2 Black Illness Star

In 2020 the 2 Black (Earth) Illness Star will reside in the South. The South also opposes the “seat” of the Rat year. The 2 Star is one of two inauspicious earth stars…the other being the 5 Yellow Disaster Star, which will be addressed in a different article.

The South sector is associated with the fire element, and this productive cycle of fire over earth intensifies the unfavorable 2 Illness Star. In addition to this, two Annual Afflictions, the Sui Po/Year Breaker and the San Sha/Three Killings also reside here in 2020. This isn’t a place where one would want to spend a lot of time, and you should avoid any construction or ground breaking in or outside this sector in 2020.

If this sector includes your front door, use an alternate entry to your home or building if possible. If this is a bedroom, it would be advisable to move to another room for the year. If it’s in a bathroom or laundry room, you’re in luck since the energy will be drained. A storage or closet are other areas that are “safe” since they are not areas in your home or business that are occupied.

If you can’t avoid using this sector, the addition of metal will help mitigate some of the energy of the unfavorable earth. You can also add plants, but avoid using red decor or triangular shapes in this area. Keep the area tidy, quiet, and peaceful.

As mentioned before, the Sui Po resides here as well in 2020. Facing the Tai Sui provides the benevolent support from the Grand duke, but it is not advised to have your back to the South, facing North. Additionally, the Three Killings/San Sha is seated in the south, but also affects 15 degrees of the Southeast and Southwest. Avoid construction and ground breaking there as well.

Knowing this energy is present is like getting a heads-up on an accident on the freeway ahead of you. Awareness means you can be mindful of how you’re going to proceed. Knowing makes you take precautions and use alternatives to avoid the potential unfavorable energy. It doesn’t mean that you curl up in the fetal position and wait it out…it means that you are mindful and take the appropriate actions to counterbalance the energy that’s there. Avoid spending more time than is necessary there and if you have no other choices, then keep your immune system strong and take precautions against exposure to illness.

NOTE: Those who have the Pig, Monkey, Tiger or Horse in their chart are most susceptible to health issues this year, so use precautions and take the necessary actions to maintain or improve your good health.

As stated in previous articles, this annual Star chart is but one source of energy. There are other permanent Stars in each sector of the natal chart of a building and the combination of all of them, along with the personal energy of the occupants, tells a complete story.

Please feel free to leave your comments below and if you want more information or wish to schedule a consultation (remote or in San Diego), you may contact me through the Contact form or email me at: HelenKstyles@gmail.com

Preparing for the Year of the Rat

The Chinese Lunar New Year begins at sundown on January 24th. But the “Spring Stand” (Solar New Year) begins at 5:15p on February 4th. In Feng Shui, the Li Chun (Spring Stand) is more important than the traditional Chinese New Year because it is the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox., which is literally the end of the yin and the beginning of yang energy.

The energetic significance of this is that on the Spring Stand the energy of the previous year is completely exhausted and the emerging energy of the new year is vibrant and strong. Typically in Hong Kong and Asia businesses will not begin new business until after the New Year because of this waning energy. They wait until after the New Year since there’s no point in starting new business when the global energy is exhausted, opting instead for when the energy of the New Year is fresh and vibrant.

When preparing for the New Year, keep in mind that you don’t want to bring old, broken, exhausted energy into the new year with you. Basically, that means that you’ll want to:

• Discard anything that’s broken and unfixable…and fix anything that needs repairing. Hanging onto broken, unusable items traps a part of your energy in them, which holds you back. By repairing or discarding these items, you no longer have those energetic hooks and it releases energy back to you.

• This is the perfect time for a good old fashioned Spring Cleaning. You may have already started this after the holidays, but keep going and get anything out of your house, car, and office that’s still holding stagnant energy. You know that outfit you bought a couple of years ago with the tags on it? Donate or sell it to someone who will use and appreciate it. It’s just holding you back if you think that you will somehow, after all this time, find the right time and place to wear it. Allow the energy to flow freely between you and others in a positive flow. This is also a good time to turn all your hangars backwards to track which clothes you actually wear so that at the end of next year you can easily identify the ones that are not worn.

