Love Note from Anjie // Time to Slow Down

Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmannon Unsplash

MARCH 4, 2023 // love note from anjie

time to slow down

I received a big message from the universe this week. I was rushing, running to catch a bus. I tripped on a part of the sidewalk and fell on my face. There was a lot of blood, and a lot of stitches. If you know me personally, I'm a super busy person, often taking on too much. I'm so grateful that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. However, this was a firm warning that I need to slow down.

How can we do one thing at a time with joy, mindfulness, and presence. Why are we in such a hurry? 

Sky Lake Lodge:

Mindful Spaces Retreat

Join me for a Mindful Spaces Weekend retreat: exploring feng shui as a mindfulness practice. 

It will be very intimate, there are only eight guestrooms on premises. 

Schedule includes: moments of silence, qigong, mindful walks, and feng shui talks 

April 13-17, 2023

Sky Lake Lodge, New York

LET IT OUT PODCAST:

Let It Out Podcast

Be sure to check out my podcast with my friend Katie Dalebout where I give her a live feng shui consultation. It will also be shared on the Holistic Spaces Podcast on Mar 13.

cherry blossoms on brance

Photo by dadalan real on Unsplash

ISFG SUMMIT:

Feng Shui Summit

The International Feng Shui Guild has gathered dozens of the top speakers for an Incredible one-of-a-kind two-day online event. It's free to attend! Mar 17-18, 10am - 4pm (EDT)

My talk is: Fri Mar 17 at 10am Feng Shui as a Mindfulness Practice by Anjie Cho

LIVE INFO SESSION:

Learn about feng shui training

Laura and I are doing a live info session about our feng shui certification program April 8th at 12pm EST. I hope you can join! Click the link below to join Mindful Design’s email list and we’ll send you the Zoom link when the date gets closer!

Round white table and chairs next to black shelf with books and plants

Photo by Jean-Philippe Delberghe on Unsplash

Coming soon:

Mindful Homes

My new book Mindful Homes: create healing living spaces with mindfulness and feng shui is available for pre-order. It will be available wherever books are sold on April 11, 2023.

in stitches,

Anjie

p.s. would you like to receive these love notes directly to your inbox right when they’re written? Join our newsletter and you’ll also get special perks only for subscribers!

How to Work with the Mandarin Duck Symbol for Love and Partnership

Photo by Ahmer Kalamon Unsplash

I recently visited my family in Los Angeles, and since I was there around Valentine’s Day, I was reflecting on the idea of romantic partnership. It can be really fun to pay attention to what’s present around you in your space, and consider how the things you notice might reflect events or situations that are happening in the outside world. 

One of the things I was thinking about at my parents’ house was the symbol of mandarin ducks. Mandarin ducks are considered one of the most beautiful types of ducks, and they are often found in pairs not only in artwork and Asian motifs, but also in real life. They are symbols of marital happiness and fidelity in Asian culture, as well as good luck and joy. It’s said that Mandarin ducks mate for life, and that the two love birds become so attached to each other that if they are separated, they may perish from sadness. I think this is something we can all understand — we’ve been through the heartbreak that can happen when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to open up to a partner. Whatever Valentine’s Day means to you, the symbol of mandarin ducks can be an invitation to consider how you have opened yourself to be vulnerable with a partner. If you want to invite in a new partner, how can you become more open to that? Is this the right time for you to open up to a partner? 

My parents received three sets of Mandarin ducks: one from my wedding, and one from each of my two sisters’ weddings as well. It’s traditional for a couple to be gifted a pair of wooden Mandarin ducks on their wedding day, and this represents good luck and conjugal harmony. For my wedding, we dressed in hanboks, traditional Korean dress, and we did a bowing ceremony in front of my parents, and my husband offered the ducks to my parents. This is how my sisters and I used the symbol of Mandarin ducks, but it may be different in different Asian cultures. 

If you resonate with Mandarin ducks, there are many ways you can work with this symbol. You may want to find a pair of Mandarin ducks, create or draw your own, or even just reflect upon this symbol of conjugal harmony, partnership, lifelong connection, and opening your heart to vulnerability. If you’d like, you can place Mandarin ducks in the Kun area of your bedroom or home. To find Kun in your bedroom, stand in your bedroom door facing in, and find the far right corner. This will typically be Kun, which is the area of the feng shui bagua that is connected to love and partnerships.  

In most cultures, including Asian cultures, weddings are considered very auspicious and festive life events, along with birth, death, and age transitions. In our modern, fast-paced world, we often forget about the importance of honoring these transitions, but in feng shui, a wedding is considered a life event with unlimited amounts of positive qi. I had the honor and pleasure of having my feng shui mentor Rosalie Prinzivalli officiate my wedding. She also helped me choose an auspicious date for my wedding based on my astrology and my husband’s astrology, and also gave me some practices to do. 

Whether you have an actual wedding or simply a party to celebrate your partnership, this event is a time in your life when you have auspicious qi all around you. You have an unlimited amount of qi to offer the world, and it’s quite a gift for you to share it with others – so if you are looking for a partner, one thing you can do is surround yourself with people who are getting married, people who are married, or people who symbolize the type of partnership that you would like to have. The more you are around these people, the more you will absorb and understand their qi. 

If the symbolism of Mandarin ducks feels meaningful to you, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on this. And whether you are single or in a relationship, I hope you had a happy Valentine’s Day!

by Anjie Cho

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

Love Note from Anjie: Ease Into the Unknown

Photo by Fabio Fistarol on Unsplash

FEBRUARY 25, 2023 // love note from anjie

ease into the unknown

It's supposed to snow today. Even if it doesn't, it's very cold. 

We live with many uncertainties, big and small. Just in the last two weeks I've observed three friends and their partners hospitalized. All unexpected circumstances. We can become easily de-railed by careless words, well-intentioned actions, or even the weather. Basically if something doesn't go as planned, it's so easy to grasp tighter on our preconceived definition of what we decided is what we want. Meditation practice constantly reminds me to create space for chaos. To be patience with my impatience. And the ease and relaxation that naturally arises from accepting the present moment exactly as it is. 

It's cold today, but how will I be present with it? 

Sky Lake Lodge:

Mindful Spaces Retreat

Join me for a Mindful Spaces Weekend retreat: exploring feng shui as a mindfulness practice. 

It will be very intimate, there are only eight guestrooms on premises. 

Schedule includes: moments of silence, qigong, mindful walks, and feng shui talks 

April 13-17, 2023

Sky Lake Lodge, New York

WATCH MY REEL:

About the Mindful Spaces Retreat in April

Since this is my first retreat, I wanted to share my aspirations for the weekend. 

I recorded a reel on instagram where you can learn more. 

pink cosmos flower against light blue sky

Photo by J Lee on Unsplash

ON THE PODCAST:

Feng shui as self-love and self-care

I loved this podcast episode we recorded with three of our recent Mindful Design graduates. Feng shui is more than just moving your furniture around, it's an act of self-love and self-care

ON INSTAGRAM:

Verse 15 
Tao te Ching

Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?

Photo by Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash

Coming soon:

Mindful Homes

My new book Mindful Homes: create healing living spaces with mindfulness and feng shui is available for pre-order. It will be available wherever books are sold on April 11, 2023.

from a cold day in nyc,

Anjie

p.s. would you like to receive these love notes directly to your inbox right when they’re written? Join our newsletter and you’ll also get special perks only for subscribers!