Stranger Than Fiction

There is a house for sale that has a bathroom, stairway, and stove in the center. There are four doors in the master bedroom and it has two levels—one step up to the ensuite bathroom.

The previous owners were involved in a very nasty divorce.

Before the current owners went away on vacation, they asked a man to take care of the house and watch the dog. They knew the man was an alcoholic, but were not too concerned. They asked him if he was comfortable with liquor being in the house. He said he was ok and they left—leaving him in charge of their home.

The man went on a bender, drank all the alcohol in the house, and missed his AA meetings. He broke into the home computer, ruined some files, and then physically damaged the machine. But all this paled in the face of what happened next.

The cleaning lady found the trusted house sitter hanging from a ceiling beam near the kitchen stove.

The student came to class asking, “Did the house chi push this man to take this action?”

Professor answered:

I need to back up some first. All those design details in the center of the house will drive anyone crazy. There will be shocking bad news. It is no wonder that this couple is in shambles. They lost the ability to choose the right person to watch the house.

The man hung himself. He died in place of one member of this couple; He took the place of one of them. It was easy for he was already in trouble. If the couple had lived in the home longer, it would have been one of them. Here are the cures that could have been done to avoid this tragedy:

  • Mirror the outside of the “center block.” The mirrors will absorb the good chi from the rest of the house and suppress the bad chi.

And

  • Place nine vital plants inside the “center block” to restore vitality
  • Otherwise, future problems may include Nervous system disorders, Heart disease, Brain malfunction, Eventual suicide
  • If the walls are missing because the house is an open plan, place fake greenery on the stairway railing.
  • When asked about using a disco ball in the center of the main floor as an adjustment, Professor said, “Yes, but it must rotate.”
  • When asked about using gourds, Professor said, “Yes. Use 3 gourds with ten mantras infused into each one. Here you see Professor blowing 3 breaths into a gourd after chanting 10 mantras into it.

As so often happens, we have no end to this story, but we have learned a great deal. Know your design details and treat them with great respect. When they appear in multiple, and in a location that affects all eight guas, do not walk away without speaking up.

Download a PDF copy of Stranger Than Fiction.

2017-05-15T12:30:28-07:00Tags: |

The Community Love Seat

This beautiful and inviting chair sits in the Partnership area of a business whose employees deal with people and powerful emotions every day. The company has become a pillar of the community, bringing a loving touch, an encouraging word, and a steadying hand to every transaction.

Note:

  • For those of you unfamiliar with Feng Shui, the Partnership area is the far right, back corner of the building or property.

The chair provides a place for employees and clients to feel secure, create consensus, understand what is needed, think through a problem, and let worry disappear. Its placement allows for a moment in time to commit, to focus, and to take action in the service of others—the essence of our Earth in balance.

Download a PDF copy of The Community Love Seat.

2017-05-15T12:31:35-07:00Tags: |

Through Katherine’s Eyes

FiveElements

Professor taught us to see the Five Elements everywhere we go—in the environment, in the actions and words of those around us, and in our own personality. They pop up every day if we’re watching and listening. I write about them often. Here are two posts that you may have missed in my blog, Through Katherine’s Eyes.

I hope they inspire you to make note for yourself and to share what you find. When we come to know the elements, we come to know ourselves—learning to manage and shape the world around us.

Remembering Amy Winehouse

http://www.katherinemetz.com/remembering-amy-winehouse/

Congratulations Cat Deely

http://www.katherinemetz.com/congratulations-cat-deeley/

Download a PDF copy of Through Katherine’s Eyes.

2017-05-15T12:34:31-07:00Tags: |

Cystic Hygroma

Cystic HygromaOne of my Feng Shui students has a music student who is 11 years old and living with cystic hygroma. The student asked what Professor might say about this condition, and in what ways she might be able to help this young girl. First, I looked up the condition and found the following:

Environmental causes for cystic hygroma include maternal viral infections and maternal substance abuse. There are also genetic syndromes that involve congenital cystic hygroma. These include Turner syndrome and Noonan syndrome. Some parents can be “silent” carriers. A cystic hygroma can also occur from an unknown cause. The sacs, as they fill with fluid, cause facial deformity and airway obstruction. The most common cause of death is suffocation due to a closed airway. As of today, there is no cure. Spontaneous resolution is uncommon. Treatment involves surgery to reduce the severe swelling. The surgery is risky and can damage cranial nerves, and hemorrhage is of grave
concern.

Cystic hygromas are fluid-filled sacs that result from a blockage in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a network of vessels that maintains fluids in the blood, as well as transports fats and immune system cells. The lesions and sacs occur at sites where the lymphatic system connects to the venous system, most commonly at the back of the neck. Ninety percent of cases are symptomatic by the age of two years. Many babies with this condition die in the womb.

