Some favorite quotes/sayings from the environmental benches at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, WI www.rotarygardens.org
“Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.†– Chief Seattle
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world.†– John Muir
“Always be a little kinder than necessary.†– JM Barrie
“He who plants a garden plants happiness.†– Chinese Proverb
“The physician heals, nature makes well.†– Aristotle
“One can still be a wealthy man by having the wisdom to invest in things that really matter, like nature, family and friends.†– Cindy Morgan Dyke
“Never give up listening to the sounds of birds.†– John James Audubon
“Conservation is a state of harmony between man and land.†– Aldo Leopold
“Come forth into the light of things ….Let nature be your teacher.†– William Wordsworth
LUNAR CALENDAR
June 4th – Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse
June 5 & 6 The journey of Venus across the sun http://www.transitofvenus.org/
June 11th – A very intuitive day. Intuition functions better than intellect now.
June 14th – Flag Day a good day for follow up on project
June 17th – Father’s Day
June 19 – New Moon Start a new project
June 20th – Summer Solstice
July 3rd – Full Moon
Jul 4th – Independence Day – a good day for serious thinking
July 7th – 9th good days for socializing, enjoying the arts, meditating, etc.
July 14th – Mercury goes retrograde (backwards) until August 7th/8th
July 18th New Moon – a good time to start something which is a part of a project already begun earlier.
July 19th Ramadan begins
Aug 1st – Full Moon
FENG SHUI & THE TRANSCENDENTAL CURES
The Black Sect Tantric Buddhist method of feng shui brought to the United States by the late Grand Master Professor Lin Yun uses the power of our minds to overcome physical feng shui problems in our environments. Professor came to this country when feng shui was known to only a handful of Americans. All of us already had homes that had been built without knowledge of feng shui principles. There is a saying in Asia that “When the feng shui master comes, be prepared to move.†Only recommending moving wouldn’t have been the way to make feng shui a household word. Rather than that, Professor Lin has us make the existing house we are in the very best it can be. He taught us what the ideal was – the principles of feng shui and good design. Then, according to his Buddhist background, suggested that we could overcome the physical problems with transcendental “curesâ€. For example, instead of knocking down walls, he put a mirror there to open up a place and make the walls “disappearâ€. When the doors clash together (arguing doors) it contributes to family arguments. Instead of rehanging the doors, he suggested that we give the doors symbolic “eyes†so they can see each other and then visualize family harmony.
We have a wealth of “transcendental cures†for just about every building imperfection including stairs in line with the door, a tree in front of the front door, right angles jutting out into a room, “secret arrowsâ€, walking into a “brick wall†– to name a few.
Once you know what to look for in good feng shui, hopefully next time you go out to find a place to live, you will find one without feng shui problems. Hopefully architects, home designers, builders and homeowners are designing better homes and even choose the building site according to feng shui principles. Still most feng shui consultations are done on existing homes and we run into physical problems that need to be acknowledged and solved without involving a moving van. We need to transcend the physical with the spiritual and a transcendental cure. Then the cure needs to be given its purpose and intention with The Three Secrets Reinforcements.
THE THREE SECRETS REINFORCEMENTS
The Three Secrets Reinforcements is applied to all instances. This is a way to put body (by doing a mudra – hand gesture) speech (by saying the Six True Words or a common prayer) and mind (by visualizing, meditating, praying or whatever you want to call asking for what it is that you want to have happen). By asking and putting yourself into the process, you are more likely to get the result you are after. After you hang a crystal or add a plant or make any feng shui change, do the empowerment of the Three Secrets. The Three Secrets Reinforcement makes the cure between ten to one hundred ten times more effective depending on your own powers of manifesting.
FENG SHUI THREE SECRETS AND MEDITATION
Defining “meditateâ€
med·i·tate |ˈmedəˌtÄt|
v. med·i·tat·ed, med·i·tat·ing, med·i·tates
v.tr.
1. To reflect on; contemplate.2. To plan in the mind; intend: meditated a visit to her daughter.
v.intr.3. Buddhism & Hinduism To train, calm, or empty the mind, often by achieving an altered state, as by focusing on a single object.
4. To engage in devotional contemplation, especially prayer.
5. To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner.
[Latin meditari, meditat; see med- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
meditate [ˈmɛdɪˌteɪt]
vb
1. (intr; foll by on or upon) to think about something deeply
2. (intr) to reflect deeply on spiritual matters, esp as a religious act
3. (tr) to plan, consider, or think of doing (something)
[from Latin meditÄrÄ« to reflect upon]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
FENG SHUI TIP FOR MEDITATION WHILE DOING THE MUNDANE
Who says that meditation is only sitting in silence? The definitions above show there are several layers to or various degrees of mediation. When our busy schedules don’t permit taking a break to meditate deeply, perhaps our meditation can follow us on our mundane tasks. Even working in the yard, doing necessary things around the house can qualify as a time devoted to higher purpose. For example, when you water your plants, you can meditate. To take it a step further, water, in feng shui, represents wealth. You can see your actions with water as wealth accumulating. Our intention and deliberate focus can be a meditation.
FOCUSING ON NOW – LIVE IN CURRENT TIME
The past is over. The future and what happens next isn’t here yet. Once you’ve done all you can to prepare for it, relax. Live in this moment and enjoy the moment and what all our feng shui senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) are telling us about our surroundings. This helps us tap into our intuitive feelings. Who knows what great insights and ideas will follow. Have a great summer.