“As you are, so is your home. And as your home is, so are you,” the Chinese say. That can be quite confronting when you stumble over piles of papers, clothing lying around, bulging bookcases and dusty trinkets. What does that say about you? In this article you will find the meaning of Feng Shui and tips and rules to make your house Feng Shui-proof so that the life energy can flow optimally.
A home is not just a place with four walls and a roof, but the ultimate place to express your identity. However, the reverse is also true: it is also the most important factor that influences your well-being, your happiness and the lightness with which you live. Your house and the things you have collected in it say a lot about who you are and where you are in your life. And also how you treat yourself. If there is a lot of disorder in your house, it creates chaotic chi. That chaotic chi in turn creates disorder, chaos and confusion in yourself and in your life. The more stuff, the greater the chance that you experience your life as unnecessarily heavy. Feng Shui helps you to let the life energy flow in your home.
Minimize for a lighter life
That does not mean that Feng Shui pursues a minimalist lifestyle. In contrast. Because we feel richer and more fulfilled when we are surrounded by things that are carefully made of beautiful materials. Objects that evoke a loving memory and are dear to us make us happy. They help us determine our identity. In a very minimalistic interior, there is no healthy emotional frame of reference. That can have a negative effect on your awareness of yourself.
Objects that stand in the way or are broken or worn out, by the way, constantly send out negative signals and take away the space to live in freedom. Because every time you see them, they unconsciously trigger a negative emotion. This puts an unnecessary burden on your life. It is therefore better to ban them from your home and from your life.
A healthy Chi
For a healthy energy in the house, Feng Shui advises to leave room to move. So that the chi, the life energy, can cheerfully and unhindered provide your whole house and thus your whole life with new zest for life . This way you not only keep your house, but also your body and life in a healthy condition.
8 tips and rules from Feng Shui for space in your home and a lighter life
1. Your home is your personal kingdom
Do you make your own conscious choices about how you handle your home? Who lets you in; what items come into your house; where you put them. Or do you blindly follow trends, advice from others or the opinion of your partner? When you become aware of the control you have over your own domain, you are more powerful and independent in life. Honoring your home as the personal kingdom it is makes it easier for you to see yourself as the queen or king in control.
2. Be selective
Because we find it difficult to say goodbye to a certain period in life; of the person we were; or from the one we have shared life with, we make excuses to delay decisions. This way you can tell yourself that you might still be able to use that old blanket for something, but the real reason you don’t get rid of it is that it reminds you of your deceased cat who always slept on it.
Well-known excuses:
- ‘I’m going to make it soon’
- ‘I’m saving it for my kids’
- ‘Maybe it will be worth a lot’
- ‘It’s going to be fashion again’
- ‘Maybe I still need it’
In doing so, you burden your life with baggage that belongs to someone else or to another time and that does not make a valuable qualitative contribution to your life. By being more aware of this, you create space for your own form of lighter life.
3. Choose quality
Rather buy a single item that is carefully made of beautiful materials. And from which you also know where it comes from, instead of a cheap mass product of poor quality. Such products devalue the energy in your home and thereby devalue yourself.
4. Discover a deep wish
As long as you don’t know what you’re doing it for, cleaning up remains something that “should” and not something you are motivated to do from within.
If your study is clutter-free, there would finally be room for your long-cherished desire to paint. Research into yourself what you dream of doing or experiencing. The more concrete and clearer your wish, the greater your motivation to make room for that wish and to improve the quality of the furnishing of, for example, your office.
5. Honor That Makes Happy
When it comes down to it, the things that really make you happy can be counted on the fingers of one hand. More stuff does not mean more happiness: you will find that much more in the small things. The softness of a wool sweater. The shine of a wooden table. The way the sun’s rays draw patterns on your wall. That one picture of your baby. If you honor what makes you happy, you lose much less attention to things that don’t deserve it. Give that one photo a place of honor and don’t hide it between a multitude of images.
6. Create regularity and rituals
Neglect makes dull and indifferent. It also draws life force from a space or object. Therefore, choose fixed times to tidy up and clean. Welcome the light into your home when you open the curtains. And thank your house when you close them again. Regularly incorporating moments for care and attention for your home will quickly raise the frequency of the energy in your home. Even a small ritual like greeting your home every time you come back in quickly improves your relationship with your home. Your house thus changes from utensil to a sacred place.
7. Cleanse the room and reward yourself
When you’re done cleaning up and organizing a space, it’s always good to refresh the energy in that space. Open windows and doors against each other and let the air blow through, and wipe everything with soapy water. Cleaning on a deeper level is done with the help of good quality incense or sounds of healing music. The crowning glory can be a beautiful, fresh bunch of flowers.
Don’t forget to reward yourself after a clean-up hour with a nice cup of tea, a walk in the woods or something else that makes you happy. Set a time limit ranging from 15 minutes to an hour, then stop cleaning up, and celebrate the victory over yourself. Take a deep breath and admire the result achieved – even if it’s just one drawer. This gives energy and courage to tackle the next job.
8. Make life force visible
Often a house is full of things that are not alive, that have not been brought to life. Beautiful, green plants or pets remind us with their presence that we are living beings and like to be surrounded by life and vitality. This not only makes a positive contribution to the quality of energy, but keeps your consciousness much more in the here and now. More grounded.