Embrace Your Feminine Energy With Feng Shui For Tonight's Pink Full Moon

featured today on MindBodyGreen

April's full moon rises this year on the 11th and has fondly been named the Pink Moon, but don't expect it to look particularly pink! It's actually named after pink flowers called wild ground phlox, which bloom in early spring and become widespread throughout the United States and Canada this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere.

In feng shui philosophy, the moon is a very powerful symbol and consideration, related to yin (feminine, subconscious, internal) energies and connecting us to the invisible. The full moon is also a time when we can embrace our feminine, intuitive energy and honor the pink moon.

Here's how:

The power of pink

Colors are one of the major ways in which to shift the feng shui of your internal and external environments. We see so much with our eyes, and color can arouse and transform our energy. Pink is a soft, feminine color that gently inspires passion and is the combination of fiery red softened with the simple purity and clarity of white. Pink is also associated with the heart chakra, the center of healing and encouraging self-love.

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by Anjie Cho

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Do You Speak the Language of Flowers?

Most of us know how meaningful it is to receive flowers or plants from a lover, colleague, friend or anyone else in our lives. Typically, it shows that the person cares for us and wants to invite beauty into our lives. Even with only these connotations, plants and flowers make beautiful gifts. But there is actually so much more meaning in which flowers are chosen and how they are presented! Harkening back to Victorian times, we refer to this as the language of flowers. 

In her reference book, The Language of Flowers, Sheila Pickles gives a few great examples of how it is important to take care in choosing the color and presentation style of flowers as gifts. 

“The choice of flower was all important, but so too was the manner of presentation. If the flowers were upside down the opposite meaning was intended, thus tulips presented with their stems uppermost meant blatant rejection from a lover.

Ardent suitors must beware when selecting their roses, for whilst the Cabbage Rose implies ambassador of love and Rose la France invites the loved one to meet by moonlight, the Yellow Rose means that love is waning. ”

To get a little deeper into this concept, I wanted to share some of my favorite flowers based on meaning through the language of flowers. 

Hollyhock

The Hollyhock flower has a very interesting history, as it is believed to be a characteristic English plant but was actually brought to the European continent from China. In Chinese culture, this flower symbolizes fruitfulness and has been expanded to represent female ambition!

Jasmine

Like the rose, the meaning of Jasmine depends on the color and genus. The most popular variety of jasmine is the White Jasmine, which represents amiability and love. The Yellow Jasmine, a symbol of grace and elegance, and the Spanish Jasmine, which invokes sensuality are close behind. 

Lily

The Lily flower may be one of the most commonly used in modern times for its symbolism. Believed in Christian legend to have originated from Eve's tears as she left the Garden of Eden, the Lily stands for purity and is often used in wedding bouquets and religious ceremonies for this reason. 

Pansy

Though it may not always be the first choice, the Pansy is a wonderful gift, as it sends a message that you are thinking about the person to whom you give it. Pansies are symbolic for thoughts (the name is derived from the French word for "thoughts") and were often used in Victorian days as gifts to loved ones as reminders of affection.

What is your favorite flower? Do you know what it means in the Victorian language of flowers? I encourage you to take a look and see what messages and intentions you are sending and welcoming into your space with flowers. More than just pops of color, these beautiful additions can be very meaningful!

by Anjie Cho

How To Make The Most Of Your Teeny-Tiny Home

featured this month on Nylon by Jenna Igneri

All of us could probably stand to have a bit more space when it comes to our home—we, New Yorkers, know that to be a fact. (Really, though, what’s a girl gotta do for a walk-in closet around here?)

However, just because our living space is tiny doesn’t make it any less awesome. Home is where the heart is, after all, even if our living room is nonexistent and our bathtub is in our kitchen. Moving into a shoebox-sized studio may seem discouraging at first, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t have the potential to look and feel as spacious as your dream loft. We chatted with experts in the world of interior design to get their insider tips and hacks for making the most of a small space.

Read on for ways to make your space look larger (even if it is just an optical illusion), utilize your walls space, and help keep your spirits high, even if your square footage is low. 

Your choice in paint can make a huge difference

Whether you choose a darker color or not, painting your walls and your ceiling the same color can also trick your eye into thinking a room is bigger. Anjie Cho, architect, certified feng shui consultant, and author of 108 Ways To Create Holistic Spaces: Feng Shui and Green Design for Healing and Organic Homes, suggests going for an all-over color, as the monotone look creates a continuous surface, thus making the room look more expansive.

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