Are Snake Plants Bad Feng Shui?

Green snake plant with pointy leaves in terra cotta pot on wooden table

Photo by Kara Eads on Unsplash

Are snake plants bad feng shui?

Snake plants are very popular houseplants that are quite beautiful and easy to care for. They have robust, pointed leaves that stand upright. In my view, they embody the metal element because they’re strong and rigid, like a metal sword. 

I’m often asked whether snake plants are bad feng shui, and the short answer is that it depends. Generally, it’s recommended in feng shui to avoid plants that are particularly sharp or pointy. However, something that’s not typically considered a good feng shui plant can be used if you really consider your life and your needs, and if you can find an appropriate time and place for it. This is where you can bring some skillfulness into your feng shui, rather than following general rules about what is good or bad. 

Snake plants may be supportive in certain situations and in certain areas of your home, and not so much in others. To find out whether a snake plant in your home is supporting you, the first thing you’ll want to do is draw up your floor plan. Then, you can overlay the bagua, which is a mandala we use in feng shui that has different areas representing different areas of your life. Once you’ve laid the bagua on your home, notice where your snake plant is located, and consider what that could mean. 

For example, a snake plant may not be the best plant to put in the relationships area, called Kun in Chinese. This could mean that you’re being defensive and protecting your heart more than you need to, or that you’re being sharp-tongued in your relationship. 

However, snake plants can be very beneficial in certain areas of the bagua if you need more fierceness and strength in that part of your life. I have a snake plant in my fame area, called Li, and it’s been very helpful for me. Since I have a public face, I also need to protect myself a little bit. I actually placed this snake plant in my fame area when I needed to cultivate more strength and the ability to have a sharp tongue when necessary. 

It also depends on your energy and situation. If you’re already pretty assertive and sharp-tongued, you may not need a snake plant. If you need more strength and protection, though, it can be beneficial. Also, your needs can change over time. After you’ve had a snake plant for a while, you may decide that you’ve received the lessons you needed, and it may no longer be serving you in the same way. 

Another great place for a snake plant is on your desk, which represents your career. I find that a lot of people need some protection there, especially if they work with some difficult people, or if they need to stand up for themselves more at work. 

Snake plants are also great additions to your home’s entry when you want to feel more protected. However, if you really want to open yourself up to invite in new opportunities, I wouldn’t recommend this placement. In that case, you may want to choose a plant that’s more typically recommended in feng shui, like a monstera or pothos. 

I encourage you to have some curiosity about what you need, instead of making blanket statements about what is good or bad. There is a lot of polarity and duality in the world, but feng shui teaches us through the principles of yin and yang that things are “yes and,” rather than “either or.” 

Do you have a snake plant in your home? Where is it located in the feng shui bagua? Do you feel like it has protected you in some way? 

by Anjie Cho


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

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12 of the Best Feng Shui Plants for Positive Energy

Potted green plants on wooden chest with books and plant artwork

Photo by Prudence Earl on Unsplash

Anjie Cho was featured on Homes and Gardens

With feng shui plants you can welcome positive energy into your home, as well as enjoying the beauty of these living accessories. 

We have all gone a bit mad for house plants in the past few years, especially with our homes becoming spaces to work as well as live and relax. There are many benefits to adding indoor plants to rooms in your home, not least that they can soften and enhance the look of a space. But have you also considered that through careful choice and placement of feng shui plants for specific spaces in the house, you can improve the flow of positive energy in your life?

'In feng shui we seek to improve the flow of Chi which is our vital life force energy. Living green plants represent the wood element, which is said to cultivate human hardiness, flexibility, healing and growth. So not only can you bring these qualities into your life and home by adding plants, but by bringing in the element of nature into your interior space you will have more harmony between your inner environment and outer environment,' explains Anjie Cho, New York based interior architect, feng shui advisor and author of Holistic Spaces, 108 ways to create a Mindful and Peaceful Home.

.…read full article


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

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8 Best Feng Shui Plants for Good Energy, According to Experts

Photo by Earl Wilcox on Unsplash

Anjie Cho was featured on Good Housekeeping

Here are eight feng shui plants that are all about bringing good energy into your space, from affordable indoor plants to houseplants that thrive in office spaces (even if they're sometimes neglected):

Philodendron Green

With quick-growing vines and low-maintenance care, the classic philodendron plant makes a well-suited feng shui plant for channeling love. Its soft, heart-shaped leaves can help activate the marriage and relationships area of your space, according to Cho. For added effect, you may want to own two! "A pair of complementary plants can emphasize an equal, balanced partnership you'd like to invite in," she says.

Pothos

Pothos plants are excellent air purifiers, perfect for the neglected corners of your household like atop a kitchen cupboard or in the bathroom. They tend to have long, leafy vines that make them optimal indoor hanging plants. For forgetful green thumbs, these plants are incredibly low maintenance, even earning the nickname of Devil's Ivy for being near impossible to kill. According to Cho, these are great for beginners. They're one of the easiest feng shui plants to care for, and their soft, rounded leaves promote softness and harmony throughout your space.

.…read full article


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

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