Love Note from Anjie: The Rabbit and the Moon

Anjie Cho January 28, 2023

JANUARY 28, 2023 // love note from anjie

the rabbit and the moon

It's said that there is a rabbit that lives on the moon, pounding mochi, also known as tteok in Korean. These sticky rice cakes are one of my most favorite foods. In Asian folklore, there is a story of the Buddha who had manifested on earth as a starving beggar and asked Fox, Monkey, and Rabbit for food. Fox and Monkey procured some fruit and vegetables to share. However, the Rabbit could not find any food. So instead, the Rabbit built a fire and then threw themself on it so that the beggar could eat. The Buddha was so heartened by the selflessness, and with honor the Rabbit was reborn on the moon.

what are your cultural connections to the rabbit,

and the lunar new year?

HONORING YOUR ANCESTORS:

Oranges

This week I was honored to attended a Hatsugama New Year's Tea Ceremony. If you didn't know, I'm a tea ceremony student. I learned that the offering of oranges is called “daidai” which offers the wish for friendship, joy , and abundance over many generation.

To this day, my family's most cherished gifts are boxes of fresh fruit meticulously wrapped and prepared for our enjoyment and sharing.

FEATURED IN MIND BODY GREEN:

Feng shui Forecast and Plant Ally for 2023

Every Lunar New Year, my friend Katie Hess (founder of Lotus Wei) and I collaborate to bring you a feng shui forecast and plant ally. We have an annual podcast (check it out at holisticspaces.com) and also a write up on mind body green. Enjoy!

Two Lunar New Year Ceremonies

The Lunar New Year Ceremonies are still available through mid February. It's not too late!

ENROLL HERE

silver dog harm on red string hanging from keychain

At the Holistic Spaces Store:

Feng Shui Charm for 2023

Don't forget to purchase your auspicious feng shui charm for 2023.

I make these each individually by hand, and bless them with mantra. for 2023 everyone can benefit, especially those born in the year of the Rabbit, Rooster, and Dragon.

Learn more

Sky Lake Lodge:

Mindful Spaces Retreat

Join me for a Mindful Spaces Weekend retreat: exploring feng shui as a mindfulness practice.

April 13-17, 2023

Sky Lake: A Shambhala Meditation & Retreat Center

Rosendale, New York

Cupped hands holding vibrant pink flower petals

with sweet sticky rice cakes,

Anjie

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Feng Shui Space Blessings

Guest User September 21, 2022

In feng shui, we see spaces as alive. Like other living beings, our spaces have energy. They absorb the qi of the people who live and spend time in them, and they can also hold onto energy from people who used to live there. This is called predecessor qi, and it’s not always the most helpful. It can sometimes make us feel stuck and contribute to challenges.

If you are feeling like there is stuck qi in your home, I would recommend a space clearing, which I like to call a space blessing, to shift the qi. You can think of space blessing or space clearing almost like a shower for your home. How refreshed do you feel after you’ve taken a shower? Space clearing provides the same kind of refreshment to your home.

There are many different ways to do a space blessing. Here are a few of my favorite methods:

Clear your space with sound

Using devices like crystal singing bowls, metal singing bowls, bells, or even your own voice is a wonderful way to transform stuck energy. Try starting in the middle of each room in your home, and allow the sound to resonate outwards. You can also start at your front door, ringing a bell or singing an uplifting song, and move clockwise throughout your home. Hug the wall on your left, and visualize your home being purified, uplifted, and filled with rainbow light.

Clear your space with botanicals

You can also shift the qi in your home by burning botanicals. This is a way of connecting to the heavens, and the smoke helps to transform the energy of your space as it rises. You can consider which botanicals resonate with you and which ones grow near you, and then purchase or make a bundle that you can burn. You can then gently light the botanical above a fireproof bowl, and walk clockwise around your home as the plant material is burning. As you do this, visualize your home being filled with rainbow light. You may also want to chant or sing while you are walking around your home.

Clear your space with oranges

Oranges are also often used in feng shui as a space blessing tool. Oranges are very auspicious, and they have a lot of yang energy. You can keep a bowl of fresh oranges in your kitchen and allow the scent to uplift the energy in your home as you’re peeling and enjoying them, or you can cleanse your home with a mist made with fresh orange peels or orange essential oil.

I hope this inspires you to refresh the energy in your home!

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Space Clearing in Feng Shui

Guest User December 5, 2021

I’ve heard so much about sage. Is there a special way to sage a space?

Sage is traditionally used in cultures that are indigenous to the Americas, and is not traditional in Asia where feng shui is from. However, you can burn sage or other botanicals to clear a space. Burning plant material is a way to transmute the energies in a space and clear things out, and many herbs have antimicrobial properties that help to purify the space on a physical level as well.

A more traditional way to clear space in feng shui is with fresh oranges. Because you don’t have to burn anything, it’s much better for air quality. It’s also more travel-friendly, since you might not be able to burn things when you’re staying somewhere other than your own home.

Oranges represent yang energy in Asian culture, and they bring a lot of vitality. They’re also connected to the energy of abundance, because they are round like coins and are similar in color to gold. One great way to harness the clearing energy of oranges is to keep a bowl of them in your kitchen. It’s okay to eat them, too — the act of peeling each one will really uplift the energy of your space!

If you don’t want to use fresh oranges, or if you’re looking for something that’s even easier to travel with, you can use a mist with orange essential oil.

by Anjie Cho