Green (Wood element) and dark Blue (Water element) combine in Turquoise to form a third element: Mountain Earth.

The interesting result? In Feng Shui Turquoise symbolizes the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation sector of the Bagua, represented by the Mountain.

When you wish to concentrate on developing your inner self with Knowledge & Self-Cultivation, a Turquoise object like this beautiful lotus blossom may be placed in the appropriate sector of the Bagua.

The Knowledge & Self-Cultivation sector is located in the inside left-hand corner of your space.

Perhaps you are embarking on a new field of study, developing your meditation skills, or simply wish to bring a greater sense of calm and serenity into your life.

All these important goals can be activated in the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation sector, whose symbol is a monk, studying and meditating at the foot of a mountain.

Sophisticated and elegant, subtle and delicate, Turquoise has a special quality that means it must be used with particular care in your space.

Take care with Turquoise, using it in moderation as an accent color or as part of a larger color scheme: one color in your art or your accessories. 

A little Turquoise can go a very long way, providing just the spark you need to activate your goals and dreams.

(Photo credits: downing.amanda on Creative Commons, showoffinc.com)

Use these relationships to your advantage to boost your chances of happiness and success in every part of your life. Here are a few examples of how these connections work:

Example #1: Travel & Helpful People supports Wealth & Abundance. These two sectors are diagonally across from one another on the Map (lower right to upper left).

• The easiest way to generate wealth and abundance is with the help and support of other people.  And when you’re helpful to others you are much more likely to create financial and personal success.
• The inverse is also true: the more you travel and meet interesting people, the richer your life becomes.

Example #2: Self-Knowledge nourishes happy Intimate Relationships. These sectors are also diagonally related, lower left to upper right on the Bagua).

• The better you know yourself, the healthier the relationship you’ll attract.
• Intimate relationships help us know ourselves better than we could ever hope to otherwise: sometimes a scary prospect as you’re getting to know a new romantic partner!

Example #3: Your Career and Life Journey are intimately connected with your Reputation in the world. These sectors connect vertically, bottom center to top center of the Map.

• As you travel along in the journey of life, you shape the way the world sees you with every action. 
• The importance of your reputation comes into focus perhaps most clearly when you are attempting to advance your career in a job search!

One key to making these relationships work in your favor is to keep the Center area of the Bagua clear and open, which facilitates the communication and connections between the Bagua areas.

(Learn to use the Bagua in your particular space with my 40-page ebook for just $3.99! Map Your Space To Change Your Life: A Guide To The Feng Shui Bagua.)

Many, many questions are likely to come up that have never occurred to you before. 

The longer the relationship, the more urgent it becomes to find satisfying answers to questions like,

• “Can I be happy as a single person?” 
• “How well do I know myself anymore?”
• “How can find a sense of peace amidst this emotional uproar?”.

Feng Shui’s Bagua Map gives you a place to rest and begin to answer just such questions in the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation area of your home.

Located in the inner-left hand corner of your space,  the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation sector helps you slow down and reflect as you begin to re-build your life.

This area is symbolized by the image of the Mountain: stable, calm and timeless.  The mountain is made of the nourishing Earth element that sustains you when times are tough; it stands tall and strong, giving you a sense of protection and safety.

The Knowledge & Self-Cultivation sector is a great place for a library of the books that are most nourishing to you right now.

Whether they’re your favorite art books (my first selection when I was divorcing) or self-help books to get you through tough times (I chose a few a bit further along in my journey), utilize this area to sit still and get re-acquainted with yourself.

With this article we’ve made a circuit of the eight areas that comprise the outside of the Bagua Map.  There’s just one area to go, the Center or Tai Chi area, which I will post about when I return from my summer sabbatical in a few weeks.

For a refresher on all the ways the Bagua can serve you, please take a look at the previous articles in this Feng Shui & Divorce series:

• Part 1: Starting Over
• Part 2: Recovering Abundance
• Part 3: Shine Your Light On Your Own Terms
• Part 4: Renew Your Relationship With Yourself
  
• Part 5: Creating Your Future, Finding Your Joy
• Part 6: Whose Help Do You Need?
• Part 7: Moving Forward In Your Life’s Journey

A bit of smart Feng Shui throughout your space can make all the difference, taking you well beyond focusing only on your bedroom or Relationship area to heat things up.

A fire-y camellia for romance.

Start with the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation sector, where you activate your intention to “know yourself,” thereby setting the stage for that special someone to get to know the real you. 

Next, take a look at the Fame & Reputation area of your home’s Bagua.  This area is located right next to the Relationship sector, so what’s happening here can have a powerful effect on your ability to attract and maintain a healthy love life. 

