Why It's a Good Idea to Declutter Your Closets in Feng Shui

Guest User May 25, 2022

Have you ever wondered what your closets mean in feng shui? One way to look at this is to see where your closets fall in the feng shui bagua. The bagua is a mandala that we overlay on a space, with different areas that represent different parts of your life. If you lay the bagua on your home, take note of where your closets are. Pay extra attention to any closets that are the most cluttered or the most neglected, since these can represent issues that you may be hidden.

Depending on where your closet is located in the bagua, this can symbolize different things. For example, a cluttered closet in the Helpful People area might mean that there are helpful people in your life that you haven’t been aware of. A cluttered closet in your Abundance area could signify your wealth being hidden behind blocks. In your Partnership area, a neglected closet might mean that it’s been hard to find a relationship.

If you do have a closet that is cluttered or unused, it can be as simple as going through it and looking at what’s inside. If there are any areas you’re especially hesitant to go through, pay special attention to that. This can be an indication that there’s a block there that you could uncover. I invite you to look a little deeper at any neglected closets, and be curious about what it might represent. What area of the bagua does it relate to? Feng shui principles encourage us to look at areas in our homes that we normally neglect. Are you open to looking into the dark closets and starting to shift the energy in your home?

It’s also interesting to note how our modern society is so full. When we can let go of the things in our closets that we don’t need, our hearts and minds can also open and release unwanted things in our lives, like stress and harmful people. Clearing out your closet is one way to create space to invite in new energy. In feng shui, our goal is to let go of stagnant qi (life force energy) and let in fresh, healthy qi. If your closet is full, you will not have room for anything new. This applies both literally and metaphorically — you may have decluttered your closet and then noticed that you quickly fill it up with new things. A full closet may also mean that you have no room to grow and no space to accept new opportunities, friendships, or partnerships.

As you’re going through your closets, I would suggest setting aside a box for items that haven’t been worn in the last three years. You can donate these to organizations that collect used textiles and shoes. Even items that are no longer wearable can be recycled and made into something else.

I encourage you to open up your closets, let go of what you don’t need, and create space for the universe to bring something new and wonderful into your life!

by Anjie Cho

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

Feng Shui for the Holidays

Anjie Cho December 8, 2021

Although the holidays are a time for celebration and rest, sometimes they can be quite the opposite. This time of year can become stressful and exhausting. Since feng shui concepts can give us tools to help create harmony and positivity in our living spaces, I’d like to share some feng shui tips to support us during the holiday season.

Family

Thanksgiving was just a few weeks ago, and of course there is often a little drama and turmoil in the Cho household. Thankfully, it was resolved. But no matter how well your family gets along – I don’t think it hurts to have more harmony in the home. Did you know there’s a section of the feng shui map that relates to family? This area also relates to new beginnings.

Locate the family/new beginnings area of your home or bedroom on the feng shui map. If you divide your home or bedroom into a 3x3 grid, it’s the center left area. You can use this feng shui map to help you locate the area. For more harmony within your family, try adding a live green plant to represent growth and support for the family during the holidays. If there is not enough natural light for a plant, try a low light plant or a very high quality, realistic looking silk plant.

Space Clearing

Holidays are often a time to gather with friends and family. Some of us have visitors staying with us in addition to parties and get-togethers. When there are many gatherings in the home, it may be helpful to do a light space clearing on a regular basis to clear the air and energy in your home. Each time you clear the space, dedicate your home to creating a loving happy space for your family and friends. For frequent space clearing, I like smudging (burning) palo santo or diffusing sweet orange essential oil. Palo santo has a light, clean, minty smell that is delicious. The sweet orange scent is life affirming, happy and bright. Use the one you like best, or alternate!

If you’re traveling you can use this to clear the space you are staying in whether it’s a hotel or as a guest in someone’s home. Probably better to use the orange essential oil rather than burn something ☺

Gratitude and Thanks

Finally, the holiday season reminds us to be grateful and thankful for the love and support we’ve received in our lives. I recently received some Buddhist teachings on patronage. I find that supporting others as a patron is a truly rewarding way to offer thanks. I'm so thankful for my abundance and success and am happy to share that with the world.

Take some time to thank the ones you love who bring you support in your life. Bring some feng shui into this practice of honoring those helpful people by offering to be a benefactor for them as well! The benefactors’ area of your bedroom would be the corner front right if you’re standing in your room looking in. Make a list of those caring and generous people, and then place the list in the benefactors area of your bedroom with the intention that you're grateful for their help and you wish to offer them even more in return.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and the days in between have always been dedicated to family, friends and remembering how fortunate we are to have life. Over time though, the holiday season has, unfortunately, become associated with high stress levels and weariness as well. Through feng shui practices and awareness, we can use well-established methods to lower stress and focus on what's really important during this time: our loved ones.

by Anjie Cho

Mindful Design Feng Shui School: Energy, Meditation, Sacred Space

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

Q&A Sunday: BTB and Flying Star Bagua Layouts

Anjie Cho November 21, 2021

Is it possible to feng shui my home using the bagua as well as flying stars? For example, my living room’s bagua Wealth corner is in the SE, but for 2016 flying stars says the Wealth is in the SW. Is it correct to use the feng shui wealth cures in two directions?

Fahriye S., Nilüfer, Bursa,Turkey

Hi Fahriye,

Thanks for writing in about how to use the feng shui bagua map on your home. To clarify, I believe you are asking if you can use the BTB school bagua layout with a Flying Star school bagua layout.

There are dozens of schools of feng shui, such as BTB, Flying Star, Compass, Form, etc. There are similarities and differences in each school, all varied. This is one of the most important reasons why it’s best to use a consultant rather than try to practice feng shui on your own - because the average person will get very confused and often mix up the schools, which may conflict. And it sounds like this is what’s happened to you!

Another clarification, I practice BTB feng shui and am not a Flying Star practitioner. However, I do work with flying stars a bit in my personal feng shui (not with clients) and use their activations with success. So for myself, I may work on a wealth cure using the BTB bagua layout but also use a wealth activation in my home based on the Flying Star school. And there are practitioners who practice from both schools with their clients. But in Flying Star it can be very dangerous if you activate the wrong sector. For instance, maybe it’s really in the south and you activate something very negative. Therefore I highly discourage you from trying anything on your own.

BTB and Flying Star use a similar feng shui bagua map. BTB locates the bagua map based on the “mouth of qi,” which is generally the formal entrance (front door) to a space. The Flying Star school locates the bagua map based on the compass direction among other things. With both schools, but especially Flying Star, there is skillfulness required to locate bagua areas in a space.

Finally, my BTB teachers have always, always, always taught that all schools of feng shui are valid. You can find success with whatever school you resonate with, or whichever school(s) your consultant practices. However, I would again caution against attempting to use Flying Star on your own. It may produce something undesirable. And also I believe it’s best to do something simply with the correct intention, and do it well, rather than spread yourself thin and do too much. Things can get muddled and confused, and therefore ineffective.

If you decide to go with the BTB bagua layout, you will find plenty of guidance in this free guide or you can schedule a call with me for help! If you're certain you want to opt for the Flying Star school, I would strongly urge you to find a consultant to guide your adjustments for positive results. Please let us know how it goes and if you have specific questions regarding BTB bagua adjustments!

by Anjie Cho