Raise the Energy of Your Home
Easy tips to increase the flow in your space.
According to feng shui, the fresh chi of the new year comes into full effect on February 4th. How can you prepare your home to harness the best energies for the duration of the year?
The short answer is to do a deep spring cleaning. What are those uncompleted tasks that have been weighing on you? Write them out and start working on one of the least daunting. It is so satisfying to cross items off of your list! Your mind will be more clear when you see everything on paper rather than trying to keep everything sorted in your busy mind. Spring cleaning also applies to the list of your spring cleaning tasks, your future self will thank you!
If you need some inspiration on where to start, below are some tips with explanations of why they are important.
Clean your windows and mirrors. In feng shui, the windows are considered the eyes of the home. If your “eyes” are covered in a layer of dirt and grime, you might miss seeing opportunities that are hanging out right in front of you. Clean windows allow more chi flow so your home will feel brighter, cleaner, and you will have more focus and energy as a result too. Mirrors can be tricky, make sure that all of your mirrors are reflecting something that you want to see two of in your life. Tarnished or dirty mirrors can be especially problematic so fix those right away. I even advise some clients to place money in front of their mirrors. Give it a try and see what happens!
Test your doors and windows to make sure they open easily and fully and repair or make changes if they do not. Doors and windows are the gates of chi in the home. Any blockages or problems here can lead to roadblocks in life. A door that won’t stay closed can allow money and sometimes loved ones to slip away. A door that is either blocked or hard to open will lead to frustration, stagnation, and missed opportunities. Squeaky doors are just annoying! All of these little subliminal effects of how easy it is to enter your home will add up, hopefully to your benefit. Pay special attention to the front door and your bedroom door. Don’t allow doors to bang into each other. Fighting doors can lead to arguments and difficulty.
Make repairs to any cracks in your walls or ceilings, and paint touch-ups if needed. Scrub the walls in the kitchen, these can get especially gross, and sometimes you don’t even notice it! Fill any nail holes from relocated artwork with a bit of spackle. Tiny cracks, holes, and gunk on your walls will subliminally affect your mood. You will feel healthier and have a brighter mood after you remedy these problems.
Change any burnt-out light bulbs or swap to a higher wattage if any area feels like it has low or stagnant energy. That is an easy fix! Add additional lamps if you need some extra energetic or concentration boosts. My favorite bulbs are incandescent or LED, try to avoid fluorescent bulbs as they flash ever so slightly and will gradually make you feel a bit nuts.
Clean the floors, counters, doorways, doorknobs, and even walls. If you had an especially rough 2020 (who didn’t?) use a sea salt and water wipe to energetically remove that tough energy from all hard surfaces. Add warm water to a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of sea salt. Let it dissolve and soak a clean rag in the water, then wipe those bad vibes away! Follow up with a clean water wipe if you don’t want the salt hanging out, especially on metal.
Clean out your refrigerator, washing each drawer and shelf, checking condiments, and tossing what has expired or makes you think a slight “eww” thought.
If there are any clogged drains, make sure to fix them, naturally, of course. You might have to snake or remove a pipe to clean out the gunk, but it is better than pouring toxic chemicals into our water system. It can be soooo gross, but it is very important in feng shui! (And also pretty satisfying, or am I just weird?) Plumbing is related to finances and digestion, so if your drains are stopped up, it can lead to your cash flow and gut also reaching blockages. Don’t let your faucets drip, this can lead to financial loss. I recently fixed a shower drip just by cleaning the rubber gaskets in the faucet. Make sure to remember how to put it back together again if you choose to DIY — there are so many teeny tiny parts!
Edit your possessions and remove anything that is cracked, chipped, worn, or torn. Objects that remind you of an unhappy past also need to be shown the way out the door. Donate to thrift stores, shelters, or swap with friends or your local buy nothing group to keep things out of the landfill. Honor our mother earth whenever you can!
Open the windows and dust those hard to reach and often missed places, including the leaves of your plants. They will thank you by giving you even more oxygen!
Wash your sheets and any mattress coverings. Try to keep the area under your bed clean and open.
Whew! All of this cleaning and fixing will be great exercise, also oxygenating your blood and cleansing the inside of your body. I promise you will feel much better as a result.
Try to complete as much spring cleaning and mending as you can before February 4th. If you are reading this after the solar new year and feel like you need a fresh start, go for it! There is no time like the present.
What else do you like to do for your spring cleaning ritual?