Q&A Sunday: Do You Really Need Two Nightstands?

Guest User February 28, 2021

I’ve heard that you’re supposed to have two nightstands. Is this always necessary? Is it ok to just have one?

In general for adults, it’s helpful two have two nightstands, one on each side of the bed. They don’t have to match, but ideally, they should be similar in size. In a mundane way, this creates more balance between you and your partner. If you’re single, it creates space to invite in a partner.

A lot of people who are single may only have one nightstand because they don’t currently need a second one. However, it’s helpful to actually create the space for the partner you do want to invite by accommodating them even before they arrive in your life. You can do this by having a nightstand for them. The same goes for pillows as well—you may only need one pillow at the moment, but by creating your bedroom as if you’re already in a partnership, you’re making your space more inviting, both energetically and physically, to your future partner.

You might also be in a situation where you are not looking for a relationship. If you’re really working on cultivating yourself and you intentionally don’t want to make space for someone right now, that’s completely ok and admirable. If you don’t want a partner, that’s your decision to make.

However, I wouldn’t recommend having only one nightstand long-term. Not only do nightstands represent you and your current or future partner, they can also represent the masculine and feminine sides of yourself. Regardless of whether we have a partner or not, there’s a duality within us that we’re always working to balance: feminine and masculine, light and dark, yin and yang. Over time, having only one nightstand may create an imbalance in these two sides of yourself.

I hope that helps! If you have more questions about your specific situation, I encourage you to work with a consultant or join an upcoming Practical Feng Shui workshop!

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: Good Luck Charms for the Year of the Ox

Guest User February 21, 2021

Is there anything you recommend to bring good luck in the year of the Ox?

Happy Lunar New Year! This is a great question, and I do have a recommendation for you!

Each year is associated with one of a particular Chinese zodiac animal, and in 2021 we’ve just entered the year of the Ox. Each of the zodiac animals has a different type of relationship to the Ox, and understanding how your animal relates to the Ox can give you an idea of what kind of energy you can expect this year.

One relationship that’s particularly significant to note is the Ox and the Rat - they are best friends in the Chinese zodiac, meaning it’s an auspicious year for anyone born in the year of the Rat.

In the school of feng shui that I practice, BTB, it’s considered good luck to carry around a 3D figurine of a Rat this year, since the Rat is the best friend of the Ox. We’re not trying to take a direct route here by carrying around a charm of the Ox itself, but rather using subtlety to sway the energy of the year in your favor. Last year was the year of the Rat, which means it was good luck to carry a 3D Ox figurine in 2020.

I created a Rat keychain charm for 2021, because I wanted an easy way for people to be able to carry a Rat figurine with them. I like to keep mine on my keychain, and you can also put it in your purse or wallet. I make them with eco-friendly hemp cord in five different colors, to represent the five elements. I recommend choosing a color based on your intuition and what you’re attracted to, or based on the meaning of that element:

Blue: water element, expansion, kindness, and healing

Yellow: earth element, representing stability and self care

Red: fire element, passion, vitality, inspiration

White: metal element, precision, beauty

Black: water element, knowledge, wisdom

If you still have last year’s Ox charm intact, now is a good time to switch it out. A lot of people ask me what to do with the previous year’s charm once you are done with it. As with any sacred object, you don’t want to just take it and toss it in the trash. It’s offered you support through all of 2020, so you want to treat it as the auspicious and sacred object that it is. You can keep it on your altar, with your other sacred objects, and then use it again eleven years from now when we’re in the year of the Rat again. If you would prefer to discard it, I recommend you do so mindfully. Offer the organic hemp cord to the earth, or burn it. You can recycle the metal as you thank it for the work it has done for you, and offer it with humbleness.

I wish you a happy and lucky year of the Ox! If you have any friends born in the year of the Rat, it’s an especially good time to hang out with them too!

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: Bad Feng Shui Plants

Guest User February 14, 2021

Hi Anjie! Are there any bad feng shui plants I should stay away from?

I get this question often, so I thought it was a good one to answer for Q&A Sunday. First, I want you to think about your own voice, and the way that you label things. If you’re labeling certain things as “bad,” you’re probably taking a fear-based approach. This isn’t how I approach feng shui, and in my opinion there are no bad feng shui plants. There are plants that may not be ideal for you or your space, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad.

I do have something to say about feng shui plants that get a bad rap. Often, spiky plants like cactus or snake plant are labeled as bad feng shui plants because they’re sharp, and there’s something to this. If you decide to place a plant in your relationship corner because you want to invite in a partner, and you choose a really sharp, prickly cactus, that might tell you something about the kind of energy you’re putting out into the world when it comes to relationships.

This isn’t a bad thing, however - it can actually be helpful, because it’s giving you some insight into what you need to work on, and what you can explore with curiosity in this area of your life. The fact that you were inclined to put a prickly cactus in this area can give you something to think about when it comes to why you’re having trouble attracting a partner. When you think about a sharp, prickly cactus, what comes to mind? We usually want to keep our distance from them, and they’re very protective, which could be the reason someone is drawn to putting a cactus in the relationship corner.

Alternatively, there are situations where it may be appropriate to put a protective plant in the relationship corner. For instance, maybe you’ve recently gone through some trauma, or you’re working on healing yourself. Sometimes you’re focused on taking care of yourself rather than looking for a partner, so a spiky, protective plant might be just what you need.

Another thing people ask me about is whether they need to get rid of a cactus or prickly plant that they already have and love. I want you to think about that. If it’s something you love and feel connected to, then don’t get rid of it. It’s a living thing, so see if you can find the most appropriate place for it in your home, or work with a feng shui consultant to figure this out. In general, though, you don’t need to get rid of things that you love just because you read somewhere that it’s not good feng shui.

by Anjie Cho