Feng shui tips for the Chinese New Year – the Year of the (wood) Horse starting 31 January 2014

Feng shui tips for the Chinese New Year – the Year of the (wood) Horse starting 31 January 2014

Drift wood horses (Picture: Doran-Webb/BNPS)

Driftwood horses by James Doran Webb (Picture: Doran-Webb/BNPS)

The bagua chart for 2014 looks like this

Bagua for 2014

Bagua for 2014

To find out what your star number is check the chart below or do this calculation: add all the digits of the date of your birth until you end up with one digit, for example  if you were born in 1987, 1+9+8+7=25 and then 2+5 = 7  and then subtract from 11, so 11-7=4 so 4 is your star number and in 2014 your star is in the middle of the bagua.
If your star is number 2 then 2014 is about your family, health, community work and clearing any negative past influences/memories.

9 Star Ki Chart

9 Star Ki Chart / Your star number

Next, check the first chart above (Bagua 2014) to see which bagua area your number is in 2014. For example, if your number is 9, in 2014 your star number is in the career/work area, so primarily, 2014 will be about this aspect of your life.

Feng shui for 2014
For personalised feng shui advice for your home and/or business contact Jan.

Top feng shui tips for 2014 the Year of the Horse

Main characteristics of people born in the year of the horse: elegant, proud, independent, energetic, hardworking, sociable, optimistic, strait-forward
Famous people born in a Horse year: (1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014)
Cicero, Rembrandt, Renoir, Degas, Newton, Thomas Edison, Vivaldi, Puccini, Pasteur, Lenin, Sean Connery, James Dean, Barbara Streisand, Harrison Ford,  Kevin Costner, Sophie Marceau, Oprah Winfrey, John Travolta, Cindy Crawford, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Hendrix, Mike Tyson, Ashton Kutcher, Alidad (interior designer)

2014 Year of the Wood Horse

2014 The Year of the Wood Horse

1) Buy a wooden horse
This could be any physical (toy) horse, ideally made of wood or paper (paper belongs to the wood element) or a horse in any material preferably in a green colour (wood element). A photo of a wooden horse is fine too. Place it in your home – anywhere you like, for example, around the front of the door, in the living room, or any specific area of the bagua that you want to optimise and energise. So if prosperity and money are important for you in 2014 then place the horse in the wealth corner of your house/flat/room/bedroom. Have a look at this selection of wooden horses 


2) Energise the area of the bagua where your star resides in 2014

There are many different ways to energise the bagua of your home. The most common and easiest are light (lamps, candles), crystals (prismatic crystals such as rainbow makers), shiny metal objects, fish tanks, water features and plants (especially money tree – Crassula Ovata). Remember that feng shui = intention + your energy + ritual. Your intention is the most important aspect (60%), then your energy (30%) and the ritual is the least important factor (10%). It’s how you do feng shui – ie the intention behind the placement that counts. Where you place the money plant is not that critical – the money plant will work anywhere you place it. Ideally, facing east, south, west – because it likes sun. So think about what you want to happen in 2014, write it down (the first step in manifesting) and then think which area of the bagua you need to activate and with what kind of ritual. If you’re not sure, feel free to consult me.

3) Hang a wind chime in the north-west part of your home
The Chinese believe that the negative influence in 2014 will be coming from the north west. Hang a shiny metal wind chime in the north west part of your home. If it’s not appropriate decoration for some reason, any shiny metal object will do instead.

 

Horeshoes for prosperity

Horeshoes for prosperity

4) To boost prosperity in 2014
Hang a horseshoe (or two) above your front door.

“I understand that it (feng shui) works whether you believe in it or not.” said Niels Bohr, Danish Nobel Prize winner in Physics, when asked why he has a horseshoe above his door.

5) Wear something brand new to mark a new beginning
This ritual is one of my favourites. If you want something new to happen to you – do something new! Wear something brand new. Chinese love red and gold colours so wear something in those colours on the 31 January 2014.

6) Get eight oranges (or do a Feng Shui Orange Peel Blessing Ceremony). This is a traditional ritual for every Chinese new year.

7) Go for a Chinese meal
Celebrate the Chinese New Year in a Chinese restaurant. Book you restaurant now, because it’s going to be a very busy night!

8) Do some space clearing
Get rid of (old) things to allow for new things to come into your life in 2014. This feng shui ritual should be your default/regular ritual throughout the year. One of the best remedies is this space clearing mist.

9) Write down a list of your dreams and goals for 2014 
Writing them down is the first step to help materialise your dreams and goals. Use the SMART criteria if you want to be more precise. Or you can just write down some keywords that codify what you want. For example, ‘good health’, ‘slim fit body’, ‘double my income’, ‘meet a new partner’, etc. You can then turn these into affirmations to help you focus (following the principle: ‘You get more of what you focus on’). One easy way to use affirmations is to use them as a password for your online activities. For example, if you want ‘to be healthy’ or have ‘a fit slim body’ your password could be ‘iHealthyNow14’ ‘iFitSlimBody1’. The intention behind these examples is very clear:  ‘2014MyIncomeX2’  or ‘iMeetSoulMate’. Always add capital letters and a meaningful number or symbol to your password at the beginning, in the middle or at the end to create a strong password.

Use your mobile phone screen for virtual feng shui rituals

Use your mobile phone screen for virtual feng shui rituals

10) Use virtual feng shui on your mobile phone
Download an image of a horse (wooden/green) and use it on your smart phone as a wallpaper. If you want to have fun with horses (and connect with their archetypical powers) find a game on your mobile and have fun. Read tip 11 below. These driftwood horses by driftwood sculptor James Dorian Webb.

11) The power of the horse
Research and meditate on the symbolic powers of horses to resonate with their characteristics. “The horse spirit animal symbolizes personal drive, passion and appetite for freedom. Among all the spirit animals, it is one that shows a strong motivation that carries one through life. The meaning of the horse varies depending on whether this animal spirit guide is represented as wild, tamed, moving freely or constrained.” Be careful what kind of image of the horse you choose to have in your home or on your mobile phone. Read more about the power of the horse

The Year of the Horse 2014

The Year of the Horse 2014 (Spirit Ride by Luiz http://www.luizart.net/ )

12) Do any ritual that will make you feel good
You don’t have to do all of these feng shui rituals. Remember, if a particular feng shui ritual doesn’t make you feel better – don’t do it! Feng shui is very practical and adaptable. In short, feng shui = intention + your energy + ritual. Remember, the Chinese New Year celebrations last for at least five days (traditionally this year from January 31, 2014 to February 18, 2014) and as the above feng shui principle states – the intention is the most important thing, so you can really do any of the remedies at any time during the year.

Have a great Year of the Wood Horse!
Jan

Feng shui for 2014
For personalised feng shui advice for your home and/or business contact Jan.

 

Horseshoes horses

Horseshoes horse by Tom Hill

How to wish someone happy new year in Chinese
Cantonese: Gung Hay Fat Choy! (may prosperity be with you)
Mandarin: Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy New Year)

 

 

 

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