Let Us Welcome the Winter Solstice

It’s officially winter! Happy (late) Winter Solstice!

Many months after we celebrate the Summer Solstice, our longest day of the year, the Northern Hemisphere observes the Winter Solstice, our shortest day of the year. These celebrations are actually opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where Winter Solstice brings the longest day of the year.

Our earth is tilted on its axis as it revolves around the sun, which means that the different hemispheres experience seasons and solstices (Latin for “sun stands still”) differently. During the Winter Solstice, the Northern part of our planet reaches the furthest point from the sun we will experience during the year.

Feng shui-wise, the winter is considered a yin season, where we start to move inward physically as well as emotionally. The yin concept is also about slowing down, and emptiness. Winter in feng shui is also associated with the water element. In winter it looks like everything is dead outside on the outside, but below the snow there is life (even if it’s dormant). The water element and winter are similar. Imagine the middle of a vast ocean, where it’s very still but there’s so much activity happening if you look beneath the surface.

My meditation instructor, Joe Mauricio, called me out earlier this month on my “speediness”. I spent all year running around, never stopping to be mindful. I can’t just blame it on the year of the Horse (Chinese astrology)! Meditation can help you find that space that many of us fear. During this winter season, I encourage each of you to accept the slower pace and pause to find emptiness and space. Even five minutes a day is enough! Let yourself slow down and feel…. Bored? Empty? Quiet? Rest. Peace. And love for yourself.

Fun facts about the Winter Solstice:

Usually occurring between December 21st and 23rd, longstanding Winter Solstice activities have been combined with the popular Christmas holidays, but many of our traditions began as ancient celebrations for surviving another year! In earlier times, winter was a welcome break from hard work during the rest of the year, and almost every culture celebrates the Winter Solstice in some way.

Some of our most mysterious world wonders, including the Irish Newgrange tomb and Stonehenge, were constructed in a way that perfectly captures the sun’s light at the moment of Winter Solstice.  The Yule log also originated as a celebratory festival for the Winter Solstice. Romans even celebrated the solstice for an entire week!

by Anjie Cho

Autumn Is Finally (Actually) Here!

Q&A Sunday: A Bathroom in the Fame Area

I really appreciate and enjoy your podcasts, and have found the one on finding a job particularly helpful. I immediately took the "do one good deed a day for 27 days challenge" and am currently on day 24 first time around :) My easy, go-to good deed is removing rubbish at the entryway of my apartment block. 

My question for you is that the "Fame" area in our apartment is the bathroom and I'm wondering what I can do about it. The bathroom door directly faces the front door, and they are maybe four meters apart. The connecting hallway is very narrow so I feel like the energy is probably just shooting from the door straight down the drain. As this bathroom also has no window, I need to air it frequently (after a bath or shower) by leaving the door open. Is there anything I can do? 

Piera, Hamburg, Germany

Hi Piera,

Thank you for listening to the podcast and for your wonderful question!

AND…Kudos to you for taking on the “One good deed a day” adjustment!! Did you make it through to day 27? I’d love to hear more about it. Interestingly, when I thing of the feng shui of removing rubbish from the entryway to your apartment block, I'd guess that if you were doing this for a new job, it would definitely help to open up how many opportunities would come to you. Removing the rubbish would probably weed out the undesirable jobs to make space for something amazing. I’d love to hear more about your experience if you’d like to share!

As for your question: What can be done about your bathroom located in the Fame area of your apartment? Since Fame is related to fire, it’s not the most ideal place for a bathroom because it can put out the passion and power of your reputation and how the world sees you. You also noted that the front door is directly in line with the bathroom door, approximately four meters (13 feet) away, all connected with a narrow hallway. If you could send along a floor plan, it would be helpful in determining just how quickly the qi is moving out towards the back of the home.

My first suggestion would be to place a mirror on the outside of the bathroom door. Second, I would suggest that if you have to keep the bathroom door open, perhaps use a curtain (like bamboo, a light fabric, or even a Japanese noren) to keep the bathroom out of the direct line of sight from the front door. Another option could be to place something nearer to the front door that blocks the view to the toilet. It’s unhealthy in feng shui to have the toilet be the first thing you see when you walk in the home. Again, I suggest you send in your floor plan to see if that’s possible. Either way, I would go with the curtain option as well to help with this situation.

Again, I'm very excited to hear that you are working on the 27-day challenge. I find it to be a very helpful feng shui adjustment and hope it has been effective for you! Your intuition regarding the feng shui of your bathroom is excellent, and I do hope you'll send along a floor plan or schedule a 15-minute consultation call so we can be sure your fame and passion isn't flowing right down the drain!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!