The Naga is none other than the Celestial Dragon, and I thought to myself that it was probably a coincidence to find Coco Chanel's logo here in this 2500 year old temple of Myanmar!
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| Coco Chanel History Biography |
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 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!
Those 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. Thus Chanel was always attracted to the special powers of crystals; hence the numerous jeweled 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 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 disc decor and many sculptures featuring lovers in deep embrace decorate her chambers!
But life for Coco Chanel wasn't always this glamorous! 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 glamor, 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 upbringing, but at the orphanage she learn 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 for herself, that was when the trademark "little black dress" was created. The Chanel look started then; and while even she did not know this then... Black being the color of water was perfect for her, it being the Heavenly Stem of her Year Pillar!
It was around this time Chanel adopted her stage name Coco, introducing the auspicious double O into her name. She caught the attention of a wealthy aristocratic officer named Etienne Balsam who installed her as his mistress and took her away from life at the Cabaret.
Balsan brought her to live a decadent lifestyle with him at the Chataeu Royallieu. Her relationship with Balsan opened doors into high society. With his financial support, Coco opened her first atelier in Rue Cambon, selling hats of her own creations. Soon she was making a name for herself amongst the high class circle of nobles and courtesans.
When Balsan cheated on her Chanel allowed her own eyes to stray, and before long, she began an affair with an upper class English gentleman named Captain Capel. The English nobleman was very much in love with Chanel, so he did not hesitate to bankroll her couture shops in Deauville and Biarritz. It was then that she began making expensive, elegant clothes for the very wealthy noble ladies of France.
In the 1920s, Chanel saw a future in perfumes, and the signature scent she created has stayed popular to this day. She placed her tantalizing perfume in a delicate glass bottle, modeled after a whiskey decanter! In her own words, Chanel described perfume as "the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion... that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure..."
She named her first perfume collection "Chanel No. 5". At that time, Chanel was just entering the flying star feng shui of Period 4, and anything with number 5 had the energy of "FUTURE PROSPERITY"... A coincidence perhaps - but for Chanel, it marked the beginning of a new line that would outlast her own life! Long after her time with us, Chanel No.5 remains one of the bestselling perfumes of all time!
BECOMING A DOUBLE AGENT
When World War II began, Chanel fell on hard times, just like many others in the fashion industry then. Her shops closed and her life took a turn for the worse. It was around this time that Chanel became a paid secret agent of General Walter Schellenberg, Chief of Nazi Intelligence in Paris.
During one of her failed missions to pass a letter to Winston Churchill, her identity was prematurely exposed.
Chanel was detained by the French authorities. Evidence of her so-called spy activities suddenly "went missing" and the authorities were forced to release her under the intervention of Winston Churchill himself! It would seem that Chaners belief in protective symbols came to her aid that day... as she was nearly imprisoned and prosecuted!
After this narrow escape from capture, Chanel ended her clandestine activities and moved to Switzerland to lie low for the rest of the war... only to return to Paris ten years later to revive her fashion career!
Throughout her life, Chanel engaged in many romantic liaisons with powerful and influential men of society, among them Igor Stravinsky the Russian composer, and in her later life, the wealthy Duke of Westminster who pursued Chanel relentlessly, showering her with jewellery, art and property! Over their ten-year affair, the Duke proposed marriage several times, but Chanel was never tempted by marriage. She remained unwed until the end of her days. To find out more, you can check out Coco Chanel History Biography.