5 Tips for Starting 2017 Off Right

It may be hard to believe, but it's already 2017, and with the stress of 2016, it's more essential than ever to start the new year off right. Aside from setting resolutions and goals for achievement during this year, there are a few feng shui-based adjustments you can make to welcome 2017 with inspiration and positivity. 

Choose a Word for 2017

At the beginning of last year, I was asked to choose a word for the upcoming year, and I chose "inspiration." Once that word was planted in my brain, it was amazing how many new ideas and how much inspiration in general came my way during the year. And chances are we'll all need a lot moving into this year as well. Take some time to think about what you want this new year to represent for you, then make that your word! You can even make a vision board as a reminder!

Clear Your Space

We recommend you do this for sure on Chinese New Year, but space clearing is always a great idea when you're beginning something new, like the year! Use any of the methods you'd like, orange peels, Happy mist, sage or palo santo, and clear your space of any stagnant 2016 energy to make way for new opportunities, inspiration and positivity in 2017!

Clean Your Front Door

While you're at it, take a few minutes to assess the state of your front door. In feng shui, the entrance at your front door represents your face to the world, as well as your career, and there are a few ways to make sure yours is wide open to opportunity and good qi. Three of the most important factors are lighting, cleanliness and visibility. Take time to clean your front door and entry way to bring in the positive energy of the new year, and ensure that there is adequate, even bright, lighting. You'll also want to make sure your door is easy to find from the outside, for guests as well as opportunities and qi. Finally, use it! Even if you enter your home from another place, open the front door from time to time.

Clean Out Your Beauty Cabinet and Bag

We've done a lot of work recently with MindBodyGreen around beauty and feng shui, and being mindful of this is a good way to provide a clean slate for 2017. Take a look at your beauty cabinet and your beauty bag, and make sure there are no expired products or items you no longer use. It's also a good idea to make sure your bag and cabinet lighting are in good, clean condition and consider adding a citrine crystal for radiance. Check out my MindBodyGreen articles for more tips!

Move Nine Items

Last, but certainly not least or most difficult, shake up some energy in your space by moving 9 things. You don't have to completely rearrange, but moving even small things in your home or office can adjust the flow of energy and stir up new energy, and you'll also have a chance to dust around spaces that are usually taken up by those items! 

I wish each and every one of you a very happy, inspiring and positive new year! Please feel free to share any adjustments you make with us and the effect they have on your space and state of mind. We love to see feng shui paying off!

by Anjie Cho


Spirit Almanac: Your Guide To Celebrating January's Mystical Holidays

featured this week on MindBodyGreen by Emma Loewe

image credit: Chloé Bulpin / mbg creative

image credit: Chloé Bulpin / mbg creative

We all know to mark our calendars for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, National Avocado Day, and those other occasions people celebrate in big, bold, beautiful ways. But what about the lesser-acknowledged spiritual, astrological events that roll around every year? Consider our Spirit Almanac series your own personal guide to the divine.

This month, we’re unpacking the mystical magic of January with sound healing, gemstone rituals, and some pretty powerful New Year’s cleansing.

January 28, Chinese New Year

Today signals the first day of the traditional Chinese calendar—one that was marked by the lunar and solar phases. Traditionally a day to honor household and heavenly deities, the occasion is still a vibrant celebration of life and new beginnings. Here, feng shui expert Anjie Cho speaks about the animal tied to 2017 and shares how to harness its auspicious energy.

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The Essentials That Belong In Every Minimalist Home

featured this week on MindBodyGreen by Emma Loewe

We’re putting out a “5 Days to Minimalism” series to help you clear clutter from your life really, really quickly. Day 5 is all about adopting a minimalist mindset throughout your home.

Sit back and envision a room that's flooded with natural light and simply curated with a few statement furniture pieces and accessories sprinkled here and there. Can you feel your heart rate slow down a few notches?

Kitchen

How to clear it out

Here, architect and feng shui expert Anjie Cho shares her top tips for crafting a clean kitchen:

1. Clear off all surfaces. The more things that are on the counter and visible, the more cluttered your kitchen will look and feel. If possible, put things away behind cabinet doors. If you have glass doors, you can paint the backside of the glass or add a frosted film, so you don't see the additional busyness inside the cabinets. I like to give myself a limit of one to three things that I love and use on a daily basis on the counter and one item on the stove.

...read full article