Linda Varone | Nurturing Spaces Feng Shui

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Decluttering is NOT Feng Shui: Towards a Spiritual Approach to Feng Shui

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More often than not, when I meet someone new and they hear I am a Feng Shui consultant the response is “I really need someone to organize my _________ (fill in the blank).” As if Feng Shui consultants are mystical professional organizers. This is an understandable mistake, because of the emphasis on decluttering in so many Feng Shui books and blogs – including this one.

Cluster of deep pink roses
Balance and harmonize yourself by connection with Nature.

Decluttering is NOT part of traditional Feng Shui. I have been studying Feng Shui since 1989 and the earliest books and lectures on the subject by Asian teachers never mentioned clutter, decluttering or organizing. Why? Clutter is not a problem in Asia. But when the first Chinese teachers brought Feng Shui to America they realized that Americans were drowning in clutter. This had to be addressed because the best Feng Shui interventions are ineffective when clutter is clogging the Chi of a space and a person.

More than twenty years later, we get it. Clutter is not good.

Let’s take a spiritual look at Feng Shui. Feng Shui is about living in balance and harmony with Nature. Ancient Taoist sages viewed Nature as a reflection of the macrocosm, the Universe, and the microcosm, Humankind. To live in harmony with Nature is to live in harmony with the Cosmos and with ourselves.

How can you live in harmony with Nature?

  • Live more simply – think twice before you buy something. Is this what I need? Is this what the planet needs?
  • Be mindful to consume less: goods, energy and the time it takes to care for your possessions.
  • Practice gratitude for what you have – both material and non-material – your true blessings.
  • Shift to a level of simplicity that is comfortable for you.
  • Connect with Nature itself.

You know that Nature balances you. When you are frazzled, taking a walk calms you; when you feel down, time in Nature lifts your spirits.

  • Time in Nature opens your eyes and your senses to the wonder that surrounds you.
  • Being with Nature teaches you about the cycles of life, lessons honored by the ancient Chinese, but overlooked by us.
  • Set up your home to make the most of your connection with Nature.

Read these articles on how to set up your home to connect with Nature:

Are your window treatments getting between you and Nature?

Bring the power of Nature into your home

Declutter your outdoor life too (Mea Culpa)

What is your favorite way to connect with Nature? How does connection with Nature help you? I would love to see your thoughts in the comments below.

photo by coloredby

 

Feng Shui Holiday Happiness: Healthy Relationships

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The holiday season gets more busy and stressful every year. Marketers want you to believe money can buy happiness, if not your own happiness then the happiness of your loved ones.

“…luxury is not a requirement for well-being… I am convinced that healthy relationships are the real ‘stuff’ of human happiness.”– James A Roberts, author of “Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy”

I came across this quote in a book review. It couldn’t be more timely. Healthy relationships are the stuff of human happiness.

Make the time and create the space to connect with the friends and family you love most

  • Carve out time for a quiet cup of hot cocoa and real connection.
  • Steal time from the big festivities and share an enjoyable afternoon or at-home evening with your immediate family or “family of friends.”

In the spirit of the holidays and to help you strengthen your bonds of affection with the people you love, here are links to 3 articles to help you de-stress and have more fun:

Feng Shui Simplicity, Thanksgiving Greeting Cards and the Madness of the Season: How to Opt-Out

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I just saw an ad for Hallmark Thanksgiving cards. At first I thought it was a typo, so I Googled it and according to Hallmark, Inc. 17 million Thanksgiving cards are sent each year: 63% are given to family and 23% go to friends. This years’ selection includes audio cards with “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge, “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen, and the NFL “Heavy Action” theme.

Thanksgiving Greeting Cards
Do you want to add Thanksgiving greeting cards to your holiday frenzy?

What happened to getting together with family and friends for a wonderful meal, connection with each other, and a chance to count our blessings?  The media and the marketplace are saying that is not enough. You must serve a gargantuan meal, preceded by plenty of snacks to eat while the turkey is in the oven. All so we can eat ourselves to the point of feeling ill. But wait, there is more!

Not only do you have to cook a gourmet meal, you have to clean the house to spotlessness and then decorate it. Your dining table and coffee table and mantelpiece must be festooned with seasonal garlands and candles and figurines.

Now Hallmark, Inc is just one of thousands of companies that want you to do more and spend more for this once quiet holiday. You have a choice. You do not have to get caught up in this madness.

You want to make connection with family and friends the focus of the day/weekend. Make the meal and the day simpler for you. Take the pressure off yourself and Keep it Simple.

Clean your house, yes, but it does not have to be perfect. Martha Stewart will not be making a personal inspection of your home.

Make Thanksgiving a pot-luck meal. Simplify your menu and ask people to bring side dishes and desserts. If Uncle Stanley absolutely must have a particular dish, then he, or his wife Aunt Millie, can bring it. Just let everyone know in advance your kitchen is only available for pot luck warm up, not for food preparation. Share the culinary glory and the work.

Simplify your decorations. If you have grandchildren or nieces and nephews – ask them to bring the decorations. A hand-print turkey or drawing of the Pilgrims and the Indians is the best decoration. A few well placed candles – on your dining table and/or mantel – can add to the coziness of the occasion. If you have little ones running around, then forget the candles. Simply pull out the kitschy turkey salt and pepper shakers you got years ago and leave it at that. Remember, décor is to support a feeling of warmth and fond memories, not to create a “Wow reaction.”

Whether you have a family you truly enjoy or one that you can only tolerate, give yourself some time away from all the people and activity. Go for a walk before or after the meal; or the day after. Find a quiet corner to read, or take a nap – you deserve it.

The focus is connection with those you love. This is not a competition. The perfect food and the perfect décor will not make this a perfect holiday. You are not responsible for the happiness of others. We all make our own happiness. Take care of yourself: “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” (I say this because most of my readers are women. But this applies to men too.)

And remember – after Thanksgiving you have only 29 days until the next blow-out holiday extravaganza: Christmas! And, only six days until the first day of Chanukah. More on that in next month’s news letter.

Now I will step-down from my soap-box. 😉

Have a Happy and Sane Thanksgiving!