Q&A Sunday: Complete Your Unfinished Projects with Feng Shui

Guest User May 9, 2021

I realized I’ve started a ton of things and projects, but I don’t finish them so easily. Do you have any suggestions?

This is a very common challenge! It’s easy to get excited about new projects, and then lose interest. If this rings true for you, you might have a lot of wood element energy. Wood element people tend to start a lot of projects, and not finish them. (You can read more about the five elements here.)

One way to work on finishing projects is to activate the completion area of the feng shui bagua. This area is called Dui in Chinese, and it’s related to children, the metal element, the color white, and completing things. To find Dui position, stand at your front door looking in, and imagine a three-by-three grid laid over your space. The middle right section is Dui, or the completion area. Here are a few ways to activate this gua:

Add a new, healthy plant. You could even look for one with white flowers or foliage since white is the color associated with Dui.
Decorate this area of your home with white accents. You could paint a wall or piece of furniture white, or you can choose something small like a planter or throw pillow.
Ring a bell to activate the metal element.
Invite more metal element qualities into your life by wearing more white clothing.

Another way to make sure things get finished is to get help from other people. If you have a business and are having a hard time finishing work-related projects, consider hiring people who are really good at finishing things — maybe people who have a lot of metal element in them. If you want to finish household projects, could you hire someone to help you? Could you ask your partner or kids to lend a hand?

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

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

Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for Spring

Guest User April 11, 2021

Do you have any feng shui tips for spring?

This is very timely since we’re welcoming spring in the Northern Hemisphere, where I’m located!

There is actually an area of the feng shui bagua map that’s related to springtime: the Family or New Beginnings area, called Zhen in Chinese.

Zhen is connected to new beginnings of any kind, family matters, as well as the season and energy of spring. It’s represented by the colors blue and green, the number three, and tall, columnar shapes (like the trunk of a tree). It’s also related to the element of yang wood. To get a sense of yang wood energy, imagine a new blade of grass pushing out of the soil.

In winter, our focus is more interior and we often don’t go out a lot. In spring, we start to come out of our shells a bit more. You can visualize the energy of a sprout pushing through a seed’s shell. Another way to imagine this is a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis. It has transformed inside the chrysalis, and is now ready to emerge in its new state. This is the type of energy we’re welcoming in the spring.

This is also part of the energy of Zhen position. Zhen is a great area to activate in your home if you have trouble starting new things, if you want support in starting a new project, or if you want to invite more harmony in your family.

When I teach my students, we work with something called the Nine Star Path, which starts with the number three. Three represents new beginnings. One and two are the parents, and three is the child, the number of creation and creativity.

If you’re new to feng shui, or if you want to reset your home, you can activate this area by placing something with intention in Zhen position. This can be a green plant, a water fountain, a crystal, or anything that resonates with you and represents new beginnings.

I hope you all have a beautiful beginning to the spring!

by Anjie Cho

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday". If you have personal questions, we encourage you to check out Practical Feng Shui or hire one of Anjie's Grads.

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

Q&A Sunday: The Best Feng Shui Colors for a Kitchen

Guest User March 7, 2021

What are the best colors for a kitchen?

The short answer is: it depends! I encourage you to go back and read my philosophy on color. The most important thing to take into account is what colors you are drawn to, and how they make you feel.

I do have some ideas to share as a starting point, if you’d like some guidance. One principle of feng shui that can guide you in choosing colors is the five elements system. Knowing that your kitchen is a room where you might spend a lot of time, this can give you some ideas about how you want to welcome colors into this part of your home.

The five elements are earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. I recommend reading the descriptions of each below, and seeing if anything resonates with you. Then, think about how you can bring colors into your kitchen with intention. You can do this through the food you cook and eat, your dishes, a new coat of paint, or even something as simple as napkins.

Here are the colors associated with each of the five elements, and what qualities they can bring into your home:

Earth: Brown, yellow, and neutrals

Earth element is great for nourishment, stability, and growth. This makes it a supportive element if you’re struggling with anxiety or if you want to focus on self care.

Metal: White, metallics

Metal is thought of as one of the more ideal colors for a kitchen because it’s related to cleanliness and purity, which is important for the food we earth. We want clean, healthy, pure food with vibrant life energy.

Water: Black and dark midnight blue

Water can help to support wisdom and flexibility. It strengthens our ability to go with the flow and to be less rigid. It can also represent our social connections to other people.

Wood: Green, teal, blue

Wood represents vitality and healing. It’s a great color if you need a healthy boost of qi. Wood is also connected to kindness and open-heartedness.

Fire: Red

Fire symbolizes how you show up in the world. It’s your vitality and passion for things, and how people see you. Fire is a great element to work with if you would like to be more visible.

Maybe one of the qualities of the five elements spoke to you, and you can find a way to bring this into your kitchen. It doesn’t have to be a big change—you can try out something small like a napkin or a mug. As you introduce a color, work with the intention of bringing in the quality of that element that you want to invite.

by Anjie Cho