Red Envelopes

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I have a friend who briefly went to a school to study Feng Shui (the Chinese art of balancing energies in an environment). She learned that traditionally, Feng Shui practitioners are paid in 9 red envelopes containing money which is also in multiples of 9. This is supposed to empower the 'cure' for the environment, like the crystals which are on 9 inch strings, etc.

I felt inspired to thank her for the good advice she'd given me about my apartment. So I gave her 9 red envelopes, which I made. (I thought making the envelopes might empower the cure even more; but even though it's way better than it was, clutter still reigns around here, so I'm not certain that's how it works.)

Inside one red envelope, I put a check for $18, in others, 36 shiny dimes, 9 five dollar bills, 54 pennies, all polished, and so on--I remember it added up to being quite a lot, and it was fun to give. She was touched, and slept one night with all of them under her pillow. Here are 5 of the envelopes--I can't seem to find a picture of all 9:

Since then, I've set all my own prices and fees in multiples of nine (though I skip the envelopes!) I like how the exchange of monetary energy with this association to Feng Shui acknowledges the positive power of paying for the client along with the obvious benefit to the practitioner who is supported to continue their calling. And maybe it really does increase the helpful potency of the work, its transformative magic--who knows?

There are other potent associations for 9--months to grow a baby, a transformation in itself, number of types in the Enneagram, a map of human personality that I refer to often in coaching, and the fact that 9 is 1 shy of 10--so it's an automatic bargain ('just $9.99!')

Doing it this way has helped me receive money in the comfort of an open, light-hearted reverence that heightens gratitude. I don't have to tell the client anything about it, but I imagine they sense the energy of integrity, that I stand behind my prices in a way that works for my quirky self.

Sometimes in setting prices, I also privately reference the numbers of the I Ching hexagrams, which I often study. (See posts on Hexagram 60, Limitation and Hexagram 3, Difficulty at the Beginning).

So, the current price on the artwork The Support of Water, which was made with spiritual intent, is $549, or 9 times 61. 61 is the number of the I Ching hexagram for Inner Truth. Maybe when this piece moves into someone's beautiful home environment, it will quietly broadcast a bit more of the energy of inner truth for having been purchased at that symbolic price. I don't know, but I am happy to have odd clues like this from my own inner truth to follow in the strange and challenging exercise of setting prices on the intangible value of artwork.