inspiration

Create a Nurturing Nest

by Marlaina Donato

More than being a roof over our heads, home is where we live, love and heal. This past year, we all have been reminded of the importance of having a refuge; a place that shelters not only our physical beings, but our souls, too. With ongoing pandemic restrictions, we have more time on our hands, and with this comes a blessed opportunity to catch up with our bliss. Living space should be inspired space. Creating a haven doesn’t require remodeling the kitchen or buying new furniture, only distilling new joy from the mundane. Adding a luxurious throw to a sofa or putting books to read in a pretty basket by an easy kelly sikkema/Unsplash.com chair invites us to tend to the muchneglected inner life. Putting cut flowers at the bedside or turning a chair toward the sunlight says, “Yes” to life and renewal. Playing uplifting, infectious music on laundry day rouses an element of fun. Practicing easy principles of feng shui—the art of placement—can get previously stagnant energy moving. Repositioning furniture for optimal flow and creating more open space are simple actions that can lighten heavy thoughts or memories. Home is a harbor of habit, and breaking out of the usual routine can be transformative. Here are some activities to try. n Reserve an evening every week for an old-fashioned “Sunday supper” by candlelight or have a rainy-day indoor picnic on the floor in the living room. n Add one item per day for a month to a bag intended for a local thrift store and then follow through by dropping it off. n Tidy the desk every other day and keep it uncluttered. n Hang new art prints, photos or paintings to set a new mood. Consider bright splashes of color—a set of red cups, a turquoise pillow or sunny yellow bathroom towels. n Bringtheseasonsin;hangagarlandoffauxivy,rosesorautumnleavesovertheshowerhead. n Buy or adopt low-maintenance indoor plants like philodendrons and snake plants for a spot of lovely green, even in deep winter. In a world that fosters a “grass is always greener on the other side” mentality, cultivating soul-nourishment is a sure way to turn the humblest space into a castle.

Marlaina Donato is the author of Spiritual Famine in the Age of Plenty: Baby Steps to Bliss. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com. Working alongside you and your family.

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Harmonizing

Our Home’s Energy

WHy IT’S IMPORTANT

by Lindsey Foose

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a direct impact on the energies of homes as more time is spent in them. Whether working and/or schooling remotely, either full time or part time, added time spent within the home causes energetic shifts.

Homesarenolongerpeacefulsanctuariestoreturntoforrestand rejuvenationfromthehecticworldsofworkandschool.Quietspaceshavenowbecomeactivespaces,suchasofficesandclassrooms. Thisshiftiscausinganimbalanceintheyinandyangofthehome.

The yin and yang concept in basic terms refers to the balance of extremes. Within the home, these extremes manifest as light versus dark, cold versus hot, active versus inactive, loud versus quiet, et cetera. In his book The Principles of Feng Shui, Master Larry Sang, founder of the American Feng Shui Institute, in California, states, “Maintaining a balance between yin and yang in … your living environment is the key to good feng shui.”

Feng shui seeks to harmonize the energetic imbalances within the home. An environment with properly aligned energy can support and improve sleep, energy levels, productivity, creativity, health, relationships and prosperity.

With the pandemic impacting the energies of a home, it is most timely that these energies be brought back into alignment. While feng shui requires action within the home, the appraisal and remedy processes can be accomplished remotely.

There are four pieces of information that the client provides to the traditional feng shui practitioner: a floor plan drawn to scale, the year the home was built, the birthdates and gender of all occupants, and interior and exterior tours of the home. Each of these pieces of information provide valuable data to the practitioner.

Author and feng shui expert Kartar Diamond, a graduate of the American Feng Shui Institute, writes in her book, Feng Shui for Skeptics, “When a structure is built, the foundation plugs the building into the earth. The completion of the ceiling will capture the cosmic configuration … . The timing of the construction and the space it occupies will produce an energy blueprint that can be tracked and interpreted.”

A completed appraisal includes this unique energy map and recommendations for aligning the environmental energies. Beneficial energies are enhanced while unsupportive energies are neutralized.

According to P.K. Odle, executive director of the American Feng Shui Institute, “Classical feng shui is a science with the same roots as acupuncture. Classical feng shui uses decorative objects made of the five elements (earth, metal, water, wood and fire colors) to remedy any sabotaging influences caused by the invisible energies in your home/office … and improves lives by working with the unseen energies … .”

Also included in a traditional feng shui appraisal are brief descriptions on leveraging each occupant’s personal directions to best nurture sleep, energy, productivity, creativity, health, relationships and prosperity.

The results a client may experience are directly reliant upon his/her commitment to intentionally implementing, in a timely fashion, the elemental recommendations provided in the appraisal. Typically, two to four weeks of having the elemental remedies in place is required before energetic changes become noticeable.

Benefits commonly experienced from a properly aligned space include: • Feeling calmer and more in control • Feeling more focused, attentive and organized • Feeling well rested and energized • Feeling more productive and creative • Feeling healthier in general

Ensuring that the home is supporting its occupants to the best of its abilities, it is well worth exploring how to harmonize the natal energies, especially while the home is serving as sanctuary, office and school. The pandemic has created an unexpected and unanticipated energetic shift within homes across the globe. Now more than ever, creating spaces that maximize sleep, energy, productivity and creativity, while optimizing health, relationships and prosperity is of utmost importance.

Lindsey Foose is the founder of Zententional Living, empowering individuals and families to live mindfully through intentional practices of energetic empowerment. She is a traditional feng shui practitioner, trained through the American Feng Shui Institute. Email Lindsey@Zententional-Living.space or visit Zententional-Living.space for more information. See ads, pages 37 and 51.

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