THE art and the science of symbolism play a very important role in feng shui. Whether we are aware of them or not, symbols are all around us, impacting our subconscious mind. As we receive visual information, our mind collects it and tries to understand it. This happens very naturally and involuntarily. my Nagano, an Arizona resident, met her dentist for the first time more than a year ago, a shared passion for a healthy smile started building their connection. Today, she still doesn’t mind taking about a five-hour drive from her place to California just to go to her favorite clinic.
Is fashion your passion? Do you love bags, accessories, and quirky finds like vintage dresses? Do designer shoes make you drool?
We are in a sense, pre-programmed to respond to stimuli in certain ways, both for our protection and our well-being as seen in many studies with animals. In a recent study published in National Geographic, monkeys were trained not to fear snakes by taking them out of their natural habitats and showing them videos of their parents not being afraid of snakes. Yet when they were put back in their natural habitat, they were instinctually still afraid of snakes. The monkeys were also shown videos of their parents being afraid of flowers. Again, when the monkeys were put back in their habitat, they were instinctually not afraid of the flowers.
Symbols can also trigger and evoke memories from our past that stimulate our present experiences. My father recently heard of a new study on the radio called Neuro-Economics, which explores the power of logos. For instance, Coke and Pepsi are similar tasting beverages, yet Coke sells better than Pepsi. Studies conducted on this specific issue show that people feel a stronger impulse to buy Coke, perhaps because of the enduring logo and the nostalgic feelings that symbol carries with it. Increased sales make this simple logo powerful and important.
Our subconscious mind responds in very specific ways to symbols; and because our subconscious mind makes up approximately 95% of our mental well-being, our mind frame and the power of symbols is infinitely strong.
Symbols are not always a physical thing. They can be anything with the power of suggestion such as sound, color, or a smell that are frequencies associated with specific ideas. Certain songs, fragrances, and colors can evoke happiness, sadness, excitement, arousal, and so forth. Even our feelings and dreams in a certain place or with a certain person are very symbolic and have a deeper subconscious significance that affects our conscious life.
Symbolism is an integral part of the Chinese culture in which everything has a deeper meaning and effect. The Chinese language, which communicates with pictures and symbolism, is very much ingrained in the Chinese culture and philosophy. The importance of a deeper meaning or purpose is apparent in Chinese art, architecture, and music. The power of meaning and purpose stimulates the mind at a subconscious level making it vital for everything to have meaning, and to not do things that are purposeless.
Each Chinese word is a symbol – a picture - that connotes a specific idea or concept. Oftentimes these ideas or concepts cannot be directly translated to English because of the cultural experience that is necessary to understand the deeper meaning of these words. Many Chinese words are combinations of different symbols put together so when we try to translate Chinese into English, a literal translation can be very misleading.
One of the most popular symbols we use in feng shui is the fish. To many Western cultures, the fish is just a fish or sushi – food. In Chinese, the word for "fish" is "yu" which is a homonym for the word "abundance." So when you see symbols of fish, they represent always having abundance. This symbol is so culturally rooted and accepted by the Chinese, that it is not only empowered by the person who sees the fish, but by generations of previous people and memories.
Inanimate objects, such as jewelry, pictures, sculpture, and paintings all possess symbolic energy. There are symbols that are created by thought or the brain frequencies to infuse deeper significance and meaning into our subconscious mind. Feng shui acknowledges the fact that symbols and their associations influence our psychological and physical well-being. Consequently, in feng shui it is important to surround ourselves with positive symbols that empower our minds with positive energies that promote our growth and progress.
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Jenny Liu is a fourth generation feng shui master and is available for residential and commercial consultations. To learn more, please see her website at Liu-FengShui.com, or call her at (626) 272-4901 for a free estimate. Mention this article in Asian Journal and receive a 10% discount.
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