Today, let’s get our of our heads and put some Earth Element enhancements in place!
Earth Element represents stability – we think of Earth as abundant, solid, concrete and stable - but not fixed and unchanging. The earth itself is always changing and receptive, always balancing energies by using information gathered to adjust to the current needs. Since the element of Earth is carried by two gua areas: Love and Relationship and Wisdom (Self Knowledge) there are two facets to the energy which have the following qualities:
- a gathering of information
- receptivity to knowledge learned and absorbed; adaptability
- inward looking and introspective
- the ability to nurture and sustain life, especially to love and care for ourselves
- It represents female energy and specifically the nurturing energy of the mother archetype.
The Earth Element represented in the Love (Love and Relationships) area, is located in the back right area, and in the Wisdom (Self Knowledge) area in the left front of the bagua map as you face the front door. The following diagram of the bagua map shows you where these areas are located. If you need directions on how to apply the bagua map to your home, see How to Draw the Bagua Map.
Earth Element Symbols
Symbols of the Earth element are the earth itself: images of the planet earth, globes, or images of landscapes and seascapes of earth. Other Earth element symbols are things made from the earth: bricks, clay, pottery, and adobe. The colour is yellow and earth-tones and the shapes are squares and rectangles.
Symbols for the Love and Relationship area
The Love and Relationship area is about nurturing relationships of all kinds, as well as the inner relationship within ourselves. The planet Earth provides the necessities for our physical survival, and it is our job to provide the necessities for our emotional and spiritual survival. This is inner work because only we ourselves can fulfill our deepest needs. Others help us by offering themselves as mirrors, but we are the ones who choose. Symbols for this are therefore personal. What do you need for your emotional and spiritual survival? What images come to you when you think of them? Traditional enhancements for the Love area are:
- Colour: White, or any shade in the red and pink colour range
- Include objects, images and symbols of things that remind you of your dreams and goals in life, for example your Life Vision statement
- Objects that represent love to you, especially those you have a personal association with in this area, such as romantic photographs, flowers, cupids, heart shapes, wedding and anniversary photographs or gifts
- Happy photos of you with people you love
- Display pairs of things here.
Symbols for Wisdom (Self Knowledge) area
The Wisdom area is about our personal learning process, gaining knowledge, working on life purpose. The Wisdom area can be quite active in that it provides the time and place for active learning absorbing and incorporating knowledge and the ability to adapt and adjust based on what we learn. There is also a quiet, introspective side to the Wisdom area, as it represents inner stillness, finding inner guidance and a connection to a universal energy source of which we are part. The traditional feng shui enhancements for the Wisdom area are:
- The colour for this area is dark blue or black
- Images of mountains, journeys or pilgrimages
- Items which remind you wisdom and inner contemplation
- Objects that represent self-growth and your inner journey in life, such as books on inner growth and inspiration, affirmations or quotes relating to things you have learned and wish to remember, or behaviors you would like to change.
- This area of the home is a good place for meditation or yoga practice.
The feng shui areas ‘Love’ and ‘Wisdom’ opposite one another have significance in many school of feng shui thought. They influence one another. We could say that combined, the Love and Wisdom area translates to: the degree of the investment we make in learning how to nourish our inner needs gives us the stability, knowledge and inner abundance that allows us to extend love and nurturing to the wider world, beginning with our loved ones and extending out on a global basis as compassion and concern for the welfare of other human beings and the planet.
Choose Your Symbols
What Earth Element – Love / Wisdom area symbols will you choose? In addition to the traditional symbols for the Love and/or Wisdom area, you can use those from the Earth element:
- Colour: yellow and earth tones
- Objects that represent strength and stability
- Objects that represent adaptability
- Objects and materials made from the earth: stones, brick, pottery, adobe, terra cotta, concrete.
- Shapes and textures of the element of earth: squares and rectangles
You can also choose none of the symbols suggested here but find your own unique symbol or symbols to represent the meaning of this area according to the changes you are wanting to make in your life now.
Placing Your Enhancement
Place your symbols in Love area, and/or the Wisdom area area of your home or office. And although the center square of the bagua map does not have an element associated with it, many people consider it to be Earth energy. You can therefore put Earth energy enhancements in the center of your home to act as a bridge between the two opposite areas of Love and Wisdom. There is really no wrong way to do Western style feng shui, which makes it so creative and adaptable.
As always, place your enhancements with ceremony and intention, either silently with initention, with prayer, or spoken words.
© Deborah Redfern 2010. All rights reserved
