Our lives are busy enough, but during the holidays the turmoil often gets out of hand. It’s no surprise that our environments are often out of control as well. Busy schedules make for less tidying up, guests and additional projects make for more mess added to our often already overcrowded environments – both office and home. Add to all the overwhelm the increased pressure from emotional issues such as family discord, and we tend to take on the attitude that the holidays are just something to be endured.
Our environments do more than just house us. They support or block us from living the lives we want. How? What we see and live with on a daily basis constantly gives messages to us, our family, friends and associates. With a blink of an eye, we’re instantly aware of the life we’re living now and creating for our futures. More than just superstition, Feng Shui has its roots in clinically proven Quantum Physics and a whole host of other sciences as well.
The good news is we can use Feng Shui even more consciously during the holidays to not only create Holiday Harmony but harmony, abundance, well-being and prosperity for the coming year ahead as well!
One of the misconceptions we have about Feng Shui is that it’s something we must start, as if it’s something new we do. The truth is that our environments are always “Feng Shui’d.” It’s just that some parts are more in harmony and supportive than others. So really, all Feng Shui consists of adjusting and redesigning until you reach the desired result. In fact, often it’s the simplest changes that make the most impact!
Just as with our internal energy, one simple adjustment in our surroundings especially during the holidays can be all that’s needed to direct vibrating ripples of energy throughout the seen and unseen world, changing momentum, propelling us on to success or into more abundant directions.
Take a moment to stop and do a gut check. How does your environment feel? Does it feel supportive, warm, invigorating and secure? If so, great. Your job will be to maintain that feeling. If not, that’s terrific too! Because recognizing there is a challenge is a big part of solving a problem, so you’re already on your way.
Here are some very powerful and quick Feng Shui concepts to quickly harmonize and invigorate both home and office environments during the holidays –
*Don’t Waste the Red! – In Feng Shui, red conveys the energy of fire and is therefore incredibly energizing. Add some red to any area and voila, the energy of that space is enhanced. Instead of slapping red decorations all throughout the house – effectively increasing the level of the very same problems we currently have – be judicious with your placement of red décor. Want to beef up your relationships? Be sure to incorporate red décor into the Relationship areas of your home and especially the rooms affecting those relationships you wish to enhance like bedrooms or offices.
Feeling a bit too energized? Family feud not just a game show to your family? Pull back from red overwhelm and instead, use your holiday décor to increase calm, security and peace. In Feng Shui, black is associated with water. Any color in a deeper shade, leaning towards black, actually increases the water aspect. So if you’re experiencing too much anger or discord in any way, lean toward a more modern pallet and use colors like deep burgundy or dark maroon. Other colors such as warm tones, greens and blues are also calming and relaxing. Be sure to increase your use of those calming tones throughout your holiday décor for a peaceful yet joyful space.
*Give Peace A Chance – Overwhelm is a word we use a lot during the holidays, and though we want to pull out all the stops when decorating we may actually be causing ourselves more trouble than good. In effective Feng Shui, colors and elements are balanced and the same is true for good design. Any design that screams out in a jarring fashion rather than creating a special scene causes imbalances in our energies and therefore more overwhelm. It takes a bit of conscious assessment, planning and sometimes restraint, but you can have abundant glittering décor and still have a peaceful feeling. As you go about your decorating, be sure to take a step back and access if the overall effect is inviting, calming and peaceful. Pay special attention to the physical elements and endeavor to incorporate a balance between the elements of water, wind, wood and metal along with a balance of color to support a feeling of wholeness.
*Tis the Time to Receive Too! – Since the holidays often include experiences of gift giving, remember that there’s a balance in our Universe and so this is the time for receiving as well. Take one or two things you would like to manifest or experience but have either given up on or haven’t really put any energy into and beef up the energy with your holiday Feng Shui. Is there a special work project you’ve wanted to accomplish? Try placing the wreath on your front door if it’s in the Career Section and make sure it’s got a good red ribbon. Then, spend a moment reflecting on how manifesting this experience successfully would feel and anchor that feeling to the wreath so that every time you look at that big red bow you get more excited and happy about your upcoming success. Perhaps you need to resolve a relationship conflict or want to deepen a relationship. Now’s the perfect time to add holiday photos featuring this relationship in a happy time to enhance and bring it back into the vibration of joyful love. Careful not to place these photos above the fireplace as the overwhelming element of fire below can send your relationship up in flames. Instead, place these photos in the Fame and Reputation section of your home or office so that both you and any visitors get the message that you are known for this wonderful relationship. Before too long, you’ll start behaving in ways that support a calmer more joyful experience of this person.
What would you like to receive this holiday? Take a look at the appropriate sections of your home or office, do you get the feeling that your desires are about to be realized? If not, take steps to correct imbalances and install helpful adjustments called “cures” – like a photo representing your desired outcome, or a symbol of it only you would recognize. Then, beef up the energy with a little carefully placed holiday décor. (Hint: Allowing is one of the biggest challenges we have in the successful realization of our manifesting desires… but this is the one area we don’t put in so much effort… get busy learning how to allow and you’ll be amazed at how much abundance abounds!)
*Test the Waters – Sometimes we’re not ready to commit to changes, especially in our environments. We may not be willing to release old patterns or we may fear that changing the layout of our space may not be comfortable or effective. If we love the way we’ve decorated, the thought of Feng Shui’ing may not be attractive since we don’t want to give up on our style. The holidays give us a time to take a break from the routine and test out new configurations without the heavy feeling of commitment we may have if we attempt to entirely redecorate permanently. And the best news is that with Feng Shui often little changes are the most helpful. So take advantage of the temporary nature of the holidays and test out some new placements of furniture and simply some décor items. Live with it through the holidays and then make note of what worked, what you’d like to test out further and what you’d never want to live with again. And remember that other than major renovations like tearing down walls, almost all Feng Shui adjustments aren’t written in stone. You can always switch back or keep tweaking until you get it just the way you like.
What to do once your environment is balanced and working on your behalf? Take a moment to assess your work and make note of any challenging feelings or thoughts. If you have any negative charge – a bad gut feeling, sense of impending disappointment or a lack of self-worth – simply use whatever tools you can to clear out and release these feelings and thoughts.
Now that you feel an easy detachment about the things you desire, then go about your business enjoying a new level of joyful Holiday Harmony in eager anticipation of good things to come!