Do we cry tears over the end of summer or celebrate a new order? Let feng shui help us figure this out and guide us with valuable points from linear to cyclical thinking. In our discontinuous and fragmented digital world, the holidays are a reminder that life used to be and still can be cyclical. Holidays are mile markers in a circular pattern of eternal returns. They are seasonal and are characterized by climate and cultural habits. Traditionally, you would stop wearing white on Labor Day, remove your summer hat covers, and put the straw hat away until Memorial Day.
Labor Day is the symbolic end of summer with one last round of picnics or family getaways before the official closure of pools and beaches. With Labor Day we prepare for the fall and winter season. Nature is completing its growth cycle and the children are going back to school. After spreading out over the summer parties and vacations, we’re creating a new order of more focused activities. There is more definition with a protocol to follow at work and at school. Therefore, we declare Labor Day as a metal holiday in the feng shui cycle of elements.
The metallic element resonates with the shape of the circle and with the colors white, silver and gold. The metal is dense and loaded with gravity and pulls towards the center. The circle is the only shape that has a natural center point with the same distance to any point on the perimeter. Therefore, the circle and the metallic element have strong characteristics of focus and completion.
The metallic element is reflective. Looking in a mirror, we can see things we need to pay attention to, just as artists look at their work in a mirror to find out what they might want to change. A round mirror could reinforce the focus force just like a dartboard with a target. With circles more than with any other shape, we must distinguish between seeing and being. Circles are powerful equalizers, as being in a circle erases boundaries and hierarchies.
With feng shui as our guide, let’s discard the chaos and laissez-faire of summer and create a new protocol for a productive order of fall activities. Here are our helpful hints and tips:
• Set up a bulletin board in an easily visible area, perhaps in the hallway or kitchen next to the refrigerator.
• Use colored posts as reminders for special events.
• Establish regular and extra chore lists and use “smiley faces” as signs of completion.
• Give preference to the metallic element when changing decorative elements to more prominent positions.
• For harmonious groupings, use the host and guest rule by placing larger items with smaller items in odd numbers.
• Create highly legible focal points to capture your eye as an attention grabbing device. Examples are:
• A colorful image on an opposite wall as you enter
• A sculpture on a pedestal in a distant corner
• A crystal ball as a focal point on your desk
• Visually widen a narrow hallway with a round mirror
• Provide focal points for children’s rooms to encourage good study habits:
• Maybe a ball that is at the top of a spiral
• A globe instead of a world map.
• An image of our planetary system
• Colorful round cushions on a polka dot bedspread
• With the splendor of your summer flowers fading, start thinking about your winter garden and install a stainless steel ball. As a reflective sphere it represents the essence of the metal element.
• If space allows, use large round stones of various sizes as pathway markers leading to your gazebo.
• With fantasy and winter snow, they will become charming garden gnomes.
Labor Day is a natural mile marker that gives us a sense of completion, thus ending summer activities as we focus on seasonal transitions and creating a new order. With good feng shui as a lifestyle, we respect the yin and yang of work and play.