Connect to Mother Earth with Feng Shui

featured this week on Over the Moon 

In feng shui and other eastern philosophies, the yin side of the earth element is connected to maternal, feminine and receptive energies.

On the feng shui bagua map, the Relationship area is connected to this maternal element which also relates to your primary partnership, the south-west direction, the abdomen, spleen, internal organs and is symbolized by square shapes, the color pink, and soft, loose sand or soil.

To locate this area in your bedroom, stand in the doorway while looking into the room. The relationship/mother area is the furthest corner back on the right side of the room.

Below are some feng shui adjustments to strengthen mother earth energy to support and nourish you. These adjustments can be done in your bedroom for the best results.

Add the element of fire to your space with red accents. Fire produces and creates earth. The flames of a fire create ashes which turn into earth. Just a little bit of red goes a long way!

Rose quartz is a healing and nurturing natural crystal that also supports self-love. This is a wonderful crystal that you can place in the Relationship area of your bedroom to support you.

Heavy objects such as statues also characterize the earth element. If you have a deity statue that you love, or even a heavy stone, this is great in any area of your bedroom to provide stability and contribute to the earth element.

Cultivate more nature in your bedroom or home with indoor plants. Plants relate to the element of wood, which can balance earth. The strong roots of a tree can overcome any stubborn hard earth. Plants also encourage kindness and the color are healing. 

Finally, to strengthen your mother earth energy, be open and receptive to embrace what comes to you through your environment, both positive and negative. Sometimes inaction and observation is the best reaction.

Take some time this month and honor the mother earth in you with some feng shui! 

 by Anjie Cho

9 Easy Ways To Feng Shui Your Tiny Apartment

featured on MakeSpace.com 

Finally. Spring, sunshine, and much-needed warmth have arrived. Which means now is the perfect time to show the door to all the negative energy that winter dragged into your apartment. And what better way to do that than with Feng Shui?

If you’re new to Feng Shui, it’s an ancient Chinese philosophy that, when practiced, will revitalize your home, attract good energy, and harmonize you with your surrounding environment. Something all of us could use more of!

So if you’d like to bring more health, harmony, and happiness into your apartment — and optimize every square foot with nothing but good energy — follow the below nine Feng Shui tips:

1. Move nine objects around.

Select nine objects in your apartment and move them around to stir up the energy (or qi) in your home. Sometimes in small apartments, we are forced to put everything away so perfectly and in their places that there is a lot of stagnant energy in the space. Maybe turn a chair around or move something just one inch. Even the smallest movement will add some activity and stir up the energy in your home.

...read full article

by Anjie Cho

Feng Shui Your Way to Better Health

featured this month on Examiner.com, by Cheryl S. Grant

As we get ready to spring clean our closets, now is the perfect time to create a sense of peace and harmony within your home. Anjie Cho, architect and author of 108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces, offers up five tips for elevating your life and living space.

General health:
The Health area of the Feng Shui Bagua is called TAI CHI, which is related to your overall health, signified by earthy colors yellow-orange-brown, the number five, square or flat shapes, and the element of earth. The energy of the center affects physical, mental and emotional health.

The health area is in the center because it affects, and is influenced by, all eight bagua areas around it. This central area touches all aspects of your life, so of course it influences your health and well being.

A yellow toned square rug in the center of your bedroom, living room or home provides centralized stability, which is a great way to support your overall health.

Relieve stress:
Your bed, desk, and stove should be positioned so that you can see the door, the expanse of the room and you have your back against the far wall. You don’t want to be directly in front of the door. Instead, across the room, diagonally from the door, is typically the most ideal position or the “commanding position.”

This helps to curb your physiological response of fear that you may experience when you cannot see the door or what may be coming your way. Even if you are not consciously aware of it, it does affect you. It is like a stone that has water dripping on it lightly for years; the stress levels begin to wear down at you, “ says Cho. 

Kitchen nourishment:
The kitchen is the room where we are able to nourish our bodies with food. A kitchen with an open plan, cabinets that maintain between their tops and ceiling and white walls are ideal for promoting energy and proper nutrition.

Your refrigerator is also important so remove all expired or spoiled foods and keep it de-cluttered. 

Clear the Air:
The indoor air quality of your home is essential to our health and healing. Since we spend the vast majority of our time indoors we must eliminate toxic chemicals from your living environment. These chemicals are absorbed easily through the air and skin, and are also extremely dangerous if swallowed.

Non-toxic, green cleaning products are easy to find now at your local grocery stores. It is also easy to make your own with household items like vinegar and baking soda.

Cho’s favorite DIY recipe is for an all-purpose cleaning solution is to mix 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water, with 9 drops of essential oil. Eucalyptus and tea tree oil are good options, as they are naturally anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. Shake up all the ingredients in a spray bottle and you’ve got a homemade, non-toxic cleaner.