This month’s issue of our School Newsletter is simply sharing with you a question I received from a long time client and my answer back to him. Feng Shui students will have unending questions about how to manifest the elements as physical remedies and clients will also wonder about the influence of items, whether the occupant is aware of it or not.

Sent: Tuesday, February 6, 2018 9:02 AM
To: kartar@fengshuisolutions.net
Subject: green ***
Hi Kartar,

My grandfather was a botanist, so plants are all over my Dad’s and sister’s homes. I only have one, I am not at giving good care. How do all these people with plants everywhere affect each sector, moreover plants usually have earth on bottom too, so not only wood but earth.

I am also just trying to understand how much real effect they have: elements in spaces where they already exists for example “red clay floors (fire?)”

Thanks,
Patrick

Hi Patrick,
Live plants can surely be a combination of wood (the leafy part) and earth (the soil they are planted in). Further, people usually have potted plants in an earthen container like clay or ceramic.

So, to determine if a live plant is representing the wood element or more of the earth element, it is based on the ratio between the two elements.Next, some flying star combinations are fine with the wood/earth combination and others are not.

For example, if you have the 8-4 combination (8 earth being depleted by 4 wood), then having a plant is not good there. This is because the actual wood will further deplete the 8 earth, which we don’t want.

If you have a 3-9 combination, and determine the live plant is mostly the wood element, then you have real wood matching the 3 wood star energy. It is not necessarily strengthening it, but just matching it. And you could have a plant there (just because you like it, not as a feng shui remedy) and still add FIRE to weaken the 3 star. This is an example of wood and fire being fine together.

There are other star combination examples, but the most important thing is to not have the wood element with the 8 star since it will dominate the 8 star and make it less positive or potent in its good influence.

When people have plants all over their house, they are unknowingly affecting the flying stars, for good and for bad. In the same way that a person who has red walls, art or furniture in every room (I have seen that), is enhancing the positives and also activating the negatives without even knowing it.

In the same way that a person who loves water and has fountains everywhere (I once had a client with about a dozen aquariums) and they are enhancing the positives and activating the negatives all at the same time…..

And to answer your question about “red clay” floors: Some designers or manufacturers of products will refer to something as “red” when it is really brown or some other color, where you do not have to be worried that it is the fire element. I have Mexican tile in my own home in one room and it is clearly the earth element, an earthen material and medium brown in color. Not fire.

Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Kartar’s School of Traditional Feng Shui ®
From the On-line School Blog Series