Author: Stephanie Stewart

Horse Month : For the Birds

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

Welcome to the Horse month. The Horse has an impulsive nature that can be joyfully spontaneous and warm. It’s the Horse in each of us that makes us want to be known and seen; to be the apple of someone’s eye; to be in whatever our spotlight is; to move things forward quickly. A Horse not showing these qualities may be in an unhealthy state.

A balanced Horse is the one you want at your party. The unbalanced one is getting attention at your expense. In the presence of a Horse month, Horse year, or another Horse, the Horse is susceptible to what is called a self clash. This is especially true if you have a Horse branch in your ba zi. The nature of the self clash is revealed by the ba zi. If the Horse is in the day branch, it might have something to do with your partner.

For a person born on a Water stem day the clash will have to do with money and success. For a person born on an Earth stem day the clash has to do with parents, support, and learning. Donald Trump is an Earth stem person born in a Horse month by the way.

The core issue here might be faith. The Horse often labors under competitiveness taken to extremes for the sake of false causes. In wanting to be first in line for the unlimited buffet the Horse does rude things like pushing aside those he considers to be less. The Horse fears that he won’t get his fair share unless he is first. This means being acknowledged as “winning” in every way. The spontaneity of the Horse may exacerbate this bad behavior.

For the Birds

Outside the window I see the two Robins that live near my back door chasing away a Steller’s Jay that is trying to invade their nest. I go outside to stand guard until they return, just to make sure the Crows don’t take advantage. They are uncanny in their perception of vulnerability and the Jay is a member of their corvidae family – an accomplice maybe.

The Crows will break eggs and kill baby birds to get food for their own young. I think they also do it to eliminate the competition for resources. The Crows don’t trust that there is enough food and water for all the birds in the garden.

The next day I watch the Robins flying down from the nest to gather food and return to deliver it. They are trying to avoid being seen from the air. I think there’s only one chick because I can easily see the nest, parents, and baby through a small gap in the foliage. By nesting so close to the back door they have requested my protection. I feel responsible just because they chose to be near me. I make sure there is water in the birdbath and go in and out quietly. Since I don’t use pesticides I know there is plenty of food (bugs) for them in my garden.

The Importance of Resources

Although we don’t often acknowledge this, the importance of material things is solely to sustain the physical body. We need food, water, shelter, and clothing. In America, we have an abundance of money, material goods and other types of wealth. In terms of sustaining the physical body, if managed properly there is enough of everything for everyone in our country, including health care and education. The idea that there is a shortage, and therefore you need to be first to take, is a Horse thing.

The following day around noon I hear the distress cries of the Robins and I know without even seeing that the Crows have found the nest. The Crows are much bigger and more aggressive than the Robins and there is nothing the Robins can do to stop the Crows other than throwing their own bodies in front of them and calling for help. I can see that one of the Robins has a wound on its head from a sharp Crow’s beak. I think about why other Robins don’t come to help them. Maybe they are more like humans than we know: scared to expose themselves because they may become targets of the powerful too.

Preventive Measures

Running out of the back door to the side of the house I unwind the hose and attach a sprayer. I turn on the tap and shoo away the Crows with a few bursts of water. But the Crows keep coming back and I can’t tell whether or not the chick is still in the nest. I go back into the house but soon I hear the Robins beseeching again. I go out over and over, each time I hear them cry out.

After about an hour of this the Crows give up. I can hear them in the distance cawing and harassing some other poor birds. I go out to see if everything is okay with the chick but I don’t want to get too close to the nest. The parents are still in distress but with the Crows gone I can’t figure out why until I see the nearly featherless chick on the ground at least 8 feet from the nest. I think of my daughter who was born at 32 weeks and how vulnerable we both were.

My body surges with adrenaline as I bend down to look at the baby and realize it is still alive and looks unharmed. People always say you shouldn’t touch a baby bird that’s fallen out of its nest because the parents will abandon it. But really, how would they ever get it back into the nest? I decide to put it back. At least that way it will have a better chance of not being eaten alive.

Picking up the baby bird in both of my shaking hands, it turns up its head with its closed eyes and opens its beak wide, maybe in hope that I have food or maybe in self defense. It is pulsing with life, radiating heat, and I can see each breath it takes in its entire body. I am terrified of hurting it but I manage to get up on a small step stool and gently place the bird back in the nest.

I don’t see the parents visit the nest for the rest of that day. I worry that they aren’t coming back. I think about the parents and children who are being separated from each other by ICE right now and wonder how they will maintain hope of being reunited.

Natural Order?

The next morning I notice the Robins are going back and forth in their food gathering pattern again. Later in the day I see the silhouette of the baby in the nest, basking in a beam of sunlight inside the tree. I think about how fast baby birds become fledglings and how if I could just buy the Robins one more week of time everything would be okay. I feel hopeful. That is what parents cling to.

Even if we disagree with each other about almost everything, couldn’t we agree that we all have the same hope? We hope that our children at least be allowed enough time to grow up being loved in health and safety? Could we agree that there is nocause worth ruining them?

In the afternoon the Crows come back again. Now each time they hear the back door open they fly away because they know I am coming. I keep going out for as long as I can, until I have to leave for a few hours. When I return I don’t see the Robins or the Crows for the rest of the day.

