| Feng Shui for the Big Picture:
Getting the Right Fit Wind & Water | by Carole J. Hyder For years I tried on the idea like a new outfit, but it just never fit right. Something about it was uncomfortable. I'd put the idea back in the closet and, for a while, I could ignore it. But every now and then, there it would be again. I'd re-investigate it, wondering if it would fit this time. No, not now. Then one morning, about a year ago, I woke up, took the idea off the hanger, put it on and saw that it fit perfectly. I let some of my closest colleagues see me in this new form. They all assured me it was time to wear the outfit proudly. About five years ago, I felt that familiar agitation. As a Gemini, I recognize this feeling all too well. I've always got to be on the move. And if I'm not, I get restless. Something was coming to the surface for me. I recognized it as a part of my life begging for change. I had been studying Feng Shui for five or six years at that point, but something seemed incomplete. I started studying with new teachers, traveling all over the world to get new information. It would satisfy me for a while, but it never cured the unidentifiable ache. I thought maybe architecture school was the answer. I did some research about beginning another Feng Shui program with a master from Singapore. I went up to Canada to check out someone else I had heard about. I heard my husband voicing my own hesitations: "Just how much Feng Shui can a person learn?" My depth of Feng Shui was deep and solid. A year ago I placed a small blue stone on the Knowledge corner of my desk. Blue being the color for Knowledge -- I was certainly looking for information. Last fall, I went to China with a group of Feng Shui people. While visiting a small college campus on mainland China, I could feel my answer start to unfold. I looked around the campus and realized I most certainly wanted to go back to school. I wanted to learn more about the Chinese culture. I wanted to speak the language. I wanted to know how and from where Feng Shui evolved. I wanted to learn aspects about the Chinese other than Feng Shui. I wanted to broaden my base from which I teach and speak about Feng Shui. Not long ago, I had a client who was trying to decide whether to take a promotion at her job or to let it go, opting for an easier life-style and less stress. She went through all the pros and cons, again and again, and still she couldn't get a clear answer. Then one day, tired of the indecision, she stopped trying to make up her mind. It was tiresome to keep looking at the options and seeing the same things. Instead she went on a vacation and didn't think about it. She came home and the minute she walked in the door, she knew her answer. By getting out of the arena where the issue lives, she was able to make a big-picture decision about her job. And a decision she was happy about. Somewhere between China and Minnesota, the big-picture piece happened for me. It was as though I had to place myself in a new context to better see where to go. It was time for me to evolve my Feng Shui training, not by learning more Feng Shui, but by going to graduate school. I came home, checked out various schools, and discovered the University of Minnesota has one of the best East Asian Studies programs in the nation. I felt as though I was experiencing a flow again. When I shared my dream with people close to me, the reaction was the same: "How perfect for you!" Although the direction was becoming clear, it isn't without doubts, that's for sure. I haven't been in the world of academia for countless years. I conjecture I'll probably be the oldest student; I'll probably be older than my professors. To eliminate parking hassles, I'll probably take the bus to campus (never having taken a city bus before, the whole idea strikes fear into my heart). I'm trying to imagine how I'll juggle my schedule. I'll probably run out of steam halfway through this. And, I'll most likely be in over my head. Despite all this, I proceed ahead. And I used my Feng Shui background to ease the idea into reality. I studied for the GRE test under a crystal hung from a blue ribbon. I completed the application and writing test after hanging a blue crystal in the Knowledge area of my office. The Knowledge area of our house (in the garage) wasn't spared either. Generally, all Knowledge areas around the house were put in order to help facilitate my acceptance into the graduate program. I am happy to say, I was indeed accepted. I've started meeting with advisors and taking practice runs over to the campus (the bus isn't so bad!). I'm carving out a study space for myself in our home. I realize a lot of my questions and concerns won't be addressed until I begin classes, but I'm trying to face as many of them as possible before I get into the heat of it. I'm wearing the outfit publicly now. In fact, by the time you're reading this edition of The EDGE, I'll be on my way. I'm still not sure it fits quite right, but over time I have hopes I'll grow into it. Carole Hyder will present "Feng Shui for the Soul: Sacred Stories" from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at Edge Life Expo 2003 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Tickets to her appearance are available through October 15 at the Early Bird cost of $15. Advanced tickets through Nov. 13 are $17, and at the door they cost $19. For advanced tickets, go to www.uptowntix.com or call (612) 604-4466. For more details on Edge Life Expo 2003, visit www.edgenews.com/expo or call (612) 590-1609. Carole J. Hyder has been a practicing Feng Shui consultant since 1992. She incorporates both Black Sect and Traditional Compass schools in her private consultations. She is founder of the Embracing Experience and Deepening Experience Associative Programs for those interested in being trained in Feng Shui. Carole is author of Wind and Water: Your Personal Feng Shui Journey. You can reach her at (612) 823-5093 or carole@carolehyder.com. Her website is www.carolehyder.com. Copyright © 2003 Tim Miejan |
||
|
|
|
