Feng Shui and the Energy of Art in the Garden.

Last week, I promised to talk about art in the garden. Well, one thing lead to another. There was my Ghurka bag's brush with death and my brush with jail, the gully washer, a project I needed to work on yesterday STAT and Voila! It's Friday, already!

Let me tell you about how Feng Shui affects my work. Let there be no question. I am not an expert on Feng Shui. I do have my moments of brilliance as a designer. I've worked on projects where the client brought in a Feng Shui expert. Fascinating.

This is my distillation: Feng Shui is about placement; it is about order; it is about having the things around you in good repair; it is about banishing clutter; it is about having room to breathe and room to think; it is about movement of energy. Certainly, there are cures but, if you keep the first four in mind, you are probably 90% there. Is any space perfect? No. And, it doesn't have to be to be successful.

Let's chat about the fifth element ~ the movement of energy. Again, my distillation. Energy wants to flow. If it blows past you at 100 miles an hour? Not so good. If it gets trapped or blocked? It gets stale and keeps good energy from coming in. Really bad.

In the garden, having three dimensional art and large pots billowing with life allows the energy to flow and slows it down so energy bringing you good things can do so. It allows the stale energy to be moved on to be replaced by good energy. Imagine a Cecil B. DeMille movie (he who is big on mists and "Voice of God" clouds). Imagine energy is a mist you can see. Then, imagine it floating softly around your garden, around your three dimensional elements. Imagine it moving. That's how I think of Feng Shui in the garden. Coming upon a piece that causes you to pause and enjoy (as opposed to stop and be blocked) is likely to be good Feng Shui.

For elements that guard and protect, I like pansies. They look like little ferocious lions. I often have a pot of them by my front door. I have four guarding sculptures ~ one at the start of my driveway; one at my back door, one at my living room door and one at my garage entrance. At my front door, I have my marble angel. Will it stop a person with an AK47? No, but that is not the point. The point is positive energy.

Let me show you ~


                                  
                                  stone column from Music Hall Theater
                                  in Seattle below head of a young hero.
                                  The minute I saw it, I had to have it.
                                  It looks so like The Bear.
                                  Impossibly handsome. Clear-eyed.
                                  The beauty of youth.

Brass rubbing of Robert the Bruce from

the 1891 monumental brass in the floor

of Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland

I think my little drum major is supposed to be filled with moss and planted. Now, he just lounges at the top of my driveway near the lilac hedge. Not very intimidating. Probably as frightening as the pansies by my front door!

The lesson here (if there is one) is to bring three dimensional art and containers filled with life into the grounds surrounding your home. Think of allowing an energy river of goodwill to flow all around your house. You want it to ebb and flow. You want to have islands of beauty; areas of peace and a clear passage to your front door ~ a way filled with cared-for, living things.

Just outside my front door, I have my little fragrant kitchen garden and gold fish in a low jardiniere of still water. Is it world peace? No, but it is peaceful.

Day 20 Everyday Grateful ~  A perfectly ordinary Seattle day
rain, sun, clouds, breeze. And, that's just this morning!

Wonderful new project. Excellent! And, very happy!