• Organize everything, including your thoughts! Start working on a journal or planner and schedule time around the lunar cycle for revisiting your plans and goals. We often set goals at the beginning the year that are never revisited. Use a planner or calendar to schedule days to come back to these and adjust accordingly. The lunar cycle (full and new moon) is a great scheduling tool. Use the New Moon for starting over or setting new goals and the Full Moon for discarding and releasing anything that has not been useful in attaining your goals, or is otherwise holding you back from being the best version of yourself.

• Remove everything, including waste, from your home, office, and car, that is stagnant. Refresh your space with frequency-changing sound such as chimes, bells, or pleasant music to raise the vibration. If possible, let some fresh air in, if only for a few minutes. Smudge with sage or other burnt herbs/incense. Then seal with a spritz of essential oil such as rose water and add a blessing prayer or mantra. Don’t do this mindlessly. Be intentional.

• On February 3 set out your 2020 adjustments/enhancements and make any changes in the arrangement of furnishings and decor to take advantage of the auspicious energy or mitigate any sha energy that will arrive on February 4.

• Set out a bowl or bowls of oranges, tangerines or kumquats, which are a traditional symbol of wealth (by virtue of their gold color). Very often, people will roll this fruit in the door on New Year’s Day to symbolize wealth entering the building. Light candles and meditate

Another Chinese New Year tradition is the distribution of red envelopes with either Chinese coins or other money in them. I like to give each of my clients a red envelope with a dollar in it for New Years, and I like to pay for services in a red envelope. It blesses both the giver and receiver with auspicious luck.

Wishing you a prosperous and joy-filled New Year!

Please feel free to leave comments below. If you want to schedule a consultation for your home, office, or place of business, you may contact me through the “contact” form on this website or email me at: HelenKstyles@gmail.com.

1 White Fame Star

In Xuan Kong (Flying Star) Feng Shui, we use a shorthand for tracking the cyclical energy that’s continually changing. We use the term “flying star” or “star” as a shorthand for a specific and complex energy pattern. This year the 1 White (Water) Fame Star will reside in the NE sector. So this year the NE is the Helpful People or Noble People sector. It is the area where you want to spend time to improve your public relations.

We all need others to help us along the way, no matter how independent we may view ourselves. There is no such thing as a “self made” person. Without support, guidance, or clients we would not be able to create a business or have a job to go to.

This year if you need to attract clients, improve your job situation, create or grow your business, find someone to fulfill a specific task, or a mentor who can guide you, the northeast sector will support your efforts. But first, you need to take time to deliberate and define EXACTLY who you want to attract, then write it down in your journal or planner. Knowing who or what you want is an important step toward your ultimate goal.

Be very specific. Using a blanket statement such as , “I want to attract more clients,” isn’t quite enough. Decide how many per week or month for instance. You also want clients who fully appreciate your particular service or product. Also, you don’t want clients who can’t afford to pay or will try to leverage a reduced fee. No…you want clients who acknowledge your expertise and are happy to pay for it. Or you may need someone to create graphics for you but if they aren’t in alignment with you, they won’t be the right fit. The same goes for mentors or other helpful people that you need in your network. Again, give it serious deliberation and write down the specifics of those you want to attract. Next, you have to take the appropriate actions because just wishing for something and activating the NE won’t make things happen without action. You have to be intentional and active in your efforts…create a well thought-out plan, then work it! Whether you commit to attending seminars, trade shows, advertising, incentives, creating a web presence, or asking your clients to refer you to others, you need to devise appropriate courses of action.

Maybe you are looking for people to help you in your health, wellness and fitness goals this year. If so, this area will support you to research and find the right people who align with your specific needs, philosophies, and personal goals. No matter what kind of helpful person you need, this is the sector that will support you.

Spend time in the NE sector while you’re planning and fulfilling your action plan. If your NE sector is at your front door, the use of that door will activate the sector and in turn will support your efforts. If it’s in your bedroom, keep a journal by your bed and write your intentions and ideas in it every day. You never know what will come to you during quiet contemplation. If the NE is in your work space or living room, spend time there while you’re researching, planning, or taking other actions.

