Last month we celebrated Mother's Day with a selection of meaningful flowers. This Sunday, it's time to celebrate our fathers too! Like Mother's Day, Father's Day is a nationally celebrated holiday in America, but not many of us know the history of this day of celebration.
Father's Day was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to honor her mother, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of Mother's Day as a holiday. Similarly, West Virginian, Grace Golden Clayton suggested a day to honor fathers as she grieved for her own father and 362 men killed in a nearby mining accident.
The very first Father's Day sermon was held in West Virginia, but because of overshadowing events like Independence Day, the celebration did not move outside one small town. In 1910, though, Arkansan, Sonora Smart Dodd, living in Spokane, Washington, inspired also by Anna Jarvis's Mother's Day, urged her community to honor fathers on a specific day in June. Though officials weren't able to make the celebration happen until July 19, it was the first statewide observance, and ultimately, along with the efforts of many to bring the tradition to life, led to President Nixon signing Father's Day in as an official holiday in 1972.
In terms of feng shui, the Father corresponds to the Benefactors area of the bagua map. The Benefactors area is located at the bottom right corner and is related to the color grey, yang metal energy and helpful people. This makes sense, since our fathers are some of the most important, helpful benefactors in our lives!
Many of us no longer live with our fathers, but we can still honor them and welcome them in our lives with a very easy feng shui placement. You can honor your father and remember the support and help he provides you by adding something that represents him in the Benefactors area of your space. This item can be something of your father's, something he gave you or something that symbolizes him. Be sure to move this item to your Benefactors area with positive intention and a deep gratitude for this supportive person.
I hope you all enjoy Father's Day this year and spend some quality time with the first man in your life!
