How To Use Feng Shui To Create A Peaceful & Intentional Home

Anjie Cho August 7, 2019

featured on The Good Trade by Courtney Jay Higgins

How We Feel In A Space Matters

We all know the feeling of walking into a room and our senses heightening in a way that’s energizing, inspired, or calm. We also know the feeling of walking into a room and feeling uncomfortable or unsettled. These reactions to the spaces around us are part of the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui. Though the studies are highly complex and date back 6,000 years, how we feel in a space is feng shui in its most stripped-down form.

The word feng means "wind" and the word shui means "water." In Chinese culture, wind and water are symbols of good health, and thus, good fortune. When you incorporate the methods of feng shui into a space, you are essentially setting goals for what you want to bring into your life. Conversely, this Chinese practice suggests that when we have bad luck or misfortune in life, we may be living in a space with bad feng shui.

Feng shui is also rooted in the Chinese philosophy of yin & yang energies. The theory of yin & yang is that everything in our existence is composed of two opposing forces; neither can live without the other. These forces include light and dark, feminine and masculine, and hard and soft, to name a few. In feng shui, this concept is displayed in how we must balance the chaos around us to create peace in our lives. It is a fascinating idea that—as humans—we are forever moving through our existence with two opposing, yet interconnected, forces.

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If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.

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Q&A Sunday: Easing Tension at Family Gatherings

Anjie Cho July 28, 2019

Could you suggest easy-to-implement tips on how to relieve tension at a family summer holiday gathering in a rented place?

Guiliana G., Lille, France

Hi Guiliana,

Thanks always for your thoughtful questions that you send in and your diligent readership :)

Yes, tensions can run high during any family gathering, especially the extended ones, like a summer home, or during the extended end-of-year holidays. I have two suggestions for these challenging times. You can do both!

Clear the space with Oranges

Our Holistic Spaces store launched an apothecary section, carrying room mists. Happy | Orange & Clear Quartz Mist, for uplifting abundance and positivity, would be totally perfect for the summer vacation home or during the holidays, when you have a lot of guests over and family conflicts, to brighten and cheer up your home. or to just lift your spirits :) Oranges are used in feng shui to clear out any negative energy such as family tension.

Harmonize the Family

Another feng shui adjustment is to activate the three harmonies of family-wood in the entire home, whether that be the rented vacation home or your home where you have many family members visiting you. If you also have family issues in general, activating the three harmonies of family-wood will also be very effective to perform in your bedroom.

The three harmonies of family-wood can be activated by locating three green living plants or 3" round mirrors in each area indicated on the image above. The mirrors can go on the walls, or the plants can go on the floor, wall or on a stand. Green plants are the most effective, because they represent the wood element of kindness, flexibility and open-heartedness.

These three areas also relate to Chinese zodiac animals: Rabbit, Goat and Pig, which also relate to feng shui bagua map areas: New Beginnings, Relationships and Benefactors. Finally, it all ties back to support the family, because they also represent Family, Mother and Father.

I hope this brings some ease, understanding and joy into the holidays of all of my readers.

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish. Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com.

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

What is Feng Shui Design?

Anjie Cho July 17, 2019

featured on The Spruce

When you think of feng shui, images of water fountains, lucky bamboo plants, and Chinese coins may pop into your mind. These objects are definitely ways we can create “better” feng shui, but the philosophy of feng shui expands far beyond these stereotypes.

What Does Feng Shui Mean?

The Chinese words: “feng” means “wind” and “shui” translates to “water.” Humans and all living beings require both breath and water to sustain life. Similarly, we require a connection to nature (wind and water) to live and thrive on this earth. When we incorporate these ancient Asian teachings into the spaces we inhabit, we can truly flourish. The philosophy of feng shui reintroduces us to the teachings of nature, so that we become more attuned to the flow of qi—life force energy.

How Feng Shui Connects Us to the Natural World

Feng Shui concepts can be used to design and create spaces with intention so you can flow, bloom and begin to awaken to the world. Like with meditation, feng shui is about cultivating mindfulness of your environment. Feng shui encourages you to slow down and pay attention to all the everyday mundane details in your life and spaces.

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by Anjie Cho