My Favorite Things: 5 Ways to Bring Metal into Your Home

Welcome to My Favorite Things! Each month, we highlight products to help you create a holistic lifestyle that inspires and nurtures you, so that you can be happier and feel supported.

For April, we move forward in our series on the five elements and talk ways to bring the Metal element into your space. The Metal element is related to the Benefactors and Completion areas of the bagua map and is very helpful in balancing the ability to stand up for yourself and to remain focused and efficient. Be sure to listen to tomorrow's podcast, Feng Shui and the Metal Element, to learn more about how to balance the Metal element!

Wind Chimes and Bells

Adding a wind chime or bell to your space is one of the easiest ways to balance out the Metal element. There are so many beautiful options for wind chimes, but be sure to look for chimes or bells made of metal material, as this relates directly to the Metal element. 

This is a bell that I have on my desk to ring in more prosperity and abundance!

When you hang a bell or chime, it's also important to ensure that it has space to ring or chime. These small adjustments are powerful in many ways and can signify change and the arrival of benefactors.

Available at: Feng Shui Shopper

SAARINEN TULIP TABLE

I love the Saarinen Tulip tables, especially in white marble. They're truly a classic. They come in many sizes and are customizable in material and color. White marble is a gorgeous addition to any space in itself, but it can also help to bring in the Metal element!

I have a white Saarinen side table in my living room, which is in the Completion (yin metal) area of my home.

White, circular, marble tables add Metal to your space because of the shape and color. The Metal element is related to the color white and circular shapes, so keep this in mind when customizing! 

Available at: Design Within Reach

Benjamin Moore: Simply White Paint

We've talked about the benefits of choosing white paint in your spaces, but opting for white walls can also add the Metal elemnt to a room. 

Because the Metal element is related to the color white, going for the purest color in the color wheel can help provide balance for a space with too little metal. One of my go-to whites is Benjamin Moore's Simply White. It also happens to be the Benjamin Moore color of 2016.

Check out our other blog posts on my favorite white paints.

Available at: Benjamin Moore

Agate Non-Metal Feng Shui Rings

Everyone always wonders why I have a delicate agate ring on my middle finger on my right hand... well it's a feng shui adjustment!

Non-metal rings like these agate rings can balance out too much or too little metal. For women, wear it on your middle finger, right hand. For men, the same but on the left hand.

This personal qi feng shui adjustment can help if you talk too little or too much, as the metal element is related to the mouth. Don't fret if it breaks; it's doing its job! Be sure to listen to the podcast or read our blog post about the five elements to learn more!

Available at: Holistic Spaces

Metal Pinwheels

I have these lovely metal pinwheels in two places in my home. Not only do they add more metal element to your spaces, they're beautiful, and they can go indoors or outdoors. 

Pinwheels also have the secondary effect of stirring up the qi in your holistic spaces, to get things really moving. 

It may be beneficial to locate these in your Benefactors area to stir up and attract more helpful people in your life. Or skillfully placed in the center of the Knowledge area of your property (outside or inside), pinwheels may bring winds of change to your self-cultivation and spiritual life.

Available at: All Modern

Book Review: Anjie Cho's 108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces

featured this week on inhabitat, by Laura Mordas-Schenkein

Did you know that Feng Shui practitioners were some of the first environmentalists in the world? Many people are unaware that the basis of Feng Shui is synonymous with green design, as its essence is centered around mastering a connection with the natural world. So, when exactly does a green home become a sanctuary? We had the opportunity to review Feng Shui expert and LEED accredited Architect Anjie Cho‘s latest book for a true how-to on the subject: 108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces: Feng Shui and Green Design for Healing Organic Homes. Read on for our review, and a glimpse inside this practical, DIY guide to creating a truly holistic space.

108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces begins with a basic overview of Feng Shui principles, colors and elements, and demystifies the Bagua map and space clearings. Readers should not expect to become a Feng Shui expert by the end of the book, but newbies will certainly learn some terrific base knowledge, and those with some prior knowledge will be able to gain a fresh perspective on what they have already learned.

...read full article

Using Feng Shui to Create Sacred Space

featured this week on Over the Moon

“You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants a magical solution to their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic. ”
— Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

I saw this quote recently and I just love it. Sadly, though, this is often the case in our modern, fast-paced world. We’ve really lost touch with nature and the magic in our everyday lives.

Many of us (myself included) hope for an easy fix, a magic potion of sorts. But even magical solutions take some work. First, there must be belief and trust in the process. Belief in the magic! Second, a seed (even of the magic sort) can be planted, but it needs fertile soil, sunlight, love, and cultivation to come to fruition.

I believe that feng shui and other spiritual philosophies and disciplines really are magic! Read on to learn how you can do your part to bring some magic into your everyday life and make your home a sacred space.

Create an Altar or Shrine

This doesn’t have to be religious, but it can be if you’d like. For instance, I am Buddhist, so I have a shrine with a Buddha, incense, a candle, and offerings of flowers, rice, and water. But you can also create a special place for some selected sacred objects, honoring a teacher in your life with a candle for light and a flower for life.

In feng shui, I’ve also prescribed altars for nature spirits. This would include a special, designated area inside or outside your home, with some water, liquor, rice, and a rock or small statue. The intent is to dedicate a small area to invite some magic to dwell in and enhance your home. You can literally ask the universe, or nature, to come visit your home. Thank them and offer this special space for them to enjoy.

Circumambulate

I first heard this term in architecture school when learning about the stupas, cathedrals, and temples of the ancient world. Almost all religions incorporated this ritual of circumambulation as a devotional practice by walking around the interior perimeter of a space. In my Buddhist practices, we also circumambulate during walking meditation.

Starting at your front door, walk clockwise around the interior perimeter of your home. While circumambulating, you can chant mantra, ring bells, burn incense, etc. In BTB feng shui, we circumambulate while chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum” during the orange peel space clearing, using orange essence or peels to clear the space. You can also do sage or palo santo space clearings in this manner to further sanctify the space.

Add Sound Vibration

Sounds, such as cymbals, bells, and even singing, create vibrations that create magic and transformation in your environment. Even the sound from the trickle of a water fountain can create this magic. It’s especially effective to use sound to expand into the dark, forgotten areas of your home, like the back corners of closets, above cabinets, behind the sofa, etc. Create some sound vibration magic and see what happens.

While the magic in our universe may not quite mirror the incredible events of Alice’s story, it is possible to bring a little wonder and magic into your life, if you’re willing to believe and do your part. If you’re seeking a change or life enhancement, or maybe even just a little magic, try one or more of these tips in your space to create an environment where that magic can flourish. Once you do, share your story with us! 

by Anjie Cho