A simple guide to peaceful living

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of furniture placement and energy flow in the home. A major part of Feng Shui is controlling the flow of chi (energy) in the home. So what exactly does this mean in modern-day living?

According to the Chinese view of the universe, there is an invisible life force or energy, called chi, which flows through all things. When this energy moves freely through a home, or other environment, Nader the area feels bright, uplifting and alive.

The chi should flow freely from the front or main door all throughout the home and out of the back door or window. When chi enters the home, it needs to have a clear path to keep flowing. When chi encounters obstructions, it slows down.

Piles of clutter and old or broken objects are the biggest culprits in slowing down this flow. This sluggish energy that surrounds dormant objects such as broken unusable stuff and piles of clutter slows one down mentally, emotionally and spiritually. What better time to put this plan in motion than spring.

Where to start: When in doubt, throw it out.

Hanging on to too many old possessions can keep one linked too closely to the past and not allow for advancement. Some may have heard the old saying, “You can’t steal second with your foot on first.” To be ready for a new relationship, it may be time to let go of that vase from an old boyfriend or that picture frame from an old girlfriend. Even if the item was a priceless possession at one time, all it is doing is costing you more in the present by keeping it around. These items have a large amount of mental energy attached to them at a subconscious level. One might at first feel that if a friend gave this item to you that you are feeling ungrateful, but once it is gone, you will realize you don’t miss it at all. Now, I am not suggesting throwing everything from the past away. But most of us have much more than we need. If you truly love it and it has good memories associated with it, keep it. But don’t get caught up in this. There is only so much one can use and appreciate in this life. Give unwanted or old items to a friend or needy family who will love them and that will make you feel much better about giving them away.

Moving is a perfect time to clear out and clean out the past. It is best to do it before a move, so you aren’t lugging the old energy to the new house. Sometimes this isn’t feasible, so if you are in the new house, just bite the bullet and start.

Try to live by the rule “If I don’t love it, I don’t keep it.” Every few months or even more often, pass through the home deciding if you can live without anything.

Start in the office at home, which usually seems to collect the most clutter. Begin by cleaning files, which by the way, also includes digital files. You don’t need to keep old Word documents that are longer needed. This just makes one feel more overwhelmed when you go to find one that you are actively using. If you think you might need to go back to those files at some time, archive them by burning them to an external hard drive or flash drive. Get them off your active computer. Looking at the letter you wrote three years ago just slows you down and takes energy from your current projects.

From there, move to your physical files. Store receipts you need to keep in large envelopes by years. Write the year on the front of the envelope, and then in three years, throw it away. Open every drawer and assess what you have in it. You don’t need 50 writing pens. Keep a few good pens, and throw the rest away.

Bookshelves are next. If you didn’t like the book or it is dated, give it away. Catalogues from last spring are outdated, and besides, there are very few places that you can’t get online catalogues.

Is your desk drawer sticking or broken? Don’t move on until it is fixed. Make the room clean, clutter-free and totally operable before moving to the next room. Most of your business decisions and money issues are made in this room. It is a source for creativity and prosperity. Be sure all the energy traps are gone before moving on.

Next, go the kitchen. How many old containers do you really need? Keep a few for sending food away or storing, but you really don’t need as many as you probably have. Do you have two can openers? Two bottle openers? Don’t you really only need one? These extra items just clutter up your drawers and make it harder to quickly locate what you need. Take one drawer at a time, one cabinet at a time, and don’t move on till it is picture perfect. Do you have some glasses you loved, but you are down to three? Those need to go. This will take what seems like an eternity, but is so magnificent once you are done. It is a feeling of euphoria when you walk in your kitchen and everything is in place and neatly organized. Clean out old spices, condiments, etc., and give that refrigerator a good scrub down with baking soda and water.

Next the bathroom. Do you really need 10 different kinds of shampoo? Throw or give away most of this. It is crowding your shower and cabinets. Check the expiration on medicines. Are your towels worn, faded or mismatched? Keep one or two of these for paint projects in the garage or other room for rainy days and give the rest to the needy. Consider storage solutions to help you organize your medicines and toiletries: Cough and cold, first aid, hair care, etc. On the counters and in plain sight, try to keep all labels out of view. You don’t need your hand soap to advertise their brand name, or to say “new and improved” or “20 percent more.” This will add a level of serenity to your bathroom, which by its own nature, has a purifying affect. Most people are trying to make their bathroom a spa, branding and advertising won’t achieve that result.

Now the bedroom. Start in the closet. It is amazing how many articles of clothing that can accumulate. Ask a friend over to help you decide if the items are outdated. You hear experts say if you haven’t worn it in a year to get rid of it. But if you haven’t worn it in two years, it might be time to say goodbye. Some items made with classic styling and great fabrics that are really timeless are OK to keep as long as you are still wearing them (or can fit in them). Is the button broken? Is the hem falling? Fix them or take them to a tailor before you put them back in your closet. Store winter clothes in a different closet in the summer and vice versa if possible, or at the very least, separate them. You don’t want to be digging through wool pants to find linen. Grouping shirts together by short- and long-sleeve make finding what you want a breeze. Separate pants by dress and casual, and if you want to be as detailed as me, by color as well. Check every drawer for socks that are faded, stretched out, etc. It is amazing how pleasant it really can be to get dressed once you have done this. Clean out your night stand drawers. If you haven’t read that book in the last month, put it on a bookshelf. You can always get if from there. It is very important to have a very pure bedroom for a restful sleep. In order to wake refreshed, the chi must flow freely through the bedroom.

Now that the closets are clean and the areas that accumulate the most clutter are clean, it is time to look at the overall feel of your home. We talked about chi flowing through your home and there is no greater energy than you. Open the front door of your home and objectively walk though your home. Can you move through your home swiftly without obstacles? If you can’t, neither can your chi. Is the entrance an open area where you can receive guest? If the first place they step in your home feels cramped and crowded, does this give an unwelcoming message? Open up that space and move chairs that are obstructing walkways around until you get a clean path. No one wants to run an obstacle course in someone else’s home. Are delicate items all about where one fears they will knock them over? Consider grouping these objects out of the walk paths. Remove old magazines, etc. that tend to absorb and stagnate chi. Remove or scale down furniture that crowd walk paths. Some clients tend to over scale the furniture in their house and under scale the art.

It is always so much easier to have an objective opinion. Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. If you find this hard to do, hire a professional to help you part with some of your past and organize your present to have a more happy and prosperous future. Achieving this goal could be the most liberating experience of your life and put you living in zen.

– Edward Nader