Welcome the New Year with Feng Shui

Photo by Julia Larson on Pexels

Photo by Julia Larson on Pexels

In addition to wishing you a happy new year, I wanted to offer some direction from a feng shui point of view on how to welcome 2021, and a few things that I’m doing. The start of a new year, whether it’s the western new year, lunar new year, Jewish new year, or another date that marks a new cycle, is a good time to reflect on the passing of time and also to welcome in new energies, especially with ritual. In feng shui, we do a lot of rituals that relate to the home. 

My approach to feng shui is to begin by looking at the home, because we can make changes there that feel doable and even exciting. However, it’s really important to see that our inner environments and our homes are interconnected and interdependent, and they’re not separate from each other. There’s a lot we can learn from our homes. 

One thing I like to do to welcome the new year is to acknowledge that my home is something that is connected to me, and not separate from me or from any of us. This helps me appreciate my home and environment. Even simple practices like offering gratitude to your home can start to change the qi, or energy, in your life and in your spaces. 

Another thing I’m doing is to start working on a beautiful journal I received from a friend. Part of what I’ll be doing there is looking at how I can begin to simplify my life, and also reflecting upon what I learned this year. I did a self-led meditation retreat over the holidays, and something that’s been coming up for me is that although it’s been a really challenging year for all of us, I’m grateful that the pandemic brought us together on a global level, and we all began to see how we’re all interconnected and interdependent. Even oceans can’t separate us. We’re all connected in this vast network, and we can resonate with other people from all over the world. 

This network of connection includes our homes, too. Like I said above, we’re connected to our homes and our spaces. You can talk to your home in English, in another language, or just talk through your energy, but I recommend you offer thanks to your home somehow. Then, make a list of what you’d like to keep and what you’d like to let go of, and how you can simplify. It might also be interesting to see if there’s anything you can do in your feng shui to correspond to how you are simplifying your life. 

I hope this gives you some ideas for how to welcome 2021, and I’m wishing you all a happy new year!

by Anjie Cho

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

Space Clearing with Feng Shui

AP HS Palo Santo 1a.jpg

In Feng Shui, there is a lot of talk about “energy” or “chi”.  Feng shui is an ancient philosophy that seeks to enhance the flow of energy in your environment. All spaces, people and objects have energy. 

In particular, the chi of a space can influence the present and future circumstances of the inhabitants. Similarly, the energy of the previous owners of a home or object can greatly influence the current chi of a space. This applies to previous owners and residents, vintage furniture, and even used books. Does that place or object hold an imprint of positive, supportive energy? Or does it hold negative and stagnant chi?

Space clearing is an effective way to re-dedicate the invisible energy of space.  It’s vital to clear the space of any stagnant energy and create a clean slate for you and your family.  This is especially true if you have a lot of second-hand items. Below I’ll share with you three different ways to clear your space.

Orange Oil

In feng shui, oranges and orange peels represent vibrant, life affirming energy. Orange essence is refreshing, happy and contributes positive, fresh, and brightening energy to our inner and outer environments. It can transform a space with vibrant, life-giving, positive energy. 

Fresh orange peels work the best because they are the freshest, but you can also use 27 drops of orange essential oil. Place the orange peels or the essential oil in a spray bottle and fill it with water. Walk around your home and spray this citrus essence all around, paying special attention to dark corners and closets. Orange peel carries with it vibrant life energy to clear and, in turn rejuvenate, you and your home.  This is excellent to do on an annual or even monthly basis. 

Air It Out

A great way to clear the space is to use the above orange essence spray in conjunction with opening all the exterior windows and doors in your home. 

First, open all the windows and doors for a minimum of 9 minutes.  Allow fresh air to move throughout the entire home.  Second, walk around your space with your orange spray. Start at the entry door and move around the perimeter of each room in the home in a clockwise fashion. It is good practice to clear your space at least once a year.  The most auspicious time to do this is on Chinese New Year.  The Lunar New Year is symbolically a great time to clear out the old, stagnant energy in your home to make space for new, positive energy. 

Smudge with Palo Santo

Lately, my favorite method of space clearing has been smudging with palo santo. While we traditionally use orange essential oil in feng shui for space clearing, I love the smell of palo santo. I find it is especially useful on an everyday basis to refresh your home if you've had guests.

The stick of palo santo is ignited, then gently blown down to an ember to allow for spreading smoke around the space. Guidance of smoke to different areas of the room including corners, inside closets and in a clockwise fashion is important. Also, be sure to allow the wood to produce enough smoke to fill the air. 

Remember no matter which method you use, once you clear the space of the existing chi, replace that energy with positive intention.

by Anjie Cho