“Balance is the most important of all qualities. We don’t want a little bit of rapid growth and then to stagnate. We want continual growth, continual development, which implies balance, always.”
– Unknown
During my 20s every time I got my hands on some extra money, I’d book a flight to somewhere. Travel and exploration topped my priority list. As a result taking care and beautifying my home slid to the bottom. I’d stick to the bare minimum – second hand furniture, simple crockery – and even postpone basic maintenance for as long as I could. After all there were adventures waiting to be embarked upon. This was a very yang time in my life. I was an aggressive product manager at work, a complete control-freak in my relationships and not very open to receiving help or feedback (or even love) in my life…
I now see the need for balance. Travel by its very nature is yang : an outward journey that involves exploring unknown, unchartered places and people – stepping out of one’s comfort zone with a sense of curiosity and anticipation. Being indoors and tending the home have a yin quality: nesting, reflecting, beautifying. Of course these are broad generalizations. A trip to a 3-day silent retreat is very yin and demolishing the extra room to convert it into an office has very yang flavors to it. But you get the picture. The former gives us wings and the latter connects us, roots us to the earth. Both help on our spiritual journey and are important in equal measure.
Our home is an extension of ourself, a sacred space for us to retreat, relax and reflect. Feng Shui regards the home to be the ultimate source of health and prosperity. Careful attention is placed on the presence of any energetic blockages that might drain it’s residents of physical, emotional or professional abundance.
What’s bothering you about your home?
The door that creaks, the bills folder that needs organizing, the leaking taps that needs plumbing, the painting that’s waiting to be hung (or straightened), the plant that needs re-potting, the knives that need sharpening, the shoes that are over flooding your rack and need donating: what in your home right now is bothering you? What needs to be completed, thrown out or fixed?
Getting rid of annoyances in the house will free up energy in your life. (Tweet it)
There is a tangible relationship between the life we want and the annoyances in our home. Get rid of the latter and watch the former miraculously unfold.
Make a list, schedule time in the coming weekend and get it done. I had been planning a wall collage with picture frames and the Holstee poster for ages and finally got it done last week.
Once the annoyances in your home are taken care of, we move on to the next step:
How can you add beauty and luxury in your home?
Women and beauty are synonymous. We live it as much as we are drawn to it. This is one of our inherent gifts and there is no better place to use this gift than in our own homes. Have you ever walked into someone’s home and immediately felt at ease? Everything is arranged just so, and there’s an calm, peaceful, warm energy that envelops you. And then there are homes that look beautiful but something doesn’t quite feel right about them.
Beautiful things…
Ask yourself how you feel when you walk into your home. Do you feel relaxed or uncomfortable? This is important because the energy of our home determines our own energy. Here are some simple, small and inexpensive ways that can make the smallest activities into luxurious, beautiful experiences:
- Treat yourself to some fresh flowers
- Add green plants to your home
- Re-arrange the furniture
- Grow some herbs
- Buy a beautiful bathrobe
- Use epsom salts and soothing oils in your bath
- Light candles during dinner time
- Add mood lighting to your bedroom
- Pick cloth napkins instead of paper ones
When you surround yourself with beauty, you too will feel special and attractive.
And that is the beginning of a lifelong love-affair 🙂
So, I can’t wait to read your comments!
- What are some things about your home that are bothering you?
- What’s one thing you can do to make your home warm, cozy and beautiful?