Growing up in El Salvador in the 70’s was an extraordinary experience. I had freedom to play, explore, connect with nature, and plenty of space to be creative.
I lived with my parents, my little sister, and my beloved grandfather, Armando. We lived in a big, beautiful Spanish colonial house surrounded by greenery, lush and abundant fruit trees, a flower garden, and a wood shop that my grandfather built and rented out in the backyard. Here’s where my joy for nature, design, and architecture began.
My childhood was very happy and very sad at the same time. I enjoyed learning, playing with my neighbors, and building castles and cities with wooden blocks, but sometimes, I retreated to the trees when my parents argued. I found refuge in the backyard. I climbed my favorite lime tree seeking quietude and where I could see the mountains and admire the warm orange sunsets. I felt comforted and my sadness was relieved.
Simultaneously, I developed an interesting habit. Whenever there was discordance in the house, I would go to my bedroom when I couldn’t go outside and rearranged it. I was very tidy, but I felt the urge to fix and organize things. I shuffled things around, swapped around my toys, and sometimes even changed pillowcases. Seeing my space neat made me feel calm. It was a comforting, innate feeling. I was creating the quiet ambiance I was seeking outside within my room.
It was during my first year of college when I was studying architecture that I learned about Feng Shui, the ancient design system that works with the elements of nature to create harmony in the environment and living spaces. This method made sense to me and sparked my curiosity. I began putting the pieces together and started noticing my own patterns and how I was arranging my own spaces.
In 1990, during my first pregnancy, I developed a serious condition called toxemia, medically known as preeclampsia. My body was unable to get rid of toxins. I had to birth my baby through a caesarean section. The delivery was complicated and I had to get a blood transfusion. My son was born healthy but the blood was contaminated with the Hepatitis-C virus.
At that time, I felt like my life was shattering beneath my feet. I felt unclean and undeserving of love. “Life” took a whole different meaning. The medical resources in the 90’s did not work for me. My health was compromised indefinitely.
It took me a few years to regain hope and faith in myself. I went through a period of deep reflection, release, and forgiveness. Through that process, I learned to meditate and practiced breathing techniques to calm the heart and mind. I also became a vegetarian and nurtured my health with herbal medicine, acupuncture, qigong, yoga, ayurveda, you name it. I was practicing a lot of internal self-care and not concentrating on the external.
One day, at a metaphysical bookstore in Miami, I came across a book titled, Feng Shui: Harmony by Design by Andie SantoPietro. The book related a different concept about Feng Shui and how the ancient Chinese art of proper placement can promote health, wealth, and new opportunities by addressing the spiritual and emotional aspects of this method. I was captivated and dove into the practice with a strong sense of hope and enthusiasm.
Through this newfound wisdom, I was able to navigate through my life hurdles feeling supported and more at ease. I was able to tap into the energy flow in my home, pinpoint “power spots,” and maximize harmony while creating a space that would welcome positive change. I transformed the environment to work for my needs but most importantly, I created more stability in my life.
Although I was still coping and living with the hep-c virus, my energy did not feel depleted, my emotions were more stable, and I felt more balanced and optimistic about the choices I was making. I also ignited my intentions that soon brought a loving relationship into my life, I excelled in my graphic design career, and nurtured good health to welcome a new baby.
Working with Feng Shui has been a magnificent journey. In 2014, we had the great opportunity to move to Houston. My husband was promoted at the company he worked for and the next level up was a corporate position.
I was very excited for the opportunity to build a house from the ground up and put my Feng Shui knowledge at work at full force. I had a clean slate to start fresh and co-create a beautiful new home that would sustain my family. I wanted to create a sanctuary for us to come home to. I wanted a joyful and creative space for my youngest son to thrive in. My efforts took shape but unbeknown to me, Energy had a more astute agenda for me and my husband. The results were even more astounding.
My husband was diagnosed with a tumor in his throat one month before moving into our new home. Thank goodness it was benign. And in 2016, I decided to give a new medical treatment a try to eradicate the Hep-C virus. The treatment was successful but the rehabilitation period was much longer than expected. The side-effects were intense but the emotional and spiritual healing was more profound. It took me almost two years to regain my vitality and feel whole again.
We’re now in the second half of a remarkable 2020 and going through a tremendous experience. Whether we like it or not, Energy is forcing us to see our outer environment and pulling us to see inner aspects of ourselves that we may have abandoned along the way or, we’re just afraid to bring back onto the surface.
This is an opportune time to wheel and nurture your energy and turn the Covid aftermath into something positive.
I invite you to learn to work with Energy and to tap into your intuition to bring more harmony into your life. Pay attention to unattended or obscure areas in your surroundings. What are your belongings telling you and how you are projecting that feeling back into your life? Is your space supporting your energy and if it’s not, where is the disconnect?
By learning to work with the energy flow of your inner-and-outer environment and putting the knowledge into action, it can help you navigate through life feeling more grounded, supported, and aligned because you are in harmony with the natural flow of energy as you welcome it into your life. Feng Shui is a powerful, time proven wisdom, and once you grasp it, it becomes an essential tool you can always refer to for guidance.
Feel free to connect with me to learn how Feng Shui and complementary high-vibrational, energy-balancing methods can help you regain good health and move forward. I offer you dedicated support through this incredible covid time.
In light,
Patsy
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© Patsy Balacchi 2020 ~ zenotica.com