Feng shui is an ancient Chinese system of home and living space design that uses Five Element theory and simple principles to help you achieve your life goals. Just like acupuncture can help bring balance to the body, mind, and spirit, feng shui can bring balance to our homes, offices, and even our cars. During a consultation, a feng shui practitioner considers your Chinese astrological birth chart and how that relates to your home to make specific recommendations for what items, colors, and “cures” to place around the space to create good energy flow and enhance your health, wealth, career, love life, and much more.
While feng shui theory can be quite complex and is individualistic by nature, there are five overarching Cardinal Rules that everyone can follow to improve the energy flow within your home or office:
- Nothing broken– Have nothing that is broken, chipped, or cracked within your home; this correlates to stuck or stagnant energy, and you want the energy to flow freely in your space. If you have an heirloom or other item you truly love that is cracked or broken, you may keep it, but it is important to repair the item as soon as possible. You may consider kintsugi (a Japanese technique of repairing cracks by filling them with gold) for pottery, or consulting with a feng shui practitioner for more challenging pieces that cannot be easily repaired.
- No clutter– Do not have clutter around your home; this causes energetic stagnation. Imagine coming home to a messy house; you would be more likely to feel upset, frustrated, or angry than if you came home to a neat and tidy home. You want to be able to walk through your door and feel a sense of ease, peace, and calming energy. Consider what items you may be able to better organize or get rid of to remove clutter.
- Zen surfaces (walls/counters 50% clear)– Feng shui holds that not only do we need to remove clutter, but in order for the energy to move well, we must also have 50% of the walls, counters, surfaces and even bookshelves clear and open. Think about how attractive a bookshelf or bookcase is when it is stylized with less books on the shelves and a plant or special items peppered throughout, rather than completely stuffed with books on every shelf. The energy needs space to move in and around everything in your home. This principle also applies to walls; gallery walls may be a way to display many photos or pieces of art, but they easily overwhelm a space. Choose the most special or loved artwork or photos and display them, removing the rest to allow for free movement of energy.
- Love everything you have around you– Do not keep anything you don’t absolutely love. Give away items you don’t like or only like instead of love. I understand this may be easier said than done. If you don’t love something that your partner or roommate loves, you may have to compromise. Try not to keep anything that either of you hates. If you like something of theirs or think it’s ok, but they love it, it will be fine to keep it (and vice versa). If you have a family heirloom that was given to you that you do not love, consider talking to the family member that gave it to you and explaining that you have not been able to use it and feel it may be best to pass it to another family member who would actually use it and love it. If it feels like that may cause too much upset to talk to your family member, store the item in a labeled box out of view. You may then revisit in the future whether or not you feel able to have the conversation or give the item away.
- Create an altar/sacred space– Within your home it is important to have a special place to honor your spiritual side. This can be a tabletop, an actual altar table, or even a small corner of a nook somewhere in your home. Place items on the altar that are meaningful to you, whether pictures or statues of religious figures and/or your ancestors, candles, crystals, beads, fabrics, or other special items. Allow this space to remind you to take time to honor your path, practice gratitude, and invite peace and tranquility into your home.
Start with these five Cardinal Rules of feng shui to invite the natural and easy flow of energy in your home. As you begin to make positive changes in your space, you will naturally feel a more expansive, supportive energy begin to surround you. If you’d like to dive deeper, reach out to a local certified feng shui practitioner who can perform an on-site or virtual consultation to give you personalized recommendations.
Note: This article was originally published in a local magazine for their October 2022 issue. For citation references, please contact Dr. Yocum at https://jenyocum.com/contact/
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