April 4^th takes us into the month of the Metal Dragon, the last month of spring in the Chinese calendar, and the fifth seasonal marker of the year, “Clear and Bright”, with Yang gaining over Yin after achieving equality at the equinox. We’re now in a transitional time of the year, an in-between season ruled by Earth, the element of the Dragon. Both the astrology and Feng Shui charts of April 2020 suggest a slight relief from the intensity of March 2020’s clash of elements and duplicate stars.

The Metal element of 2020 has been of a weak quality, exhausted by the Water element contained in the Rat, and the weakness was exacerbated by unstable Earth/Wood elements in the first two months of the Rat year. A manifestation of the Metal/Water dynamics in the environment is the on-going spread of COVID-19, which attacks the lung, the organ ruled by Metal. Metal element is fortunately stronger in April as the Earth element of the Dragon is in a productive cycle with Metal. The Dragon also has a harmonious relationship with the Rat, as opposed to the Rabbit’s clashing relationship with the Rat, which brought social and people-related issues in March.

As the five elements represent nature and we are part of nature, this month it’s critical that we bring into our daily life qualities of Metal to strengthen the lungs, Earth to ground and reduce fear (associated with Water element), and Fire element (which is missing for most of 2020) to reduce grief (associated with Metal element).

Metal is the element mysteriously produced by Earth. It is also the element most lacking in societies who view science as the answers to everything. When we accept that there are unexplained mysteries and a greater force out there and hold reverence for the sacred, we are cultivating Metal element qualities. Activities that bring in qualities of Metal element includes breathing exercises such as pranayama, physical practices that incorporate awareness of the breath and controlled breathing techniques such as Qigong, Pilates, and yoga, and sound healing practices, which include playing music, singing, and chanting. To bring Metal into your body, eat foods that are pungent in taste such as ginger, garlic, hot peppers, chilies, daikon, horseradish, and kimchi, and add spices such as turmeric and paprika.

Earth, the most abundant element in nature, brings grounding with its downward energy. Representing the center, Earth element’s activities include slowing down, finding stillness through meditation, and bringing awareness of the body to one’s consciousness through mindful physical exercises and gentle movement. If you find it hard to meditate, simply sit down for a few minutes and focus on the breath. Earth element foods include root vegetables, grains, rice, corn, and sweet fruits such as apples, pears, apricots, and cantaloupe. Cultivate gratitude and inner peace to bring yourself closer to the center.

Fire is the element associated with inner joy and the heart. Keep yourself warm, laugh often, practice kindness, and get as much sunlight as you can to stoke your inner joy. Find activities that make your heart sing. Cooking your food is one of the simplest ways to add Fire element into your diet. Fire element foods include most red and purple summer fruits and vegetables such as cherries, figs, berries, and tomatoes, and bitter greens such as arugula and dandelion greens.

When we’re in harmony with the elements, we express the highest frequencies of what the elements represent. Although being in a state of high frequency is not going to make us invincible or immune to diseases, keeping your frequency high through a healthy lifestyle and positive attitude should always be one of the objectives of a regular self-care routine. We’re more likely to act smartly and strategically in the midst of uncertainty, and less likely to be reactive or thrown off-center when we’re in a positive state of mind.

Take notes of how you feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually this month, especially if you’re not familiar with the four pillars in your Chinese Astrology chart. The Dragon’s Earth element this month will help provide grounding and centering to those whose charts lack Earth and Metal, and calming to those with lots of Fire in their charts, while others with plenty of Earth element in their charts may feel sluggish. Metal element’s reflective quality encourages self-reflection. This month, make time to look inward and connect to the spirit within.

APRIL 2020 FENG SHUI

In the Flying Star Feng Shui chart for April 2020 above, the numbers in green are the annual stars for the current year (good until February 3, 2021), while the numbers in blue refer to April’s monthly stars. As mentioned previously, April offers a slight relief after the intensity of March 2020’s duplicate stars, which severely afflicted the East and South sectors of the environment. The center, however, is still occupied by a Metal element star, an indication that Metal-related issues will still be a main influence in the environment.

The two most productive sectors in April are the Northeast and the West. The monthly star 9 of joy and future prosperity visits the Northeast and forms an auspicious sum-of-ten with the annual star 1 of wisdom, while monthly star 8 of current prosperity in the West gets even more auspicious boosted by the annual star 9. Do your work or daily activities in these sectors if appropriate. If your bedroom is in the Northeast, keep a journal handy by the bedside as inspiration and insights can come easily through dreams.

Keep the East, South, Southeast, and North sectors as quiet as possible during April. These are the sectors visited by the annual or monthly stars 5 of misfortune and stars 2 of illness. Take extra precautions when it comes to your health if your bedroom or main door is located in any of these sectors.

Practice mindfulness when using the center, Northwest, and Southwest sectors. Star 6 of authority, a Yang Metal element star associated with the Heaven trigram, “flies” to the center, accompanying the annual 7, a hostile Metal element star associated with scandals, aggression, imprisonment, and pulmonary diseases. The 6 is considered a neutral star, but its influence can bring a sense of loneliness. Take care when handling sharp objects in the center sector of your living space with Metal energy dominating. Reinforce all doors and windows located in the Northwest, visited by monthly 7, which makes the sector more vulnerable to robberies and fire dangers. The Southwest remains an ideal sector for studies, but be super aware of your emotional state and leave the room temporarily if anger or temper arises due to the abundance of Wood element in the sector.

*Although there may be remedies to lessen a sector’s negative energy, the best solution is to simply avoid using the sector, or keep the area as quiet as possible and respect whatever energy is visiting there, especially if you’re not familiar with your home’s natal energies as you may accidentally activate a negative natal star. If you do have to spend time in the area, keep your activities there minimal. Common sense also applies: for example, it’s a good idea to have doors and windows reinforced if they’re located in a sector affected by star 7 of robbery.

Contact me here if you’d like to identify and activate the auspicious sectors in your living or office space and subdue the influences of inauspicious stars to help optimize your family’s well-being. I also recommend getting a strategic life reading, which provides you with a blueprint for manifesting your highest potentials.

*If you have had your home Feng Shui’d, consider getting an annual update as annual stars are strong in influence and can highly affect the well-being of the home’s occupants. A proper Feng Shui analysis always takes into account the floor plan of a home, its location, direction, external and internal environment, and the year the home was built, as well as its affinity with the residents’ natal charts.

Feng Shui has nothing to do with having a “consultant” come and “clean” your space with sage, incense, or palo santo sticks. While I love those space-clearing tools, they’re as good as vacuuming and mopping the floor and will not get you to the root of the issue. In fact, it is better to vacuum and rearrange furniture as the noise and movement activate a positive sector – I highly recommend doing so on the first day of the new solar month! Just like we spend time on self-care as part of our life’s self-work, there is major “home” work involved once you’ve had your home professionally Feng Shui’d. Knowing your home’s natal energies can be enlightening and also frightening as it brings full awareness to your internal environment, which is a major part of our luck and destiny.