Q&A Sunday: Blue Sodalite Healing Crystals

Anjie Cho December 12, 2021

I received a piece of blue sodalite last Christmas as a gift. What is the best way to use it as a healing crystal?

Sharon R., Danbury, CT

Hi Sharon,

What a great question! As you may know, each natural stone has its own vibrations and special purpose, and blue sodalite is no different.

Sodalite is associated with the throat and third-eye chakras and is especially helpful in finding your voice and intuition. If you are struggling to find your own way or truth, wearing or carrying blue sodalite can help you to better understand the truth of your life and sculpt your intuition. Intuition is a powerful and helpful force that each of us possesses, but sometimes it can be difficult to tap into to it with everything else going on in our minds. Imagine if you could always hear and follow your intuition! Blue sodalite can help!

Sodalite can also help you tap into creativity, which is something we hear about often lately. If your job requires creativity or if you are an artist or are just looking to be more creative in your everyday life, this stone can help.

Since sodalite is connected with the throat chakra, it can also be very helpful in supporting you as you speak your truth. You can carry with you or place it on your desk in the Knowledge area for extra support with your voice or speaking truth in your work. You can also place it in the bedroom Knowledge gua for the same in marriage or in life in general.

Sodalite is a lovely gift and is very personalized! Perhaps you need to spend some time this year looking at and listening to your intuition! Whether you wear the stone, carry it or place it in an auspicious place, be sure to do so with intention, and it should bring you clarity and vision!

by Anjie Cho

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

Feng Shui for the Holidays

Anjie Cho December 8, 2021

Although the holidays are a time for celebration and rest, sometimes they can be quite the opposite. This time of year can become stressful and exhausting. Since feng shui concepts can give us tools to help create harmony and positivity in our living spaces, I’d like to share some feng shui tips to support us during the holiday season.

Family

Thanksgiving was just a few weeks ago, and of course there is often a little drama and turmoil in the Cho household. Thankfully, it was resolved. But no matter how well your family gets along – I don’t think it hurts to have more harmony in the home. Did you know there’s a section of the feng shui map that relates to family? This area also relates to new beginnings.

Locate the family/new beginnings area of your home or bedroom on the feng shui map. If you divide your home or bedroom into a 3x3 grid, it’s the center left area. You can use this feng shui map to help you locate the area. For more harmony within your family, try adding a live green plant to represent growth and support for the family during the holidays. If there is not enough natural light for a plant, try a low light plant or a very high quality, realistic looking silk plant.

Space Clearing

Holidays are often a time to gather with friends and family. Some of us have visitors staying with us in addition to parties and get-togethers. When there are many gatherings in the home, it may be helpful to do a light space clearing on a regular basis to clear the air and energy in your home. Each time you clear the space, dedicate your home to creating a loving happy space for your family and friends. For frequent space clearing, I like smudging (burning) palo santo or diffusing sweet orange essential oil. Palo santo has a light, clean, minty smell that is delicious. The sweet orange scent is life affirming, happy and bright. Use the one you like best, or alternate!

If you’re traveling you can use this to clear the space you are staying in whether it’s a hotel or as a guest in someone’s home. Probably better to use the orange essential oil rather than burn something ☺

Gratitude and Thanks

Finally, the holiday season reminds us to be grateful and thankful for the love and support we’ve received in our lives. I recently received some Buddhist teachings on patronage. I find that supporting others as a patron is a truly rewarding way to offer thanks. I'm so thankful for my abundance and success and am happy to share that with the world.

Take some time to thank the ones you love who bring you support in your life. Bring some feng shui into this practice of honoring those helpful people by offering to be a benefactor for them as well! The benefactors’ area of your bedroom would be the corner front right if you’re standing in your room looking in. Make a list of those caring and generous people, and then place the list in the benefactors area of your bedroom with the intention that you're grateful for their help and you wish to offer them even more in return.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and the days in between have always been dedicated to family, friends and remembering how fortunate we are to have life. Over time though, the holiday season has, unfortunately, become associated with high stress levels and weariness as well. Through feng shui practices and awareness, we can use well-established methods to lower stress and focus on what's really important during this time: our loved ones.

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design Feng Shui School: Energy, Meditation, Sacred Space

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

Q&A Sunday: Space Clearing in Feng Shui

Guest User December 5, 2021

I’ve heard so much about sage. Is there a special way to sage a space?

Sage is traditionally used in cultures that are indigenous to the Americas, and is not traditional in Asia where feng shui is from. However, you can burn sage or other botanicals to clear a space. Burning plant material is a way to transmute the energies in a space and clear things out, and many herbs have antimicrobial properties that help to purify the space on a physical level as well.

A more traditional way to clear space in feng shui is with fresh oranges. Because you don’t have to burn anything, it’s much better for air quality. It’s also more travel-friendly, since you might not be able to burn things when you’re staying somewhere other than your own home.

Oranges represent yang energy in Asian culture, and they bring a lot of vitality. They’re also connected to the energy of abundance, because they are round like coins and are similar in color to gold. One great way to harness the clearing energy of oranges is to keep a bowl of them in your kitchen. It’s okay to eat them, too — the act of peeling each one will really uplift the energy of your space!

If you don’t want to use fresh oranges, or if you’re looking for something that’s even easier to travel with, you can use a mist with orange essential oil.

by Anjie Cho