Feng Shui Design
Joan M. Stigliano IIDA is a Feng Shui Eco Design Practitioner and Educator. Joan has an Interior Design practice in Locust Valley ,N.Y. and teaches Feng Shui and Eco Design at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury and at The Long Island Feng Shui Institute. She is available by appointment at 516-671-6463. Or at her web site.
Read more articles by Joan:
The Healing Forces of Nature
"Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better."
Albert Einstein
The NYC Insiders Guide
for women who aren't kids
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Feng Shui, the ancient practice of living in harmony with nature, literally translates to "wind & water", two natural elements that flow and circulate throughout the universe. When you have good Feng Shui you create a home or working environment that is in alignment with the healing forces of nature. Some benefits off cultivating your knowledge and tuning yourself with the vibrational patterns and rhythms of the universe ( Ch'i flow ) are; your mind , body and spirit are aligned and you become clear and focused, able to make wise choices for you and your family. Life has its ups and downs, its happy times and stresses. But, if you can integrate these principles and surrender to the metaphors they provide, their profound meanings will eventually weave their way into your consciousness. With this perception you can make sense out of the worst situation as it recently did with me when a best friend was diagnosed with cancer. Here's how we became friends.
Our first meeting was in first grade at St. Joseph's Elementary in Garden City, N.Y. We sat across from one another for the next eight years in the alphabetical assigned S section. She had bright red copper hair and freckles. I don't know why I thought this but in my six year old mind I really didn't think I would like her very much. When we were in second grade she came into class on crutches with a broken ankle and Sister Mary Joseph immediately assigned ME to be her personal assistant. From that morning on it was my job to get her coat from the back cloak room, help her on with it, get her lunch box out at noon, and help her walk out the door with school books in tow at the end of each day. At the time, my feelings screamed out: why ME? Ugh! Why do I have to do all this, what made me the chosen servant? Perhaps, Sister had a sixth sense about my hesitancy towards my classmate and she thought this would surely cure me.
As an unwilling volunteer my daily chores started as her caretaker. Then a funny thing happened. I began to know this little girl better each day. And by the end of the month we had formed a bond that would last a lifetime. We became the best of friends, never once having an argument nor any silly disagreements. Over the years of our friendship she has done innumerable things to help me in ways I never thought I could reciprocate. With her husband by her side there were many midnight adventures; bailing me out of the lower East Side at 1AM when the clutch broke on my yellow TR6, coming over to Woodridge Lane when an intruder tried to crawl into my bedroom window. Another time a squirrel came down my chimney and she and her husband appeared in a flash. Together, they house sat my beloved Bentley who ate through their front door with more voraciousness than a beaver building his family a dam. When I gave birth to my daughter and moved into an uninhabitable cottage, they came over to help fix up my new abode.
Upon awakening this morning reflective thoughts of the past and present consumed me with nervousness about her impending cancer diagnosis. Then I took a few deep yoga breaths, found a potent calming rhythm, and realize nature has just revealed itself .Our lives have come Full Circle. Once again I will be by her side to help her Heal.
My friend has always told me "Joni, payback is a bitch! But I prefer to believe that the Healing Forces of Nature are in alignment and will ensure a continuous strong Ch'i flow for her .