The following morning I stand outside staring at the now empty nest and thinking about everything that is going on in the world this summer. We don’t need to witness a crime to know that it happened. Evidence can tell the story. A young eagle is soaring overhead and around it a murder of Crows are pursuing, protecting their babies from the predator. I think of children who will die of being taken from their parents before they are old enough to survive on their own.

I send up a request to whomever will hear for the safety of our parents and children. Yours and mine alike, whoever and wherever you are.

Notes from the San Sha

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

Way back in February I wrote about my new office and the risky business of being in the north in 2018. I’ve been acting as my own guinea pig, partly out of year-related doggedness and partly to see how much it is possible to mitigate the negative energy. As you may recall, the Wu Wang (5 Yellow) and the San Sha (3 Killings) are in the north in 2018. The standard advice is to stay out of the north but if you need to use it for some reason the effects of the Flying Stars are important to track month by month.

Tiger Month (February 4th-March 4th)

You may recall I was planning to move into my office in February, but I didn’t move in until March because the date I had chosen for February wasn’t good enough. My husband thought I was crazy not to get in there right away, and it’s not like me to wait patiently. I only did it because I know the importance of lining up the timing so that it works for both the person and the house. Occupying the north is a choice that goes against the energy of the year – it’s important to acknowledge and respect that.

Before I officially moved in, I loaded the room up with metal indoors and out, locked up the Wu Wang, and put a t’ang lung on the windowsill. Even then I avoided spending too much time in there. It’s not that I don’t think these remedies work. It’s that there’s only so much mitigation you can expect.

Since being courageous is one thing and foolish another, I decided not to spend any significant time in my office until April. The Flying Stars in my office would be the best then.

Rabbit Month (March 5th-April 5th)

In planning for March, I knew there would be a a magnification of the Annual 5 Yellow that I took to mean I might get burned. Take that as a metaphor or not.

My other concern about the feng shui of my office was that I would be shortsighted – maybe not seeing what was right in front of me. Doesn’t it sound funny to say that I was keeping an eye out for my own potential blind spot? How do you even do that? And how do you know whether you are affected by the negative energy?

When I have advised clients not to spend time in a certain location and they do it anyway but “don’t notice” any effects, I think it’s because they don’t make the connection with the events that occur. They expect something big and spectacular to happen to them while they are in that particular area and when it doesn’t, they tend to think I was wrong. My experience is that what happens may be big or small, but it will fit the metaphor whether or not you are open to that idea. Watch for patterns – maybe something like this:

One evening before bed I mistook a tube of body wash for a tube of lotion because they both happened to be on my dresser, they are the same size, and they smell/feel the same. I wasn’t wearing my glasses so I couldn’t (and didn’t) read the label. Since I put it on at night it was on my skin until the next morning and I ended up with a nasty case of contact dermatitis. My skin was painful, red, itchy and peeling for days. It took me a couple of days to realize what I had done, during which I was feeling sort of superstitious.

Finally, when I understood that through my own bad choice I had given myself contact dermatitis, I thought “Okay, message received; this happened because I didn’t see what was going on and yes I did get burned”. But I wasn’t ready to stop working in my office. As I said, if there was any time that would be good in that room it would be in April. Me being obstinate.

Dragon Month (April 5th-May 5th)

In the Dragon Month I started spending at least 4 hours a day in my office during the week, sometimes more. You would think that much time in the office would result in lots of productivity, but to sum it up it was just too “earthy”. I really didn’t get much done. I felt slow and stupid. There are calculations that I can do in my head that I was getting wrong. My computer kept having strange issues that required time consuming solutions. Everything I was trying to do seemed to take longer or defy even the most careful planning.

I felt both disappointed and stubborn. Disappointed because I had fixed up this space for myself that I will mostly be using for storage until next year. Stubborn about moving my books/papers/computer to another part of the house to work because I would have to clean up after whoever was there last before I could get started. In terms of feng shui all of these experiences are related to the presence of too much Earth. The solution for that would (wood!) be flexibility.

In spite of what I already knew, I tried to tweak things to make it better. I oriented my desk to a specific degree of SW and felt like I was dreaming all the time. Then I changed it to a specific degree of NE which at first brought some sharp insights, but as the month progressed I found myself feeling quite lazy – constantly thinking about napping even though I wasn’t really tired. If you study feng shui you might read this as having to do with the hidden stems of the Dragon month in the Dog year. Anyhow, I kept coming back. Being stuck in the same pattern like this might be construed as dog-like behavior. Once you’re in it it’s hard to shake it off because you’re in it. Some might experience it as depression.

Snake Month (May 5th-June 6th)

Now it’s May which is the Snake month (May 5-June 6) and I’ve been moving my stuff to the SW each day to work. The Flying Stars are good here now, especially with a little encouragement from the basin of water I change each day and the bright light that I leave turned on day and night. I’ve been tackling some boring but necessary tasks with ease – tasks that I have been putting off for a long time. I am smarter here right now than I am in my office. I’m facing my special NE direction which I find really helpful for writing, working and just getting things done. But the Snake month is almost over.

Horse Month (June 6th-July 6th)

In June I’ll move to a new spot for working. I’ll go where the good stars are. I’ve learned my lesson for now. Famous last words…

As in many other aspects of life, those who have the most choices are the ones who can be flexible. Would you rather have no choice or a choice? One choice or many? Because that’s sort of the whole point of feng shui.

