(via)

At the present moment, I have a giant clock on my mantel and another beside me that is an heirloom from my aunt. In the china cabinet at the other side of the dining room is a very precious clock made of porcelain.  There is also a clock on my stove not far away.

Striking to me this morning when I read this piece o feng shui and clocks by my own brilliant teacher Dr. Gabriele Van Zon: none of these clocks tell the time!  I mean, none are set to tell the correct time and some are just not wound up (yes they wind!) to get them moving.

Do you have clocks? Do you need a clock— (hint: you might!) ? 

Feng Shui To Boost Your Right Brain Sense of Time! by Gabriele Van Zon, Feng Shui Master

“Getting up to take care of physical needs, I visit the loo, eat an apple, and sip my cup of sleepy time tea. I squint at the small face of the night light in the outlet of the bathroom vanity. The large hand points to twelve and the small one to three. In the morning I’m not quite sure at what time I did my sleepy time wanderings. The next night I wake up briefly, press the button on my digital clock, and it lights up with 3:11 am. Getting up in the morning I know that I was awake exactly at 3:11 am.

Experimenting with these nightly sojourns led me to surmise that analog clocks belong to right brain and digital clocks to left brain processing centers. An analog clock symbolizes the Nitzschean concept of “eternal return” and also the Chinese system of cyclical recurrence. In contrast digital clocks seem to evoke a time line of infinite numbers. Analog clocks are spatial in design, suggesting right brain activity, versus the digital numbering of left brain mathematics. I concluded that the digital is more precise than my analog memory.

Researching feng shui aspects of keeping time, I began to check out digital versus analog clocks. Electronics in the bedroom can be sleep disturbing for those with electrical hypersensitivities; therefore feng shui suggests removing digital clocks or placing them at a distance of at least six feet away from your bed.

Analog clocks suggest flights of fancy and evoke social behavior. They are personified, anthropomorphized beings as they are running, sometimes fast or slow, and periodically standing still. They stand tall, slender or straight, some are bellicose and have a waist. All have faces and hands, some have hoods and bonnets.

Among analog clocks we find people or animals. In a family of clocks we have grandfather clocks, grandmother clocks and granddaughter clocks; then there are Mora clocks, cuckoo clocks and bird clocks – an amazing array of entertaining time pieces that engage our senses with strikes, chimes, chirps and songs.

It turns out that we have yin and yang clocks. The very stately grandfather clock whose ancestors go back to the 17th century stands 6 to 8 feet tall and operates with heavy weights and a long pendulum. Pulling up the weights takes strength causing it to strike with authority. In contrast to grandfather’s yang characteristics, the grandmother clock is shorter, stands about 5 or 6 feet tall and fits into a more yin or feminine ambiance. The even smaller, 5 foot or under, granddaughter clock is the descendant that could grace more confined areas. These mother/daughter versions are usually spring- driven with a small keyhole for the key to wind up the inner mechanism.

The most yin of all clocks is the very feminine and curvaceous Mora clock. Its slender yet bellicose frame stands tall, looks down from a round face, and lets you peek at its hidden mechanism through circular openings. The development and manufacture of these clocks was home-based in the Dalarma province of Sweden and prospered as a cottage industry during bad weather periods. This perhaps explains the more yin aspects of Mora clocks with rounder shapes, gentle curves and softer colors reminiscent of indoor comfort and warmth.

Feng shui tips for clocks:

• To avoid having a false notion of time, make sure your clocks always run on time.
• Never let your clock stand still! You don’t want a stagnant feeling suggesting that energy and momentum have been arrested.
• Clocks should not face a front entry, indicating that you or your guests are on a timer.
• Place clocks with gentle sounds and soft ticking into quiet, yin areas of your space.
• Penetrating sounds, like banging strikes and shrill bells should be in activity areas, e.g. family rooms and entertainment centers.
• Children’s playrooms could cheer up with a cuckoo calling from the portal of his Black Forest Chalet.
• Lazy teenagers might arouse faster with a rooster alarm clock.
• Place grandmother or granddaughter clocks in smaller areas where a grandfather clock might be overpowering.

In closing we would like to share a happy story from Katie Weber. When her house was up for sale, Katie Weber was not getting offers or showings for months and months. When she learned from feng shui that houses need movement or a heartbeat, she went out and bought a pendulum clock to hang in the center of the house. At 4 pm that day, the realtor called to schedule four showings.”

********************

And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!