Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the ancient art of article placement within living and business quarters. Although its origin might be interpreted differently than its original intention, it is currently used most often as a method of creating a peaceful and harmonious environment in which we live or conduct business. Feng Shui is a rather complex environmental science, but the general philosophy behind Feng Shui is rather simple: Cleanliness is Godliness. And although we often use this principle in our daily lives when we bathe our bodies and eat healthy foods, we often forget it within our living environment (or our larger body). Some very general principals are: (1) Live Simply. If you go for a longer than 6 months without using any particular object (clothes, kitchen supplies, basement supplies, etc.) than give it to someone who will use it more regular. If you have more than enough, then there is little room for you to accumulate more; whereas if you keep the supply of “stuff” going out and coming into your life in natural flow, you may notice that you are actually living more fully. (2) Live Cleanly. Make sure your cleaning instruments are fulfilling their life purpose, too! Keeping your environment free of dust and debris may make it feel more peaceful and freeing. An easy way to do this is to de-clutter ( it is much easier to clean an empty countertop than a cluttered countertop!), clean on a regular basis (vacuum weekly, make sure kitchen is clean before bed, clean bathroom bi-weekly, etc.), use natural cleaning products (our earth is our living environment too!), and invest in some air purifiers (you will be surprised at how much you DON’T have to dust). (3)Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Our earth is our living environment too! Having a garage sale one-two days a year will force you to clean out the clutter; and whatever doesn’t sell will be a nice tax write-off donation. Have a bin at your office, church, or community center for unwanted clothes (and stuff). Instead of buying new, check out “new to you” websites or bulletin boards. (4) Check with the Bagua. This ancient “plan” of placement is beyond the scope of this article, although can be learned and used over time. For more information, learn about the ancient art of Feng Shui through your local library, internet, or consultants.