If you want to chase the good energy (and choices) around your house but don’t have time to figure it out, you might be interested in a monthly subscription to my newsletter where I also share auspicious days and other helpful feng shui info. Let me know if you’d like a free sample. I promise not to make you a guinea pig.

But We REALLY Want a Fountain!

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

I was sitting here in my new office listening to the rain this morning, while working on calendars for date selection. The sound of the water and the idea of “a good date” got me to thinking about a couple that I worked with around ten years ago. They found me via my website. At that time my business name was Double Fire Feng Shui. I had only been consulting for about 5 years and was making the transition from Black Sect to Traditional Chinese Feng Shui.

Andrew and Kay* were an up and coming young couple, working in tech companies and living in the suburbs. They were a little competitive with each other about their careers and Andrew seemed to feel Kay was winning.

Before they hired me, I had multiple telephone calls and emails, mostly with Andrew. Each time he wanted to know more about my methods, by which he meant an explanation of what I would be doing at their house. Since I hadn’t been there yet, I could only explain it in the most general terms. He wanted to see my curriculum vitae. I am always happy to provide that.

Andrew’s approach was very consumer driven, like “What do I get for the money?” and “How do I know your stuff works?” At that time there were so many people who had hung out a shingle after a weekend course in Feng Shui that I don’t blame him for being suspicious. Kay was more concerned about whether or not I would take a look at the whole situation rather than just beds, stove and the front door. She was looking at it as a holistic remedy. I felt honored that they were so meticulous and yet they still wanted to hire me. Finally it came down to me and another consultant they had in mind.

During the final phone call from Andrew, he asked me whether or not I meditated. This was not a question about my Feng Shui skills but rather about my spiritual practice. The question came up because meditation was a selling point for the other consultant they were considering. Her value add was that she would meditate, specifically about your house, before she arrived to do the survey. To me, that sounds like divination or prayer – not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s not Feng Shui. I told Andrew that while I do think it’s important to have a spiritual practice to go with almost any skill set, it was probably best to just go with the person who he considered to be the most competent, and left it at that. I got the job.

At that time Andrew and Kay had not revealed that the main reason they wanted Feng Shui was to assist in having a baby. They were ambitious in their careers but also anxious to start their family. They felt it was taking too long to conceive and had already investigated the medical side of things. They discovered there were no physical obstacles to conception for them.

The first thing that came up when I arrived at the house was that Kay and Andrew not only wanted to have a baby, they also really wanted to have a fountain. It was actually Andrew that wanted a fountain to accelerate his career. He felt it was stalled out and things were going too slow. I think he wanted to catch up with Kay career-wise but probably was also thinking about being the single breadwinner in the near future. Purely based on divination, I pointed out that they lived in a cul-de-sac and that if you looked at it from above, their house resembled a snail on a turtle’s back. To me that means progress will be SLOW.

Based on Feng Shui principles their double doors on the front needed some adjustment, as well as the lot which was shaped like a badly cut piece of pie. The house was shaped like a key; very irregular with lots of glass on the back side. There were other issues that I won’t go into here. Still, Andrew was not as interested in implementing my suggestions as he was in placing a fountain.

I really wanted to help them, and to place the fountain as Andrew wished, but at that point in my studies I only knew enough about water placement to realize it is probably the most powerful implementation of Feng Shui. If you do it wrong your result will be something like Aunt Clara’s spells on Bewitched: a muddled and unhappy surprise. In short, I didn’t know how to place water and if I had known they wanted that, I would have admitted it before they hired me.

During and even after the survey I had to refuse over and over to place the fountain or give the idea any sort of approval because I was concerned that placed incorrectly it could thwart or delay Kay and Andrew’s dream of making a family. Andrew called me two or three times asking what kind of fountain to get, did I think it would be okay by the front door, etc. In retrospect refusing to place the fountain is probably one of the kindest things I could have done even though he was disappointed. My understanding of my own ignorance was a benefit to them. I happen to know the person who was my competitor for the job didn’t know how to place water at that time either, but I’m not sure she understood that.

Kay and Andrew did make some of the changes I recommended and Andrew got a new job, Kay got pregnant and they had a healthy baby girl. I know I was helpful to them, but some of the success probably has to do with timing. Timing was another aspect of Feng Shui that I didn’t yet understand then except in the most general terms. Even so, three years later they did ask me to come back a second time when they were trying to conceive, and they were successful again. I must have done something right.

I found out on my second visit to their house that after Kay got pregnant the first time, Andrew went and bought a fountain and placed it by the front door because he had read in a book that it would help his career. He pointed proudly to the fountain and asked for my opinion while I tried not to shudder. My answer: “It’s very pretty”.

The end of my story? Feng Shui is a lifetime study and I’m sixteen years in. I will still refuse to do things that aren’t knowledge based, both for your safety and mine, but if Andrew called me back today I could tell him when and where to place the fountain. I could also tell him that while putting thing A in position B at time C might get him a promotion, it might also create “side effects” he doesn’t want. I think it’s important to consider the choice.

*not their real names

Color Me Courageous

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

Color choices provide a lot of information about what is going on with the people in a house. In addition, color is effective in engaging with the dynamic energy of Flying Stars, along with other adjustments. Color is a practical solution in this sense because the Flying Stars energy changes annually and it’s fairly easy to change the color scheme of a given room either with paint or decoration. With the change of the year, color has been on my mind.

