The year 2014 has begun in earnest but you still haven’t cleaned up your house—or your act. Don’t worry, you still have one more chance to start the year right with the Chinese New Year beginning this January 31st. It’s the right time for your do-over, especially when you’ve got Feng Shui to help you out.
Of course, it would be great to have your personal Feng Shui consultant to give you tips on how to do this. Fortunately for us, there are a few Do-It-Yourself tricks you can do to improve the Feng Shui of your home for 2014. What’s more, these DIY tips are pretty easy to do and won’t take up more than a weekend.
Most experts agree that the key to good Feng Shui is having good qi (or “chi”) in your home. Having good qi means the positive energy or life force of the world is flowing properly through your home—and therefore, into you. However, the qi can’t flow if it is perennially being blocked. The blockages can range from a shoddy-made door, clutter leading to and from the door, or even furniture placed in the wrong spot.
Open Your Doors to the Good Vibes
The front door of your house is the primary entrance where qi enters—which is why it’s also called the “mouth of qi”—and, therefore, it should be a good one. In fact, experts say that your door should be good enough to attract qi into your home.
That’s why to start off your general cleanup before the Chinese New Year, you should start with the front entrance of your home. For example, you can:
- Take down the seasonal decorations on or around the door
- Polish the door knob, oil the hinges, and even give the door a paint job with the appropriate Feng Shui color
- Put in extra accessories like an extra lock or a peephole
Jettison the Past Year’s Baggage
You can’t clean your door and not clear the area around your door. First of all, make sure there’s no clutter that’s actually blocking your door or stopping it from opening all the way. Let it swing wide. The next step involves clearing the landscape around the door:
- Replace dead plants lining the way to your door with new, vibrant plants
- Clear last year’s clutter (like old newspapers, dusty piles of bills, and dirty shoes) because it’s only holding you back
- Give the welcome mat a good washing
Let It Flow, Let It Flow, Let It Flow
Last but not least, it’s time to do a little organizing. Qi is supposed to flow to your door and then into your house. Think of water flowing into your house: imagine where it is flowing smoothly or where it is remaining stagnant. The imagined water is your qi and it’s your job to keep it moving.
- If the chairs or tables are in the way of the imagined flow of qi, shift them around until you get the right spot
- Organize your stuff and then put them away in storage; clearing your physical clutter can help clear your emotional and psychological clutter
- Move things around: as one expert says, moving causes change, which can be a good thing
There are other Feng Shui tips that can help you for the coming Chinese New Year. However, start your clean-up right with these DIY tips and you’ll find that it’s definitely easier to start the Chinese New Year right.
