Q&A Sunday: Real vs. Artificial Plants

Anjie Cho May 17, 2020

Are artificial plants ok?

@coastallivingpro

Thanks for your question!

If you’re using a plant for a feng shui adjustment, it’s always better to have a living plant instead of an artificial one. If there is no light in the room, or if it’s a vacation home, you can use an artificial plant, but make sure it’s very high quality and realistic.

Otherwise, you should always use real plants. Even if you don’t think you have a green thumb, I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and try. Taking care of a living plant is a teaching in itself. It helps you cultivate kindness and open-heartedness, which are connected to the wood element. Real plants can also improve indoor air quality.

If you’re worried about your ability to keep a plant alive, start with one that’s easier to care for. There are a lot of varieties that are good for beginners, including pothos, which is one of my favorites. Pothos can thrive in a variety of light conditions, and it can also withstand inconsistent watering.

Monstera (also called Swiss cheese plant) is another plant that is easy to take care of, and it can live for a long time. I also love rubber plants, areca palms, and Chinese money plants. You could also try growing some herbs that you could also use for cooking!

Thanks again for your question--let us know how it goes!

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 questions!

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.

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Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Create sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

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Q&A Sunday: Balancing Water in a Blue Bathroom

Anjie Cho May 10, 2020

Photo by Bence Balla-Schottner on Unsplash

I need a recommendation please. My bathroom in my new apartment is in the spirituality and knowledge area and is VERY blue - bathtub, sink, toilet, tiles on the wall. How can I counteract excess water energy there? It’s rental, so I can’t replace anything, decor only. Thanks in advance!

Tatyana Alexandrovna

Hi Tatyana,

There are a few things I want to clarify before we get into the answer to your question. First, the bagua map does have an area related to self-cultivation and self-knowledge, called gen. It’s in the bottom left hand corner of the bagua map and it’s related to the color dark blue.

Second, there are dozens of schools of feng shui and they all have slight variations. In the school I practice, BTB feng shui, water is actually related to the color black, not blue. Very dark blue that is almost black can be related to the water element, but lighter shades of blue are actually related to the wood element. This is true if you look at the I Ching as well, which is where we get the trigrams of the bagua and the five element system.

The blue color in your bathroom is not creating excess water after all. Instead, it sounds like you have a lot of wood in your bathroom. And, how do wood and water work together? Think about a plant, which represents wood: when you water a plant, the water feeds and nourishes it. Over time, the water helps the plant (wood) create more life and grow upward. Similarly, having wood energy in your bathroom can help to take the downward energy of water and transform it to upward energy. In fact, adding the wood element is a common cure for excess water in a bathroom.

Thank you so much for your question!

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 questions!

Dive deeper into feng shui to transform your life!

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Create sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Positive Thoughts with Feng Shui

Anjie Cho May 3, 2020

How do I create positive thoughts?

Balbir G.

Hi Balbir,

This is an interesting question. Since I’m coming from a feng shui perspective, I’ll talk about cultivating positive thoughts in terms of feng shui. My beliefs and my heart would lead me to suggest that the best way to create positive thoughts is to start a meditation practice. There are a few ways to look at this through the lens of feng shui. I’ll talk about two ways that feng shui can help you start a meditation practice.

First, you can activate the gen area of the bagua, which is related to self-cultivation, self-knowledge, and skillfulness. It’s the dark blue area on the bagua map. There are many ways to activate this area of the bagua; a few ways are to add dark blue, add a plant, ring bells, or declutter this area. If you’re not happy with the way your life is going, it may be time to reflect and get to know yourself better, so this area of the bagua can be a helpful one to focus on.

The other area you can work on is zhen, the green area of the bagua map, which is related to new beginnings and family. This is a good area to activate if you want to start something new, whether it’s a meditation practice, or a shift in perspective. This area is related to the colors green and blue, so you can incorporate those colors into your home or your wardrobe. You can also add the wood element, in the form of plants or column shapes in your home. Similarly to the self-knowledge area, you can also activate the new beginnings area by giving it some extra attention; try decluttering or spending more time there.

It’s always important to do these things intentionally. Know that the physical change you’re making in your home is a mirror for what will happen on the inside. That’s a key factor in feng shui; the inside and outside are interdependent, and they work together.

If you have any questions about how to lay the bagua on your home, check out our posts about the bagua map or sign up for Mindful Design’s next Practical Feng Shui class.

Thank you for your question, I hope that helps!

by Anjie Cho