I love playing with color and I enjoy working with it in my own home. Any time I see what I would call a “good” paint color I get a sample for my collection. I am careful to choose colors that work both for my decor and for my Feng Shui purposes. That means the color is appropriate for the ch’i of the location and the look/style of the house.

Because I’ve been giving the north room of my house a makeover, I’ve been making multiple trips to the paint store gathering samples to try. I’ve been going to a particular paint store in south Seattle for 11+ years and one of the clerks, who is actually really good at color, is legally blind due to a cataract on one eye. You kind of know this already when you see how thick his glasses are.

Last Sunday when I went in, there was a woman at the counter with the legally blind clerk, and the counter was covered with photos. She had also brought a piece of wood trim. She was describing the color of her soapstone countertops. She and the clerk were in a what looked to be a lengthy discussion about what shade of “off white that doesn’t have yellow in it” she should choose for her open concept kitchen/great room. She didn’t realize he couldn’t actually see the photos because not only does he listen well, he seems to pick up an understanding of what is needed by some other means. I’m not sure how, but he can picture a color, think of its name and get you a swatch.

As she kept pressing him to choose for her, he was becoming more and more uncomfortable, walking away and coming back, cracking jokes and puns, then apologizing. She could tell he was holding back. He had opinions but kept saying “there are no wrong choices” and “I don’t want to push you into anything”. I think he knew from experience that if you agree to choose for people and they don’t like the results, they will blame you for it. If you choose for them and it’s right, they will take responsibility. Anyhow, I think they finally settled on a color called Cotton Balls. Make of that what you will!

It’s funny how some people feel like color is risky. Is the risk that you paint a whole space and then you don’t like it? Or is the risk that it’s too revealing of your self? Is the risk maybe being called out for having bad taste? Maybe it’s just a reluctance to commit in general. Maybe not. Choosing to paint everything in a neutral sends a message too. In the interplay of yin and yang that happens when we make choices there’s usually an emphasis on one or the other. Whatever the case, if you get the right (or wrong) color for the ch’i of the room you’ll feel it. Put a sample on the wall before you buy a whole gallon. I find it takes 3-5 samples to get the right color. Trust that it will happen.

As a Feng Shui consultant, I am often asked to choose paint colors. I mean, specific paint colors. So if I tell someone to use blue they want to know: do I mean turquoise? Teal? Baby blue? I have learned that it’s best to leave it to them. My advice on color is strictly based on Wu Xing (Five Agents) so if I tell you to use white, Bavarian Cream is not going to work. That’s really all you need to know.

But back to my story of redecorating the north room. It had already come a long way from the all-red decor it had when we moved in. And by all-red I mean the textured wallpaper, the trim, and even the tiny attached bathroom were all a screaming scarlet. Oh and did I mention the pink carpet? When we first saw it we called it the murder room. Here was a visual illustration of a clash. Girls against boys. A rejection of communication and emotional articulacy. An artificial and forced overvaluing of joy. A water place invaded by fire. The color choices in most areas of the house continued the theme of suppressing sons and husband by draining the Metal ch’i and making the Wood ch’i sick. These might have been the choices of a woman who felt dominated by men.

By the way, the paint color I chose for the north room, which is going to be my new office, is blue: Benjamin Moore New York State of Mind. I went dark. That doesn’t mean you have to.

For the last nine years I’ve been writing in the kitchen. I made the most of my stolen moments. Now it’s time for a space that can support a more intentional style of writing. I’ve selected a date and will move into my new office later this month. This is my gift to myself in 2018.

As some of you know, I’m taking a risk using the north room because there is some nasty ch’i there this year that should be avoided. I’ve learned a couple of tricks in the past year that I’m going to use to work around the Wu Wang and the San Sha, which you can employ in your home too if you like. Or, just get in touch if you want to know how I’m faring in my new space.

Chris Cornell and Generation X

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

I didn’t really know Chris Cornell but I had seen him in Post Alley a couple of times and once at the restaurant where I worked. And of course I had seen him perform with Soundgarden. Arriving in Seattle in late 1989 I was a little late to the Grunge scene, or maybe just in time for the peak that was 1990. In any case at that time Seattle was a magical musical place filled with intellectually rebellious young people. None of us had much money. We used to joke that we were continually passing the same dollar bills around to each other as tips in various venues. There was a lot of love and couch surfing. Have you ever heard that song by Jimi Hendrix called “Little Wing”? For me that summed up the Seattle scene in 1990, Metal Horse year.

“Well, she’s walking through the clouds
With a circus mind that’s running round
Butterflies and Zebras
And moonbeams
And fairytales
That’s all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind”

“When I’m sad, she comes to me
With a thousand smiles she gives to me free
It’s alright, she said, it’s alright
Take anything you want from me
Anything, anything
Fly on, little wing”

It’s not really a surprise that Chris Cornell has that exact pillar, Metal Horse, in his chart, as well as the pillar that matches the year 1991 (Metal Sheep).

Chris Cornell
July 20, 1964 Snake Hour (est.)

Chris Cornell is a Yang Metal day stem person with strong Fire. His chart consists mostly of Metal and Fire, and the Fire in the chart stresses the Metal. Metal also represents the head, thus his struggles with mental health. Wood is “empty” in this Ba Zi which tells me Chris was probably unable to fully experience or believe his success.

