Q&A Sunday: Broken Feng Shui Objects

Guest User October 24, 2021

What should I do if a feng shui object breaks?

Have you ever hung a feng shui crystal only to have it fall and break? People often get worried when a feng shui object breaks, but I generally say that it’s not a bad thing. This means that the energy is moving through the object you’ve placed, and that the adjustment is working.

If you do place a feng shui object in your home and it breaks, I would recommend you do it again, but try something a little stronger or better quality this time. If it was a feng shui crystal ball, for example, maybe you need to hang it from a stronger string or with a more secure tack. If the crystal itself is broken, it’s best to get a new one.

If a feng shui object fell and broke, or if you received it broken, you can still reuse it for another purpose if you’d like. Not everything in your home needs to serve a feng shui purpose. If you do want to use something as a feng shui object, though, intentionally select something new to bring into the space.

The reason you want to bring in something new for a feng shui adjustment is because you want to bring in fresh qi. Be mindful of what you select. Choosing a damaged object or one that is in disrepair for a feng shui adjustment isn’t a great idea because that’s not the type of energy you want to bring in. It’s also not ideal to use a secondhand item as a feng shui object, because that isn’t really bringing in new energy. If you do choose to use a secondhand item, be sure to clear it.

Many times I’ve done consultations where I suggest adding a plant to a particular area, and people ask if they can use a plant that they already have. Usually, I recommend they get a new plant instead, so that they’re bringing new energy into the space. If you just have more of the same, you’re not really shifting the qi.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: Making Life Easier with Feng Shui

Guest User October 10, 2021

I noticed on your podcast that you said, “Avoid creating difficulty for yourself that doesn’t need to be there.” What do you mean by that?

This is a really interesting topic! Feng shui isn’t just about adding a plant to a certain area or moving a chair or painting a wall a certain color. That’s part of it, but feng shui is really about looking at how you’ve set up your space so that it’s supportive. You want there to be a flow that is generous and full of ease.

Have you ever been to a home that feels challenging, where you hit your head, or you have to squeeze by a lot of stuff in a hallway? Maybe you can’t walk in the door easily, or it’s difficult to come in with your groceries. When a home has been designed or cared for in such a way that creates difficulty in the space, it creates difficulty in the inhabitants’ lives as well. How you move through a space is exactly how energy flows through a space. You want to be able to notice if you are creating difficulty for yourself that doesn’t need to be there.

Another way that people can create unnecessary difficulty for themselves is by getting into a “fear shui” mode, where they are really worried about having bad feng shui in their home. Sometimes, when I unpack this for people, I find that they have wired themselves to love drama, or to feel like they need drama in order to feel something. That can be reflected in their home as well.

One simple way to notice whether you’ve created difficulty for yourself that doesn’t need to be there is to look at how easy it is to get to your bed. Are there obstacles on the way to your bedroom? Do you have to push a bunch of things out of the way to get in bed? Sometimes, people have their bed in an odd position or a lot of equipment that physically gets in the way. That can indicate difficulties in your life, including challenges in intimate relationships. If you do notice anything in the way of your bed, see if there’s anything you can remove. Removing obstacles will make your life easier energetically as well as physically.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui, check out Mindful Design Feng Shui School at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Q&A Sunday: How to Get Started with Feng Shui

Guest User October 3, 2021

I‘m new to feng shui. How do I get started?

One of the first things I’d recommend starting with is the feng shui bagua map. In feng shui, we have this tool called the bagua, which is a conceptual map that you can overlay on a floor plan. It’s like a mandala, with eight different sections around a center. A lot of people are familiar with the bagua map, but not many people know how to lay it correctly.

According to the school of feng shui that I practice and teach, called BTB or Black Sect feng shui, we lay the bagua based on the flow of qi. We don’t use the magnetic compass directions. In BTB feng shui, the bottom of the bagua map is always aligned with the front door of your space.

It’s really great if you have a floor plan to work with. Your floor plan is a symbol for your home, and it’s one of the main tools we use as feng shui practitioners. If you’ve been following me and Mindful Design School for a while, you might know that we started doing feng shui floor plan bootcamps where we read floor plans that people have submitted. If you’d like to be notified about future sessions, make sure you’re on our mailing list!

Generally, it’s best to start with your bedroom. Your bedroom represents you. It’s usually where you spend the most time, and it’s the most private space in your home. I always spend a lot of time looking at the bedroom when I work with clients. To lay the bagua on your bedroom, stand in the doorway of your bedroom looking in. Basically, you would take the floor plan of your bedroom and divide it into a three-by-three grid with nine equal spaces, aligning the bottom of the bagua (shown below) with the entrance to your bedroom. The furthest left corner would be your wealth and abundance area, and the furthest right corner is your relationship area.

The nine areas of the bagua map relate to different areas of your life. There’s new beginnings and family, which is also related to growth and healing. Next is wealth and abundance, also connected to self-worth. The center of the bagua is the Tai qi, which represents overall wellbeing and health. Then there is the benefactors and travel area, which has to do with how people help and support you, and how you help and support the people in your life. Next is the completion area, which is related to children, offspring of any kind, and endings. Then, there’s the knowledge area, connected to your self-cultivation, skills, and spirituality. The next area is your fame, reputation, and inspiration. Then there’s career, also connected to your path in life and wisdom. The last area is relationships and partnerships, which is related to self care, the mother element, and the feminine principle.

The wealth and relationships areas tend to be the most popular areas of the feng shui bagua map, but I invite you to go a little bit deeper in how you think about them. The superficial way of looking at these areas is to think about them as money or finding a partner. That’s part of it, but they are also so much more. At Mindful Design School, we require our students to learn and use the Chinese names for each area of the bagua, because the words “wealth” and “abundance” are limited. That area of the bagua, called Xun in Chinese, can mean so many other things as well.

Laying the bagua on your bedroom is a great way to get started with feng shui. If you want to dive deeper, I recommend checking out Mindful Design’s feng shui courses or working one-on-one with a consultant!

by Anjie Cho