Hello & Welcome back to “Where Feng Shui Meets Fashion”! Podcast Episode 9. A place for Home & Wardrobe Inspiration. My name is Laura and I’m a certified Feng Shui Practitioner, Curator and Stylist for you and your Space. New Episodes drop every Sunday Morning. Subscribe for weekly tips on mindful dressing and decorating! This hybrid Podcast & Newsletter originates on Substack where you can follow me for all the visuals, text and video. My stories about Feng Shui & Fashion are told in part through pictures and visuals in the body of my newsletters here on Substack. So if you’re listening on Spotify or ITunes, you can subscribe for free on Substack. For all my other content and services check out my Link-tree.
If you are new here, you’re probably listening because you’re interested in Feng Shui or Fashion or both. If you’ve been listening to me since the start of this podcast in June of 2024, you would know that my inspiration for “Where Feng Shui Meets Fashion” was fueled by my Journey with a mindful system for dressing called Fashion Feng Shui ®️. I’m completing my Apprenticeship ahead of a total rebrand and professional pivot where my Feng Shui Meets Fashion.
I recently had a conversation with my professional mentor and teacher Ellen about my Elemental Influences. Much like in regular Feng Shui, we work with the 5 Elements in Fashion Feng Shui ®️ . We have 2 main elements that define us and one that we choose to pull in to achieve our goals. Your ELEMENTAL ESSENCE can be Water, Wood, Earth, Metal or Fire and they each have both physical and personal traits associated with them. Your ELEMENTAL INFLUENCE is also one of these elements. It’s kind of like Astrology in that you have a Sun Sign and a Rising Sign. In the case Fashion Feng Shui ®️ your Sun sign would be your Essence and your Rising sign would be your Influence. And I suppose your Intention would be like your Moon sign. What you want emotionally. More often than not how people perceive and experience us astrologically has more to do with our Rising sign than our Sun sign. So in this case your Influence can be how people perceive you.
As far as my Elemental make-up, Ellen and I had come to the conclusion (or at least I had) that my Essence is Water, and my Influence Metal, while my Intention was Fire. Water people are offbeat and creative and can be more reserved or introverted. They also love their freedom. I deeply relate to this energy. Metal people are very precise and organized and love aesthetics which I also relate to. What I felt I was lacking was Fire so that’s why it became my Intention. I felt like I needed more of what fire attracts, things like visibility for my work and in my personal life.
Ellen felt I wasn’t seeing myself accurately or how people actually see and experience me. She said Laura you are very sociable and warm, you talk fast and get really excited. You’re emotional. You also like revealing clothes that are body conscious and eye catching. You may not realize this but you are FIRE! I was a little taken aback because I hate bright red, the color associated with fire and I don’t like crowds of people which Fire folks tend to love. Even though there are certain aspects of the Element I don’t align with, it can still be essential to who I am. She suggested that somewhere along the line certain circumstances had doused my fire but it was still visible. Perhaps I just needed to embrace it.
Fire? Who me? MIND BLOWN! I took Ellens words under advisement though. And Yes, I had a bit of an identity crisis, but I slept on it and came to a similar conclusion. While my Essence is Water, my Influence is Fire and that’s how people see me. I feel like water but I burn like fire… My confidence and self esteem had been shook by certain life circumstances and it had dimmed my light making it hard for me to see myself as fire. However it was still there ready shine given the opportunity. The 3rd Element in my Trifecta is still Metal, but instead of being my influence or metaphorical rising sign, it was actually my Intention. What I’m really wanting to cultivate are the Metal attributes of Excellence in my Craft and Respect for my work. Metal is a perfectionist energy that cultivates order, respect, and success. In my personal life I want potential partners to take me seriously as a romantic partner and not just someone to have “fun” with. Fun is fire and I’m plenty fun but that’s just scratching the surface and I require a deeper connection and respect. Water and Metal energies. I now realize that the only thing men were responding to was my fire. I have to say folks that this system that is ostensibly for dressing, also serves to uncover what’s underneath it all. Then you dress it up, once you know who you are dressing and what you’re dressing for!
Since Ellen first suggested I was Fire, I have been hearing “Common baby light my Fire…” by The Doors play in my head. Jim Morrison singing this ditty to me is a confirmation that yes indeed, I am Fire. My guides use music to communicate with me and this song served as a great confirmation from above. Now I just have to go be the FIRE and shine my light.
By the way you can be fire without actually wearing red. For instance Purple or Fuchsia are fire spectrum colors. As seen in my picture at the top of this story! It’s still super extra and that’s the vibe. I also shared in my last story how animal prints can represent fire as well. Sometimes it’s just about how you style something. If it’s sexy, it’s fire baby. Cheers my friends and Ciao for now.
Feed Your Fire & Shine Your Light…