Feng Shui & the Economy

Businesses and services that people don’t see as essential are prone to do poorly during economic downturns. If that’s your situation, my advice is to prepare for a worst-case scenario.
I was recently contacted by a Hawaii client whose livelihood depends mostly on tourists. Here’s part of what she said. “Now, since feb Im dealing with a really low income season (im really worried to be like this another month or so bcs I wont be able to pay the bills). Hawaii tourism income is going down…roads here are so empty, no Korean or Chinese tour buses on the road this days.”

I had consulted for her in-person, and I knew that her Wealth Corner was properly enhanced. So here’s what I told her:

Vegetables don’t care about the economy and they certainly are essential! You’d do well to cultivate a vegetable garden. I took this photo of ours. We’ve had LOTS of time to work on it lately. The plant with the big leaves is collards. In Hawaii, they will continue producing for decades, and they’re easier to harvest than kale (since the leaves are up off the ground).

The virus is changing everything for everybody, whether they get it or not. People are not traveling, nor spending money. We don’t know how long it’s going to last or how bad it will get. Feng shui can’t change that. I was taught that there are times when a larger stream of karma sweeps through society—a societal karma that is so large that individual karma doesn’t have much of a chance to be expressed. We, who don’t have “regular” jobs, are likely to be the most affected. Every day that passes, more people’s travel plans are being cancelled. This all sounds very discouraging I know, and the best advice I can offer is to make plans for a worst-case scenario. It’s astonishing to see something like this happening. I’m not one of those people who thinks all things happen for a reason—sometimes wild, goofy stuff happens. But—we are creative people—we have that as a resource—our creativity.

My advice to my client was to do these three things in this order:

• Declutter
• Clean
• Neaten

Look around your place and see if there are things that don’t really serve you anymore—things you can let go of. Having less “stuff” helps with stagnation.

Clean those screens! Windows represent your eyes, and should always been kept clean and clear. It helps you figure out what to do.

If you haven’t done it lately—clean your windows and screens. It helps in figuring out what to do—seeing clearly. Especially clean your windows, since they represent your eyes. Jeff Campbell gives the best advice for cleaning windows in his book, Spring Cleaning. I’ve praised it in a previous post. His previous book, Speed Cleaning, is the ideal guide to quick, complete, regular cleaning.

If you haven’t enhanced your Wealth Corner, please see my thorough and detailed suggestions in Feng Shui for Love & Money.

And here’s a practical tip: If you have a sunny yard, convert it to vegetables. My advice about vegetable gardens is found on pages 160 through 163 in Feng Shui for Hawaii Gardens, and it applies to gardens anywhere. “They are auspicious anywhere, and the bigger the better. Situate them for the best sun. (Ours is in our front yard.)” I also say “Food is beautiful—be proud of it.”