Here’s a Fame & Reputation checkup you can try:

• Is this sector is completely clutter-free and attractive to the eye?
• Does the area have good lighting to warm things up and illuminate your romantic pathway?
• Do you have reminders around of your own good feelings about yourself?  These items act as signals to the universe, attracting the people who respond best to your special energy.

Now turn to the Life Journey area. The energy here needs to be very fresh in order to establish self-respect and attract the best romantic energy to your door!

• Does the artwork have great energy? 

• Are any reminders of former flings or romances still hanging around? Replace them with items that lift your spirits and remind you of the richness of  your Life Journey so far.

There are five remaining Bagua areas to look at, beyond the Relationship sector, so stay tuned for Parts 2 & 3 of this series.

I’m off to the fabulous city of London today to build my Knowledge & Self Cultivation at the annual conference of the Feng Shui Society.

The program looks fascinating, with international experts covering diverse topics from Dowsing to Vastu to the Feng Shui of Powerful Cities.

(I sure will be disappointed if NYC isn’t on that list )

I look forward to sharing all my new insights with you as soon as I return in the middle of next week.

And if you happen to be in London over the weekend please let me know — I would love to connect with you!

This Back-To-School With Feng Shui series features all the tips you need to get your child’s school year off to a productive start, and make it more enjoyable, too.

If you have a student in your life, or are a student yourself, I hope these Feng Shui tips will send your child (or you!) back to school with renewed energy and style.

The Bagua for School Success
The Feng Shui Bagua describes nine life areas that are key to your child’s happiness and success, at home, at work or at school.

(For complete information about this important tool, please read How To Use The Feng Shui Bagua Map.)

Use the Bagua to enhance the room where your student studies and/or sleeps during the school year, starting by identifying the areas where they most need good energy right now.

I’ve identified four of the most important Bagua areas to enhance at the beginning of a typical school year, along with a few recommended Feng Shui enhancements:

• New Beginnings & Family – a healthy plant to activate vitality and intellectual growth; family, team or group photos.
• Knowledge & Self-Cultivation – bookshelves; a soothing, inspiring poster.
• Travel & Helpful People – reminders of mentors or inspiring teachers; souvenir postcards that motivate your child to succeed.
• Children & Productivity – artwork your child has created; merit awards or academic achievements they are especially proud of.

The remaining five Bagua sectors may also be important in your particular situation, of course. Can you think of ways to personalize and enhance your student’s key areas?

I urge you to harness the Bagua’s power, helping your child activate their intentions for the school year and establish their unique identity during this time of change and growth.

Be sure to check out the other articles in these series: Dorm Room Feng Shui: Create Open Space and Decorating Your Dorm Room With Feng Shui.

(photo courtesy of College Planning Advisors)

But the long, warm days also offer lots of opportunities to enhance your life with Feng Shui that are unique to this particular season.

A summer sunshine tile on my patio.

Here are three cool ways to heat up your life with Feng Shui this summer:

1. Enhance your Family Relationships: Take advantage of the long days by enjoying outdoor meals and activities with friends and family as often as possible. (Read more here about Feng Shui and family relationships.)

2. Focus on your Life Journey: Use the lovely, peaceful early morning hours to add a bit of “me time” to your day.

The early hours are perfect for journaling, making a bit of art, finishing small projects or even putting on music and starting the day with some private dancing! (Read more here about how Feng Shui can enhance your Life’s Journey.)

3. Cultivate your Knowledge and Skills: The Fire element of high summer particularly nourishes this Earth-y area of the Bagua. Use the long daylight hours to build the skills you need for big projects ahead, later in the year. (Read more here about cultivating yourself with Feng Shui.)

In fact, I’m using this season in just this way as I work with the talented folks at JPD Studio to redesign my website. Watch for the new design to be unveiled before this summer has wound down!

How do you plan to take advantage of this wonderful time of year?

The Bagua’s nine areas include one dedicated to Marriage & Intimate Relationship (in the upper-right hand corner).

This is the first place to enhance if you’re looking to attract romance or improve your love life.

But the Bagua has a secret weapon in the sector diagonally across from it: Knowledge & Self-Cultivation.

Click to enlarge.

The Bagua’s strength comes in part from the strong connections between its nine sectors.

The diagonal relationships are particularly strong and need to be taken into account when you’re focusing on key things like your love life.

In this case, the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation area is where you turn inwards, getting to know and cultivate yourself through quiet meditation and learning.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? If we don’t know ourselves well, how can we expect to cultivate a healthy relationship with another person?

So give your love life a boost by enhancing the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation part of your space.

Tell me: what kinds of adjustments might give your love life a boost?