I chose Snake as his hour because of the way Chris associates snakes with deception in his lyrics. The song “Black Hole Sun” comes to mind. The Snake wreaks havoc in the chart because depending on timing, it births either supportive Metal or destructive Fire. The Snake created a theme of cyclic alliance and betrayal in Chris Cornell’s life where he felt constantly pushed/pulled in two different directions. You might even call the Snake a trigger.

Chris’ chart could use some Water both as an outlet for the Metal and a balance to the Fire. The Fire Rooster year of 2017 magnified the Metal and Fire conflict. At that point, in his current fate of Fire Rat, even though there was some help from Water, Fire became overwhelming. Chris Cornell died in the Snake month.

On first impression, Chris Cornell was a dark and beautiful poet and musician with curly black hair, classical features, and piercing eyes. But then there were his lyrics, and maybe that’s why I first came to associate him with Orpheus beyond his looks. Orpheus was said to have such charm with his voice that he could even make the Gods weep and that was Chris, too. In looking at the course of his life you could say that he visited the underworld (depression/addiction) and returned, just like Orpheus. There was something doomed about him but that was no different than the rest of us Gen Xers. He just made it seem elegant through his words and his quietly mysterious off-stage presence.

The rest of us angst ridden former latch key kids looked at him (and Kurt Cobain) as the ultimate example of turning pain into art; rising above the past by expressing the sadness and anger in beautiful ways; overcoming the cliche of the broken childhood. Our motto: See us? Hear us? We’re messed up and angry but still here kicking ass. We don’t want you to notice we are secretly idealistic and peace loving because it hurts. If you listen to our music the soft underbelly will tell you exactly how to undo us but you won’t hear it through the screaming.

If it’s the case that we choose our parents and our life path before we are born then Gen X kids knew before we were born that our parents were probably not going to be around much. It wasn’t that they didn’t love us or care, but our parents were going to be busy doing the best they could to deal with their relationship/marriage/divorce, job, commune, religion, band, cult, addiction, you name it. The route for some of us was taking care of our own parents and siblings. For others it was all we could do to keep track of ourselves.

Even in elementary school many of us already had house keys and knew that if we lost them, we would not be able to get inside any time soon without breaking something. Many of us had braces but no one was taking us for haircuts. If we lost our lunch money we were not going to have lunch. Grunge came from the latch key kids who were used to doing it themselves if they wanted it done. We gathered up the leftovers: people, clothing, records, books, anything that was discarded. We even recycled music by sampling. This was our way of “owning” the past albeit in a somewhat mordant way. We learned to rely on ourselves and we were okay with that. Right. We were the most inept tightrope walkers ever, working without a net. Having no context for the experience of falling, we were convinced that we could bring ourselves up. We tried to take care of each other but we knew some of us weren’t going to make it. RIP my friend Ingrid Liiv.

We didn’t understand that many of the lessons we learned at that time might not be helpful. Everyday problems for latchkey kids were loneliness, boredom, fear, anger, premature sexual experience, depression, addictions, and anxiety laden burdens of sibling responsibility. We also learned about independence, problem solving, first aid, domestic skills, making money, saving money, and planning. We learned that if we just put in enough effort we could make something happen, no matter how graceless we were.

We knew there would be pain so as we got older we tried control it by being the ones hurting ourselves; making it into art, making it beautiful, reinventing ourselves. We were ready to show you our scars; that we were freaks. We learned to blur the lines between attraction and repugnance with our punk rock aesthetic. We embraced androgyny. If cleanliness was next to godliness we stayed pagan by not using deodorant and avoided bathing regularly. We excelled at making beautiful ugly and ugly beautiful; sporting electrical tape, safety pins, Doc Martens, duct tape, torn tights, black leather jackets, spikes, thermal underwear, and shaved heads. The Modern Primitive movement with its piercings and tattoos was a way for us to literally take control of our own pain by volunteering for it.

Maybe we knew that once we were born it might feel like a trap, but still thought we could make a success of it. If you believe that we choose our parents and life experience before we are born, then of course it could happen that some of us take on more than we ultimately feel we can handle.

I think if we could ask Chris Cornell what happened that’s what he might say. His words in his final phone call with his wife are quite revealing: I am just tired. Maybe he just needed a break and a hug. Maybe if he could have just waited another hour or another night he could have stayed here with us a little longer. In reading his chart I can see how the moments around midnight on May 17, 2017 would have been precarious. Three of the pillars in play in his chart are duplicated at that time. Almost all of the elements of the moment are against him. In effect, he probably felt like all of his problems had doubled somehow. That moment would have passed.

To continue with my original idea of Chris Cornell as Orpheus…did you know there was an ancient Orphic religion? I think its philosophy is reflected in Chris’ songs about the allure of death as an escape from the pain of this physical existence. You see, the central principle of Orphism is that the immortal soul is torturously imprisoned by the physical body and wants to escape. A short time after death, however, the soul is sent to a new body and the cycle starts over. That is not an ending. I don’t think Chris Cornell got that death was not the end. Our actions, our parents actions, and the actions of all of our ancestors resonate in each of us every day regardless of the concept of time. Do I think Chris Cornell meant to commit suicide? No. I think he was having a really bad moment, but then I like to think that at the last moment every suicide would like to take it back.

Here We Are Again!

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

Here we are again! Try saying that out loud in different cadences and tones. Make it sound celebratory or mournful. Energized or exhausted. Comedic or tragic. You can hear in your voice that it’s a fine line, right?*

One more trip around the sun. Here we are again where the daphne is just starting to bloom.

