Portfolio: The Second House & Money
Note: this is an installment in a series on how I combine astrology, Feng Shui and energy healing. SEE THE COLLECTION HERE.
Consensus reality tends to promote the scarcity mindset as a way of life. Yet, astrology tells us the second house - where we connect to our values, resources and wealth - is the very opposite of stingy and scarce. Regardless of which sign your second house falls in, it is the domain of Taurus - earthy, rich, slow, life-giving.
Whether you live in fear of losing money, or you tend to spend with abandon, the idea that "there's not enough to go around" is often the backdrop behind many conversations about resources.
Astrology offers another approach to this zero-sum game: to experience this realm as a place to do gardening; cultivating resources and creating value through the archetypal energies associated with the sign of your second house.
Here are some (very basic) possibilities:
aries - decisive action
taurus - pleasure
gemini - variety
cancer - nurturing
leo - celebration
virgo - sacrament
libra - relationships
scorpio - raw energy
sagittarius - taking risks
capricorn - management
aquarius - detachment
pisces - sense of humor
Comparison of the qualities of the first house in Western astrology with the significations of the Xun Gua in Feng Shui
In the Feng Shui bagua map, money, wealth and "fortunate blessings" are to be found in the Xun gua. I've experienced notable shifts in my resources when making even small changes to this area in my home.
Like my reputation gua, this space also has an extension that would be auspicious if not for the state it's in: an unfinished mudroom with exposed insulation, hornet nests, a slanted floor, doors that collide with each other when opened.
It's not ideal, but what matters is the intention, not perfection. So, exposed insulation notwithstanding, I planted a purple-leafed plant in a green pot (auspicious colors for the Xun gua) and placed it in this gua last spring.
I immediately became overwhelmed with contracts and projects, and spent the following few months just struggling to keep up. Come the fall and early winter, I kept an eye on this plant.
I wasn't sure if the mudroom would stay warm enough for it, and one morning I walked out to find it defeated by the cold, a once-perky burst of leaves now wilted into a tired pile. At the same time I was having conversations with a long-time client about reducing our monthly contract for the coming year.
In a world of random accident, that conversation might produce a sweeping feeling of anxiety. But I knew my next step was to find a hardier variety of plant to place here, something that could withstand all seasons.
With its lime green color and citrus scent, a lemon cypress stood out among an indistinguishable assortment of conifers at the nursery. A plant adapted to thrive in poor soil quality, who can stay bright through the depths of winter, it represented just the type of detachment my Aquarius 2nd house needs to cultivate a harmonious relationship with money.
As the steadfast Vermont winter wore on, I noticed the spruce fading and wondered if I’d soon be back to the drawing board. It struck me that perhaps the detachment of my 2nd house was not to be found in the “attitude” of the plant, but in my relationship to everything that moves through this area. Apparently, it would be wise for me to not get attached to anything here.
With the unlucky inklings of a dead spruce in my “money” gua staring me in the face, I went to the nursery again. This time I returned with a new metaphor and the combination of bright green and purple leaves of a particularly jazzy variety of coleus plant.
Purple and green-leafed coleus plant with the auspicious quality of easy propagation.
What I love about this plant is how easy it is to propagate. Simply trim a stem, stick it in water, and in a few weeks there will be roots ready to plant. What could be a better metaphor for abundance?
To be continued…
Where to find the Xun gua in the Feng Shui bagua (map) of your home