Although many people view these times as apocalyptic, I choose to have the perspective that we are poised for the greatest human achievement – a great shift in consciousness. I also believe that we create our future, individually and collectively.

We each have a calling to be more aware of the role we play in our own lives and take ownership and responsibility for what we manifest in a personal, as well as global way.

And I believe that there is no greater way to honor the earth, than to be mindful, aware, and to raise our consciousness. In my professional studies, I found a wonderful, heart-centered path through the teachings of Taoism and Feng Shui. Feng Shui provides a way to work with the yin and the yang – the visible and the invisible. It provides a way to connect to our physical environments as well as the spiritual and emotional energy around us.

As a child, I was horrified by the vision of the future that movies such as Soylent Green and Planet of the Apes showed me. There continues to be scores of movies that view mankind as doomed and fated to live in a wasteland, full of fear and dread. There is no light, no laughter, no joy. Why is it that nearly every movie set in the future depicts our earth as a wasteland? Why does Hollywood - and the audience - expect this? We seem to expect that an increasing technological evolution will eventually lay waste to the natural world – requiring humans to live in environments deprived of nature and a subsequent deterioration of the human spirit – an “evolution Armageddon.” Yet we continue to live our lives in a way that will surely fulfill that vision. Our intention manifests this vision.

However, we are at a time of discovery of ancient ideas; merging and integrating the concepts of this ancient wisdom with modern scientific thought. According to Joseph Campbell in his book Myths to Live By, “There are no more horizons. With the dissolution of horizons we have experienced and are experiencing collisions … not only of people but of their mythologies … there is a rush of these forces together. And so we are right now in an extremely perilous age of thunder, lightning, and hurricanes all around … there should be turbulence … we are riding it to a new age, a new birth, a totally new condition of mankind.”

When I was introduced to Feng Shui in the late 1990’s, I had no idea that it would bring me to this point, provide a major shift in my personal life and color my world like nothing had before. Although I had already been “awake” to some extent, Feng Shui made me more alive and aware of the energy around me, how I affected it, and how it then affected others. connection to the Earth and Cosmos.

Chinese philosophy offers us profound wisdom in the theory of the Five Natural Elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. These Elements are also known as Five Phases or Transformations of Chi, and are much more than physical matter, serving as archetypes for the phases that move energy. They represent initiative (wood), connection (fire), responsibility (earth), structure (metal), and reflection (water). This wisdom governs everything in creation, from the time of day, seasons, life cycles, and even within our own natures. We possess the energy of each of the Elements and have one or two that are our primary motivators throughout our lives.

As in nature, we need all of the Five Elements to be active to live productive and healthy lives. As seen in Traditional Chinese Medicine, when an element becomes deficient or is in excess, it creates a major imbalance and disharmony in the body – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. What Feng Shui provides us, is a way to appreciate the underlying mystical qualities of the nature of these Elements – to again contemplate nature and re-connect.

Perhaps Feng Shui is a path for you. Many of us practice the concepts behind Feng Shui without knowing the language of this amazing discipline. Perhaps you will find the inspiration to make changes to your space and your daily life and to consider the consciousness of all around you.

“I have a sense that something amazing is at work … I think our planet is actually moving into a time of profound harmony and fecundity and peace but whether that’s going to take 600 years or 6 days I don’t know … I see that we’re actually entering into a transformation of the human species out of the modern period into this new era.” Brianne Swimme – Wikipedia https:// en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brian_Swimme

Studying Feng Shui and the Five Natural Elements can help you to understand at a much deeper level what is going on inside of you – who you are and what your needs are – crucial to this newer level of consciousness. It links the shine in your eyes to the golden shimmer of dawn.

Maureen K. Calamia works with commercial and residential clients to create spaces to enhance well-being using the tools of Feng Shui. She inspires balance and joy by re-establishing a connection to nature. Maureen is the author of several eBooks and is currently writing a book on Feng Shui & the Human- Nature Connection. She is the founder of Re-Nature Feng Shui Training Program offering both on-site and online programs. Take a fun Quiz “What is Your True Nature?” at www.luminous-spaces.com.