Unthinkingly, I neglected to water my Yuletide camellia (which is just outside of the window where I usually write) this fall and so there are no flowers. It really bothers me. I’ve tried keeping the curtain closed so I can’t see it, but it’s so dark at this time of year that letting the light in is preferable even with the disappointment. On the bright side, I’ve accomplished more this year than I have in some time and so a few things have fallen by the wayside. Yang and yin.

It’s that time of year where we do the counting up. What goals did we accomplish last year? Or perhaps more in sync with our current state as a nation, what were the failures? As a culture we’re good at tooting our horns, but not at celebrating our achievements privately – for our private selves. We also dislike acknowledging our failures. Americans like to emphasize the surface. At my house we call it the Narrative. The Narrative doesn’t include emotional disclosure. If my meaning is unclear look to our current President for an example of living the Narrative.

“I don’t like to analyze myself because I might not like what I see.”
Donald Trump 2014

That’s quite a deep and honest statement coming from him, don’t you think? It reminds me of a woman I knew who actually stopped wearing glasses at the point in her life where she didn’t want to see the outcome of her choices any more. No matter if she couldn’t drive ever again. As Dr. Phil would say: how’s that working for you?

This time of year is also where we set goals for the coming time cycle whether that’s a month, three months, a year or an even longer period. Everyone has the most goals in January. The list diminishes as the priorities of the year emerge. Aspirations are like the seed in the wet, cold ground; just waiting for the right moment to push through the surface. Some seeds won’t make it and others will emerge too weak. If you’ve ever planted seeds you’ll know that it’s a good idea to plant 20 when you want 10 good healthy plants. The caveat is you can’t hold back on thinning them out or they’ll choke each other. Yin and yang.

Speaking of thinning them out, this coming year of the Dog has been on my mind. The phrase that comes to mind is “culled from the herd”.

Every time I see one of those wildlife shows where an animal is hunted down by a predator I think of that phrase “culled from the herd”. I have the same response with those ubiquitous commercials on television, especially during the winter holidays, where they show dogs, cats and other animals that have been tortured in various ways by humans in order to solicit donations. I cannot watch that stuff without crying. I can’t go to animal shelters either because I feel like I need to adopt all of the animals. I’m that “emo” (as my kids would say).

While 2018 is not going to be that grim, there will be breakups, stoppages, bullies and the bullied. A feeling of restlessness might even make these ideas attractive. For many of us this year may be about a separation from others. If that is so, it is also true that it is about uniting with others. Yang and yin.

How the year of the Dog manifests for you will be related to the presence and particular position of the Sheep, Ox or Dragon in your chart. For example, if it’s in the month pillar it may be about the job or workplace. If it is about work, consider that maybe now is the time to go for the career you really want rather than settling for the one you have. How the situation plays out is up to you.

I recommend taking the approach of the Dragon. Be magical. Rather than choosing one of your tried and true solutions, come up with an approach that is different than what you would normally do – it might even be the opposite. If thinking outside of the box is not your strength, align yourself with someone who seems to find success in disregarding or changing the rules. Try envisioning the outcome you want, however unlikely or outrageous, and trace your steps backwards to see how you got there. You might be surprised at what you can come up with.

*Tip of the hat to Dan Leno and Peter Ackroyd’s Limehouse Golem

Harvey Weinstein : Release the Hounds

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

Let’s take a look at the Ba Zi of Harvey Weinstein. He was born March 19, 1952 in Queens, NY. His birth time is unknown but I have estimated it to be the hour of the Horse.

As you read through this analysis please keep in mind that how all of this plays out is much more about choice than fate.

Mr. Weinstein is a very strong Yang Wood person born in a Water Dragon year with all of the male potency and thrusting type energy of the Wood element. You’ll see his Day Stem (self) marked in red on his chart. The Wood element here is so strong that early pruning, by which I mean the intervention of the Metal element in his youth, would have been a great benefit.

My question is: Since the Metal element often is represented by the Father, where was his? Harvey himself speaks as if he and his brother were raised solely by their mother when the fact is his father was still alive when Harvey was in his twenties. How does a mother treat children whose father is absent? What is there to be said about choosing a partner who will be an absent father?

In elemental terms, Metal is exhausted by Water. Maybe his father stayed away to avoid Harvey’s tumultuous emotions. Because there is an abundance of the Water element in Harvey’s chart that tells me he is intelligent, deeply emotional and has strong sexual desire. Don’t take this as an excuse for his bad behavior but the sheer amount of water would be difficult to control, just like a flood. Ironically, the Metal element which would promote constraint, can also increase the Water.

Harvey lacks self control or discipline until he reaches his 50s, which is probably when he started stalking, terrorizing and manipulating his victims. He is so far out of balance that this is how he would perceive the idea of self-discipline. Instead of keeping his hands, etc. to himself Mr. Weinstein tries to take control by keeping his assaults hidden from the public eye.

For most of his life he has had really good luck. From his year you can see he’s a risk taker. From his month you can tell he sees himself as a great romantic, however, this applies to his work environment as opposed to his marriage type relationships. For many years he probably thought his charming nature would always keep his victims from blowing the whistle on him. How could anyone really be mad at such a great guy

In his day pillar he has the “groping hands” ch’i called Loy Hong Yim Sat, but also Yute Duk – a type of lunar related, feminine energy which enables him to survive disasters. Go figure. I’d say this is related to his mother, but more on that later.

