Q&A Sunday: Kickstarting a New Beginning, Energetically and Spiritually

Anjie Cho January 24, 2021

My family and I are moving into a new home, and I am looking to start it on the right path. Our current home, in my feeling, has not brought good energy, and life here has been a bit tough spiritually. I am looking to restart our life in the right direction for my children and for my husband and I.

Yuliya O., Arlington, VA

Dear Yuliya:

Congratulations on your new home! And how wonderful that you want to restart on a positive path for your family. It was brave of you to leave a home that was not supportive energetically and spiritually. Working with my clients on their homes and work spaces, I know just how important it is to have environments that nurture and nourish you. It’s really quite essential. I want to share a quote I recently re-read that sums things up exactly!

“Implicit in an understanding of the mind-body connection is an assumption that physical places that set the mind at ease can contribute to well-being, and those that trouble the emotions might foster illness”

— Esther Sternberg, Healing Spaces

This is really the first step, to realize the mind-body-space connection! I think that already by leaving your home you have embarked on a new beginning. So kudos!

In addition, I wanted to share some feng shui tips for creating a new path for your life, at any time. You don’t need to move into a new home to use these tips. There is an area of the feng shui bagua map called New Beginnings, which is also related to family and spring. I think this is a wonderful area to activate to kick start your fresh beginning. You can place a new green house plant or a water feature in this area of your entire home.

A green plant promotes growth and kindness and adds more positive life energy. A water feature adds water that feeds wood, because this area of the bagua is wood. Water feeds wood and allows it to flourish and grow. Another bonus is that this area is related to family, so by working with the New Beginnings area you can also support harmony in your family.

We also have a slew of posts you can check out that give other feng shui tips for moving into a new home!

There are so many ways, big and small, to build a fresh, positive start in a new home with feng shui, from the way you arrange your furniture to the colors you use in each room and more. As always, the intention behind your adjustments and choices will be the most important part, and since you're already making such a big change to seek a new start for your family, I'd say you're already on the right track!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

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

Q&A Sunday: What to Look for in Houseplants

Guest User September 27, 2020

I just moved to a new apartment and am excited to get some new plants! Is there anything in particular I should look for feng shui-wise?

Congratulations on the move, and thanks for your question!

Everybody is loving their houseplants right now, myself included! They’re also great from a feng shui perspective. Indoor trees and plants add positive qi, or life force energy, to a home. They also bring wood energy into your home, which is related to vitality and growth. They’re especially great additions to any area of the bagua where you would like to invite in new beginnings and flexibility.

It’s true that certain plants are better than others when it comes to feng shui, although it always depends on your circumstances. This is why it can be helpful to work with a consultant.

In general, you want to look for plants with soft, rounded leaves, and avoid plants with spiky leaves or thorns. This is because you want to invite in soft, flowing energy. Plants communicate a lot about the kind of energy they will bring to a space through their appearance. Think of the adjectives you would use to describe a certain plant—that’s also how you could describe the energy of that plant. This is why plants with spiky thorns or needles need to be used with more care, and are not usually recommended in feng shui.

I also always tell my students that not everything needs to be a feng shui application. You may have a cactus that came from your grandmother that you really love, and that’s ok! If you love something, it has positive energy around it. There are always exceptions to the guidelines.

It’s also important that the plants in your home, including ones you already have, are healthy and well taken care of. When you’re getting new plants, do a little research to make sure you are getting a plant that’s suited for the conditions of your space. You don’t want to have plants that aren’t thriving because they’re in the wrong environment. Putting a plant in a space where it can’t thrive is like putting a square peg in a round hole, and can cause difficulties and obstacles.

One last thing to keep in mind as you’re choosing a plant is to look for something you love and are attracted to. If you love your plants, they’ll be a source of positive energy!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

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

Clear Your Space with Oranges

Guest User September 23, 2020

Space clearing is an important practice in feng shui. Our homes and spaces are made up of energy that impacts us, so it’s important to make sure we are surrounded by supportive, healthy energy as much as possible. Clearing space in your home helps to remove stagnant, stuck, or negative energy that has accumulated to make room for new, positive energy.

Space clearing is especially helpful during times of transition. This could be moving to a new apartment, starting a new chapter in life, or even a change in seasons. The transition from summer to fall that we’re currently experiencing in the northern hemisphere is a great time to clear your space.

One of my favorite ways to clear space is to use oranges. In feng shui, oranges have a lot of yang energy. Yang energy relates to brightness and sunlight. It’s the opposite of night, which is related to yin energy.

Take a moment to close your eyes and visualize peeling an orange, and imagine the experience through all of your senses. Oranges are visually bright and cheerful, like the sun. The color orange is a protecting, uplifting, and vital color. The smell of oranges can also instantly uplift any space. As you are visualizing an orange, or even as you’re peeling a real one, notice the smell, the way it looks, the taste, the way it feels in your hands, and even the sound as you peel it.

A great way to clear your space using feng shui principles is to use a mist with orange essential oil. You can purchase some here or make your own. To clear your space with oranges, open all your windows and doors for at least 15 minutes and allow air to move throughout your home, then spray the orange mist all over your home. If you want to make it more of a ritual, start at your front door and go in a clockwise direction around the perimeter of each room. This makes your space clearing more of a special, sacred experience, and not just an everyday activity.

As you’re clearing your space, set the intention that you’re filling your home with bright orange light or sunlight, along with feelings of joy, contentment, and vitality. This will help set the stage to welcome in positive energy and opportunities.

by Anjie Cho