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W


hen I visited the Botataung Pagoda in Myanmar last year, I was pleasantly surprised to discover


a sacred emblem that bore remarkable resemblance to Chanel’s Double C logo. Intricately carved and gilded in gold, this precious emblem is the very essence of the powerful Double Rising Naga, which adorns the guardian pillars of this sacred shrine, housing the actual relic hair of Gautama Buddha himself! Te Naga is none other than the Celestial Dragon, and I thought to myself that it was a probably a coincidence to find Coco Chanel’s logo here in this 2500 year old temple of Myanmar!


“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous” – COCO CHANEL –


porcelain Tribute Horses and Precious Camels encrusted with jewels. On the top level of her bookshelf sits a beautiful stone Buddha, and each of her doors are covered by an ornate Oriental Screen featuring phoenixes, birds and cranes that signify longevity and long-lasting opportunities! Tose who were close to Chanel


knew her to be a deeply superstitious lady who believed in the power of lucky charms. Chanel was known to carry a special four-leaf clover charm which she hid inside her skirt and would rub it each time she needed prosperity luck or inspiration for a new idea!


Born in August 1883 as a WATER


SHEEP, her intrinsic element is Earth. Tus Chanel was always attracted to the special powers of crystals; hence the numerous jewelled ornaments in her home which she believed strengthened her personal aura. Chanel filled her rooms with crystal chandeliers, crystal balls, and stone carvings of auspicious animals!


Chanel was also very much aware


The Double Rising Dragon Emblem at the Botataung Pagoda in Myanmar that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Double C Chanel logo.


But ever since photographs of Coco


Chanel’s very private apartment in Paris were published, I am now convinced that her legendary rise to riches was a direct result of her great belief in the energy of crystals and auspicious prosperity symbols! Whether Coco was schooled in the arts of feng shui or not, she was definitely intuitively drawn to the powerful and protective energies of symbols, and spent a great deal of effort filling her home with them. Published photos of 31 Rue Cambon


in Paris taken by Jake Rosenberg showcase Coco’s opulent living room, intricately decorated with many feng shui curios that offer protection and success! Behind her sofa hangs a heavily gilded mirror to “double the auspicious chi” of her living room, and flanking this mirror are


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of her Western star sign LEO which is represented by the Lion. She had lions made from gold, marble and crystal installed everywhere in her home to protect against harm and empower her personal aura! Her instincts were spot on… as lions are indeed powerful protectors against enemies and bad intentions in both Chinese and Western symbology. During her life, Coco became the object of desire for many wealthy and influential men… not surprising as her apartment is filled with objects that connote love, relationships and crystal energy. Peach blossom flowers, fur elise decor and many sculptures featuring lovers in deep embrace decorate her chambers! But life for Coco Chanel wasn’t always this glamourous! Hers is a remarkable story of a woman who used her alluring charm, sharp intelligence and strong belief in the powers of


good luck charms and astrology to transform her humble persona as Gabrielle Bonheur into the memorable icon that is now remembered as the great COCO CHANEL!


THE DAZZLING LIFE OF


COCO CHANEL What an extraordinary lady… a true “rags to riches” tale that chronicles her rise from the slums of street orphan to the luxury of fur coats and other emblems of the elite society of Paris. By the time she left us, Coco Chanel was the only fashion designer ever named by TIME Magazine as the Top 100 Most Important People of the Century, leaving behind one of the largest fashion legacies in the world. Today, queens and wives of presidents


wear suits and carry handbags which bear the name of CHANEL! But not many know the REAL story behind the glamour, and how Coco Chanel even worked as a double agent (a spy no less) for the Germans! Here is a glimpse into her amazing life… Coco Chanel was born in 1883, out


of wedlock and as Gabrielle Bonheur ... to a peddler father and a laundrywoman mother. At the age of 12 her mother died of tuberculosis and she was given into the care of a Catholic orphanage. It was a harsh and regimented up- bringing, but at the orphanage she learnt to sew and was instilled with a strict sense of discipline.


When she left the orphanage, Coco


started work as a seamstress by day, and at night, she sang in cabarets to earn a living. With her talent for sewing, Chanel began to create a signature look


MARCH / APRIL 2012 | F ENGSHUIWORLD 55


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