Feng Shui for Summer 2016
by Nancy C. Canestaro, D.Arch.
Why do you need to understand monthly energy patterns in your house, when you’ve already done a basic feng shui reading? The basic analysis provides a general sense of the beneficial and detrimental energy patterns, based on the year a house was built and its orientation on the land. An annual update focuses on yearly shifts from this general pattern. Then, just to make life interesting, you get different energy each month.
In other words, a basic feng shui analysis focuses on the general “currents”. An annual update fine tunes this to look at the “waves”, and a monthly analysis considers the “ripples” that make that the flow of energy so interesting in your home.
What we think of as summer includes six Chinese seasons. Beginning June 5, it’s Wheat Ripens, followed by Longest Day/Shortest Night, Hot and Dry, Greater Heat, Autumn Commences, and End of Heat, concluding on the 7th of September. For the Chinese, seasonal shifts are more a range of time and weather patterns, rather than calendar dates.
Let’s look at the energy patterns for our summer. (Refer to appendix, at the end of this article, for how to map energy patterns in your home.)
Summer Energy – It’s best to factor seasonal energies in combination with the general energy patterns in your home, determined through a classical feng shui analysis. The following suggestions compare only the yearly and monthly energies for each of the eight compass directions of your home. It builds on a basic analysis from when the house was built.
Each building has a unique energy signature encouraging certain daily activities and yearly remedy placement. In general for this year:
- It’s best to avoid spending time in the Center of the house all of 2016 because of a tendency for sickness, as well as in the NE sector which has a potential for calamities. Remedy the center with a mechanically driven metal clock or metal chimes and six Chinese coins on a red cord. There is no reliable remedy for the NE.
- In addition, I recommend that you don’t make noise or carry out renovations in the NE or SW for the entire year.
- Finally, don’t face the SW direction (sitting, eating, sleeping, or working).
The chart below offers general guidelines for where and where not to spend time this Summer.
Sleep and spend time in positive (+) areas, and avoid the negative (-) ones. Neutral areas (+-) might work for some people, but not others.
For example, an area that’s neutral or negative for children might be positive for adults. Energy patterns are actually quite discriminating!
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| Sector | Jun 5 | Jul 7 | Aug 7 | |
| Center | -+ | -+ | — | |
| North | – | – | -+ | |
| Northwest | + | – | +- | |
| West | + | + | +- | |
| Southwest (Tai Sui) | +- | +- | +- | |
| South (San Sha) | +- | + | + | |
| Southeast | + | – | + | |
| East | — | + | – | |
| Northeast (Sui Po) | – | – | -+ | |
+= beneficial; – = detrimental; +-=neutral energy
Beginning June 5, 2016 – Allow the sound of moving metal from the center of the house to be “heard” from this area.
The North has unruly energy, and also a potential for loss. Add a little red.
The NW sector has argumentative energy this month, especially for boys. Add metal or white in a boy’s room or red otherwise.
The West has creative energy, or a potential for romance. Add wood, such as a green, leafy plant.
Add red in the SW for abundance. Remember however, don’t face this direction or make noise here all year.
The South needs a little metal or lots of white to control sickness.
The nature of the energy in the SE is career advancement and financial success, especially for males. Enhance with water, blue or black.
The East especially needs “to hear” the sound of moving metal (clock or chimes) emanating from the center of the house.
Remember, avoid the NE sector this year. No noise or renovations in or outside. Don’t use red here.
Beginning July 7, 2016 – This month the energy could be hard on the head of the household, including miserliness or greed on his or her part. Don’t forget, the center of everyone’s house has serious energy problems this year that need a moving metal remedy. Add just a little more metal or white in the center.
The North there could be problems between females in the family. Add metal here or lots of white. Keep in mind, white walls don’t count.
The NW could encourage scams by family members or friends. Add water, blue or black in the area.
The West offers the potential for real estate gains. The downside could be children or marital quarreling. Add fire, such as red.
Keep in mind that there shouldn’t be noise in the SW sector this year. You can spend time quietly here; however, don’t face this direction. It’s not a good bedroom location for a child. Add red.