To read the full article, download a PDF copy of Cystic Hygroma.

2017-05-15T12:35:04-07:00Tags: |

Neighborhood Memories

Neighborhood MemoriesDid you know that Professor earned a degree in Urban Planning? Once I learned this fact, I began to ask a lot of questions about neighborhoods, communities, towns, cities, and nations. I was blessed to receive information about enhancing the morality of a community, fortifying the entrance, center and corners, and restoring life to a community in decline. I continue to follow the science of urban planning, and recently came across an article titled Mental Maps and the Neuroscience of Neighborhood Blight published in Pacific Standard. I hear Professor’s whispers once again.

It seems that we have “place cells” in our brain’s that are activated when we enter an environment. It is our memories that provide information to these cells. If you hear “Watts,” you remember the riots of 1965 that left 34 dead and more than 1,000 injured in the city of Los Angeles. The dramatic news coverage of raging fires, narrated with words like “looters,” and “hoodlums,” left an unforgettable mark. We, to this day, think of Watts as the most dangerous place in LA. Yet, it is no longer the case.

To revive a community that has been repeatedly read as a landscape of blight, fear, and even violence—to repair the damage done by our memories of place—we have to “convince people to re-experience” the place, to “update” their memories and beliefs. In a sense, according to researchers, we can “hack” our mental maps to change a neighborhood’s trajectory.

In this article it was suggested that one way to do so is to focus on telling the history of each neighborhood introducing tourists and outsiders to a neighborhood in decline, drawing them back and instilling new life. They call it “changing labels.”

Here are Professor words of wisdom from many years ago:

To revive a downtown that has been decimated by flight to the suburbs, create cultural events downtown that restore the history, excite the imagination, and delight the creative spirit. Sing. Dance. Provide places for sport, relaxation, and contemplation. Remember how this happened. Introduce something new. “Redefine the neighborhood.”

He was asking us to change our mental maps—our neurology.

“Only when these origin tales are understood can these restricted zones in our mental maps start to be filled in. And only then can change really begin.”

Science is catching up, and our cities need our personal touch.

Download a PDF copy of Neighborhood Memories.

2017-05-15T12:35:56-07:00Tags: |

The Writing on the Wall

Writing on the Wall

On a windy, biting cold NYC morning, I missed the uptown bus. Shivering, I decided to walk as fast as I could. As I rushed along, something made me stop. I looked up to see a familiar, bright red circle high upon the wall. Had my teaching the day before set something into motion?

Grateful that the street was empty, I jumped up and down to see if there was writing on the circle. High upon this austere wall capped with barbed wire, were the words from Professor’s cure for nightmares. Immediately, I thought back to the end of the class I taught the day before.

One participant, with tears in her eyes, took both my hands and expressed her heartfelt thanks. Before I could get her name, she was gone. Was she the one who posted the circle on the wall? Her face stayed with me as I hurried to my destination.

Weeks later, in the crowded Fairway Market directly across from the Beacon Hotel where we met, I bumped baskets with the woman who lingered in my thoughts. There, among the array of spring flowers for sale on Broadway, she told her story.

She was plagued by the same terrifying nightmare for years. She tried therapy, remedies and medications, but continued to wake up screaming night after night. Her marriage was in jeopardy, her career at risk, and her sanity in question. In class she learned that she could reach to heaven and let the sun wash away the bad dream. At that moment she knew she had to act. She began the next day.

She followed the steps of the Bad Dream Cure carefully, and placed the red circle high upon the wall the first day, then the second, but the dream continued. With great faith, she persisted. Day after day she returned to the wall and posted a new red circle. Soon there was a line of circles. One day some were gone. Without any doubt she continued, trusting that each vanishing circle was a sign that the dream was disappearing.

With the ninth circle on the wall, she slept well. Today, her nightmare is over. The dream vanished along with the circles. All nine were gone on that bright new day. She was free.
I took this picture on the cold morning that I missed my bus—the first day of her courageous decision to trust her knowing. She created a spot of Buddha light on that dreary wall, and made spirit manifest in the concrete world.

The reach of transcendental thought is vast. I hope these materials help you bring Professor’s wisdom to life in this challenging world.

Download a PDF copy of Writing on the Wall.

2017-05-15T12:37:46-07:00Tags: |

An Unfinished Story

An Unfinished Story

Professor asked a gentleman to walk down the aisle of our classroom in New York. As he walked, Professor asked us to watch carefully and evaluate the man’s chi.

The gentleman walked with his hands in his pockets and slightly rounded shoulders. The chi felt (to me) controlled, as if he had a lot to say but, for some reason, was not speaking up.

