HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-05-14, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2003.
Feng shui colours in harmony with inner life
Feng shui is the art of surrounding
ourselves with a living environment
designed in harmony with nature.
Feng shui helps us maintain
balanced lives.
Literally translated from Chinese,
feng shui means wind and water. It
embraces the idea that our life is
interconnected with the mechanisms
of the universe and nature, and that
mankind is thus directly affected by
his environment.
Feng shui is a way to balance the
Chi energy flow of the environment
in order to stimulate and harmonize
our own energy, which has a direct
influence on our destiny.
An offshoot of Taoism and
practised for more than 3,000 years
in China, feng shui teaches that life
and destiny are linked to the
universe’s mechanisms.
It allows us to understand how our
decor mirrors who we are and how it
directly influences several aspects of
our life.
Nature is very much alive in each
of us and its colours are a source of
inspiration.
Symbolism, energy and the power
of colour act as a healing balm
regenerating our daily life and
nurturing our well-being.
The use of colour in Feng Shui
Colour in feng shui is a vehicle for
energy which brings about change,
well-being, support, and
revitalization. In addition to its
intrinsic beauty, colour is believed to
have another effect in people’s life.
It must be selected in agreement
with their personal objectives and in
sections, each of which represents a
different aspect of our lives.
For example, life sectors include
among others, family health,
relationship and happiness and
prosperity wealth.
“Feng shui principles suggest
ways to bring out positive energy in
she added.
“One of them, called cure, relates to
the colours used in the rooms of the
house.
Colour is one of the cures which
can be used to reenergize each of the
harmony with their “inner and outer
space”.
“By surrounding ourselves with
feng shui colours, we make our lives
richer,” says Dominique Pdpin, a
brand manager at a Canadian paint
manufacturer, and member of the
Colour Marketing Group. “Colour
has a powerful impact on us. We are our interior settings,’
conditioned by what it symbolizes.
Colour has been influencing our
lives since birth, through our
cultures, seasons and personalities.”
So how does one make
enlightened feng shui colour
choices?
The best way to discover feng shui
colour harmony in your home is to
use the “bagua,” Pepin says. The
bagua is the tool used by feng shui
masters. It is divided in nine
aspects of our lives.
Each section of the bagua has a
corresponding cure colour.
The bagua will enable you to link
each room in your home to a specific
life sector and help you choose
healing colours with the power to
energize it.
To learn how to use the bagua at
home you can visit sico.ca and
discover a palette of healing colours
chosen according to the ancient art
of feng shui.
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Grow your own salad bar
dish soap to one gallon of water to
control aphids and other insects.
Remember to spray the underside of
the leaf where bugs usually hide.
You can also release beneficial
insects like ladybugs to help
eradicate the problem.
By starting your garden early,
you’ll have fresh, nutritious and
delicious vegetables and herbs to
enjoy all summer long.
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Bring sunshine to table
sweet
follow
Don’t
seeds,
exactly,
the season or
Growing your own vegetable
garden is a great way to spice up
your annual flowerbeds and add a
little zing to summer meals at the
same time.
Canadian gardeners should plan
well ahead and begin planting seeds
and seedlings in early spring — this
way you’ll soon be enjoying juicy
tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and
aromatic rosemary.
“Nothing beats the taste of fresh
picked veggies and herbs,” says
Aaron Mahoney, a gardening expert.
“Why pay high prices at the salad
bar when you can grow your own
ingredients in your own backyard?”
Garden centres have a wide
variety of vegetables, herbs and
other “crop plants” that you can
grow from seeds or small plantings.
If you decide to start your veggies
from seeds, keep in mind that they
take longer to grow — 50 to 100
days from the date of planting —
than if you start with seedlings.
Excellent choices for spring
planting in Canada include
tomatoes, as well as cucumbers,
radishes, onions, peppers,
com and squash.
When planting
package directions
start too early in
seedlings wdl get leggy. Nearly any
container punched with drainage
holes will do to begin your seed
garden — an egg carton, clear
plastic produce containers or paper
cups should work fine.
Begin with a rich planting mix for
your vegetable garden, choosing
only a mix made specifically for
seeds. Regular potting mixes or soil
from the garden tend to cause rot or
disease in seeds.
When the plants are ready to be
placed in your garden, divide your
plot into rows and plant each type of
vegetable in its own section.
Tomatoes should be grown away
from the rest of your plants to avoid
overwatering, Mahoney says.
Follow the tag or packet
instructions to ensure planting at the
correct depth and remember that
most vegetables require a sunny
location.
Depending on your crops, you
may wish to fertilize your vegetable
garden during the growing season.
Choose an all-around vegetable
fertilizer, either liquid or granular,
and apply according to the
manufacturer’s directions.
One of the advantages of having a
home garden is a pesticide-free crop,
but bugs and other pests are a
common problem. Some gardeners
use a spray of three tablespoons of
Spring is always associated with
renewal and vitality — and no
•wonder, since spring is the season
when the full colour of nature finally
comes back.
As we emerge from the white
world of winter — and those grey
days in between — colour plays
much more of a role in the clothes
we put on, the paint we choose for
our home, our choices in plants and
blooms, and also in kitchen, patio
and table furnishings.
Homemakers often say that adding
unexpected colour here and there is
designed to combat predictability
with a highly personal expression.
In spring, household and dishware
manufacturers seem to be in the
renewal mood too. Food and
beverage containers are a case in
point: most of the year, the clear,
see-through plastic pitchers — for
easy identification of the beverage
— are an unequalled best seller.
Once spring is fully in bloom
however, homemakers lean toward
setting their tables with a bit more
colour, especially when it comes to
serving fruit juices and other healthy
drinks.
Selecting the right size beverage
containers for family needs is the
first consideration — like the 1 L, 2
L, or hand-held sport sizes — but
mixing-and-matching for colour
expression is a lot more fun.
Colour choice can continue into
summer, especially during the long
lazy days of penetrating heat. To
keep your drinks and meals cool,
take a look at the insulated items
available.
Whether you are hauling food and
beverages for a sports team, or
simply a quiet picnic for two, the
varying sizes of insulated ice chests,
thermal jugs and sport bottles are
ideal.
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519-887-8493
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