South is good for wealth and military career, particularly for males. It’s also good for learning. No remedy is necessary. Just enjoy the space.
SE could bring food related illness or illness of the water parts of the body. Avoid using the stove if the kitchen is here. Add metal or lots of white.
East has a potential for scholarly achievement and is beneficial for children. Use red with caution.
NE could bring on poisoning, fire, or gambling. Remember to avoid the NE all year. This area should “hear” the sound of moving metal coming from the center of the house.
Beginning August 7, 2016 – The tendency in the central area is quite detrimental. This could bring on a serious illness or disruptions if you spend time here. The remedy is the moving metal, a clock that should already be in place.
In the North there is a potential for romance or affairs. It’s also good for making money through business travel. If you want to travel more, add metal. If you want the opposite effect, add water or a green leafy plant.
Spending time in the NW could encourage gossip, arguing or even lawsuits. Add water, blue or black to mitigate.
The West could encourage romance, but that could also be affairs. This energy pattern could include injury with metal objects (not a good place for a pregnant woman). Remedy with water, blue or black.
The SW sector offers fame and wealth, but could also be erratic…hard to grasp or inappropriate, such as an older woman having an affair with a young man, miscarriage, or abdominal issues. If these issues are a concern, add lots of metal instead of a color to mitigate. I wouldn’t suggest enhancing the energy.
South has energy this month that’s hard on a family regarding health or children rebelling against an overbearing parent. It could also foster sexual issues. This is not good energy, especially in a kitchen. Remedy with earth objects, such as ceramics, yellow, tan, or brown.
SE offers opportunities for romance, academic success, or artistic endeavors. At times this may include promiscuity or other extremes. It’s good for an artist or student though. Don’t add remedies or new colors.
The East could bring gossip, arguing, lawsuits or an actual fire. The upside however is smart children. Just be careful enhancing the combination. Don’t add remedies or new colors here this month.
Again, the NE is harsh. Use the same remedies as last month. See June and July remedies and the discussion about NE energy in 2016.
A Note About Remedies…
You may notice that feng shui remedies often engage one or more of our senses. For example, a pendulum clock, which is a strong metal remedy, helps move sluggish, sickly energy in a space, with movement and the sound of metal.
A fish tank, vase of blue flowers, or art of wavy blue-black lines puts an actual or virtual water remedy into a space.
Bamboo is used for a growing, expanding wood remedy. Green is the color for wood.
Soil, as in a potted plant, ceramics, and the color brown would be examples of an earth remedy. However, two of the three earth energies are quite detrimental, therefore you rarely need more earth in a space. Typically, earth needs to be reduced by metal.
Finally, watching wood burning in a fireplace or the flickering of a candle flame is mesmerizing as a fire remedy. Red works if you just need a little.
In my opinion, it is well worth the time it takes to determine remedies and enhancements for each area of your home yearly and monthly. This fine tunes a comprehensive initial feng shui reading based on the year the house was built and its orientation. The resulting boost to your health, relationships, and prosperity should be evident.
Appendix…Mapping Energy Patterns
To determine the energy in your home this Summer and how to work with it, visualize how energy from the land might move through windows and walls into your home.
Picture these energy flows coming into your home from eight distinct directions, converging in the center (tai chi) like the wedges of a pie.
To track this movement of chi (energy), use a scaled floor plan of your home, with the exterior wall containing the front door at the top of the page. There are exceptions to this to determine the front of a building; however, it works for most buildings.
Standing in the center of your home with a compass, determine the degree orientation of the exterior wall that includes the front door.
You need to be spot on with this measurement to obtain the exact degree orientation for each wedge (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW).
Download a PDF version of this article…2016 Summertime Feng Shui
Such an informative article! Thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning. Hmmmm. NE is my KITCHEN! Will be rereading what to do, although the NE seems impervious to remedies!
It’s basically NE, between the directions of 52.5-67.5 degrees, measuring from the center/tai chi of the house, so, really, not such a big swath. Just be careful not to make noise here, dig outside or renovate the area until next year, early in February. The sound of a chiming clock coming from the tai chi should also help some with this.