This sector is a great place to keep images of people you admire in business or other images that depict your goals. You can do this with a Helpful People Vision Board, for instance. Since the NE is associated with earth energy it diminishes the effect of the 1 White Water Star and can create tension, so it’s a good idea to increase the metal here. Avoid plants in this area, however, since the wood and earth elements will deplete the 1 White Star even more and you want the benefit of the fully actualized Star.

The 2020 Annual Flying Star chart brings fresh energy into the built environment, which will be strongest at the beginning of the year and wane toward the end of the year. So activate this energy while it’s at its peak. Be aware that every building has a natal chart which may have conflicting energies, so getting a full audit of your space is highly recommended.

Please feel free to leave your comments below or contact me via this website. If you want to schedule an audit of your space, you may contact me via the website or email me at: HelenKstyles@gmail.com.

2020 Year of the Yang Metal Rat

In Feng Shui we use the Solar Chinese calendar rather than the Lunar calendar. At the beginning of each Solar Year we adjust the environment to harmonize with the emerging energy of the year. Unlike some westernized versions of Feng Shui, classical Chinese Feng Shui uses the three energies (celestial/time, earth/place, and human) to determine how to adjust the environment so it’s supportive of the people who occupy the built environment. In this article I’ll explain a little about the energy of the Year of the Rat in terms of BaZi and Feng Shui.

The Solar calendar generally begins on February 4 of each year, exactly mid-way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. We use that date to determine when the emergence of fresh energy is at its peak, and we make adjustments accordingly. As the year progresses, the energy fluctuates until by the end of the year it has given way to the emerging energy of the new year. This aligns with the passage of time and is seen in the cycle of changing seasons and the movement of the solar system.

The Rat is the first of the Chinese Zodiac animals and “new beginnings” since it marks the beginning of a new cycle ( Pig was #12 of 12…endings). So, not only is it a new year and a new decade, but a new 12-year cycle. You can look back at previous Rat years for an idea of the energy and its affects, though the full calendar cycle is 60 years, so 2008 will be a little different than 2020 due to the elements of the Heavenly Stems and Terrestrial Branches. A little Chinese calendar trivia: the first year of the Chinese cycle was 2696 BCE and we are currently in the 79th cycle which began in 1984 (80th cycle begins in 2044).

The BaZi element of Rat is water and it will be receiving a productive boost of energy from metal this year. Rat is clever, a quick thinker, successful, and prefers a quiet peaceful life. This Metal Rat (Geng-Zi) year is in a productive relationship with metal that will “fully arm” the Rat and propel it full steam ahead. The nuance of Metal Rat is characterized by “dangerous” water so there could be challenges along the way. The water element can be associated with wealth accumulation, and metal can be associated with the financial and military sectors.

The Feng Shui aspects of the year reveal that the 7 Metal (Fighting Star) is hosted by an Earth element, which will add energy to the 7 Red Star. The 7 is related to losses and injury, and globally, this means potential for increased fighting/conflict and market/financial challenges. The combination of the BaZi and Feng Shui energy can have both positive and negative impacts on you as an individual, but more importantly, once you know how to use this energy to your advantage, you can avoid some of the pitfalls while taking advantage of the useful aspects this year.

The central hidden energy of a house/building can shade the potential of the overall building. Since the annual energy here this year is inauspicious, it would be best not to disturb it with high activity. There are other ways to mitigate this energy, but the natal chart of the building will determine what action can be taken. If there’s a bathroom or laundry room here, or the center of the house/building is open (such as a courtyard), you’re in luck, since the inauspicious energy will be drained.

I will be posting 9 more articles following this one, each focusing on one of the 8 directions and how you can utilize them to enhance and support your life in 2020! Feel free to leave your comments below.

Wishing you a happy, purposeful, and prosperous new year!

To schedule and appointment for a full audit of your home, office or business, contact me through this website or email me at HelenKstyles@gmail.com