To top it all off, his day pillar also asserts that his sexual escapades will be made public – more so in a Rooster year. Still, his natal chart has the solution to his problems built in because of the presence of the Dragon. His punishment will probably not fit his crimes. It’s the timing of the Rooster and the Dog that brings in his current bad luck. It looks like the Dragon may save his bacon once again – this time from the Dog.

This is a chart where the Dragon plays a very important role, and the part of the Dragon is played by Harvey’s mother Miriam. You see, because of the month he was born in, the sign of the Dragon gives him a sort of magical protection from the problems he would have without it. His mother is the person whom he saw as keeping him out of trouble. He speaks of his anger management issues and going to therapists in a New York Magazine article (from 2003? 2004?) saying:

“Of course, they always ask me about my mother, Miriam. And the trick about Miriam is, my brother and I love her. She was widowed maybe 30, 40 years ago, so we grew up, you know, with Mom. She was incredibly supportive and tough on the both of us. She’s still, you know, the one person you, we have to toe the line with, you know”.

The relationship of the Rat and Rabbit in his chart makes me think that he came to disregard his mother’s teachings and influence and he thought he could keep it a secret from her. Miriam Weinstein died in November of 2016 by the way, before her son’s scandalous behavior came to light. I don’t see this as a coincidence. Her death meant that Harvey’s brakes were off and his reckoning was on the way.

In 2017 the Dragon in his year is compromised by the Rooster, bringing out the Metal element to correct Mr. Weinstein. The Rooster also creates a clash with the Rabbit in his month stimulating the women he molested to speak up. #metoo And – Harvey has been in a 10 year period of Rooster energy which heightened his nastiness and made it public.

The clash of Rabbit and Rooster has been present for everyone during 2017, bringing trust issues, questions of loyalty and sexual jealousy. This has come up as a theme in every Ba Zi I’ve read this year. As for 2018, it will be a Dog year, and when it comes to the Rabbit the Dog is on her side every time. I’m hoping that this will bring some justice for the women involved but not optimistic.

Finally, the role of the Dog in Harvey’s chart is to bring more Fire element which relates to fame. In his case the fame turns to infamy. Mr. Weinstein’s widespread abuse of women came to light in October of 2017 which is a Metal Dog month in a Rooster year. This was the beginning of his fall from grace. Most likely though, Harvey has been at it at least since 1970, a Metal Dog year. That may be the true beginning of the problem.

The energy of the Metal Dog is fierce, protective and will bite – something like good cop/bad cop. Which one will it be? Mr. Weinstein’s next luck pillar is also a Metal Dog and it will begin in 2019 so I’m guessing we won’t see him going to trial before then.

Empty Nested Phoenix, Itchy Footed Dragon

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

One of the traditional ways to make predictions about the coming year is to look at past years that share the same animal branch. The Dog is what is called an Earth branch. The branch is to the year as a flavor is to ice cream. Each year branch has its own particular taste, texture and consistency. The stems would be the topping that gives the nuance to the sundae. To continue with this metaphor, there are 5 possible stems (or toppings) which correspond to the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. 2018 is an Earth Dog year; a sundae consisting of Earth topped by Earth.

Given that 2018 will be a Dog year and there are 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals, you can subtract 12 if you want to know when the last Dog year occurred. That would be 2006 which was a Fire Dog year.

What were you doing then?

I moved house in 2006 with my husband and these two cuties:

August 2006

I try to deny my nostalgia* but the Dog brings it out in me. I have a distinct memory of the day that photo was taken – as if it just happened. But it’s 12 years down the road and my daughter Ella is out of state attending Cal Poly. My son Joe is going through the college application process and will most likely be leaving as soon as next summer to study Arabic in Morocco. This is a time for endings to make way for beginnings. My career as a stay-at-home mom is almost over. I feel privileged, and grateful to my husband Peter, that I was supported in my commitment to our family.

In 2006, my husband Pete and I were both feeling restless. We explored remodeling the house we were living in. We thought about moving to Bainbridge Island. Then we decided wanted to stay in the same neighborhood but live in a different house. We took our children out of private school and put them into public school. Those are just some of the big changes we made that year.

I can feel that same restlessness returning as we ease towards 2018, but it’s much stronger this time. To use the Chinese terms for it, I’ve got chang sang and yik ma under my Big Fate. Don’t worry I’m not contagious and it will pass, but for now it’s extremely uncomfortable – which I see as a message that change is needed.

Actually these words come from Ba Zi analysis and chang sang is a kind of rebirth while yik ma means unsettled or “time to move”. As to the Big Fate part, that means I’m in the midst of a 10 year period of this type of energy. I find it difficult to sit down. Sleep is more of a challenge than usual.

Studying Chinese Metaphysics has given me a clarity that confers an unexpected power on my choices. I don’t have to move if I don’t want to. As a Feng Shui professional, I could take measures at home to alleviate this urge to be in constant motion, but I don’t really want that. I am ready for a new phase and I see my discomfort as a reminder that change is how I’m going to get from here to where I want to be. It’s actually pretty good timing which is mostly what luck is about.

What I’m not saying is that my choice to just live with this stir-crazy feeling is the “right” one. If you were in my shoes you might want to choose differently. I respect that. I can help.

