Feng Shui for a New Path; Chi/Energy of Change

Winter Reflections             Catherine Al-Meten Meyers

Preparations are done, the celebration is over, and the new year dawns on Tuesday. The expectations, intentions, and resolutions we have made we carry around in our minds and imagination. Today we set about walking the path ahead of us. Most of us know by now that expectations and plans do not necessarily fall into place as we might hope they would Resolutions, the resolve to do something or not do something, to change behavior or improve it, seem to be part and parcel with how we all approach a transition time. Even when we use different words to describe that resolve, we tend to hope to change, for the better.

Often though, we fall right into the same old, same old. The patterns and habits that have been how we approach life, becomes the way  we react or respond when we have the opportunity to change or head out in a new direction. What are some of the ways we can live life with greater awareness and openness this new year?  Yesterday, New Year's Day, I had a small gathering of close friends over to cheer one another into the new year. One of my friends asked if any of us had thought of a word that might be the inspiration for their new year. We also talked about what we hoped to accomplish or leave behind. Through the conversations we had, what was perhaps more revealing than the actual words or plans were  attitudes about transition. Attitudes seemed to range from hopeful and optimistic to not at all hopeful and depressed. Means of coping with change included focusing on where a person could have an effect on something (through their own work, art, life choices, service) as opposed to worrying, feeling hopeless, and seeing no way to create a meaningful difference.  We all may experience both ways of reacting at times.

Reflecting and talking about change and transition doesn't change anything, but it is helpful for it enables us to realize the different ways we deal with ambiguity and the unknown, as well as  how we handle the stark realities of life and our own experiences. Reflection gives us insight into our own ways of perceiving and understanding the life we are living.   This in turn provides both information and  knowledge that can be useful tools for coping with the Chi/energy of change. Just as we all have the same amount of time in each day, we also have an abundant amount of energy. Energy/chi is found in the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of our lives. Our words, thoughts, actions, as well as what we do or don't do, pack a powerful amount of energy. When we are more conscious and aware of how we're using our energy, we can have a bigger impact on our lives and the lives of others.

Reflecting on people and how they use their energy, I think of a number of people I know who, though they are not sure of where life is headed, their daily actions and behaviors enable them to use their energy to create and to serve a greater purpose. Energy/chi is about the exchange of energy as much as it is about the conserving and regenerating of it. As we age, we grow in our capacity to direct and use our energy. Some feel a lack of power and therefore a sense of meaninglessness or hopelessness. That feeling can be changed through an exchange of energy and through redirecting it. Feng Shui is about learning to use and redirect energy to open those invisible channels of energy running throughout every area of  our lives.

One of the problems we have in trusting concepts we cannot see, is feeling a lack of control and/or of not understanding that anything outside ourselves could be having an impact on changing what needs changing in our lives and the lives of others. Some of us also have trouble believing something that comes us against our deep-seated beliefs, fears, or experiences. Our own unconscious needs and fears get hung up in those unconscious patterns of behavior, response, or perspectives that shape and color our view of the world and of our place in it. Some of us are still trapped in energy from experiences we've carried around with us all our lives; others of us are trapped in the energy of conditions, situations, or concerns that we have not found an acceptable solution to.

Any tool you use, requires a certain level of trust and faith. Remember when you were trying to learn to ride a bike? Or drive a car, or do anything for the first time? You began, one small step at a time, to trust and have faith that eventually, with enough practice and support, and belief in yourself, you'd learn. And you did. We can actually have a big impact on our lives and on the world we live in, when we use the tools, talents, gifts, and resources we already have. All are a source of energy for us. A passion for painting, put off for a long time, then given priority enough to take classes and learn, and finally made the central point of a great deal more energy/Chi by building a studio, painting day in and day out, continuing to learn and seek inspiration, and channeling a lot of energy, a lot of unresolved 'life' and unconscious 'stuff' into art. That's the story of many artists, and in particular, one woman I know who was forced to make changes because of the changes her life has brought on. It really doesn't matter much 'why' we got into a rut or hit a dead end, or lose a job, change direction, or move. We've all had to start over at some point, pick up, and move on after some tragedy or choice that didn't turn out as we expected. What matters is how we use what we have right here, in this place, this time, and this moment, to focus our energy/Chi into something that is at the very least a small drop in the bucket of rearranging how we use our energy/Chi in more constructive ways.

There is a time for every season, Proverbs tells us. Proverbs, ancient wisdom as true today as it was when spoken thousands of years ago, in nearly every language and culture. A universal truth that is. There was a time to prepare, a time to plan, a time to celebrate, and now a time to live according to the wisdom, knowledge, skills, and desires that are driving us to use our lives for good and meaningful purposes. I think of so many people in just our small community who give of themselves without ceasing. The voices, the hands, the organizers, the behind-the-scenes powerhouses, the quiet calmers and healers, the well-spoken and direct leaders who gather the rest of us to meet the needs they point out to us. Everyone has the gifts they need to be productive both individually and in community. We don't all have the same gifts or resources, but that's a good thing. We have what we need to do the next best thing. We are already enough, and we have a dream that lies within our hearts. Time to listen to that dream, and do whatever that dream is calling you to do on the journey to the next right step.

Years ago while teaching 7th and 8th grade. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Such special people and a life changing experience. One day we were discussing life purpose and learning to discern our direction. One student, Maisa a bright, lovely, spunky 8th grade girl asked me a question. As I recall, she was full of profound questions and a wonderful sense of humor and a passion for life.  We were talking about life purposes and our destiny. She asked me, "How do you know what you're purpose is or what you're meant to do?" No one had ever asked me that, though it is probably a question we all ask ourselves on a pretty regular basis. I know I do as I try to discern the next right step. I asked back, "What do you love to do now?" Because we were in a classroom, they all thought I meant coursework and all, but then I asked, "What is it you love to do, that you would never  not want to do?"  That opened a flood of responses because it allowed for the limitations to come off. After listening to their answers, I said, "That is what will help you know what you're meant to do. That sense of passion, purpose, love for and even need to do something to feel whole, that is what your life purpose is drawing you to." Back at St. Andrew School in Pasadena, California, those 30 14-15 year olds might remember that conversation, and it would be interesting to ask them now, how that works in their lives, if it does at all. So much of what we do with our lives is based on what we think is expected of us, and our energy/Chi is meant for us to use it in ways only we can.

Around that same time decades ago, a good friend of mine, Norma, made a prescient prophecy about my move back home to Oregon. She observed the following, which I believe fits us all as we stand on the threshold of this new year, "You are going with one idea in mind, and that's good. It's like you're walking down a hallway with a destination in mind. God has other plans, and as you're going down that hallway, you'll find something completely new and unexpected, something you had no idea existed, and that will be the Divine calling that leads you to exactly where you need to and ought to be. The best experiences, best people, and best times in my life have happened as I was on the way to to somewhere else. And that Divine energy, Chi is the active and working principle in all our lives. We have decisions and choices to make. We have energy, time, opportunities, talents, and resources. Let's use them for the good of ourselves and others, and do our best. And at the end of the day, we'll know, that's quite enough.