Healthy and Green Living

Traditional cultures aligned themselves with heaven, earth, and the four cardinal directions. The four directions are universally connected with the natural elements of earth, water, fire, and wind.

Your house is literally charged with the physical energies from the four directions, which weave themselves–like brightly colored threads–into the one big picture you call home. It’s up to you to create a happy, healthy pattern. To do this, you must know how the directional energies–individually and collectively–work in the world and affect our lives.

Understand the four directions, and their influence on your home:

EAST
Color: Blue
Concepts: Vision, clarity, emergence of form, insight, intellectual learning, and spiritual vision.
Element: Clear water
Energy: Still and reflective
Healing: Physical and mental health.

* Reflect the energy of the east in ponds, pools, bowls of water and artistic representations of the sun, bodies of water, and nautical themes.

Most earth-based cultures and wisdom traditions orient their homes, villages, temples, churches, and healing mandalas to the east, the direction of the rising sun.

* Invite the light of the rising sun through the windows, skylights, and doors.
* Situate rooms connected with your aspirations and ambition in the up-and-coming, sunrise side of the house.
* Make celebrations of the solstices and equinoxes, and reflect the seasons of the sun in your environment.

The moon also rises in the east. Create a place in your home for moon viewing.

Use gold and silver to celebrate the energies of the sun and moon in your home.

WEST
Color: Red
Concepts: Warmth, passion, promise of pleasure, endings and death as the sun and the moon set in the west.
Element: Fire
Energy: Color and warmth in your home.
Healing: Wisdom gleaned from trial by fire. Pleasure and pain.

* Take advantage of warm afternoon sun in rooms. Locate bedrooms on the western side of the house.
* Celebrate the energy of the west with candles, wood fires, scarlet accessories, inviting fragrances, and the warmth of human companionship.
* Protect rooms from the demanding energy of western windows with awnings, curtains, shades, or relocation.

NORTH
Color: Green
Concepts: The energy of the north is a no-nonsense force to be reckoned with. The magnetic pole channels energy from north to south. North is associated with invincibility and warriorship, but also danger in arrogance, vanity, and pride. It implies threats and the need for protection.
Element: Air (wind)
Energy: Vitality
Healing: Invincibility, ability to overcome obstacles.

* Locate sports and children’s activities, and stockpiling provisions, in the cool north.

* Celebrate the energy of the north in design with fans, kites, mobiles, wind chimes, bird feathers, prints of sailing ships, and with living plants and creatures and dynamic surface designs.

* Some traditions post wrathful “roof guardians” to the north.

North light is the “coolest” light, especially in winter. Artists prefer this even light because it doesn’t call attention to itself or interfere with the perception of color.

* Brighten northern rooms with fresh-cut flowers and songbirds.
* Use mirrors to increase natural and artificial light.

SOUTH
Color: Golden yellow
Concept: Heat, strength, and fecundity, the south also gather luck, beauty, and “ears of corn.”
Element: Earth
Energy: Solar heat and light.
Healing: Overcoming of poverty.

* Place banks of luxurious green and flowering plants in southern windows. They will flourish there.
* To invoke the energy of the south, bring earth (stone, sand, clay in the form of pottery or tiles) and things of the earth (rich natural fibers, plants, wood, straw baskets–preferably full–and plenty of good, nourishing food) into your home.
* Too much strong southern light and heat can be debilitating.