Equine Feng Shui

On Friday, my husband and I experienced a session of equine therapy. It was his birthday and through a convergence of various people, I had heard about a place called Acres for Life, about an hour north of the Minneapolis area. I thought it would be a fabulous experience for him to celebrate not only his birthday but also a new shift in his career. I was not prepared for how mind-blowing and enlightening it would be for both of us.

I have done a bit of horse-back riding over the years so, even though I knew going in I wouldn’t be riding these horses, I figured I’d be pretty comfortable with the whole idea. What surprised me was the paralyzing awe I felt once I got in the pasture. It was hard to know what came over me, but I felt I was in the presence of masters, everyone of them. On the outside they were slowly and steadily grazing, hardly noticing me standing there, yet I knew I was dealing with something other than my normal life.

After a couple of exercises to get comfortable with the horses, the therapists dragged out a bunch of poles, barrels, stools, rope, etc. Our assignment was to build our own little space within their space, using any or all of these tools. This was, to say the least, the ultimate Feng Shui conundrum. Rather than maintain a respectful distance while standing in their pasture, I had to make a "home" for myself, mark my territory in some presumptuous way. This was a blatant desecration of Feng Shui protocol that states you walk lightly in someone else’s place, leaving no footprints behind. But an assignment was an assignment and the therapists were waiting.
I began dragging things around laying them here and there, creating a semblance of walls. I left the front open so I didn’t seem too overtly rude and uninviting. I’m busy hauling and shoving poles around when a black horse is suddenly standing in my space. He came in through the "front door," magically appearing as though out of nowhere. He assessed what I was doing and began to re-arrange a few things, nudging some of my "walls" with his nose, lifting up one light-weight pole with his mouth to make sure I understood it didn’t belong there. We talked and laughed and, of course, I helped him move things where he wanted them. When it was all just right, he stood there for a bit, while we basked in the final results. The therapists were smiling from the sidelines, furiously writing things down on their clipboards. Then he slowly turned and meandered out through the front door.

If I ever felt like dropping to my knees, it was at this point. The therapists came running over exuberant at the interaction; my husband had left his own little creation of space to join the experience. I was, of course, concerned I had upstaged his own birthday celebration. But, in that moment, watching my equine buddy amble away I knew I had to re-think the Feng Shui protocol about infringing on another’s space, I had to replay the moments of playful interaction, of moving my walls, of being in the moment. In five minutes, he touched on issues that were real for me. I was indeed in the presence of a master. And, as it turns out, my space had been blessed by magic----literally. One of the therapists revealed that the horse’s name was Magic.

Can You Hear Me Now?

It seems Motorola has requested a patent for a Feng Shui phone. Please. I know from my own experience that when something is coined "Feng Shui" it means the colors have a zen-white or peaceful pastel shade. Or it could (operative word) make you feel centered just being around it, or just simply holding it, or just looking at it. On the initial glance, however, it would seem Motorola has done some homework on what a Feng Shui enthusiast might want to know.

One of the first features mentioned is that it has a digital camera (uh, guys, many phones have this already), but the difference here is that it can determine color saturation leading us to better balance in an environment. I guess we can’t get there with the other camera phones. It is also equipped with a compass to determine directions along with some version of an otherwise valid and scientific meter that measures electromagnetic fields.

It also has a GPS receiver to locate where you are and then it will run that information through a network to determine if you’re standing with your Feng Shui cell phone near any airports, landfills or factories. It is also equipped with an AM/FM radio which, through transmission clarity, can determine how close you might be to power lines. Finally, it has a microphone to measure noise levels in the environment.

The phone owner (this does not take a licensed Feng Shui consultant as you can probably figure out) takes some pictures of the surrounding areas, points the phone toward the main wall and presses a button. A "Ch'i Map" is presented measuring positive ch’i, neutral ch’i, and negative ch’i. I was unable to determine how to interpret the results, but let’s hope there’s a manual. I also didn’t know what we were supposed to do about anything that falls in the negative ch’i column.

Although some valuable information might be spewed out, without Feng Shui training, most people aren’t going to know what to do. Unfortunately, here’s a sad example of the cookie-cutter approach to an art and science that requires careful considerations, individual assessments, and room to implement extenuating circumstances. Maybe the best action to take is not buy the phone in the first place.

"Fun Shui" television show

I’m pretty excited about the new HGTV "Fun Shui" show that has recently aired. It was a matter of time before it happened. It’s kind of cute and glitzy, but that’s what sells. I think the Feng Shui designer on the show (Stephanie McWilliams) does a good job explaining the changes and doing some educating along the way. She’s perky and hip to boot.

Tonight, however, I had a strong reaction to the program which I hadn’t noticed on prior shows or, if it had occurred, it wasn’t so blatant to me. As part of the explanation to this reaction, let me say that in the Feng Shui world, the client rules. Any good consultant would spend a good deal of time asking questions about the clients’ taste, their preferences, what colors they like, etc. Well, Stephanie has her client slather on some dramatic red paint on the living room walls. When the client expresses some concern that she isn’t sure she likes the color at all, she’s told "it’ll grow on you." Feng Shui Stephanie also hauled in an enormous piece of art which she unveiled for the first time in front of the client, assuring them they’ll love it. I thought the piece was God-awful. How come the clients didn’t get to choose? How come they had to adjust to Stephanie’s choices? Where does it say she knows best what belongs in their home? Bad Feng Shui.

I suppose it makes for good television. People do like to be told what to do. But, sadly, I think a huge piece of what Feng Shui is all about was terribly misconstrued. I’ll watch "Fun Shui" again next week in hopes Stephanie pulls in the reins a bit and guides the clients rather than pushes them.