By Erica Sofrina, Founder of the Academy of Feng Shui, author of the book Small Changes, Dynamic Results! Feng Shui for the Western World.
At the foundation of Feng Shui is the belief that everything in our home is alive and talking to us. This may seem like a stretch to many, but stop and think about it; when the first thing you encounter when you enter your home is the unrelenting pile of clutter, how does it make you feel? My sense is – not so great about yourself. And who needs that?
If the living room walls are filled with large severe-looking but expensive oil paintings of your husband’s dead relatives (like one of my clients) – your space is reflecting your inner psychology, which might be that you are afraid to be honest with your husband and don’t value your own needs to be comfortable in your own home.
Or, if your hallway is filled with pictures that your photographer friend gave you of depressing subjects, and you don’t have the nerve to tell him you dislike them, what is your space saying? Could be that you are more concerned with pleasing others than allowing yourself to have a living space that you love.
Feng Shui teaches that every object in our homes and gardens has a consciousness which is called energy or chi. It is interacting with us and we are interacting with it on subtle, and not-so-subtle levels.
As we study Feng Shui we learn to see our homes with a new pair of eyes. That being said, we can glean a great deal about where we are by observing our homes.
The client that found the nerve to tell her friend she loved his photography but couldn’t display it in her home because the depressing subject matter affected her moods, empowered herself and took part of her life back. Which, consequently, had a positive ripple affect on many other parts of her life.
The woman who saw by what was displayed in her living space that she was afraid to have an honest discussion with her husband about his dead relative pictures, spoke up and found her backbone, which created a better sense of equality in her relationship and a happier marriage.
There are invaluable messages embedded in our space that can change our lives for the better. Feng Shui teaches us to look at our space in new way which allows for many powerful ‘ah hah’ moments.
Our homes have a huge impact on our moods because of the amount of time we spend there. Subtle changes can therefore produce big changes in our general sense of well-being, or lack there of.
It’s quite simple really; when we feel better about our living space, we become happier people. Happier people attract others who want to spend time with them, who will often bring opportunities along as well.
A home that lifts your spirits and reflects your true tastes, loves and desires, makes you happy. In doing so it is amplifying the happiness quotient in your life. Consequently, a home that always drags you down because of the accumulation of all of the little things that bug you, will support keeping you in a more depressive and unhappy place.
According to the Law of Attraction, Like Attracts Like. If you are experiencing attracting the things you don’t like, the good news is that you have the power to change your experience by creating a living space that inspires you. This rapidly works on your energy field and positive changes start showing up in your life.
It is not magic, or woo woo, or about hanging mysterious crystals and wind chimes around in secret places. You will unfortunately encounter many books that try to make it mysterious, but the skinny on Feng Shui is that is is simple. By working on your home to make it a more pleasing place for you and/or your family to be, you are changing your energy. You simply feel better, hence are more enjoyable to be around and you start to experience a domino effect of positive things happening in your life.
I have written numerous articles for Care2 about how to work with every aspect of your home to create a home sanctuary that supports, uplifts and nurtures your soul and spirit. In this article I thought I would organize them for those of you who would like to start on your Feng Shui journey but are feeling overwhelmed as to how to begin.
I have listed them based on the most important rooms and/or issues to start with. I hope you will join me on a transformational Feng Shui journey to bring your home to a place that you love being in!