Staying Grounded in Turbulent Times

I will never tire from saying that the purpose of Elementals is to beautify our lives by bringing together the ancient knowledge of Feng-Shui and applying it to perfumes. It has always, ever, been a project built on love, on seeking the answer in the deep within, on giving back what I have learnt from my masters, from my teachers and a life of tuning into the secret song of nature.

It is no surprise that many of you came to me, over the past few weeks, asking me what was going on with the world, how had we come to such sudden craze and burst of anger and anguish and hatred and, while I do not pretend to hold the answers to such questions, I can at least offer you an elemental reading of the situation being.

And elemental ways to alleviate what may come next.

February was challenging, unexpected, upheaving, soul-crushing, overturning, overriding, in other words, February was everything a Tiger month in a Yang Water Tiger year could be. In March, we enter the month of the Yin Water Rabbit. While the energy of the Water Tiger will still rule the year, the Rabbit should lend some relief, leading not to the wiping out of lives and of pasts as of a tsunami washing over a shore and destroying all in its wake, but leading to a longing for greater docility and introspection. Yin Water runs deep like a lake and the Rabbit can be a soft, gentle and generous animal. My wish is that together they herald a moment of respite, of stillness after the storm.

Nonetheless, we must keep in mind that we are entering a new era called the Ninth Fate. Without dwelling too long on this matter for now, in the teachings of Feng Shui, time and energy are calculated in periods of 180 years and the Ninth Fate equals to 27 years. Most importantly, it is symbolised by the Heaven Trigram, a group of three Yang lines, each denoting 9 years. Hence, the energy of the next 27 years will be pure Yang and by now, you should know what that means: active and unstoppable.

The Ninth Fate is also ruled by the elements of Fire and Metal and while these two often clash. Metal needs Fire to become. In other words, while this energy may lead to several conflicts across the globe, it also potentially means incredible overnight advances in technology, science and medicine.

The Ninth Fate is not a call for change.
It is change.

The Yin energy of March, the peak of Wood energy and the Spring season should luckily be a moment of peace, an eye of sunny blue sky breaking in the clouds, allowing us to breathe, to brace in and prepare for what’s coming next – if only we could make the most of it…

What can we do to balance the Yang energy around us? We need to cultivate more yin energy in our lives, taking time out if we need it, not fleeing from the city life but retreating from it in order to recharge our batteries that are being worn out by the incessant stream of somber news and the pulse of anxiety lingering in the air. Now is the time to make a move towards yourself, to go easy with yourself, to treat yourself not as an enemy needing to be felled, nor a child needing to be taught, but as a friend, needing your support.

The fact that we have stayed confined for so long and are bound to stay indoors longer now that working from home has become a reality for a lot of us also means we need to bring more Yin into our abodes and turn them into sanctuaries of peace. Find appeasing shades rather than block-coloured ones; emphasise round, curved and gentle shapes instead of sharp and angular ones; prefer warm and indirect sources of lighting over neon-white downlights; natural and untreated materials over surfaces of glass and metal and mirroring, polished woods for, if you can’t go out into nature, you better be bringing it in and if renovating your flat or changing your furniture is one step too big, then a Feng Shui consultation or Elementals should be a good place to start. By changing the Chi around you, you can change it within you.

The cities we live in reflect the state of our inland empire or will undoubtedly shape it to their resemblance. I experienced this when I first moved to Dubai, in 2008. The town was gridlocked into three parallel motorways that ran for nearly a hundred kilometres without a bend. The city’s energy was so fast and unchallenged that it led to dramatic accidents every day until the city planners decided to slow commuters’ rush with interchanges and move the flow around with roundabouts a-plenty.

We must balance the chaos instead of rushing through it. Balance it with meditation. Balance it with communion. Balance the anger and the hatred and the fear with an overcoming flow of love and of hope and of peace. The unexpected thunder we are going through is not a mere call for friendliness, it is a cry or more so, it is a command of nature herself, that we be more empathetic, more understanding, more humane: more human.

Elementals can assist you
in two ways this month.

First, wear Earth. Since it controls Water according to the controlling cycle of elements, it will transform the Water Tiger’s bold and irrational action into a fruitful and constructive outcome. Its vintage combination of waxy florals such as Broom and Mimosa along with a deeply smoky touch of Guaiacwood and the honeyed sweetness of Immortelle will elicit a sense of grounded balance while the soothing aspects of Chamomile and Ylang-Ylang will feel like a restorative balm for your senses.

And second, Elementals would like to help by gifting our subscribers an exclusive one-on-one, consultation with me, Deana, in order to better understand what this year might have in store for you and what to do.

Most of all, this month, look for peace and look for joy.

And remember that making someone happy is life’s shortcut to being happy.

Much Love, D

Our fragrances are not only meant to be worn. They are meant to be lived with.