Sunday, November 25, 2012

Harmony in Space

This is not a blog post about outer space or science fiction.  It's about using a 5,000 year-old practice to improve harmony in one's living space, one's little corner of this beautiful planet.

Many years ago, under the influence of my respect for ancient practices, I picked up a book about Feng Shui.  It provided some well-illustrated explanations of the proper placement of objects in one's home, landscape or work place.  Since I didn't have much control over my personal and shared living space at the time, the book went onto the shelves.


I now have better control over the placement of furniture, art and books in my abode, the shared living space and my bedroom.  Of course, having cats somewhat influences where you put things too.

  

As a welcome distraction on a Saturday, I attended a two-part workshop on Feng Shui, hosted by one of the East Winds stores in Ottawa.  I brought my colourful book but didn't need to open it because participants were given handouts with charts, illustrations and instructions. We also had the opportunity to ask questions of our instructor as she patiently walked us through the content and made suggestions based on our floor plans.

One important thing I learned was that one should not have a washroom directly facing or above the entrance to the home.  

The instructor and fellow participants had a good laugh when I explained the dilemma of our kitty litter box that resides in the front hall closet due to limited space anywhere else in the petit apartment.  Yes, a cat box counts as a toilet sooo, I proceeded to re-locate it after I arrived home last night.  I also moved a few paintings and plants plus hung some pretty, colourful crystals.  

No, I am not superstitious at all.  

I also found ways to counteract the influence of bathroom walls and not to let wealth or health get flushed down a toilet.  Holy sh*t!  I should talk to the landlord about that run-on toilet in the master suite..

 
No, I am not superstitious at all.  

During the workshop,  I also learned that one should not approach the practice of Feng Shui with fear.  It is based on an ancient practice and is not a cult or religion 

I figured that 5,000 year-old i-Ching book was still being read and referred to for a reason.  Of course, as with many ancient teachings, there are different schools of thought and experts that criticize other experts or teachers.  Sigh... 


The main reasons I attended this workshop were to help maintain harmony in our little home and to provide a clean, loving space that will support the educational and career aspirations of its residents.
  
The cats weren't too impressed with my moving things around - especially their litter box.  Judging from the smell I encountered in one of the other rooms this morning, I know they found it. 

  
As for old, outdated spiritual texts, I feel that some have outlived their purpose for setting a moral compass.  Yes, I think the human mind and civilizations have evolved enough to know it isn't right to hit your wife, your child; to stone homosexuals or to perpetuate a spiral of revenge by justifying an eye for an eye and dragging humanity into a cycle of blind violence. 

That's all I have to say about that.  

One comfort with moving stuff around was that my much-loved Tree of Life print would counteract the flushing away of energy now that it is moved to another wall





The birds are still facing in the correct directions as indicated in ancient Egyptian texts. 

No, I am not superstitious at all.

If you like my writing style, you will enjoy reading The Year of the Rabbit - A Novel about Fate, Family and Forgiveness.  It contains influences from my love of ancient civilizations and respect for some well-lived practices. 

Thanks for dropping by, for visiting my quaint little space in this world.  

   


 

 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

De-stress with pets


I am a strong believer in the health benefits of having pets.  

When choosing a pet, I think it is important to consider the possible impact on one's income, food resources - and the planet.  

Our special boy needs special food to prevent complications with his plumbing.  He and miss boss kitty have their checkups at least once a year.  That's about all I'm willing to dish out.  

I feel for the pets stranded due to the storms in the east coast of the USA and the stress it is causing their displaced humans

Provided there is enough food, water and litter space, you can leave cats alone in the apartment for a couple of days without worrying about them getting into the garbage, pooping on the floor or taking over your bedroom.  Until... 



Mental Health benefits:
Impact of pets on the planet:
I don't think cats have as much impact on the environment as dogs.  They likely have more impact than birds - but are not as noisy.  I'd feel bad about keeping something in a cage anyway. 

Cats provide companionship, comfort and soon become members of your family.  They also provide opportunities for impromptu entertainment and creativity.

 
They also provide distractions and practice when you have just purchased a new cameraPurr-mit me to lure you to recent blog posts about photogenic cats and deep blonde ponderings on what do cats think about.   What's another five minutes of your busy, busy day? 
 

Snuggles isn't sure about that Tree of Life print.  Perhaps he thinks I am taunting him with those birdsWho knows if he can even see two dimensional figures anyway.   You can read more about my cherished tree-themed print in this other blog post


Thanks for dropping by.  

Excuse me so I can perform a daily meditation, guilt-free thanks to a pricey but flushable cat litter.   

Be sure to visit the domain for my bittersweet novel about fate, family and forgiveness.  One of the characters is a cat. 

T