Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Spring

Guest User April 11, 2021

Do you have any feng shui tips for spring?

This is very timely since we’re welcoming spring in the Northern Hemisphere, where I’m located!

There is actually an area of the feng shui bagua map that’s related to springtime: the Family or New Beginnings area, called Zhen in Chinese.

Zhen is connected to new beginnings of any kind, family matters, as well as the season and energy of spring. It’s represented by the colors blue and green, the number three, and tall, columnar shapes (like the trunk of a tree). It’s also related to the element of yang wood. To get a sense of yang wood energy, imagine a new blade of grass pushing out of the soil.

In winter, our focus is more interior and we often don’t go out a lot. In spring, we start to come out of our shells a bit more. You can visualize the energy of a sprout pushing through a seed’s shell. Another way to imagine this is a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis. It has transformed inside the chrysalis, and is now ready to emerge in its new state. This is the type of energy we’re welcoming in the spring.

This is also part of the energy of Zhen position. Zhen is a great area to activate in your home if you have trouble starting new things, if you want support in starting a new project, or if you want to invite more harmony in your family.

When I teach my students, we work with something called the Nine Star Path, which starts with the number three. Three represents new beginnings. One and two are the parents, and three is the child, the number of creation and creativity.

If you’re new to feng shui, or if you want to reset your home, you can activate this area by placing something with intention in Zhen position. This can be a green plant, a water fountain, a crystal, or anything that resonates with you and represents new beginnings.

I hope you all have a beautiful beginning to the spring!

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

This Feng Shui Expert Explains How Small Changes Can Make Your Home a Better Place to Live

Guest User April 7, 2021

Anjie Cho was featured on Health

What made you want to explore feng shui?

I studied architecture in college and worked at architect firms in New York City for years. But in my late 20s, I started feeling really unhappy and depressed, like there was something more to life than working nine-to-nine every day. In 2006, my friend and I took a trip to Thailand and were eating in a restaurant in Chiang Mai when a Reiki master offered us a session. I remember crying the whole time—releasing a lot of emotion. When I got back to New York, I started practicing yoga and meditating, and I realized that I needed to bring this spiritual practice into other aspects of my life, including my work. The first thing that came to mind was feng shui. So when I got laid off in the 2008–09 recession, I decided to jump in, study feng shui full-time, and start a business.

How would you explain feng shui in layman's terms?

It's an ancient Asian practice that I describe as the mindfulness of spaces. It's not just about moving furniture but about changing the energy around the furniture, too. In paying attention to all the details of your environment, you'll start to realize that you're all interconnected. And when you recognize that your space is a part of you and affects you, you can use feng shui to set up your home so that it supports and nourishes you, rather than drains and blocks you.

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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: How to Use Plants for Good Feng Shui

Guest User April 4, 2021

What are the best types of plants for feng shui, and where should I put them?

I get a lot of questions about feng shui and plants! First, I want to emphasize that not every plant in your home has to be a feng shui adjustment. A lot of people get really worried and wound up about whether certain plants are good feng shui, but it’s really not necessary. You can have plants in your home that are there just because you love them, and not for feng shui reasons.

In general, indoor trees and plants provide positive life energy in a home. The qi of living green plants is especially uplifting and life-affirming, and houseplants are great because they allow us to bring more nature inside.

However, when you purchase a new plant with the intention of using it as a feng shui adjustment, there are a few general guidelines. Most of the time, softer, rounder leaves are preferable, because this provides a softer, gentler energy. Plants with spiky needs and sharp thorns are best avoided for feng shui applications. However, if you already have a spiky plant that you love, it’s ok to keep it, as long as it’s healthy. Also, you always want to research the types of plants you are thinking about to make sure they are suited for your space. A plant that isn’t getting the right amount of light or humidity, for example, won’t thrive, and that’s not good feng shui.

When it comes to placing the plant in your space, one way to approach it is to locate it in an area of the feng shui bagua where you would like to see growth, new beginnings, and flexibility. Pick one area rather than trying to adjust everything all at once. It’s possible that the area you want to work on won’t accommodate plants, and if that’s the case, you’ll have to do something else. Sometimes it’s nice when life gives you some parameters and guidelines. Knowing that you need to have some natural sunlight to accommodate a plant may help you narrow down which bagua area to work on.

Want to learn more about plants and feng shui? Check out Mindful Design’s free guide to using plants to feng shui your home! It includes a room-by-room guide, plant suggestions for each area of the bagua, and some of our favorite plant tips.

by Anjie Cho