Professor went on to tell us that this man works for the Bureau of Economic Analysis, a statistical agency in the US Department of Commerce. He was introduced as a student of Professor’s for the last thirty years.

Upon hearing about this man’s position in the government, another student asked about the future of the country’s GNP. The answer was to tell us that the agency does not forecast, but only reports data—the facts. Professor made the following comments and suggestions.

You hold a leading role in the US economy, and you have influence. There are those within your social circle who are also very influential. If the United States can find its way out of its financial crisis, the entire world will be uplifted. And, then, Professor asked the man if he was sitting in a commanding position (at work). The answer was, “Yes.” Professor continued.

With his desk in a commanding position, he will help the chi of his office. He will influence others. If he does 10 good deeds per day, he will help the economy of the United States in a “more speedy way.” Also, he should perform the Ten Recitation Method every morning. He should do this for 3 sets of 9 days, with 3 days between each set.

The gentleman responded by saying he had no influence, and commented once again that his office only reports. He said he doubted that he would have this kind of influence at work, but may have some influence outside his office environment.

I do hope that this lucky gentleman will take Professor’s advice and work with the Ten Recitation Method. I think that his chi will get stronger and stronger, and I have a sense that his doubt will disappear. There was some determination in his walk, and I also appreciated his candor. I have a good feeling.

He will write the ending to this short story. I hope we have a chance to read it.

We would also love to read your story!

The Ten Recitation Method is here for your use as you bring your new story to life.

Download a PDF copy of An Unfinished Story.

2017-05-15T12:38:58-07:00Tags: |

Molly’s Story

Mollys-StoryMolly has taken on a huge responsibility as Associate Director of her local YMCA. The job is wrought with challenges – from extremely difficult scheduling and personnel problems to the death of a resident. Every day she is called upon to find her center amidst the turmoil of security problems, outdated systems, “Bamboo” and “Yes-but Chi,” and a building that stresses everyone. We sat down together to look at the floor plans.

The building is four stories and occupies almost half a block on the main street in town. We found quite a few problems in need of a remedy. Security measures have compromised the once gracious entry. One of the main doors was closed many years ago—locked down without ceremony—and large square pillars block the remaining door. Once you pass through the door and the metal detector, you enter a maze of hallways that spin the brain. To enter the locker rooms in the basement is to know the true meaning of bad Feng Shui and poor maintenance.

The building is a nightmare—colorless, fragmented, and ignored—and slowly, day by day, destroying the ability of the staff to serve the community of those in need of recreation, shelter, and opportunity. And, there is no money to make necessary changes.

On the third floor, Molly pointed out the location of the safe. There it was – inside the now-defunct fireplace! I had a very strong feeling that this was a problem. Plans in hand, I went to Professor and asked, “What happens when a safe is located inside a fireplace?”

Here is Professor’s answer:

Since the safe, with the money, is inside the fireplace, the money is being drawn up and out of the building.

If you place a body on the building, standing upright, the safe sits at the level of the eyebrows. There is a Chinese saying, “The fire is reaching the eyebrows.” It means that disaster is near. In this case, there will be emergency after emergency, and there will be no money or support to set things straight.

Perform one of the following adjustments:

1. Prepare a vase and flute by placing cinnabar rice and fresh orange peel inside the vase. Chant 10 sacred mantras into the vase, or chant the Six True Words 108 times (Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum). Place the vase, with the flute inside, on top of the safe that sits inside the fireplace. Visualize auspicious chi being drawn through the chimney and cooling the area with auspicious chi.

Or

2. Place 9 small bonsai plants on the safe. Place some cinnabar rice into each of the 9 pots. The strong vitality of the bonsai plants will vitalize the air in the column and disperse the bad chi. Wealth will begin together.

Just before I met with Professor I learned that Molly had found some money in the budget for painting. My mind went immediately to the disorienting maze of hallways in the basement and the locker rooms that could have been condemned by the city because of the disrepair. I asked Professor how we could use color to lift the chi of the building.

Here is Professor’s answer:

The bottom floor is weak. The building needs a stronger foundation.

1. Use the Tree Cure!

• Use the colors of the trunk of a tree on the lower floor.

• Continue upward through the floors if the budget allows. Use green, and some red, on floors two and three.

• On the top floor, use the colors of flowers and/or fruit.

These colors will bring success.

Or

2. If the Tree Cure cannot be implemented, use the color of green bamboo on all floors. This green symbolizes the uprising force of bamboo—the force you also see in the increasing length of its segments as it grows.

Unfortunately, the budget for paint was cut, and the remedy was not implemented. Yet we learned something about the placement of a safe and how to reinforce the weak foundation of a building crying out for help. Here is my question for members of the Storyboard who love color.

