NORTH SECTOR
Life path and career
This area represents the path of life and the opportunities that are presented to you.
It reflects your approach to life as well as the beginning of journeys.
Water Element
The North is ruled by the element of water and the colors blue and black.
Water is an element associated with emotions and depth.
When the North is well aspected, the waters of life are flowing in a smooth and calming manner into your life.
Well aspected
When the North is in harmony and well aspected it can be seen with the following traits manifesting in your life and world view.
Tranquility
A sense of serenity and calm in your day to day life, an inner sense of harmony
Flexibility
Water flows around obstacles, much as the meandering stream. The nature of water is to flow and that which is rigid channels it but does not determine the nature of the water iteself.
Thus water is adaptive to the environment it finds itself in and easily flows around obstacles.
When your attitudes are receptive and flexible you are more easily adaptable to the changes that life brings you.
Creativity
As opportunities flow into your life adaptive creativity will help you make the most of these changes, a well aspected northern sector
will allow you to naturally take risks and rush forward without being ensnared by obstacles which are in your path. Creative solutions to problems
create an effective method of adapting to circumstances.
Spiritual awareness
In the Zen mind, thoughts flow without attachment and the mind is free to observe that which flows through it without being bound to the ideas.
To envision this visualize the sounds of a gently moving river or stream, the water encounters that which it traverses but flows easily over it and does not get trapped by the obstacles on the course of the waterway. The sounds are active, responsive and pleasant, as the water is not troubled by any obstacles it faces, for water is aware that it cannot be held back when it is truly flowing.
Independent action and thought
Water is a constantly changing element, the patterns shift from moment to moment, never caught in stasis. This is the basis of independent action and reliance on your own thoughts. While the boundaries of the water flow are often defined by the terrain it passes over, the water itself is active and reactive and has freedom to express itself. Much as a satisfying career or job will allow a degree of independence within the role that the job represents, a well aspected career sector will give freedom of action. The journey itself will be satisfying.
When to tune the water area
Emotions, like water carry depth and have different forms of movement and expression. The Northern area may be out of balance if the following traits start to exhibit in your life. Ideally the water element is smooth and gently flowing. Too little water, blocked water or turbulent waters may be a bit overpowering and the environment should be adjusted accordingly.
When Water is too active
Worries and Insecurity
When water is deep it can pool to great depth. When water is troubled it can become highly energetic and over stimulated. The light which reaches into the water disappears into the depths of concern. Crossing a great ocean can bring perils and doubts into life. If the seas are high the drama can become to intense and submerge the vessels that traverse it. An image of a violent sea in this area may be reflected in this way.
When water is too still
Loneliness
When water is still, it becomes quiet and may stagnate. In the same way that a marsh or a swamp has minimal flow, still water creates decay and suffers from not reaching out to those around you.
When water is lacking
When water is lacking, opportunities symbolically dry up. The desert is not a great bastion of life, and a career or business without an influx of customers is also parched. When opportunities seem lacking increasing the amount and flow of the water element in the northern sector is a good feng shui idea.
When water is too expansive
Isolation becomes a risk. A vast ocean, even when calm can imply a great distance from start to finish of a journey, and travel through a different form of desolate terrain. While the rewards of crossing a great ocean are often bountiful, the journey itself may require greater sacrifices than the traveler is willing to endure. This is the sign of the work-a-holic, who sacrifices all associations with friends and family to serve their great ambition. For some this may be a good path, but for most this may be seen as out of balance. There are reasons only a few people traveled by sea in the ancient world, not everyone is built to endure the hardships of such a long journey.
Expansive water can be toned down either through symbolic adjustment, by introducing a balance of the five elements into the area to create greater harmonic interplay. Small amounts of wood can symbolize boats, which stay afloat for long journeys and indicate a destination of fame (where the wood becomes realized upon arrival to the south), wood in small quantities will float on water rather than obstruct it. Plants can be excellent as these represent the presence of attainable shorelines. Large quantities of wood will tend to create dams, as the beaver can testify, and something like large heavy furniture should be avoided as it can only impede progress towards a distant goal. Simply reducing the amount of water influence or providing a course for it to follow can be advantageous. Fire can bring water to a boil, and with large emotions this can be hazardous, particularly since fire and water are known to conflict, if used it should be used sparsely.. By introducing symbols of career progress in the North the hazards of excess water may become subdued if applied properly. If the area itself is too large to manage then balancing it in the greater context of the room may be a better approach. Strengthening the helpful people area (north east) and relationships areas (southwest) will help balance a sense of isolation by calling on other areas of your life to balance out the focus on your career path. A supportive environment can go a long ways towards reducing isolation caused by dedication to a career path of this nature.
When water is obstructed
Will to explore
When water is blockadedusually by an excess of earth, such as when water encounters a dam, its normal flow is impeded. The ability and range of its exploration becomes very constrained. Large heavy pieces of furniture, major earth elements and symbols of dams in the water area represent a lack of flow. Visualize if a magical river were to open along the northern area of the room, would it flow gently and easily in or would it become constricted or blockaded by a series of barriers? If it would hit a wall, then a portal must be created or the water must be gently guided and directed.
In feng shui, the symbolic obstruction of water manifests in the symbolic space as introspection. Since there is no way for the water to move forward it turns in upon itself. This introspection tends towards excess, as water becomes backed up behind a barrier. Excess introspection, especially without the opportunity to progress may lead to the loss of a desire to explore the external world. This tends to magnify any problems with isolation or loneliness.
An increase in the activity of the water may bear results, but the best solution tends to be to remove any obstacles. Where that is not possible for structural reasons, then activators such as metal chimes (metal creates water as a supporting element, chimes create movement) may be a positive solution.
An excess of earth may be countered by introduction of wood, but this has the potential to create clashes. As wood saps the earth there are risks of excess should a damn break free and cause widespread flooding. This is an example of why clashing elements are generally best avoided.. The ideal solution for a situation of obstructed water is to provide a means for the water to traverse forward such as mirrors or artwork portals.
It is important to note that in the metaphor of a dam, water which comes through may be very strong and channeled (such as in the production of hydro power), such water is very yang, despite being a yin element, and will have a very specific flavor to it. Potentially this can be harnessed, with proper understanding and intuition, but as a general rule it is better for water to flow freely rather than through artificial obstructions.
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