If you are new to Feng Shui, reading about it may seem complicated to you. However, the basic underlying principles are actually quite simple. One of the basic tenants of Feng Shui is that every person and every object contains energy, or qi (ch’i or chi) — and an imbalance in this qi can have negative effects. In order to ensure happiness, good health, and prosperity, energy must be free-flowing, and the quality of this energy must be high. Below are several practical tips on how to achieve this.
Improve the Energy Flow Through Your Home
Have you ever noticed how your mood improves after you’ve tidied up your home? This is largely because clutter prevents the free flow of energy. Decluttering your home is one of the most basic things you can do to Feng Shui your home and improve your quality of life. As you’re decluttering, ask yourself if the various objects in your home are really worth keeping. Sometimes just letting go of some of your material possessions can actually bring more positive energy into your life. Doing so almost automatically improves the flow of energy. Many of us just have too much stuff in our homes for energy to flow freely!
Clear the Negative Energy Out of Your Home
Have you ever heard anyone say, “The tension was so high in that room, you could have cut the air with a knife?” Human beings can intuitively sense the energy around them, even if they aren’t well versed in the principles of Feng Shui and even if they weren’t there when the negative energy entered the space. If you are moving into a new home, negative energy may be lingering there from past residents, infected objects, or just bad circumstances. There are several simple steps you can take to clear out this negative energy before you and your family take up residence. You can use these same methods to periodically rejuvenate the energy of your home.
Open up your windows and doors and let fresh air enter and push out any negative energy lingering in your home. Try to get a cross breeze going when you do this. Use a fan if necessary. This method works best on a rainy day, or just after a rain, as rain purifies and reenergizes the air.
Burn sage (smudging)
Burning sage, also called smudging, purifies the air and eliminates negative energy. Burning sage for an hour or more will kill more than ninety percent of all pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and fungal spores in the air and collecting on surfaces. It also releases negative ions which neutralize common allergens associated with positive ions, including pet dander, dust, and pollen. It is interesting that many indigenous people in the Americas burned sage since they originated from Asia where Feng Shui was first practiced.
White sage (Salvia apiana) is considered the best species of sage to use for smudging. You can even pick up “white sage smudge sticks” at herbal shops for this purpose. However, if you grow sage (Salvia officinalis) for cooking purposes, this species can also be dried and burned for smudging. In fact, the scientific genus name, “Salvia,” literally means “to heal” (think of the word “salve” which is meant to heal). Some people also use Artemisia sage species, such as white prairie sage (Artemisia ludoviciana), for smudging. Be sure to leave a window or door open so that the sage smoke can carry the negative energy out of your home.
Fill your home with natural light
One of the first things a wilderness guide will teach you is to drink water from a stream that has been purified with intense sunlight. This is probably why animals seem to be instinctively attracted to water holes that are flooded with sunlight. Filling your home with sunlight will cleanse the air and energy in your home. You can also take note of where moonlight enters your windows when the moon rises at night. Once you determine this spot, you can leave those curtains or blinds open at night. Even if you’re not in the room to enjoy this celestial glow, the moonlight will help purify the energy in your home.
Play soothing music
Sound waves are just as much part of the electromagnetic spectrum as light, and as such, they are a form of energy that has the ability to purify other energy. In fact, this is why even a deaf person can benefit from being surrounded by music. They can feel the music energy resonate in their body. Playing soothing music is particularly effective to clear the negative energy after a quarrel or receiving bad news through the TV or radio.
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Eliminate Stagnant Pockets of Energy
Energy tends to stagnate in certain areas of a home which can prevent positive energy from renewing these spaces and ushering in prosperity. It can also become so stagnant; it produces an outright negative effect. Energy in the corners of a room and the area above your kitchen cabinets are two spaces that may trap energy. The following are a few ways to eliminate the stagnant energy in these spaces.
Clap or play instruments
This is perhaps one of the easiest Feng Shui methods you can employ to improve the energy in your life. Periodically, clap your hands in the corners of every room in your home to get the stagnant energy flowing again. Alternately, you can play instruments and let the sound and vibration get the energy flowing again. Percussion instruments like hand drums, bones, gongs, tambourines, and claves work really well for this purpose. Whistles and flutes can also be used to get the energy flowing again too. Some people prefer to use singing bowls and or human chants.
Put houseplants in these spaces
Plants purify and recycle the air. In doing so, they keep the energy flowing.
Put crystals or natural stones in these spaces
It is thought in Feng Shui that all objects have energy, but some objects are known to have more powerful energy than others. Crystals and natural stones are objects of very intense energy and will keep the energy around them from growing stagnant where ever they are placed.
The last thing you want when you practice Feng Shui is to open your window or door and have bad energy flow into your home! Therefore, it’s important to protect your home from bad energy that may enter in this way. Here are some practical tips on how to do so.
Place crystals and stones in and around all entrances into your home.
You can also put crystals and stones on the windowsill or near any windows you open frequently.
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Use wind chimes on your porches, patios, and decks
Be careful to choose a wind chime that sounds soothing to you and does not irritate you as this could bring negative into your home. For many people, lower toned bamboo wind chimes are more soothing that metallic wind chimes but you must test this on your personal tastes and that of other people and pets residing in the home.
– Roof-mounted weather vanes can ward off negative energy from above.
– A lightning rod can protect you from a surge of negative energy during a thunderstorm.
– Put whirligigs and or kinetic sculptures in your yard to chase away negative energy.
– Hang beautiful banners or flags on your porch to wave away negative energy.
Plant trees and other vegetation in your yard
These will purify the air surrounding your home and absorb any incoming negative energy.
– Attract more birds into your yard by planting native vegetation and using bird feeders and or a water bath. As birds fly in and out of your yard, they will bring in fresh positive energy and carry away negative energy.
– Attracting butterflies into your yard is another good practice to protect your home from bad energy.
All of the tips above are relatively easy to do. However, that does not mean you need to do them all. As with everything else in the practice of Feng Shui, you should strive for a balance of what feels comfortable for you and what you find most effective in your own personal life. Further, you should feel free to modify these suggestions to fit your personal style. Remember, if you get stressed out trying to follow a strict regimen, even a suggested Feng Shui regimen, this too can disrupt your energy flow!
Danica Jackson got her first telescope when she was only nine years old. She's been fascinated with all things celestial ever since. Her studies on history and anthropology give her unique perspectives on astrology and personal growth.
