energizing your space: feng shui 101
Now I’m no feng shui consultant, but I have always been intrigued by anything that involves the energetics of a home or space. I love the intentionality of incorporating feng shui in designing your home, and the ritual of it.
I’ve been researching ways to incorporate the fundamentals of feng shui into my space + this is an overview of what I’ve learned so far. Its all about designing balanced spaces in harmony with the flow of positive energy. Sounds good right?
Encouraging you to thinking about : what spaces allow (or block) the flow of energy in your home?
You can always feel when a room feels blocked or stifled energetically. Play around with the layout of the room, and see what changes. I also love seeing the connection between minimalism, konmari + feng shui. In feng shui, clutter is blocked energy. It can make you sick + prevent abundance from coming to you . When we allow a free flow of energy, abundance follows. Another thing to note- broken things also generate negative energy.
3 key areas in a home:
the entrance
This is how energy enters your space. The entrance is associated with promoting career success, health + harmony. You want your entrance to feel welcoming to anyone who comes in your front door and inviting good energy. You want a clearly marked place for shoes, coats + generally keeping the entrance way clutter free. Keep a clean front door. Color is important here- red, green, black are all considered auspicious colors.
Outside of your doorway, you want a clear pathway outside flowing toward your doorway + the path is kept well lit.
the kitchen
The kitchen represents health, wealth, prosperity + nourishment. White walls are ideal, no leaks in plumbing, stove working properly + adequate lighting throughout. Specifically the stove being kept clean + orderly. You can add a crystal above the stove for added chi.
the bedroom
The bedroom is for restoration. Please do not store anything under the bed as this blocks chi. A solid wood headboard is ideal and no tv or technology in bedroom. You want your bed facing your wealth direction against a solid wall, with the bedroom in the back of house, away from the entrance. You can do a bit of research to learn more specifics about your wealth direction for custom enhancements to the space.
Space clearing rituals:
Because everything is about creating a space where chi can flow, clearing the energy regularly is also important to prevent stagnant or blocked chi. A few ways to enhance abundant chi:
open air from windows
using lights or candles
go natural with sunshine
lighting incense
a singing bowl ritual
Five elements
Feng shui centers on the idea of harmonizing the 5 natural elements in the world: metal, water, wood, fire and earth energy. A few notes on the type of energy associated, the shapes, colors + seasons associated with each element:
metal- focused energy, round shapes, grey/pastels + whites, autumn
water- fluid wavy shape, black + dark tones, winter
wood- growth+ changing energy, rectangular shape, green, spring
fire- vibrant energy, triangular shape, red, pinks, oranges, summer
earth- stability energy, square shapes, terra-cotta, yellow, earth tones, transition of seasons
Ways to bring in each element into a space:
metal- metallic objects, round or white/grey objects
water- fountains, fish tanks, mirrors, water art, black/navy
wood- plants, wood furniture + floors, rectangular objects, green/blue
fire- lights, candles, fireplace, triangular objects
earth- ceramics, soft fabrics, square objects, earth tones + yellow
Plants
You can’t go wrong with bringing more plant energy into a space. Again, the harmony of the shapes and types of plants are associated with different elements.
round leaves have metal energy
flowy fronds have water energy
pointy leaves have fire energy
trees have wood energy
I hope you find these tips helpful! If you are interested in bringing in an expert, I recommend Sachiko, of Soulful Simplicity.
Want more wellness? Check out my new workbook the modern minimalist method workbook here.
