bagua above that certain colors and elements are associated with the different areas. These are used to enhance the energy in those areas. It’s as easy as incorporating wood furniture into your Family Room or silver picture frames in your Travel and Helpful People room, or even putting red drapes in your Love & Relationships room.

You can stretch or squeeze the map to fit your particular house, but if you have missing areas you will need to address those. You can do so by using feng shui “cures.”  It can be as simple as adding a deck or covered porch, or even just an outdoor light or landscaping feature. (I’ll talk more about that in another post.)

If your house has additions that alter the shape, don’t worry. These can be beneficial.

So what have you got to lose? Why not start mapping your own life?

You can start by printing or sketching a Bagua and then look at it as the potential you have to make your life better!

Then see where your options lie: where you can begin enhancing the good energy around you to make your life better.

If you want to read more about bringing good energy into your home, go here.

Let me know what you think. And please share if you know someone who might be interested!

Categories: Feng Shui | Tags: , , | 6 Comments

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