Nancilee Wydra - Rx for Living - A Monthly Column on Feng Shui

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	Rx for Living April 2002	Feng Shui Goes to the Office How to Thrive from 9 to 5
	by Nancilee Wydra

Are Dried Flowers Bad Luck?

Hi Nancilee,

I was just told by a friend that hanging dried flowers in my house was a symbol of death. Is this true?

Paula (Kentucky, Ill)

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Dear Paula,

There are some "old wives tales" in traditional feng shui. Typically there is a valid reason for their premise, but lamentably they sometimes become distorted or the rationale which made them originally valid is no longer sound. While there is no documented historical evidence supporting the notion that dried flowers are symbols of death, I would like to offer some reasons why this dictate might have emerged. It is pyramid feng shui’s job is to uncover the rationale for all ancient dictates. Here’s some speculations.

Dried flowers are symbolically can be associated with death insofar as they represent a physical manifestation of a life that is no longer vital.

Those who take the easy route in life (choosing dried flowers over fresh) are often those who lack the discipline to care for themselves in the highest and best way.

Flowers are often strewn on a grave whether after the burying ritual or during subsequent visits. Further they decompose in the same way as the buried body and could therefore represent death.

In our culture, dried flowers are often associated with positive events and activities. Victorian artisans often pressed dried flowers into works of art and proudly displayed them. Many female teens press prom night corsages between pages of books as keepsakes. Wreaths are often designed exclusively with dried flowers and used seasonally. Thus, in our culture, not all dried flowers take on the expression of negativity. However, it is possible that dried flowers in a particular location could. I had a client who used dried flowers as decoration and in her case it was a negative.

My client was approaching her fortieth birthday and feeling depressed. Most of her friends has either stellar careers or were married with children. She had neither. When asked to consult on her home’s feng shui and to help her have either a satisfying career or finding a life partner, I sought signs of her ability to manifest her goals. Her lack of stamina to conquer those things in life she desired was obvious to me. Julie’s front yard was in various stages of decline. Bushes looked unhealthy and scrawny, her grass was patchy and not the vibrant green one usually experiences during the onset of spring. Inside, there were dried flower arrangements on the foyer and dining tables as well as on her bedroom’s dresser. The arrangements were dusty. Her furniture looked worn and because of its mismatched appearance looked like hand-me-downs. Not much in her home looked as if she had put forth-dynamic energy to generate. It was dreary as was her life.

The dried flower arrangements were easy and inexpensive way to help her acquire a dynamic, positive pattern that would translate in her approach to these goals. The first feng shui cure I suggested was to replace the dried flowers with fresh flowers twice a week. It didn’t matter whether she picked them or bought them. I wrote down some ways she could keep the flower fresh looking longer, that is to add Clorox to the plant’s water (approximately one teaspoon for each quart of water).

In this client’s case, dried flowers represented giving up (the death of a desire or the demise of actions to achieve goals) and by asking her to toss them out and replace them with fresh flowers, I was reshaping what appeared to be a life-long negative pattern. Being involved, vigilant and bestowing oneself with gifts is a first step to achieving goals that involve putting your best foot forward.

I hope these explanations help you to understand why dried flowers may or may not hold a negative association.

Best future,
Nancilee Wydra

Nancilee Wydra, Feng Shui Master and author of six books on feng shui travels the country lecturing and consulting for Fortune 500 companies and individuals. She is the founder of the Feng Shui Institute of America and has developed the first nationally certified professional training program on feng shui in the country. The next class is March 15-22, 2002 in Palm Beach Florida.

To secure additional information about her lecturing, consulting and teaching contact her at: NancileeWy@aol.com or visit www.Windwater.com or 888-488-FSIA or --for FREE answers to feng shui questions: www.EfengshuiUSA.com.

Nancilee Wydra’s Books:
Feng Shui The Book of Cures
Feng Shui in the Garden
Feng Shui and How to Look Before You Love
Feng Shui Goes to the Office
Feng Shui for Children’s Spaces
101 Feng Shui Ways to Change Your Life (Coming in June 2002!)

Read Nancilee's Current "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's March 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's February 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's January 2002 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's December 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's October 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's September 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's August 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's July 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's June 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's May 2001 "RX for Living" Column

Nancilee's April 2001 "RX for Living" Column