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| flickr / beautifulcataya |
Still, though, the bottom line is this: if you love where you live and you feel good when you're home, you have good feng shui. And, if you could use some improvement in this area, there are a number of totally accessible feng shui principles that can help you get there. So, with the right information and a little determination, you can definitely work with your home on your own to affect some considerably positive shifts and conjure up some big time good energy. If anyone tells you this isn't true, don't believe them!
So here's a quick rundown of some of the major things you can do yourself - relatively easily, and right away.
1. Clear your clutter! If you don't love it, don't use it, or don't need it, get rid of it! This will clear the way for the things and qualities you'd most like to experience.
2. Concentrate on comfort, safety, and convenience. When we feel comfortable and safe, and when everything seems convenient and easy to find, our lives are characterized by harmony and ease.
3. Learn your bagua. This is the feng shui map that looks like a tic-tac-toe board - also known as a "magical floor plan." FYI: there are very simple and doable instructions on how to discover your bagua in Chapter 4 of Magical Housekeeping. (You can even check them out in the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon or "Browse Inside" at www.llewellyn.com.)
4. Choose imagery wisely. Imagery is so powerful! In our homes, it works its way into our psyches and begins to play itself out in the physical world. So be sure to choose images that depict and/or give you the feeling of the types of things you'd like to experience. This principle works perfectly with the "learn your bagua" suggestion above - place intentional imagery in accordance with the bagua area of the home.
5. Pay special attention to your front door. The front door is called "the mouth of chi," and is where the blessings and abundance enter. So be sure it feels as welcoming and looks as spiffy as you can make it!
6. Make sure all plants are vibrantly healthy. If you think about it, a not-so-healthy plant is an affirmation of not-so-good health. It can cause us to feel low energy and can bring our spirits down. On the other hand, a healthy, vibrant plant nourishes our health and uplifts our spirit. So if you just can't seem to support a plant in just the right way, and you've tried your very best, it's probably time to let it go.
7. Keep your toilet lid closed. Open toilets are not only less healthy than closed ones, they also feel like an energy drain in a bathroom. (Although don't allow this to be a topic of contention with recalcitrant family members. If it doesn't go over well with some of them, just close it when you can and otherwise let it go! Peace is more important.)
8. Fix all leaks right away. Leaks are literally leaking resources, and translate into leaking energy and leaking finances. So fix those leaks!
9. Make it smell good. Essential oils, incense, and/or naturally scented candles can take your relationship with your home from good to great. So figure out what works for you and give your nose (and state of mind) a treat!
If you'd like to go even more deeply into do-it-yourself feng shui, you might like to check out my book, Magical Housekeeping, Denise Linn's Feng Shui for the Soul, Karen Kingston's Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, and/or The Western Guide to Feng Shui series by Terah Kathryn Collins.
Thank you for the tips and info. I love my little home. I have noticed that moving objects around often results in a change of some sort, be it money or business. Blessings! :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you too! Yes - there is such a connection between inner and outer realities. Thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteI've got one question... when I made the diagram of my floor plan and made the tic-tac-toe shape over it there is a whole 'section' (gratitude and prosperity) that is just, well, out in the backyard! What do we do when one of the squares is off in Neverland?
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
Hi Amber! Can you complete the space by planting a tree, or adding a statue, fountain, or light to the furthest corner of your diagram (out in the backyard)? You can also delineate the area by planting a border of a garden. Or, if none of those are possible, you can bury a pointed quartz crystal, point-side up, in that corner to symbolically complete the space and bring in the prosperity energy. Will any of those work? PS - thanks for reading!
ReplyDeleteI can certainly make that work! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLoving your book and your blog! ;)
Yay! That will be wonderful for your finances.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're enjoying the info! :)
I bought Magical Housekeeping a few days ago and its just what I needed to get inspired and motivated. I have started with the clutter and orienting myself for work and sleep in a power position and already feel the flow of energy improving.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am a bit stuck with my map. My apartment is not quite a rectangle (part of it is the outside hallway). Do I make my grid a square made up of 9 equal squares or rectangle with 9 rectangles? If its squares based on the center of my apartment, then part of my mapis on the street and another apartment - which does not make sense to me.
Thank you for your help and for sharing knowledge.
Hi S! Yes, the map can be a tricky thing. Your instinct about the rectangles is right on: nine equal rectangles. Although, the outside hallway will still fall into a bit of your map, which is totally cool (I actually have the same thing). You just want to get an idea of how the energy pools. I hope this answers your question!
ReplyDeleteIt does. Thank you. I was thinking of doing some discrete things in the apartment building hallway to encourage good energy flow. Perhaps with essential oils, scents or leaving some bits of dried herbs. Part of the hallway falls in my area of creativity and play so dancing about and clapping when no one is looking might be fun! Thankfully, the superintendent sweeps and washes the floor weekly and it is quite clean.
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteHi Tess, I just moved into a beautiful, century- old, stone farmhouse. The energy here is one of serenity, loving, loving , loving it! Thank you for your beautiful article in the Llewellen Magical Almanac. Awesome! My number 1. falls in the area that encompasses my front door(which is never used in the winter)and the entrance porch that is enclosed. Any thoughts would be welcomed and much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteAngel hugs,
Ann
Hi Ann! Congrats on the new space, and glad you liked the article! When you don't use your front door to enter and exit, perhaps open it at least 5 days out of the week to get the mail, water plants, or just to say a quick invocation/prayer to invite in blessings. In fact, perhaps I'll write a blog post about this soon. Thanks for the idea, and for reading.
ReplyDelete