What colors could we have chosen for the dismal locker rooms in the basement? How could we have represented the trunk of a tree—and still have provided the look and feel of a lively and welcoming room for those who use the YMCA to play basketball, swim, and gather with friends?

We have started a Pinterest board for your color suggestions. Remember, tree trunks are beautifully multi—colored. I’m excited to see what you find. We have already pinned two pictures to begin to expand your thoughts about the color of a tree trunk.

Download a PDF copy of The Tree Cure.

2017-05-15T12:44:07-07:00Tags: |

The Dragon that Changed Color

The Dragon that Changed ColorWhile speaking about using your inspiration when employing man-made techniques, Professor told the following story. He told this story again and again, and I think it is important to get it on paper. So, here, after many years, is a story I heard many times. It reminds us of why we study and do the work we do.

A very successful and prosperous entrepreneur in Hong Kong built a beautiful house there. There was a wall surrounding the house, and the original tiles on top of the wall were green. There was also a green flagpole at the front door. His business was great, and his career was thriving. He was offered a high position in Beijing.

While in Beijing, he visited the Imperial Palace. He noticed that the roof tiles were yellow. He was impressed by the regal and noble look. He was inspired by the color, and decided to change his green tile to yellow tile. He also noticed that the flagpole at the Palace was red, and changed the color of his flagpole to red. The gentleman had no Black Sect Feng Shui knowledge, and neither did his Feng Shui consultant. The change went uncontested, and life changed dramatically.

The businessman’s career declined. He lost a lot of money, and his health suffered. Lawsuits began to dominate his life. There were many adversities, and he was finally forced to file for bankruptcy. His health suffered more and more, and, upon his death, his friends could not understand his premature demise. Yet, as practitioners of Black Sect Feng Shui, we can understand. It was reasonable for a very smart businessman to want to emulate the feeling of the Imperial Palace. By adding the color yellow to his home, he was adding nobility, regality and respectability. By adding red, he was adding justice and the ability to ward off evil. These are good principles. However, his knowledge was not complete. He did not have the following information:

  • The wall around his house resembled two dragons. The front door was the pearl. To have two dragons “playing” with a pearl is very auspicious, and brought him very good fortune. The flagpole was symbolic of the whiskers of the dragon, making it seem even more alive. As an animal from the water (in Chinese cosmology), a living dragon is green. The original green tiles were symbolic of a living and vital dragon. This brought the gentleman great success.
  • When the yellow tiles were added, the “dragons” turned yellow and the symbolism changed. A live shrimp is greenish. When cooked, it turns red. If it simply dies, it turns yellow. So, the new yellow tiles created two dead dragons. The new red flagpole (the original green whiskers) was symbolically “cooked”—more symbolism of a dead dragon.
  • According to Chinese folklore, is it any wonder there was a dead businessman?

Download a PDF copy of The Dragon that Changed Color.

2017-05-15T12:44:11-07:00Tags: |

Worried About a Marine

WorriedAboutAMarineBelow is a letter from one of Professor’s students to His Holiness after her son was injured in Iraq. It is part of a collection of stories that I gathered as a gift for Professor on his birthday. I was honored to be with Billy and his mother in Hawaii when he met Professor. It is a moment I will always remember.

Professor, my story involves not what I did, but what you did for my son, Billy. Last year in Nov. 2006, I came to you at the Boston workshop and showed you a picture of my son and told you he was in the Marine Corp and stationed in Iraq. I was sobbing so hard when I was telling you this story because of the great fear I felt for him for being in such a violent place.

You took the picture of Billy and said prayers and placed a protection around him and returned the photo to me and said, “Safe, Safe, Safe.” I instantly stopped sobbing for I knew in my heart that he was protected.

On January 13th 2007 my son was injured in a firefight, but his injuries were not life threatening, and with time were completely healed. I knew that it was because of your prayers and the protection you placed around him.

Billy is stationed in Hawaii and went to see you at the Hawaii workshop to express his gratitude for the prayers and protection you placed around him.

So, on behalf of my family, I would also like to say, “Thank You, We Are Grateful!” You have our deepest respect and heartfelt gratitude, always!

Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful),

Barbara

Wait! There’s more!

The story began before Billy left for Iraq. Barbara came to me asking if I knew of something from Professor that could help to keep Billy safe during his deployment. I offered her Worried About Someone, and she enthusiastically followed every step with great care. Billy carried the red ribbon with him every day, knowing that he carried both Professor’s blessings and his mother’s heart.

After Billy was injured in the firefight, he was transferred from the field hospital to a military hospital outside Iraq. None of his belongings were transferred with him. Yet, there on his bed, without explanation, was the red ribbon he had carried so carefully for months and months.

That was his first message to his mom.

Download a PDF copy of Worried About a Marine.

2017-05-15T12:44:44-07:00Tags: |

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