Published May 2nd, 2018
Feng Shui
By Michele Duffy
Square (Earth) crystals are great gifts for mom to honor the grounding she brings to life. Photo provided
Soon we will be honoring the legacy of our mothers, if they are (or were) an important part of our lives, and we should also honor the feminine in ourselves too. So thinking about the role all of our mothers in our lives makes it an opportune time to align with the grounding symbology of mothering, and the loving maternal. "Mother" is a nurturing and positive reference in most cultures, and mom's strength, generosity, kindness, and consistency of character and love, are represented in varied cultural threads that also reflect the rich cultural traditions of celebrating "mother" around the world.

The "Mother Goddess" was celebrated by ancient Greek and Romans, and "Mother Churches" were celebrated on "Mother Sunday" by Catholics on a specific Sunday, and in the early 1900s, America began its tradition of celebrating mother within the family with no gifts. In Mexico it is called Dia de la Madre. In the UK Mother's Day celebrations date all the way back to the 17th century. Indian children present festive cards to their moms like often in the U.S., and traditionally in October celebrate the goddess Durga, also known as the Divine Mother. The birthday of the symbolic "mother" of Thailand, Queen Sirikit is celebrated, in Ireland children living away from home return to celebrate mom, and in France "Mamans" say ooh la la to pampering, gifts, and brunch out.

Mother's Day in Lamorinda has evolved over time much the same as in other American places, and so today, many cities offer a celebratory Mother's Day brunch so moms can have the day off and be pampered on all levels. Children bring breakfast in bed with a bud vase flower on a well-appointed tray for starters and are meant to handle all of mom's chores for the day. It's great to be a mom in 2018.

In the Taoist tradition of feng shui, mother rules the Relationship area of the BAGUA map, which rules partnerships, marriage, and every relationship in our life. The Relationship area of the feng shui BAGUA is from the front entrance of your home, the far right third, and it's also the same far right corner of your master bedroom and finally, your yard as you stand at the front entrance doorway. The Relationship area is resplendent with fantastic life force chi. Relationships are activated in our environments with the twinkly and sparkly Earth element, which may include crystals, shells, pebbles, ceramic or clay materials. The relationship quality of the Earth element is represented by the colors of pink, white and red, which are the romantic Earth colors, but Earth is also represented by yellow, tangerine, brown and some of the darker blues. A square shape, maybe a square jewelry box or square tile, are wonderful gifts for mom that symbolize the grounding we are meant to receive from our mothers. It's always nice to gift mom. Being mindful of the number two, which definitely governs relationships even though we are fully capable and aware of being in full relationship with self, the partnership aspect of all relationships is reinforced with pairs - twos, and multiples of two.

The Relationship area governed by mother in feng shui relates not only to our most intimate love partnerships or marriages, but also to all of our most feminine of relationships. For example, our feminine friends and family connections with all the other women in our lives, such as our own mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues, aunties and grandmothers. If you need to heal your relationship with any feminine people in your life, like your mom, girlfriends, daughters or sisters, this area should be audited first. We can create representations of nourishing love, symbols that help us heal those frayed connections and rebuild current ties or even our memories in this are. It's also a perfect spot to recite the ultimate forgiveness prayer of Hawaiian feng shui origins, Ho'Opono Pono, for immediate results and far reaching forgiveness. We can also add a pair of lights to this area to illuminate and symbolize the grounding of our mom's love, love-flower Peony fragrance, or positive or supportive images of happy relationship times with those we love.

However you manifest in celebration this Mother's Day, be a rainmaker of smiles, gratitude, love and flowers, so your relationship with your mom, or her memory, blooms brightly!



The Bagua Map: Front Door
Michele Duffy, BTB M.F.S. is an Orinda resident who, since 1999, enjoys creating "Space as Medicine" Feng Shui one space at a time, as well as hiking in nature, cooking, and spending time with her family; Canyon Ranch Feng Shui Master, International Feng Shui Guild (IFSG) Red Ribbon Professional. To schedule a professional 2018 Feng Shui Consultation, contact Michele at (520) 647-4887 or send an email to spaceharmony@gmail.com.

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