Feng Shui and Ba Zi are meant to be tools to help us navigate both good and bad times. Being stuck means you have time to consider deeply what you really want. That’s one of the reasons you might want to book a Ba Zi reading; to see how the influences of timing and your current choices are lining up with your heart’s desire.

*The word nostalgia comes from the Greek language: nostos meaning “a return home” and algos meaning “pain of body or mind”. Something like homesickness.

A (Re)Productive Cycle

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

The Pig Month, which covers most of November, marks lap dung in the Chinese almanac. This is the beginning of winter. The winter season also includes the Rat (December) and the Ox (January). In terms of 5 elements, winter is the season of water. Think ice, snow, cold, rain, sleet, hail, flooding, slipperiness, clouds, downward movement, darkness, birth. These are all qualities of water.

Historically, more than any other season, winter was the time when our very survival was in question. Scarcity of food, cold, poor shelter and illness were common hazards. In modern times, our survival is threatened by flu-ridden airline passengers, too many parties, too much alcohol consumption, ennui and seasonal depression. And the weather.

In an attempt to stay healthy and optimistic, in winter we humans like to bring the Wood element indoors in the form of evergreens: wreaths, pine boughs, fir trees, holly, mistletoe. We also like using our fireplaces, twinkly lights and candles. This is how we employ the Fire element.

Santa Lucia, a third century Christian martyr whose feast day used to be the winter solstice (now December 13th), went so far with these ideas as to wear a crown made of evergreen boughs and lighted candles. I know what you’re thinking – and don’t try that.

Santa Lucia is an iteration of Lucina; Roman goddess of light, the moon and childbirth. Here again we see the relationship of the ideas of survival and light, or Fire. The Greek version of Lucina is Eileithyia. The Egyptian version is the goddess Nekhbet. Obviously this creative, birth-like cycle of Water, Wood and Fire go way back conceptually. The peril of giving birth is that while it is happening the survival of both mother and child is at stake. For both, there is light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. In the same way, if you make it through winter, into the light, that’s where life is renewed. It takes Wood, by which I mean growth, to get there.

In winter we crave the Wood and Fire for a reason. We are trying to simulate a cycle of productive energy to help us stay alive through the winter. Don’t get me wrong – holiday decorating is not in itself about Feng Shui, but using Five Elements is.

And is there something psychological about it? Of course. As the ch’i of the year descends, you may find it helpful to draw your attention to the promise of the eternal return that is Wood; the precursor of the light that is Fire.

Fire Rooster : Fire Under Mountain

Posted on by Stephanie Stewart

Well, here we are a little over a year after what many people thought was a stunning upset in our Presidential election history. Whichever side you’ve chosen, you’ve got to admit that the Presidential campaigns and election of 2016 marked the dawning of a new era.

Photo by Ella Schwab

The Lap Yum for the Fire Rooster year, which is sort of a summary of a pillar, is Fire Under Mountain. Sounds potentially explosive, right? What was simmering for ages has finally burst through the surface. This applies to all of us everywhere. It’s not just about Donald, Hillary and Vladimir.

This has been a year to come out of the closet but perhaps not in the usual sense. All year people have been coming out, through public remarks and past actions, purposefully or not, as: hateful, damaged, an abuser, a rapist, ignorant, bigoted, misogynist, a traitor, a cheater, racist, homophobic, privileged, fearful, hurt, bullied, a victim, an accuser… It seems like the brakes are off when it comes to what we are willing to say this year. There’s a backlash against political correctness and going along to get along. Maybe this outpouring of disclosure will help clear the decks for next year and make for new ways of wielding power. Obviously it’s going to take more than disclosure. This is just the beginning.

These are the major themes I will remember about 2017

Gaslighting
Lying
Denial
Can’t remember
Pretending everything is okay when it’s not
Vulnerable to being taken advantage of
Disclosure that you feel crazy and of what made you “crazy”
Stand off
Playing chicken

Trust issues
The exposure of lying
No recollection
Blame others
Gullibility
Weathervane – constantly changing direction/opinion
Jealous demands and demonstrations of jealousy
Demands for loyalty and demonstrations of loyalty
Outbursts of honesty

Truth
Name calling
Fake news
Denial
Open disloyalty and covert disloyalty
Covert loyalty and open loyalty
Questions of why after x number of years did so and so come out with that truth/accusation?

Many of these themes have to do with the clash of the Rooster with the Rabbit. On the Luo pan (Chinese compass) they are opposite each other. If you’ve got a Rabbit or a Rooster in your chart* the themes above may resonate more than for others. The Rooster branch is also associated with both a craving for attention and a short attention span. In a Rooster year we are all more inclined to bring attention through our words. The question is – is it the kind of attention you wanted?

Most conversations I’ve participated in this year have revolved around these core ideas whether or not they were spoken of openly. I am usually fairly perceptive about others’ opinions, but this year I’ve found myself surprised by my lack of discernment. Where I thought there was common ground it had either fallen away or was never there in the first place. While following my own path I had assumed that the people in my life had been learning the same lessons. Maybe they thought the same way about me. It’s been very helpful to dispel this illusion. I’ve found I can still love and accept if that is my choice.

If I was to create my own summary for the Fire Rooster pillar it would say “There will be explosions. First react, then respond”. The feelings and the reaction are just as important as what you do with them. What you choose to do is the response. Doing nothing is a choice too. Take that however it hits you.

*Contact me if you’d like to know what your Four Pillars are.