While you are preparing for the holidays, putting your home in order might be high on the to-do list.
The Chinese art of feng shui is based on the science of energy alignment in one’s living and workspaces to help optimize health, wealth, and happiness in one’s life.
You can learn how to use it to empower you and unblock your vast potential. Here are a few tips to move you toward a happy home.
Welcome the Positive
The entrance to your home is very important in feng shui. If a road or path leads directly to the front door, trouble can come right in.
Consider planting shrubs or meander the pathway in order to soften the impact of a straight line to the door.
The entry hall should be spacious and bright so that chi can flow easily.
If your hallway is small or dark, use bright lighting and decorations, and install mirrors to reflect as much light as possible. The entry should be light; dark ceilings signify a stormy sky.
Clutter tangles the flow of chi energy and creates a stagnant environment. Keep your hallways and entry clear of clutter and tidy to encourage a health flow into your home.
Remove Closet Chaos
Not only is feng shui fun to read about, it is also very practical. One of the basic tenets of feng shui theory is to maintain an uncluttered home in order to have an uncluttered spirit. Most of our closets are probably just the opposite. Wouldn’t it be great to clean them out?
Closet organizers estimate that we wear about 20 percent of our wardrobes. In Chinese traditions, crowded closets impede the smooth flow of chi and the worst offenders are unworn items that have been hanging around, no pun intended, sometimes for years.
Of course we all have wonderful excuses for hanging on to old stuff: it was expensive, I’m going on a diet, I might wear it someday.
To get started on a closet clean-up, wear your usual wardrobe for a month. Place these favorite items in one part of the closet, then be absolutely brutal about weeding through the rest.
Box up anything you can bear to part with and donate it to charity. When you donate, you win, the charity wins, and your closet will look great.
Your energy will be lighter and by creating a bit of empty space, you have increased your energetic ability to attract prosperity.
Grow Fruitful Finances
A traditional Chinese symbol of wealth and prosperity is orange fruit. Consider planting kumquat or orange trees on your property, in pots on your balcony, or even a bowl of oranges on your dining room table.
Images of fish, such as Koi or carp, symbolize abundance and should be a welcome addition to any home’s décor.
Recently, a popular practice among feng shui aficionados is to have a money tree in your home.
A money tree is an indoor bonsai tree from the Panchira aquatica species that measures one to two feet tall and has clusters of five-lobed leaves.
Take good care of the bonsai so that it radiates healthy, vibrant and prosperous energy in your life.
Of course, no matter how many money trees you possess, your financial health will not improve if you do not also take care of it on a practical level.
You must institute principles of good money management in your life, including setting budgets, living within your means and paying yourself first.
Paying yourself first means always put aside money in your savings before you pay your bills. These are the ways to achieve abundance in your life.
May you Live Long, Live Strong, and Live Happy!
Dr. Mao Shing Ni, best known as Dr. Mao is a bestselling author, doctor of Oriental Medicine and board certified anti-aging expert. To subscribe to his tip-filled newsletter please visit taoofwellness.com. Contacts: (310) 917-2200 and contact@taoofwellness.com.
Courtesy of Robert Radcliffe of The Radcliffe Group at Sotheby’s International Realty (robertradcliffe.com). The Radcliffe Group has been ranked by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top 250 sales teams in the USA.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
