Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for a Rented Room

My question to you is, since I rent a room, I don't have the luxury of my own house. However, I still want to receive the benefits. How can you suggest that I use the bagua map in such a way? I have read that feng shui doesn't have to be visible to work. Therefore, I don't want to have to break the bank to gain the benefits. Is there away around that? 

Nesma R.

Dear Nesma,

Thank you so much for your question. I think this is a good one that comes up a lot. I want to start with a quote from one of my most beloved teachers, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

“You may live in a dirt hut with no floor and only one window, but if you regard that space as sacred, if you care for it with your heart and mind, then it will be a palace.”

I challenge you to think about that, because the feeling I’m getting from your question is that there is a sense of poverty mentality, that you don’t have luxury and, although you don’t have luxury and don’t want to “break the bank”, you still want something. With this in mind, you are already approaching feng shui with the idea of black, of poverty mentality, and there isn’t an easy way around that. If you walk into a situation already thinking that you don’t have luxury and can’t afford it, you start off with an imbalance. I might ask you to consider finding gratitude and thankfulness for everything that you have, even if you’re only renting. That space can still be a luxurious palace.

You also asked about the bagua map. Mindful Design School has a bagua map handout that you can download for free, so that’s included here. And yes, it is true that feng shui doesn’t have to be visible to work. For feng shui to work, or for any benefit in your life, it’s not about how much things cost. It’s about how you value things and about having an abundance mentality. I encourage you to download the bagua material, since it’s free and it sounds like you may not be ready to hire someone. I would challenge you to take a look at the Abundance area here, in more than just a monetary sense of wealth. Abundance is also related to poverty mentality, self-worth issues, and a feeling of having enough. If you can work with this area of the bagua map, I think there is a lot of possible growth and self-reflection. This area of the bagua map is called Xun in Chinese and is related to wealth; abundance; self worth; the color purple, which is associated with royalty; and yin wood, symbolized by a big, strong tree. Trees don’t need much - just water and sunlight. A tree needs what the earth offers in abundance, and it doesn’t worry about breaking the bank in order to improve its life; it just accepts what’s given, is abundant and gives as much as it receives.

I recommend that you look at the Abundance area and use this as a mirror for yourself. How do you feel like you lack abundance, and how can you then change your mentality to work with abundance? You will make as much money as you feel comfortable with, and you’ll attract as much abundance as you’re comfortable with. One thing I want to leave you with is: the more you give without expecting anything in return, the more you will receive. The more you offer and give out to the world and open yourself up, the more you can receive. So download that bagua map, work with the Abundance area and see what arises for you.

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!

Q&A Sunday: Pineapple Plants in Feng Shui

I have a pineapple plant at my kitchen entrance. It's growing amazingly, and I really like this plant, but it has sharp edges. Is this the right place to have this plant? I suppose it can be, because she is growing. But I am a bit concerned about it being located at my kitchen entrance, which is in the back of the house. Is the pineapple also related to good fortune in feng shui? If so, can the plant be too? 

Olanda C.

Hi Olanda,

Thank you so much for submitting your question. I feel this question is really about how to work with things that you love and feng shui, and it comes up often.

First, not everything needs to be a feng shui adjustment. If you love it, and it’s in your home for some reason, maybe you just love it! If it brings you joy, like Marie Kondo says, then good for you! You specifically asked about a pineapple plant in your kitchen, which you love and which is flourishing. But you’re wondering if it’s the right place for the plant. This really depends on what you need in your life, what you’re trying to manifest and whether you intend for this to be a feng shui adjustment. If you like it where it is, and it’s doing great, that’s wonderful! If you’d like to use it as a feng shui adjustment, you’d need to work with a consultant, who can help you with what you want to work on and achieve in your life and give you more specific information about where to place this plant in your home.

You’re also asking if pineapple is related to good fortunate in feng shui. I haven’t been taught any information about pineapples; however, I looked this up and did find an article from The Spruce noting that the sound of the Chinese word for “pineapple” is similar to the sound of the word for “good luck coming your way.” So through this lens, pineapple would be a good luck symbol. I also know that pineapples are a tropical fruit and at one time were difficult to come by in Asia, so anyone who had them would mostly likely be wealthy with a lot of good luck.

Ultimately, I think you’re ok to keep this pineapple plant in your kitchen because you love it, it’s doing well and it doesn’t have to be a feng shui adjustment!

by Anjie Cho

Dive deeper into feng shui to transform your life!

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Create 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!

Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for a Garage and a Second Level

My garage is on the ground level and my front door is next to it, which opens into a hall and stairs up to the first level which is my living area, dining room, lounge and kitchen. Is this townhouse a good design?

Melanie Y.

Dear Melanie,

Thanks so much for reading the blog, and for your wonderful comment on this blog post. It’s interesting that the townhouse you’re describing is probably pretty similar to the house shown in the image in that post: a garage on the ground level, the front door next to it, and then a lot of your living spaces essentially above the garage.

A lot of people ask the question: is this a good design or not? That’s a very loaded question! Feng shui is not necessarily about creating duality by labeling things as absolutely bad or absolutely good, and there’s no perfect feng shui. So I would say, if you love your home and it is a supportive place for you, let’s make it work. 

Traditionally in feng shui, it's not ideal to have most of your living spaces above a garage. In a garage, there’s a lot of movement and a lot of energy going in and out of the home. However, this isn’t necessarily bad; for instance, it can be helpful if you want to travel a lot or you need to make connections with people. But, if you need a little more support in your life, it may feel somewhat destabilizing to have your entire home over a garage. Of course, there are a lot of places in the U.S. like this. For example, in San Fransisco and some areas of New York City there are a lot of townhouses where a good portion of the home is above a garage. 

Rather than labeling this as bad, we can look at what this situation means about your life and then work with it. The main question I’d ask you is: do you need more stability in your life? Do you feel like things are a little bit challenging, and things are moving around a lot? 

If you do feel like you would like more stability, there are some different ways you can do that. There are specific secret feng shui cures you can work with if you hire a feng shui consultant. I’m not going to share them here, because they’re something you should do with a consultant. If you’re not going to hire someone, you can try to find a way to make your life feel more steady and supportive. One way to do this is through routine. You may also find it helpful to add more earth, because the earth element represents stability. You can do this by bringing in browns and earthy colors, as well as heavy objects to provide more support and weight. It can also be as simple as going outside and getting your hands in the dirt; this would really allow you to connect with the earth element of your home. 

I hope that helps, and I really encourage you to reach out to a feng shui consultant. We have students at Mindful Design School who can definitely help you with this situation. Thank you again for responding and reading our post!

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!