Q&A Sunday: Hanging Artwork in Your Home

Guest User September 20, 2020

I’m curious if you have any tips about hanging art. I’m downsizing to a smaller apartment, and I’m not sure where to hang my art or if I will have space for it all.

Thank you for your question! To answer the first part of your question, it’s generally a good idea to hang paintings and other art a little higher than you think you should. This is especially important if you have a tendency towards depression. When the art in your home is placed too low, it can depress your qi. Placing your art higher, as well as choosing light fixtures that point upwards, can lift your gaze which also helps to lift your qi. After six months of a pandemic, I think all of us can probably use an extra lift!

When it comes to the size of your space and whether you’ll have room to hang all the pieces you own, I’m reminded of one of my favorite books, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa. In the first chapter, he speaks about our tendency to collect. Some of our collections are internal: maybe you are always collecting new information, or learning about yet another spiritual modality. In this internet age, people often want to collect as much information as possible rather than really receiving and working with one thing. Because your home is a manifestation of what’s going on inside, how you collect things in your home may also indicate how you collect things in your life.

Chögyam Trungpa compares our collections to a shop. We may have started out with one beautiful item, but over time, our space becomes so full of things that it becomes more like a junk shop. Even if the individual items are beautiful, too many things placed in the same space can lead to chaos.

You may have beautiful artwork, but will you be able to enjoy its beauty if your walls are completely full of things to look at? When we have too many things, life becomes oppressive. Practices like meditation and feng shui are about focusing on one thing at a time, paying attention to the details, and simplifying. What if we chose to fully appreciate individual things in each moment, rather than feeling the need to bring them home and add to our collection?

I hope this gives you some inspiration as you decide which artwork to hang in your new apartment, as well as what else you choose to bring with you!

by Anjie Cho

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Q&A Sunday: Feng Shui for a New Floor Plan

Anjie Cho March 3, 2019

I’m looking for a second home and was wondering if you could give me a general idea of whether this layout would be accommodating for my husband and myself.

Diane R., Phoenix, AZ

Hi Diane,

Thanks for sending in your floor plan on this prospective home. I work with clients often when they are shopping for homes, so this is a good idea to check out the feng shui before you purchase. And yes, there are a few issues with this home, but all houses have problems.

Feng Shui for a New Floor Plan - Floor Plan.jpeg

The feng shui I practice (BTB feng shui) is actually mostly remedial! If you really love this house, you can work with it. We very rarely tell someone that a house is bad for them, because our intention is not to define things as good or bad, but to figure out how to make things workable. So, how can we make this home work for you if you do purchase it?

First, there may be some concern about the master bath being in the Abundance area. But again, it's doable! You can hang a mirror on the outside door of the bathroom to correct that.

I also see some issues with the garage, which is in the Relationship area. It looks like the garage is part of the bagua, since it’s under the same roof as the rest of the house. In this case, because the Relationship area is in the garage, it may indicate that you and/or your husband travel a lot, so there are things you can do in this room to create a bit more stability in your relationship. It's best to work with a feng shui consultant on this, however, even using earthy colors can be stabilizing.

My major concern here is that the Knowledge and Path in Life areas are missing. You can bring these areas back into the bagua energetically with landscaping or other feng shui cures.

I also note there is a lot of water (kitchen and guest bath) in Recognition. To work with this you could add plants or wood element (dark green, for example) to transform that water energy into fuel for the fire energy, which would balance water.

Anyhow, if you keep looking for the perfect feng shui house...well, you might look forever! Sometimes we are attracted to homes that have some feng shui that corresponds to areas in our life we need to work on :)

If you're interested in this house, and you love it, I think it's feasible!

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish. Visit us at mindfuldesignschool.com.

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Q&A Sunday: Buying a New Home

Anjie Cho September 23, 2018

Thanks for your podcast and blog, I love all the things I learn from you. We are deciding whether or not to buy a house that would be great in so many ways, although it is a financial risk. It is a house of many entrances, but the real entrance faces south west, the other two entrances are North East and North West. My daughter and I are 9s and my husband is a 1, so all these are described as ruinous directions. Should I be worried? Or should I go ahead and then fix the influences when we move in? We currently live in a (rather small) house that faces South, which has worked well for us, so we are not desperate to move, we could wait for something that faces a different direction. Thanks for your help,

Stephanie B., Denmark

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks so much for your email and question, and for listening to the podcast and reading the blog. First off, I practice BTB feng shui, so the directions are not something we focus on in this particular school. There are dozens of schools of feng shui, and my teachers have taught to respect and honor all of them. However, everyone agrees also not to mix and match them. This is where reading things here and there can get you into trouble. You also note that you and your daughter are the number nine and your husband is a one, however you don’t indicate what that number is in relationship to…so again, it’s good to know what you’re using and be knowledgeable and clear about it. In the feng shui that I use and teach, again, the directions are not the most important thing. Also the numerology we use is the nine star ki, which has nothing to do with which direction is better for you. It sounds like flying star, maybe. But with that, your negative directions change every year.

My first suggestion is to look at the practical aspects. The first thing you note is that although the new home is great in many ways, it is a financial risk. The fact that it’s a financial risk is the first clue. I think you already know that even if you may or may not be reading the feng shui of the home, the mundane aspects indicate it is not a wise decision. Always, always, always remember that the mundane is as important, if not more, than the invisible, transcendental aspects of a situation. If it does not make sense functionally or practically, please pay attention to that first. From your words, I understand that you are in a good place now, not in a hurry to move out. So I think you have your answer! Wait until you find the right place for you that works for you financially and with whatever school of feng shui you are using. Remember, stick with one school, or one consultant. There is a poverty mentality that arises when one dabbles and goes feng shui “shopping”. Find the one school that you would like to work with and stick with it. There is so much depth and knowledge with each school. It takes a lifetime just to become an expert in one.

In the case that this home was workable from the mundane sense, yes, BTB feng shui offers many ways to adjust with most feng shui shortcomings. Feng shui is often remedial. I work with many clients while they’re searching for a new home. The most recent was looking for a new home in Manhattan. It was difficult because every floor plan has its missing areas, not to mention balancing location, budget, amenities and then getting an accepted offer. And this isn’t just Manhattan, right? It’s really challenging to do the best you can, there’s going to be no “perfect” solution. However pay attention..if the practical aspects are working and you love the place, then the feng shui can be workable. Listen to your intuition.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design feng shui cerfication program. Laura Morris and I are launching our program in September 2018. We have a free webinar “Five Feng Shui Tools Revealed: Must-do business boosters for soulpreneurs and wellness practitioners” coming up, too! check us out at www.mindfuldesignschool.com