I’m lying in my hammock, right here, right now and it’s heavenly divine.

So it’s one of the most magical days in Portland today. A perfect fall day, where your body just melts into the sun . I happen to be very lucky. I’m lying in my hammock right now in my back yard (pictured above) rocking myself gently as my body soaks up the sun’s gentle love. Hmmm…Can it get better than this?

In Feng Shui terms, this section of my backyard is located in my love/relationship area of the Bagua Map. (More on the Bagua coming soon)….It’s all about Mother Earth energy here, where loving oneself, friends and our beloved is cultivated and nurtured. Yes, you could say I’m nurturing myself right now as I rock back and forth with a big smile on my face.

When I first moved into my home (about 7 months ago), this section was missing–it was outside of a wall and used as a parking space. Yes, that was my first priority–I broke down the wall and extended the space (by building a fence) to include my love area inside my backyard and had my dear friend Miguel build me a Pergola with a bamboo roof and the floor is sand–yes, I wanted to feel the softness on my feet and between my toes. Miguel reused all the stone that you see–just dug around my yard and worked his magic with what was there. Very green indeed. I’m so grateful to him. If you live in Portland and want someone who does amazing landscaping work, contact Miguel at miguelanh@comcast.net

So anyway, I hung out here all summer long with friends, lounging about and hosted some fun gatherings. I hadn’t used the space is some time since it started to get chilly in the last three weeks. In Feng Shui, when space isn’t used, we call it a “dead zone”. Not good since we want the energy to extend to all of our living spaces (even outside), to keep it alive and in good health.

However, when the weather gets cold and we can’t always be outside, it’s important to visit the area even once in awhile to keep it active. In my situation, I continue to visit the area even when it is too cold outside to hang out and I keep it clean. I make sure to keep two pillows on the outdoor furniture which represents two people. The hammock is also big enough for two and the entire area is large enough for many of my friends to hang out. The important thing is that my intention was set here when I built it (love, friendship and community) and it continues as I keep it active. I can see this area from my back door and every time I look outside, I am reminded of my intention. That really lifts my Spirits.

Today, however, I was so inspired to sit out here and just “be” in my hammock. Well, it’s an amazing day. What a gift! I was also inspired to write about the importance of keeping dead zones alive even in times of dormancy. A tree although it loses it’s leaves in the winter is still very much alive and it’s intention is set–it will blossom again in the Spring.

Keep areas alive with your intention and place things in those areas that have special meaning for you. I can honestly tell you that the transformative power in that is magic and very real.

Questions. Thoughts. Would love to hear from you.